Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah

In one statement of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), it is mentioned: "When any one of you enters the mosque, he should perform two rak‘ahs before sitting." And in the narrations reported from him (peace be upon him), it is also stated: "When any one of you enters the mosque while the Imam is delivering the sermon, he should perform two rak‘ahs before sitting." And in the narration of Sayyiduna Ka‘b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), it is mentioned that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would return from a journey only during the day at the time of Duha (forenoon), so he (peace be upon him) would first come to the mosque and perform two rak‘ahs there. When Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) came to hand over the camel of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him: "Have you performed the (Tahiyyat al-Masjid) prayer?" He replied, "No." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Stand up and perform two rak‘ahs." In the narration of Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), it is stated: "Whoever performs two rak‘ahs and does not converse with himself during them, and he has a slave or a horse." The Prophet (peace be upon him) performing two rak‘ahs of Salat al-Istisqa’ during the day is also evidence for this. He (peace be upon him) did not perform these rak‘ahs at night. In the hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), it is mentioned: I remember from the Prophet (peace be upon him) two rak‘ahs before Zuhr, and two after it, and two after Maghrib, and two after ‘Isha. And Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) informed me that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would also perform two rak‘ahs before the morning prayer. In the narration of Sayyiduna ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would perform two rak‘ahs after every obligatory prayer except Fajr and ‘Asr. In the narration of Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: Whenever I committed a sin, I performed two rak‘ahs. In the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: Whoever commits a sin, then performs ablution and prays two rak‘ahs, then seeks forgiveness from Allah for his sin, Allah will forgive him. In the narration of Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) halted at a place, he would perform two rak‘ahs before leaving it. In the narration of Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), it is stated: The Prophet (peace be upon him) would perform four rak‘ahs before Zuhr, then return to my house and perform two rak‘ahs. In the narration of Sayyiduna Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was coming from ‘Aliyah, and when he passed by the mosque of Banu Mu‘awiyah, he entered it and performed two rak‘ahs, and we also prayed with him. In the narration of Mahmood bin Rabi‘ from ‘Utban bin Malik, it is stated: The Prophet (peace be upon him) performed two rak‘ahs of Duha in his house. In the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: My beloved advised me to do three things, among them is to perform two rak‘ahs of Duha. And in the narration of ‘Abdullah bin Shaqiq from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: I never saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) perform the Duha prayer, except when he returned from a journey, he would perform two rak‘ahs. In the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: "Charity is due on every joint of the children of Adam in the morning." And further he said: "And two rak‘ahs of Duha are sufficient for that." In the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: "Whoever is regular and consistent in performing two rak‘ahs of Duha, his sins are forgiven even if they are as much as the foam of the sea." In the narration of Anas bin Sirin from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: The Prophet (peace be upon him) went to the family of an Ansari, and they said: O Messenger of Allah, if you would supplicate (it would be a source of goodness and blessing for us). So the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered a corner of the house to be cleaned (so it was cleaned), and a mat was spread after sprinkling water, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) stood there and performed two rak‘ahs. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: All these narrations are evidence that the voluntary prayers of the day are two rak‘ahs, not four, as claimed by the one who has not pondered over these narrations nor tried to acquire them by listening to them from a scholar who understands them. As for the hadith of Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) which we have mentioned, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed four rak‘ahs before Zuhr, there is no mention in this hadith that he (peace be upon him) performed them with one salam. Whereas Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) has stated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed two rak‘ahs before Zuhr. And if the voluntary prayer was four rak‘ahs, then it would not be permissible for anyone to perform two rak‘ahs after Zuhr, rather it would be obligatory for him to add two more rak‘ahs to complete four rak‘ahs. And it would also be obligatory and necessary for him to perform four rak‘ahs before the Fajr prayer, as that is also a prayer of the day, not of the night. And we have not heard any authentic narration from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he performed four rak‘ahs of voluntary prayer during the day with one salam. If someone who has not pondered deeply thinks that in the narration of ‘Abdullah bin Shaqiq from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), it is stated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed four rak‘ahs before Zuhr with one salam, because the narration mentions four (so it means they were performed with one salam), then such a person should be answered that Sa‘id Maqburi has narrated from Abu Salamah from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) regarding the night prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him): She says that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would perform four rak‘ahs, do not ask about their beauty and length, then he (peace be upon him) would perform four rak‘ahs. So, regarding the night prayer, these words are similar to the words mentioned by ‘Abdullah bin Shaqiq from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) about the four rak‘ahs before Zuhr. So is it permissible for anyone to interpret that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would perform four rak‘ahs at night with one salam? Whereas our opponents agree with us that, except for Witr, the night prayer is performed two by two rak‘ahs. Therefore, the meaning of the narration of Abu Salamah from Sayyidah ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) is the same as the meaning of the narration of ‘Abdullah bin Shaqiq according to us, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed four rak‘ahs with two salams, not with one salam. In the narration of ‘Asim bin Damrah from Sayyiduna ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated that when the sun would rise as high in the (eastern) side as it is at the time of ‘Asr (in the western side), the Prophet (peace be upon him) would perform two rak‘ahs. And when the sun would rise as high in the (western) side as it is at the time of Zuhr (in the eastern side), the Prophet (peace be upon him) would perform four rak‘ahs, and he (peace be upon him) would perform four rak‘ahs before Zuhr and two after it. And he (peace be upon him) would perform four rak‘ahs before ‘Asr, and after two rak‘ahs, he (peace be upon him) would send salutations upon the close angels of Allah and the obedient Muslims and then separate.

