Fath al-Rabbani

Sayyiduna Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the prayer was established in three stages, and the obligation of fasting also occurred in three stages. The stages of prayer are as follows: When the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) migrated to Madinah Munawwarah, he used to pray facing Bayt al-Maqdis for seventeen months. Then Allah Almighty revealed this command: “We see your face turning repeatedly towards the sky; now We will turn you to a Qiblah that will please you. So turn your face towards Masjid al-Haram, and wherever you are, turn your faces in that direction.” Thus, Allah Almighty turned the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) towards Makkah Mukarramah; this was one stage. (The details of the second stage are as follows:) People used to gather for prayer by themselves and would inform each other about it, until it was almost that they would start ringing a bell. A man from the Ansar named Abdullah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! I saw a dream, as a sleeping person sees, and if I say I was not asleep, I would still be truthful. Just consider that I was in a state between sleep and wakefulness, and I saw a man wearing two green garments. He faced the Qiblah and said: ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah’ twice, until he finished the adhan. After a short pause, he repeated similar words, but added ‘Qad qamatis salah, qad qamatis salah.’” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Teach these words to Bilal, he will call the adhan with them.” Thus, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first person to call the adhan. When Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the adhan, he came and said: “O Messenger of Allah! A person of the same kind (who taught the adhan) also came to me, just as he came to this Ansari, but he informed you before I could.” These were two changes. (The third change occurred as follows:) When people would come to pray, while the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had already performed some rak‘ahs before them, one person would signal to another as to how many rak‘ahs the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had already performed. When he replied that one or two rak‘ahs had been performed, the latecomer would first complete those two rak‘ahs and then join the congregation. One day, Sayyiduna Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said: “Whatever state I find the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in, I will adopt that, and whatever rak‘ahs have been performed before me, I will complete them afterwards.” So when he came, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had indeed already performed some rak‘ahs, so he joined him. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) completed his prayer, Sayyiduna Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up to make up the missed rak‘ahs. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him and said: “Indeed, the matter is that Mu’adh has established a way for you, so do likewise.” Thus, these were three stages in total. As for the details of the stages of fasting... (Their details will come at the beginning of the Book of Fasting.)

Indeed, the matter is that Mu’adh has established a way for you, so do likewise. Thus, these were three stages in total. As for the details of the stages of fasting... (Their details will come at the beginning of the Book of Fasting.)