Prayer

Mu'adha said she asked ‘A’isha how many <i>rak'as</i> God’s Messenger prayed at the forenoon prayer, and she replied, “Four <i>rak'as</i>, but sometimes more, as God pleased.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Dharr reported God’s Messenger as saying, “In the morning alms are due from every bone in a man’s fingers and toes. Every utterance of ‘Glory be to God’ is alms; every utterance of ‘Praise be to God’ is alms; every utterance of ‘There is no god but God' is alms; every utterance of ‘God is most great’ is alms; enjoining good is alms; forbidding what is disreputable is alms; and two <i>rak'as</i> which one prays in the forenoon serve instead of that.” Muslim transmitted it.

Zaid b. Arqam, on seeing some people praying in the forenoon, said:

They well know that prayer at another time than this is more excellent. God’s Messenger said, “The prayer of those who are penitent is observed when the young weaned camels feel the heat of the sun.”* * Young camels are said to feel the sand too hot when a quarter of the day has passed. Muslim transmitted it.

Abud Darda' and Abu Dharr reported God’s Messenger as stating that God who is blessed and exalted said, “Son of Adam, if you perform four <i>rak'as</i> for me at the beginning of the day, I will supply what you need till the end of it.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it from Nu'aim b. Hammar al-Ghatafani, and Ahmad from them all.

Buraida said that he heard God’s Messenger say, “A human being has three hundred and sixty joints for each of which he must give alms.” On being asked who was capable of doing that he replied, “It may be mucus in the mosque which you bury, and something which you remove from the road; but if you do not find such, two <i>rak'as</i> in the forenoon will suffice you.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Anas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone prays twelve <i>rak'as</i> in the forenoon God will build for him a castle of gold in paradise.” Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but Tirmidhi said, “This is a <i>gharib</i> tradition which I know only by this line of transmission.”

Mu'adh b. Anas al-Juhani reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone sits in his place of prayer when he finishes the Morning Prayer till he prays the two <i>rak'as</i> of the forenoon, saying nothing but what is good, his sins will be forgiven him even if they are more than the foam of the sea.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone perseveres in praying the two <i>rak'as</i> of the forenoon, his sins will be forgiven him, even if they are like the foam of the sea.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘A’isha used to pray eight <i>rak'as</i> in the forenoon, then say, “If my parents were brought back to life for me I would not give up praying them.” Malik transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id said:

God’s Messenger used to pray in the forenoon so often that we felt he would never stop doing so; then he would leave off doing so for so long that we felt he would never resume prayer at that time. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Muwarriq al-Ijli said:

I asked Ibn ‘Umar whether he prayed in the forenoon and he said he did not. I asked whether ‘Umar did and he said he did not. I asked whether Abu Bakr did and he said he did not. I asked whether the Prophet (ﷺ) did and he said, “I don’t think so.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported that God's Messenger said to Bilal at the dawn prayer, “Tell me, Bilal, of the action you have done since becoming a Muslim which is most calculated to cause hope in you, for I heard the sound of your sandals in front of me in paradise.” He replied, “I have done no action more calculated, in my opinion to cause hope than that I have never performed ablution at any hour of the night or day without immediately praying what was ordained for me to pray.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir said :

God’s Messenger used to teach us how to ask God’s guidance about matters just as he used to teach as a <i>sura</i> of the Qur’an, saying: When any of you intends to do something he should pray two <i>rak'as</i> which are not compulsory, then say, “O God, I ask Your guidance by Your knowledge, I ask You for power by Your power, and I ask You out of Your great abundance, for You have power and I have none, You knowest and I did not, and You are the One who is aware of the unseen. O God, if You knowest that this matter is good for me regarding my religion, my livelihood, and my future wellbeing (or he said, “my affairs in this world and the next”), ordain it for me and make it easy for me, then bless me in it. But if You knowest that this matter is bad for me regarding my religion, my livelihood, and my future wellbeing (or he said, “my affairs in this world and the next”), turn it away from me, turn me away from it, ordain good for me wherever it is, then make me pleased with it.” He said that he should name what he required. Bukhari transmitted it.

