The sunan prayers and their virtues - Section 1

Makhul, tracing it back, told how God’s Messenger said, “If anyone before engaging in conversation after the sunset prayer prays two <i>rak'as</i> (four <i>rak'as</i> according to another version), his prayer will be taken up to ‘Illiyun.” It is given in <i>mursal</i> form. Hudhaifa has something similar, adding that he used to say, “Hasten the two <i>rak'as</i> after the sunset prayer, for they will be taken up along with the prescribed prayer.” Razin transmitted them both, and Baihaqi transmitted something to the same effect as the addition in <i>Shu'ab al-iman</i>.

وَعَنْ مَكْحُولٍ يَبْلُغُ بِهِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «مَنْ صَلَّى بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ رُفِعَتْ صَلَاتُهُ فِي عِلِّيِّينَ» . مُرْسلا وَعَن حُذَيْفَة نَحْوَهُ وَزَادَ فَكَانَ يَقُولُ: «عَجِّلُوا الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَإِنَّهُمَا تُرْفَعَانِ مَعَ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ» رَوَاهُمَا رَزِينٌ وَرَوَى الْبَيْهَقِيُّ الزِّيَادَةَ عَنْهُ نَحْوَهَا فِي شُعَبِ الْإِيمَان

‘Amr b. ‘Ata’ said that Nafi‘ b. Jubair sent him to as-Sa'ib to ask him about something Mu'awiya had seen him do in prayer. He said, “Yes, I prayed the Friday noon prayer along with him in the enclosure,* and when the <i>imam</i> uttered the salutation I stood up in my place and prayed. When he went in he sent me a message saying, ‘Never again do what you have done. When you pray the Friday noon prayer you must not join another prayer to it till you have engaged in conversation or gone out, for God’s Messenger gave us that precise command, not to join on a prayer till we had engaged in conversation or gone out’.” * The enclosure (<i>maqsura</i>) was a private part of the mosque reserved for the Caliph. Mu'awiya has been accused of being an innovator because he introduced this feature. Muslim transmitted it.

وَعَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَطَاءٍ قَالَ: إِنَّ نَافِعَ بْنَ جُبَيْرٍ أَرْسَلَهُ إِلَى السَّائِبِ يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ رَآهُ مِنْهُ مُعَاوِيَةُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ صَلَّيْتُ مَعَهُ الْجُمُعَةَ فِي الْمَقْصُورَةِ فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ الْإِمَامُ قُمْتُ فِي مَقَامِي فَصَلَّيْتُ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ أَرْسَلَ إِلَيَّ فَقَالَ: لَا تَعُدْ لِمَا فَعَلْتَ إِذَا صَلَّيْتَ الْجُمُعَةَ فَلَا تَصِلْهَا بِصَلَاةٍ حَتَّى تكلم أوتخرج فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَنَا بِذَلِكَ أَنْ لَا نُوصِلَ بِصَلَاةٍ حَتَّى نتكلم أَو نخرج. رَوَاهُ مُسلم

‘Ata’ said that when Ibn ‘Umar prayed the Friday noon prayer in Mecca he would go forward and pray two <i>rak'as</i>, then go forward and pray four; but when he was in Medina he prayed the Friday noon prayer, then returned to his house and prayed two <i>rak'as</i>, not praying them in the mosque. Someone mentioned this to him and he replied that God’s Messenger used to do it. Abu Dawud transmitted it. In Tirmidhi’s version he said, “I saw Ibn ‘Umar pray two <i>rak'as</i> after the Friday noon prayer, then he prayed four after that.”

وَعَنْ عَطَاءٍ قَالَ: كَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ إِذَا صَلَّى الْجُمُعَةَ بِمَكَّةَ تَقَدَّمَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ يَتَقَدَّمُ فَيُصَلِّي أَرْبَعًا وَإِذَا كَانَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ صَلَّى الْجُمُعَةَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَلَمْ يُصَلِّ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ. فَقَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَفْعَله) رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَفِي رِوَايَةِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ قَالَ: (رَأَيْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ صَلَّى بَعْدَ الْجُمُعَةِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثمَّ صلى بعد ذَلِك أَرْبعا)