Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … It is established from this hadith that both groups sufficed with only one rak‘ah each, while the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam performed two rak‘ahs. In the narration of Sunan al-Nasa’i, these words are also present: ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ ھٰؤُلَائِ اِلٰی مَکَانِ ھٰؤُلَائِ وَجَائَ أُولٰئِکَ فَصَلّٰی بِھِمْ رَکْعَۃً وَلَمْ یَقْضُوْا. That is: Then this group went to the place of the other group and they came here; the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam led them in one rak‘ah and the people did not make up (the second rak‘ah). This issue is also established from the following hadith, which has already been mentioned at the beginning of the chapters on the prayer of fear (salat al-khawf): From Ibn ‘Abbas radi Allahu anhuma that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has made obligatory the prayer upon the tongue of your Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: for the resident, four (rak‘ahs); for the traveler, two (rak‘ahs); and for the one in fear, one rak‘ah. (Muslim: 687) Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas radi Allahu anhu says that Allah Ta‘ala has, through the tongue of the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, made four (rak‘ahs) obligatory upon the resident, two upon the traveler, and one upon the one in fear.