Hazrat Asim bin Damrah narrates that I asked Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about the (supererogatory) prayers of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he narrated this hadith. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in this narration, Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) has informed that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed two sets of two rak‘ahs each during the day. As for the four rak‘ahs before Zuhr and the four rak‘ahs before Asr, they are mentioned in general terms, whose explanation and clarification comes from explanatory narrations. Thus, the hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), which he narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), states that the prayers of the day and night are to be performed in sets of two rak‘ahs. This is evidence that whatever supererogatory prayer the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed during the day, he performed them in sets of two rak‘ahs. As he has stated, the prayers of both night and day are in sets of two rak‘ahs. If it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he performed four rak‘ahs of supererogatory prayer during the day with one salam, then this, according to us, would fall under the category of permissible and allowed difference. Therefore, a person has the choice to perform four rak‘ahs of supererogatory prayer together during the day, or to say salam after every two rak‘ahs.

As for the words in the hadith of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that “the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would separate every two rak‘ahs by sending salam upon Allah’s close angels and the believing followers among them,” this has two meanings. The first meaning is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would sit for tashahhud after two rak‘ahs, because in tashahhud, salam is also sent upon the angels and the obedient Muslims. But to take this meaning is far-fetched. The second meaning is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would separate every two rak‘ahs by saying salam, and this salam would be a separation and distinction between the first two rak‘ahs and the subsequent prayer. And this is the understood meaning from the narration (i.e., the meaning understood from the narration), because the scholars do not consider separation by tashahhud alone, without saying salam, as a separation and distinction between the first two rak‘ahs and the subsequent prayer. And from a juristic point of view, it is also impossible to say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed four rak‘ahs of Zuhr and separated them by salam, or that he performed four rak‘ahs of Asr and separated them by salam, or that he separated the three rak‘ahs of Maghrib by salam, or that he separated the four rak‘ahs of Isha by salam and distinction. Undoubtedly, it is obligatory for the worshipper to perform the four rak‘ahs of Zuhr, Asr, and Isha together. Similarly, it is obligatory to perform all the rak‘ahs of Maghrib together without separation and distinction, and it is also obligatory to differentiate between separation and joining. The scholars, from a juristic perspective, do not consider separation by tashahhud alone, without saying salam, as a separation by which the worshipper exits the prayer and then starts the subsequent prayer. And if only tashahhud were considered a separation between the first two rak‘ahs and the subsequent prayer, then it should be permissible for the worshipper that whenever he sits for tashahhud in any prayer, he may then perform a supererogatory prayer, i.e., that he stands up and practically starts a supererogatory prayer before saying salam. Similarly, it would also be permissible for him to perform ten or more rak‘ahs of supererogatory prayer at night with one salam, and to sit for tashahhud after every two rak‘ahs, if tashahhud is considered a separation between the previous and subsequent prayer. Whereas this is also against the school of our opponents, the Iraqi scholars.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mutlib bin Abi Wada'ah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer is in sets of two rak‘ahs. After every two rak‘ahs, there is tashahhud. (Before Allah) express your poverty and neediness, and raise your hands with humility and say « اللَّهُمَّ », « اللَّهُمَّ » O my Lord, O my Lord (i.e., make supplication). Whoever does not do these things, his prayer is incomplete."