‘Ali said:

Abu Bakr told me, and Abu Bakr spoke the truth, that he heard God’s Messenger say, “No man will commit a sin, then get up and purify himself, then pray, then ask God’s foigiveness without God forgiving him.” Then he recited, "And those who, when they do something to be ashamed of, or who wrong themselves, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins” (Al-Qur’an; 3:135). Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but Ibn Majah did not mention the verse.

Hudhaifa said that when anything distressed the Prophet (ﷺ) he prayed. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Buraida told how one morning God’s Messenger called Bilal and said, "What did you do to get to paradise before me? I have never entered paradise without hearing the rustling of your garments in front of me.” He replied, "Messenger of God, I have never called the <i>adhan</i> without praying two <i>rak'as</i>, and no impurity has ever happened to me without my performing ablution on the spot and thinking that I owed God two <i>rak'as</i>.” God’s Messenger said, "It is because of them.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Abu Aufa reported God’s Messenger as saying:

If anyone wants something from God, or from a human being, he should perform ablution and do it well, then pray two <i>rak'as</i>, then extol God most high and invoke blessing on the Prophet, then say, "There is no god but God, the Clement and Generous. Glory be to God, the Lord of the mighty throne. Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe. I ask You for words which will guarantee Your mercy, actions which will make certain Your forgiveness, a supply of every virtue, and freedom from every offence. Do not leave me a sin which You dost not pardon, a care which You dost not remove, or a want that meets with Your pleasure which You dost not supply, O most merciful of the merciful ones.” Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Tirmidhi said this is a <i>gharib</i> tradition.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that the Prophet (ﷺ) said to al-‘Abbas b. ‘Abd al- Muttalib:

‘Abbas my uncle, shall I not give you, shall I not present you, shall I not tell you, shall I not produce in you ten things, by your doing which God will forgive you your sin, first and last, old and new, involuntary and voluntary, small and great, secret and open? You should pray four <i>rak'as</i> reciting in each one <i>Fatihat al-Kitab</i> (Al-Qur’an; 1) and a <i>sura</i> and when you finish the recitation in the first <i>rak'a</i> you should say fifteen times while standing, “Glory be to God. Praise be to God. There is no god but God. God is most great.” Then you should bow and say it ten times while bowing. Then you should raise your head after bowing and say it ten times. Then you should get down in prostration and say it ten times while prostrating yourself. Then you should raise your head after prostrating yourself and say it ten times. ’ Then you should prostrate yourself and say it ten times, then raise your head and say it ten times. That is, seventy-five times in every <i>rak'a</i>. You should do that in four <i>rak'as</i>. If you can observe it once daily do so; if not, then once weekly; if not, then once a month; if not, then once a year; if not, then once in your lifetime. Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Baihaqi, in <i>[Kitab] ad-Da'awat al-kabir</i>, transmitted it, and Tirmidhi transmitted something similar from Abu Rafi'.

Abu Huraira told of hearing God’s Messenger say, “The first of his deeds for which a man will be taken into account on the day of resurrection will be his prayer. If it is sound he will be saved and successful, but if it is unsound he will be unfortunate and miserable. If any deficiency is found in his obligatory prayer the Lord who is blessed and exalted will issue instructions to consider whether His servant has said any voluntary prayers so that what is lacking in the obligatory prayer may be made up by it. Then the rest of his actions will be treated in the same fashion.” In a version it says, “Then zakat will be dealt with like that, and all his actions will be treated on the same principle.” Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Ahmad transmitted it from “a man”.

Abu Umama reported God’s Messenger as saying, “God does not listen to a servant of His engaged in anything more excellent than the two <i>rak'as</i> which he prays. Kindness is spread over the head of a servant as long as he is engaged in prayer; and men do not draw near to God with anything to be compared with what came forth from Him,” meaning the Qur’an. Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.