The Book of Prayer - Travellers

"‏ لاَ تَتَحَرَّوْا طُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ وَلاَ غُرُوبَهَا فَتُصَلُّوا عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ ‏"

Do not get used to observe prayer at the time of the rising sun and at the time of its setting and (exhorted the Muslims) to pray at their times.

"‏ يَا بِنْتَ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ سَأَلْتِ عَنِ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ إِنَّهُ أَتَانِي نَاسٌ مِنْ عَبْدِ الْقَيْسِ بِالإِسْلاَمِ مِنْ قَوْمِهِمْ فَشَغَلُونِي عَنِ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ فَهُمَا هَاتَانِ ‏"

I along with 'Umar b. al-Khattab dissuaded people to do so (to observe two rak'ahs of prayer). Kuraib said: I went to her ('A'isha) and conveyed to her the message with which I was sent. She said: (Better) ask Umm Salama. So I went to them (those who had sent him to Hadrat 'A'isha) and informed them about what she had said. They sent me back to Umm Salama with that with which I was sent to 'A'isha. Umm Salama said: I beard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibiting them, and then afterwards I saw him observing them. And when he observed them (two rak'ahs) he had already observed the 'Asr prayer. Then he (the Holy Prophet) came, while there were with me ladies of Banu Haram, a tribe of the Ansar and he (the Holy Prophet) observed them (the two rak'ahs). I sent a slave-girl to him asking her to stand by his side and say to him that Umm Salama says: Messenger of Allah, I heard you prohibiting these two rak'ahs, whereas I saw you observing them; and if he (the Holy Prophet) points with his hand (to wait), then do wait. The slave-girl did like that. He (the Holy Prophet) pointed out with his hand and she got aside and waited, and when he had finished (the prayer) he said: Daughter of Abu Umayya. you have asked about the two rak'ahs after the 'Asr prayer. Some people of 'Abu al-Qais came to me for embracing Islam and hindered me from observing the two rak'ahs which come after the noon prayer. So those are the two I have been praying.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ، وَقُتَيْبَةُ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ ابْنُ أَيُّوبَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ جَعْفَرٍ - أَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدٌ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ أَبِي حَرْمَلَةَ - قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ، أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَائِشَةَ عَنِ السَّجْدَتَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ، كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّيهِمَا بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ فَقَالَتْ كَانَ يُصَلِّيهِمَا قَبْلَ الْعَصْرِ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ شُغِلَ عَنْهُمَا أَوْ نَسِيَهُمَا فَصَلاَّهُمَا بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ ثُمَّ أَثْبَتَهُمَا وَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلاَةً أَثْبَتَهَا ‏.‏ قَالَ يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ قَالَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ تَعْنِي دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهَا ‏.‏

He (the Holy Prophet) observed them before the 'Asr prayer, but then he was hindered to do so, or he forgot them and then he observed them after the 'Asr, and then he continued observing them. (It was his habit) that when he (the Holy Prophet) observed prayer, he then continued observing it. Isma'il said: It implies that he always did that.

حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي جَمِيعًا، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ مَا تَرَكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ عِنْدِي قَطُّ ‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not abandon at all observing two rak'ahs after the 'Asr in my house.

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الشَّيْبَانِيُّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ صَلاَتَانِ مَا تَرَكَهُمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي بَيْتِي قَطُّ سِرًّا وَلاَ عَلاَنِيَةً رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْفَجْرِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ ‏.‏

Two are the prayers which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) always observed in my house-openly or secretly-two rak'ahs before the dawn and two rak'ahs after the 'Asr.

وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَابْنُ، بَشَّارٍ قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ، وَمَسْرُوقٍ، قَالاَ نَشْهَدُ عَلَى عَائِشَةَ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا كَانَ يَوْمُهُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَكُونُ عِنْدِي إِلاَّ صَلاَّهُمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي بَيْتِي ‏.‏ تَعْنِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ ‏.‏

We bear testimony to the fact that 'A'isha said: Never was there a day that he (the Holy Prophet) was with me and he did not observe two rak'ahs of prayer in my house, i. e. two rak'ahs after the Asr.

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ جَمِيعًا عَنِ ابْنِ فُضَيْلٍ، - قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، - عَنْ مُخْتَارِ بْنِ فُلْفُلٍ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ عَنِ التَّطَوُّعِ، بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ فَقَالَ كَانَ عُمَرُ يَضْرِبُ الأَيْدِي عَلَى صَلاَةٍ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ وَكُنَّا نُصَلِّي عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ قَبْلَ صَلاَةِ الْمَغْرِبِ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ أَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلاَّهُمَا قَالَ كَانَ يَرَانَا نُصَلِّيهِمَا ‏.‏ فَلَمْ يَأْمُرْنَا وَلَمْ يَنْهَنَا.

I asked Anas b. Malik about the voluntary prayers after the afternoon prayer, and he replied: 'Umar struck hit hands on prayer observed after the 'Asr prayer and we used to observe two rak'ahs after the sun set before the evening prayer during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I said to him: Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observe them? He said: He saw us observing them, but he neither commanded us nor forbade us to do so.

وَحَدَّثَنَا شَيْبَانُ بْنُ فَرُّوخَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ صُهَيْبٍ - عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَإِذَا أَذَّنَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ لِصَلاَةِ الْمَغْرِبِ ابْتَدَرُوا السَّوَارِيَ فَيَرْكَعُونَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ حَتَّى إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ الْغَرِيبَ لَيَدْخُلُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَيَحْسِبُ أَنَّ الصَّلاَةَ قَدْ صُلِّيَتْ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ مَنْ يُصَلِّيهِمَا ‏.‏

When we were in Medina, the moment the Mu'adhdhin made the call to the sunset prayer, the people hastened to the pillars of the mosque and prayed two rak'ahs with the result that any stranger coming into the mosque would think that the obligatory prayer had been observed owing to the number who were praying then.

"‏ بَيْنَ كُلِّ أَذَانَيْنِ صَلاَةٌ - قَالَهَا ثَلاَثًا قَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ - لِمَنْ شَاءَ ‏"

There Is between the two calls (Adhan and Iqama) a prayer. And he mentioned it three times, and at the third time he said: This applies to those who wish to do it.

"‏ لِمَنْ شَاءَ ‏"

" He who wishes (may do to)."