When my father died he owed a Jew thirty Awsuq (of dates). I requested him to give me respite for repaying but he refused. I requested Allah's Apostle to intercede with the Jew. Allah's Apostle went to the Jew and asked him to accept the fruits of my trees in place of the debt but the Jew refused. Allah's Apostle entered the garden of the date-palms, wandering among the trees and ordered me (saying), "Pluck (the fruits) and give him his due." So, I plucked the fruits for him after the departure of Allah's Apostle and gave his thirty Awsuq, and still had seventeen Awsuq extra for myself. Jabir said: I went to Allah's Apostle to inform of what had happened, but found him praying the `Asr prayer. After the prayer I told him about the extra fruits which remained. Allah's Apostle told me to inform (`Umar) Ibn Al-Khattab about it. When I went to `Umar and told him about it, `Umar said, "When Allah's Apostle walked in your garden, I was sure that Allah would definitely bless it."

Allah's Apostle said, "There was an Israeli man called Juraij, while he was praying, his mother came and called him, but he did not respond to her call. He said (to himself) whether he should continue the prayer or reply to his mother. She came to him the second time and called him and said, "O Allah! Do not let him die until he sees the faces of prostitutes." Juraij used to live in a hermitage. A woman said that she would entice Juraij, so she went to him and presented herself (for an evil act) but he refused. She then went to a shepherd and allowed him to commit an illegal sexual intercourse with her and later she gave birth to a boy. She alleged that the baby was from Juraij. The people went to Juraij and broke down his hermitage, pulled him out of it and abused him. He performed ablution and offered the prayer, then he went to the male (baby) and asked him; "O boy! Who is your father?" The baby replied that his father was the shepherd. The people said that they would build for him a hermitage of gold but Juraij asked them to make it of mud only."

That `Amr bin `Auf, who was an ally of Bani 'Amir bin Luai and one of those who fought at Badr in the company of the Prophet , said, "Allah's Apostle sent Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah to Bahrain to bring the Jizya taxation from its people, for Allah's Apostle had made a peace treaty with the people of Bahrain and appointed Al-`Ala' bin Al-Hadrami as their ruler. So, Abu 'Ubaida arrived with the money from Bahrain. When the Ansar heard of the arrival of Abu 'Ubaida (on the next day) they offered the morning prayer with the Prophet and when the morning prayer had finished, they presented themselves before him. On seeing the Ansar, Allah's Apostle smiled and said, "I think you have heard that Abu 'Ubaida has brought something?" They replied, "Indeed, it is so, O Allah's Apostle!" He said, "Be happy, and hope for what will please you. By Allah, I am not afraid that you will be poor, but I fear that worldly wealth will be bestowed upon you as it was bestowed upon those who lived before you. So you will compete amongst yourselves for it, as they competed for it and it will destroy you as it did them."

The prayer time of danger should be offered in the following way: The imam should stand (for prayer) and a section of the people should stand along with him. The other section should stand facing the enemy. The imam should perform bowing and prostrate himself along with those who are with him. He then should stand (after prostration) and, when he stands straight, he should remain standing. They (the people) should (in the meantime) complete their remaining rak'ah (i.e. the second one). They they should utter the salutation, and turn away while the imam should remain standing. They should go before the enemy. Thereafter those who did not pray should come forward and utter the takbir (Allah is most great) behind imam. He should bow and prostrate along with them and utter the salutation. Then they should stand and completed their remaining rak'ah, and utter the salutation.

Abu Dawud said: The tradition reported by Yahya b. Sa'id from al-Qasim is similar to the one transmitted by Yazid b. Ruman except that he differed with him in salutation. The tradition reported by 'Ubaid Allah is like the one reported by Yahya b. Sa'id, saying: He (the Prophet) remained standing.

The Prophet (saws) had a bowl called gharra'. It was carried by four persons. When the sun rose high, and they performed the forenoon prayer, the bowl in which tharid was prepared was brought, and the people gathered round it. When they were numerous, the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Allah has made me a respectable servant, and He did not make me an obstinate tyrant. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Eat from it sides and leave its top, the blessing will be conferred on it

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sulaiman Taimi with the same chain of transmitters and, at the end, it was said that the first Adhan was meant to awaken those who were in slumber amongst them and in order to make them turn who stand in (prayer) among them (towards food at the commencement of the fast). Jarir (one of the narrators) said that the Messenger (may peace be upon him) did not say like this but he said like it (true dawn) that the streaks of (true dawn ) are horizontal and not vertical.

