There's a hadith where Umm Habibah reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever preserves four cycles of prayer before noon prayer and after it, Allah will forbid him from entering the Hellfire.”
(Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 428)
So I wanted to ask, should the 4 before & the 4 after be read as 4 continuously with 1 tasleem at the end or in sets of 2s because of the hadith where Abdullah ibn Umar said:
“Prayers at night and during the day are to be offered two by two.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah 1322 & Sunan Abi Dawud 1295)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى»
“The prayer of the night and day is two by two.”
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud: 1295
Reference: Ibn Majah: 1322
This hadith covers
all voluntary prayers:
• Sunnah
• Nawafil
• Day and night prayers
Umm Habibah narrated:
«أَرْبَعًا قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَأَرْبَعًا بَعْدَهَا»
“Four before Zuhr and four after it.”
Reference: Sunan al Tirmidhi: 428
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud: 1269
This narration only shows the
total number, not how they are performed.
Thus the method is explained by the
general hadith above: “two by two”.
Shaykh Ibn Baz said:
“The meaning is four in number, but they are prayed two by two.”
Reference: Majmu Fatwa Ibn Baz: 11/399
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin said the same in
Sharh al Mumti.
The narration:
“The Prophet ﷺ would not make tasleem between the four Sunnah before Zuhr.”
is reported in:
• Abu Dawud
• Ibn Majah
• Shama’il al Tirmidhi
• Muwatta Muhammad
But this narration is
weak.
Evidence of weakness:
Imam Abu Dawud himself said it is weak.
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah, Imam Nasa’i, Imam Ahmad, Ibn Ma’in and Abu Zur’ah all graded the chain
weak.
Reference: Sharh al Sunnah: 3/465
Therefore,
there is no sahih proof that the Prophet ﷺ prayed the four Sunnah of Zuhr with a single tasleem.
Authentic reports from the Sahabah confirm praying two by two
A sound athar:
«ما أدركت فقهاء أهل المدينة إلا يسلمون في كل ركعتين من سنن النهار»
“I found the scholars of Madinah always making tasleem every two rakah in the day Sunnah prayers.”
Reference: Fat’h al Bari by Ibn Hajar: commentary on hadith 201
This supports the view of praying Sunnah prayers
2+2.
The Prophet ﷺ prayed both 2 and 4 before Zuhr
Narrations indicating 2 before Zuhr
From Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما:
Two before Zuhr and two after it.
Reference: Sahih al Bukhari & Muslim
Narrations indicating 4 before Zuhr
From Aisha رضي الله عنها:
The Prophet ﷺ used to pray four before Zuhr in my house.
Reference: Sahih Muslim
Shaykh Ibn Hajar said:
“He sometimes prayed two, and sometimes four. Aisha and Ibn Umar narrated what they each saw.”
Reference: Nayl al Awtar 3/15
Imam Tabari said:
“The Prophet ﷺ mostly prayed four, and sometimes prayed two.”
Reference: Tahfat al Ahwadhi 2/496
Thus both numbers are authentic.
But the method is still “two by two”.
