Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would give up a deed, even though he liked to perform it, for fear that people would follow him and perform it, and it would thus become obligatory for them. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) never prayed the Duha prayer, but I offer it.

Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he saw some people pray in the forenoon, so he said: "They know that praying at an hour other than this one is better, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'The prayer of the oft-returning to Allah is when weaned camels are bitten by excessive heat.'"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The congregational prayer surpasses the prayer of any one of you alone by twenty-five times. And the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the Fajr prayer." Then Abu Hurayrah said: Recite, if you wish: {The recitation of dawn is ever witnessed [by the angels].} [Al-Isra: 78]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A blind man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have no one to lead me to the mosque." He asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to allow him to pray at home, which the Messenger of Allah did. When the man was leaving, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called him back and said: "Do you hear the Adhān?" He replied in the affirmative. Thereupon, he said: "Then respond to it."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever hears the prayer call and does not attend the congregational prayer, then his prayer is not valid (deficient), except if he has an excuse."

Jābir ibn Yazīd ibn al-Aswad reported that his father prayed along with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he was a young boy. When he (the Prophet) had prayed, there were two people (sitting) in the corner of the mosque; they did not pray (along with the Prophet). He called for them. They were brought trembling (before him). He asked: "What prevented you from praying along with us?" They replied: "We have already prayed in our houses." He said: "Do not do so. If any of you prays in his house and finds that the Imām has not prayed, he should pray along with him; and that will be a supererogatory prayer for him."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was once riding a horse and fell down from it, injuring his right side. He led one of the prayers while sitting, and we prayed behind him sitting as well. When he finished the prayer, he said: "The Imām is meant to be followed, so when he prays standing, then pray standing; and when he bows, bow; and when he rises from bowing, rise; and when he says: 'Allah hears those who praise Him)', then say: 'Our Lord, for You is all praise'; and when he prays standing, then pray standing; and when he prays sitting, then all of you pray sitting."

The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) perceived a tendency among his Companions to stand in the back rows, and he said to them: "Come forward and be close to me and let those who come after you, follow your lead. If people continue to fall behind, Allah puts them behind."

Zayd ibn Thābit (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took for himself a room in the mosque made of straw mats. He prayed in it for a few nights until some people gathered with him for the night prayer. One night they did not hear his voice and thought he had slept, so some of them started to attract his attention to their presence by clearing their throats so that he would come out. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then said: "You kept doing what I saw you doing till I feared that this prayer might become obligatory upon you, and if it were to become obligatory upon you, you would not be able to observe it. O people, pray at your homes, for a person’s best prayer is the one he offers at his home except the obligatory prayer."

‘Ubaydullāh ibn ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Utbah reported: I went to ‘Ā’ishah and asked her to describe to me the Messenger's illness. ‘Ā’ishah said: "Yes. The Prophet became seriously ill and asked whether the people had prayed. We replied: 'No, O Messenger of Allah! They are waiting for you.' He added: 'Put water for me in a trough.'" ‘Ā’ishah added: "We did so. He took a bath and tried to get up but fainted. When he recovered, he again asked whether the people had prayed. We said: 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah!' He again said: 'Put water in a trough for me.' He sat down and took a bath and tried to get up but fainted again. Then he recovered and said: 'Have the people prayed?' We replied: 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah!' He said: 'Put water for me in the trough.' Then he sat down and washed himself and tried to get up but he fainted. When he recovered, he asked: 'Have the people prayed?' We said: 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah! The people were in the mosque waiting for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for the ‘Ishā' prayer. The Prophet sent for Abu Bakr to lead the people in the prayer. The Prophet's messenger went to Abu Bakr and said: 'The Messenger orders you to lead the people in the prayer.' Abu Bakr was a softhearted man, so he asked ‘Umar to lead the prayer but ‘Umar replied: 'You are more rightful.' So Abu Bakr led the prayer in those days. When the Prophet felt a bit better, he came out for the Zhuhr prayer with the help of two persons one of whom was Al-‘Abbās, while Abu Bakr was leading the people in the prayer. When Abu Bakr saw him, he wanted to retreat but the Prophet beckoned him not to do so and asked them to make him sit beside Abu Bakr and they did so. Abu Bakr was following the Prophet (in the prayer) and the people were following Abu Bakr. The Prophet (prayed) sitting." ‘Ubaydullāh added: "I went to ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās and said: 'Shall I tell you what ‘Ā’ishah has told me about the fatal illness of the Prophet?' Ibn ‘Abbās said: 'Go ahead.' I told him her narration and he did not deny anything of it but asked whether ‘Ā’ishah told me the name of the second person (who helped the Prophet along with Al-‘Abbās. I said. 'No.' He said: 'He was ‘Ali (ibn Abi Tālib).'"