While the Prophet and I were coming out of the mosque, a man met us outside the gate. The man said, "O Allah's Apostle! When will be the Hour?" The Prophet asked him, "What have you prepared for it?" The man became afraid and ashamed and then said, "O Allah's Apostle! I haven't prepared for it much of fasts, prayers or charitable gifts but I love Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet said, "You will be with the one whom you love."

When I arrived at Medina, `Abdullah bin Salam met me and said to me, "Accompany me to my house so that I may make you drink from a bowl from which Allah's Apostle used to drink, and that you may offer prayer in the mosque in which the Prophet used to pray." I accompanied him, and he made me drink Sawiq and gave me dates to eat, and then I prayed in his mosque.

Yahya related to me from Malik from AIqama ibn Abi AIqama that his mother, the mawla of A'isha, umm al-muminin, said, "Women used to send little boxes to A'isha, umm al-muminin, with a piece of cotton cloth in each one on which was yellowness from menstrual blood, asking her about the prayer. She said to them, 'Do not be hasty until you see a white discharge." By that she meant purity from menses.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If you are uncertain in the prayer and do not know whether you have prayed three or four rakas, then pray a raka and make two prostrations from the sitting position before the taslim. If the raka that you prayed was the fifth, then you make it even by these two sajdas, and if it was the fourth, then the two prostrations spite Shaytan."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Salama ibn Abdar-Rahman ibn Awf from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When you stand in prayer, Shaytan comes to you and confuses you until you do not know how much you have prayed. If you find that happening do two sajdas from the sitting position."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father from A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If you are drowsy in prayer, sleep until sleep leaves you, because if you pray while you are drowsy, you do not know whether you may intend to ask for forgiveness but (in fact) ask for harm."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud that Abdullah ibn Abbas said, "I approached, riding on a donkey, while the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was leading the people in prayer at Mina, and I was, at that time, nearing puberty. I passed in front of part of the row, dismounted, sent the donkey off to graze, and then joined the row, and no one rebuked me for doing so."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibn al-Musayyab said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not pray dhuhr and asr on the day of the Trench until after the sun had set."

Malik said, "The hadith of al- Qasim ibn Muhammad from Salih ibn Khawwat is the one I like most out of what I have heard about the fear prayer."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al- Musayyab that Umar ibn al-Khattab prayed two rakas with everybody when he arrived in Makka. Then, when he had finished, he said, "People of Makka, complete your prayer, because we are a group of travellers." Later, Umar ibn al-Khattab prayed two rakas with them at Mina, but we have not heard that he said anything to them on that occasion.

Aisha said, "I borrowed a necklace from Asma' and it was lost. So Allah's Apostle sent a man to search for it and he found it. Then the time of the prayer became due and there was no water. They prayed (without ablution) and informed Allah's Apostle about it, so the verse of Tayammum was revealed." Usaid bin Hudair said to `Aisha, "May Allah reward you. By Allah, whenever anything happened which you did not like, Allah brought good for you and for the Muslims in that."

I went to Jabir bin `Abdullah and he was praying wrapped in a garment and his Rida was Lying beside him. When he finished the prayers, I said "O `Abdullah! You pray (in a single garment) while your Rida' is lying beside you." He replied, "Yes, I did it intentionally so that the ignorant ones like you might see me. I saw the Prophet praying like this. "

I asked the Prophet "Which deed is the dearest to Allah?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents" I again asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, 'To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's cause." `Abdullah added, "I asked only that much and if I had asked more, the Prophet would have told me more."

Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri told my father, "I see you liking sheep and the wilderness. So whenever you are with your sheep or in the wilderness and you want to pronounce Adhan for the prayer raise your voice in doing so, for whoever hears the Adhan, whether a human being, a jinn or any other creature, will be a witness for you on the Day of Resurrection." Abu Sa`id added, "I heard it (this narration) from Allah's Apostle."

Once on a rainy muddy day, Ibn `Abbas delivered a sermon in our presence and when the Mu'adhdhin pronounced the Adhan and said, "Haiyi `ala-s-sala(t) (come for the prayer)" Ibn `Abbas ordered him to say 'Pray at your homes.' The people began to look at each other (surprisingly). Ibn `Abbas said. "It was done by one who was much better than I (i.e. the Prophet or his Mu'adh-dhin), and it is a license.'