Hazrat Laith bin Sa’d has opposed Imam Shu’bah in the chain of this hadith. Thus, Laith has narrated this hadith from the chain of Abdur-Rabbah from Sayyiduna Fadl bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) as a marfu’ narration, whereas Imam Shu’bah has narrated it from the chain of Abdur-Rabbah from Mutlib bin Abi Wada’ah. Therefore, if this hadith is established, then its words are: the prayer is two rak’ahs. These words are similar to the marfu’ narration of Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): “The prayer of the night and day is in sets of two rak’ahs.” And in this hadith, there is further explanation and clarification: it mentions raising the hands while supplicating and saying “Allahumma, Allahumma.” And in Laith’s narration, it is stated: “Raise both your hands towards your Lord and turn their palms towards your face and say: O my Lord, O my Lord.” Also, raising the hands before the salam in tashahhud is not a sunnah of prayer. And this is evidence that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed the worshipper to raise the hands, supplicate, and ask from the Lord after saying salam from two rak’ahs. As for the hadith from which some people have taken evidence that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered four rak’ahs before Zuhr with a single salam, it is narrated with such a (weak and feeble) chain that no scholar who is knowledgeable in the science of hadith takes evidence from such a narration.

Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said: "Four rak‘ahs before Zuhr, if the one praying does not say salam in between them, the gates of the heavens are opened for them." These are the words of the hadith of Shubah. Whereas Muhammad bin Yazid has narrated a much longer hadith and has mentioned many things in it (ahead, the Imam has mentioned his chain of narration), and ‘Ubaidah bin Mu‘atib (may Allah have mercy on him) is not counted among those narrators whose narrations are relied upon by the scholars of hadith. And I heard Abu Musa saying that I have never heard Imam Yahya bin Sa‘id and Imam ‘Abdur Rahman bin Mahdi (may Allah have mercy on them) narrate anything from Sufyan from ‘Ubaidah bin Mu‘atib. And I heard Abu Qilabah narrating from Hilal bin Yahya, who said: I heard Yusuf bin Khalid Samti saying: I asked ‘Ubaidah bin Mu‘atib, the narrations you narrate from Ibrahim, have you heard all of them from him? He replied: Some of them I have heard from him, and some are such that I have deduced by analogy. Yusuf said: I said, then narrate to me only those ahadith which you have heard, because I know more about analogy than you. And a similar narration has been narrated by A‘mash from Musayyib bin Rafi‘ from Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but in it these words are not present: "if he does not say salam in between them."

Imam Sahib has narrated the complete chain of Imam A‘mash. Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, says that (the narrator in this chain) ‘Ali bin Salat is unknown to me, and I do not know which land of Allah he belongs to. And it has occurred to me whether he met Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub, may Allah be pleased with him, or not? To my knowledge, only an opponent (stubborn, obstinate) or an ignorant person can use such (weak and unreliable) chains of narration as evidence.