Abu Mas‘ūd al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man said: "O Messenger of Allah, I would almost fail to attend the prayer because so-and-so prolongs it when he leads us." I never saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) more angry in giving admonition than he was on that day. He said: "O people, you cause aversion to others. Whoever leads people in prayer should make it brief, for among them are the sick, the weak, and those with needs to be fulfilled."

Ayyūb reported from Abu Qilābah from ‘Amr ibn Salamah: Abu Qilābah said to me: "Will you not meet and ask him (‘Amr ibn Salamah)" I said: "I met him and asked him, so he said: ‘We were at a water place that was a thoroughfare for people. Riders would pass by us, and we would ask them: 'What are people up to? What are people up to? Who is that man?' They would say: 'He claims that Allah has sent him and revealed to him. Or Allah has revealed such and such.'' So I used to memorize that speech, as if it was instilled in my heart. Meanwhile, the Arabs (Bedouin tribes) delayed their conversion to Islam until the Conquest. So they would say: 'Leave him and his people, for indeed if he prevails over them, he is a true Prophet.' When the incident of the people of Conquest took place, every tribe rushed to embrace Islam, and my father hurried to embrace Islam before (the rest of) my tribe. When he came back, he said: 'By Allah, I have come to you from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for sure! He said: 'Offer this prayer at this time and that prayer at that time. When the time for a prayer is due, let one of you call the Adhān, and let the one who knows the Qur’an most lead the prayer.'' They checked and found none with more Qur’an than me, for I used to meet the riders. Therefore, they made me to lead them, when I was only six or seven years old. I had on me a garment, which would recede when I would prostrate. A lady from the tribe thus said: 'Will you not cover the bottom of your reader from us?' So they bought (a piece of cloth) and cut me an apparel. I had never been so happy with anything as I was with that apparel."

Abu Mas‘ūd al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The one who is the most versed in Allah's Book should lead the people in prayer. If they are equally versed in reciting it, then the one who is the most knowledgeable about the Sunnah; and if they are equal regarding the Sunnah, then the earliest one to emigrate; if they emigrated at the same time, then the earliest one to embrace Islam. No man must lead another in prayer where the latter has authority, or sit in his place in his house without his permission.”

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of the men's rows is the first, and the worst is the last, and the best of the women's rows is the last, and the worst is the first."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I stayed overnight in the house of my aunt Maymūnah. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up in the night and went to answer the call of nature, then he washed his face and hands, then he slept. Then he got up again and opened the water skin, then he performed ablution from a hanging water skin, not using much water, yet he washed all the parts properly and then offered the prayer. I got up and straightened my back in order that the Prophet might not feel that I was watching him, and then I performed the ablution, and when he got up to offer the prayer, I stood on his left. He caught hold of my ear and brought me over to his right side. He offered thirteen Rak‘ahs in all and then laid down and slept till he started snoring as he used to do when he slept. In the meantime Bilāl informed the Prophet of the approaching time for the (Fajr) prayer, and the Prophet offered the prayer without performing new ablution. He used to say in his invocation: "O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my sight, light in my hearing, light on my right, light on my left, light above me, light below me, light in front of me, light behind me, make light for me!"

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: An orphan and I prayed behind the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in our house, and my mother Umm Sulaym was standing behind us.

Al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Abu Bakrah came while the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was bowing, so he bowed before reaching the row and then walked to it. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) finished the prayer, he said: "Which one of you bowed before reaching the row and then walked thereto?" Abu Bakrah replied: "It was me." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "May Allah increase your keenness, but do not do that again."

Wābisah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man praying alone behind the row, so he commanded him to repeat his prayer.

’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Fajr prayer one day and said: "Is so-and-so present?" They replied: 'No.' He said: "Is so-and-so present?" They replied: 'No.' Thereupon, he said: "These two prayers are the most burdensome of all prayers for the hypocrites. If you knew what they contain, you would come to them, even if you had to crawl on your knees. The first row is like that of the angels, and if you knew the nature of its excellence, you would race to join it. A man's prayer with another man is purer than his prayer alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one man; the greater the number, the more pleasing it is to Allah Almighty."

Umm Waraqah bint ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Hārith al-Ansāri reported that she had memorized the Qur'an, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her to lead her household in prayers. There was a Muezzin for her, and she used to lead her household in prayer.