Abu Qilaba said, "Malik bin Huwairith came to this Mosque of ours and said, 'I pray in front of you and my aim is not to lead the prayer but to show you the way in which the Prophet used to pray.' " I asked Abu Qilaba, "How did he use to pray?' " He replied, "(The Prophet used to pray) like this Sheikh of ours and the Sheikh used to sit for a while after the prostration, before getting up after the first rak`a. "

Once solar eclipse occurred during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle. He offered the eclipse prayer. His companions asked, "O Allah's Apostle! We saw you trying to take something while standing at your place and then we saw you retreating." The Prophet said, "I was shown Paradise and wanted to have a bunch of fruit from it. Had I taken it, you would have eaten from it as long as the world remains."

Anas said, "I will leave no stone unturned in making you offer the prayer as I have seen the Prophet making us offer it." Anas used to do a thing which I have not seen you doing. He used to stand after the bowing for such a long time that one would think that he had forgotten (the prostrations) and he used to sit in-between the prostrations so long that one would think that he had forgotten the second prostration.

We offered a four rak`at prayer at Mina behind Ibn `Affan . `Abdullah bin Mas`ud was informed about it. He said sadly, "Truly to Allah we belong and truly to Him we shall return." And added, "I prayed two rak`at with Allah's Apostle at Mina and similarly with Abu Bakr and with `Umar (during their caliphates)." He further said, "May I be lucky enough to have two of the four rak`at accepted (by Allah)."

We went to receive Anas bin Malik when he returned from Sham and met him at a place called 'Ainat- Tamr. I saw him praying riding the donkey, with his face to this direction, i.e. to the left of the Qibla. I said to him, "I have seen you offering the prayer in a direction other than that of the Qibla." He replied, "If I had not seen Allah's Apostle doing it, I would not have done it."

`Imran bin Husain had piles. Once Abu Ma mar narrated from `Imran bin Husain had said, "I asked the Prophet (p.b.u.h) about the prayer of a person while sitting. He said, 'It is better for one to pray standing; and whoever prays sitting gets half the reward of that who prays while standing; and whoever prays while Lying gets half the reward of that who prays while sitting.' "

When Allah's Apostle came to Mecca, he refused to enter the Ka`ba with idols in it. He ordered (idols to be taken out). So they were taken out. The people took out the pictures of Abraham and Ishmael holding Azlams in their hands. Allah's Apostle said, "May Allah curse these people. By Allah, both Abraham and Ishmael never did the game of chance with Azlams." Then he entered the Ka`ba and said Takbir at its corners but did not offer the prayer in it.

We would not wash our feet after treading on something unclean, nor would we hold our hair and garments (during prayer).

Abu Dawud said: The tradition has been reported by Ibrahim b. Abi Mu'awiyah through a different chain of narrators: A'mash - Shaqiq - Masruq - 'Abd Allah (b. Mas'ud). And Hannad reported from Shaqiq, or reported on his authority saying: 'Abd Allah (b. Mas'ud) said.

Ibn Umm Maktum asked the Prophet (saws) saying: Messenger of Allah, I am a blind man, my house is far away (from the mosque), and I have a guide who does not follow me. Is it possible that permission be granted to me for saying prayer in my house? He asked: Do you hear summons (adhan)? He said: Yes. He said: I do not find any permission for you.

I remember two period of silence in prayer, one when the imam said the takbir; and one when he finished reciting the Fatihah and the surah when he was about to bow. But Imran ibn Husayn took it as something strange. So they wrote about it to Ubayy (ibn Ka'b) in Medina. He verified the statement of Samurah.

Abu Dawud said: Humaid also narrated in this tradition the words "and one period silence when he finished the recitation (of the Qur'an)"

The Messenger of Allah (saws) entered the mosque and saw a man who had finished his prayer, and was reciting the tashahhud saying: O Allah, I ask you, O Allah, the One, the eternally besought of all, He begetteth not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable unto Him, that you may forgive me my sins, you are Most Forgiving, Merciful.

He (the Prophet) said: He was forgiven (repeating three times.)

The Prophet (saws) said: When one of you is in doubt about his prayer, and does not know how much he has prayed, three or four rak'ahs, he should pray one (additional) rak'ah and make two prostrations while sitting before giving the salutation. If the (additional) rak'ah which he prayed is the fifth one, he will make it an even number by these two prostrations. If it is the fourth one, the two prostrations will be a disgrace for the devil.

There was an eclipse of the sun in the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws). He came out bewildered pulling his garment, and I was in his company at Medina. He prayed two rak'ahs and stood for a long time in them. He then departed and the sun became bright. He then said: There are the signs by means of which Allah, the Exalted, produces dread (in His servants). When you see anything of this nature, then pray as you are praying a fresh obligatory prayer.