8. Prayer in Congregation

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Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umarthat the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,said, "Prayer in congregation is better than the prayer of a man byhimself by twenty-seven degrees." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al-Musayyab from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "Prayer in congregation is better thanthe prayer of one of you on his own by twenty-five parts." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'zZinad from al-Araj fromAbu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "By Him in whose hand myself is! I had in mind toorder firewood to be collected, then to order the prayer to be called,and to appoint a man to lead the people in prayer, and then to come upbehind certain men and burn their houses down about them! By Him inwhose hand myself is! If one of them knew that he would find a meatybone or two good legs of meat, he would be present at isha.'' Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n-Nadr, the mawla of Umaribn Ubaydullah from Yusr ibn Said that Zayd ibn Thabit said, "The mostexcellent prayer is your prayer in your house, except for theprescribed prayers." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Harmala al-Aslami from Said ibn al-Musayyab that the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "What separates us from thehypocrites is being present at isha and subh. They cannot do it," orwords to that effect. Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman from Abu Salih from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If a man who is walking along a road finds a branch of thorns on the road and removes it, Allah thanks him for doing it and forgives him."He also said, "Martyrs are five: the one killed by a plague, the onekilled by a disease of the belly, the one who drowns, the one killedby a collapsing building, and the martyr in the path of Allah.' He also said, "If people knew what there was in the call to prayerand the first row, and they could find no other way except to drawlots for it, they would draw lots for it. And if they knew what therewas in doing dhuhr at its time, they would race each other to it. Andif they knew what there was in the prayers of isha and maghrib, theywould come to them even if they had to crawl . Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Bakr ibnSulayman ibn Abi Hathma that Umar ibn al-Khattab missed Sulayman ibnAbi Hathma in the subh prayer. In the morning he went to the market,and Sulayman's house was between the market and the Prophet's mosque.He passed ash-Shifa, Sulayman's mother, and said to her, "I did notsee Sulayman at subh." She replied, "He spent the night in prayer andhis eyes overcame him. Umar said, "I would rather be present at subhthan stand the whole night in prayer. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammadibn Ibrahim that Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Amra al-Ansari said that Uthmanibn Affan came to the isha prayer and seeing only a few people in themosque, he lay down at the back of the mosque to wait for the numberof people to increase. Ibn Abi Amra went and sat down beside him andUthman asked him who he was, so he told him. Uthman said, "What haveyou memorised of the Qur'an?", and he told him. Uthman said, "Ifsomeone is present at isha, it is as if he had stood in prayer forhalf a night, and if some one is present at subh, it is as if he hadstood in prayer for a whole night. Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from a man ofthe Bani'd-Dil called Busr ibn Mihjan from his father Mihjan that hewas in a gathering with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, and the call to prayer was made. The Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, rose and prayed andthen returned. Mihjan remained sitting and did not pray with him. TheMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,"What prevented you from praying with the people? Aren't you amuslim?" He said, "Of course, Messenger of Allah, but I have alreadyprayed with my family." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "When you come, pray with the people, evenif you have prayed already." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that a man askedAbdullah ibn Umar, "Sometimes I pray in my house, and then catch theprayer with the imam. Should I pray with him?" Abdullah ibn Umar saidto him, "Yes," and the man said, "Which of them do I make my prayer?"Abdullah ibn Umar said, "Is that up to you? It is up to Allah. He willdecide on whichever of them He wishes." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that a manasked Said ibn al-Musayyab, "I pray in my house, and then I come tothe mosque and find the imam praying. Should I pray with him?" Saidsaid, "Yes," and the man said, "Which of them is my prayer?" Saidsaid, "Are you the one to decide that? That is up to Allah." Yahya related to me from Malik from Afif as-Sahmi that a man fromthe tribe of Bani Asad asked Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. "Sometimes I pray inmy house, and then come to the mosque and find the imam praying.Should I pray with him?" Abu Ayyub said, "Yes, pray with him, for someone who does so has the reward of the group, or the equivalent of thereward of the group." Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to say, "Someone who prays maghrib or subh and then catches themwith the imam should not repeat them." Malik said, "I do notsee any harm in someone who has already prayed in his house prayingwith the imam, except for maghrib, because if he repeats it, he makesit even." Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zinad from al-Araj fromAbu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "When you lead people in the prayer, make it short,because there are among them some people who are weak, ill and old.But when you pray on your own, make it as long as you wish." Yahya related to me from Malik that Nafi said, "I stood behindAbdullah ibn Umar in one of the prayers when there was no one elsewith him, and he reached behind with his hand and placed me besidehim." Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that a manused to lead the people in prayer in al-Aqiq (a place near Madina),and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz sent a message to him forbidding him to doso. Malik said, "He only forbade him because his father wasnot known." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Anas ibnMalik that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, fell off his horse when riding, and his right side was scraped,so he did one of the prayers sitting, and we prayed behind himsitting. When he left, he said, "The imam is appointed to be followed.If he prays standing, then pray standing, and when he goes into ruku,go into ruku, and when he rises, rise, and when he says, 'Allah hearswhoever praises him,' say, 'Our Lord, praise belongs to You,' and ifhe prays sitting, then all of you pray sitting." Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, prayed while he was ill. He prayed sitting, andsome people prayed behind him standing, and he indicated to them tosit down. When he left, he said, 'The imam is only appointed to befollowed. When he goes into ruku, go into ruku and when he rises, riseand if he prays sitting, pray sitting .' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, came out during his illness, and approached and found Abu Bakrstanding, leading the people in prayer. Abu Bakr began to go back, butthe Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,indicated to him to stay where he was. The Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, sat by the side of Abu Bakr, andAbu Bakr prayed following the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, who was sitting, and the peopleprayed following the prayer of Abu Bakr. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ismail ibn Muhammad ibn Saidibn Abi Waqqas from a mawla of Amr ibn al-As or of Abdullah ibn Amribn al-As that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "The prayer of one of you sitting down is only equalto half the prayer of one of you when he is standing." Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Abdullah ibnAmr ibn al As said, "When we arrived at Madina we were struck down bya severe epidemic which debilitated us greatly. The Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out to the peoplewhile they were praying nawafil prayers sitting down. The Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'The prayer ofthe one sitting is equal to only half the prayer of the one standing.'" Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from as-Sa'ib ibnYazid from al Muttalib ibn Abi Wadaa as-Sahmi that Hafsa, the wife ofthe Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I neversaw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,praying nawafil sitting, until a year before his death, when he beganto pray them sitting. He would recite the sura with a measuredslowness so that it would seem to be longer than other suras whichwere actually longer than it." Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, told him that she had never seen the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, doing night prayerssitting down until he was getting on in years. He would recite sittingdown until when he wanted to go into ruku, he would stand up andrecite about thirty or forty ayats and then go into ruku. Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Yazid al-Madaniand from Abu'n Nadr from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman from A'isha, thewife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used topray sitting. He would recite sitting, and then, when about thirty orforty ayats of what he was reciting remained, he would stand up andrecite standing and then go into ruku and sajda. He would do the samein the second raka. Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Urwa ibnaz-Zubayr and Said ibn al-Musayyab used to pray voluntary prayerssitting. Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from al-Qaqaibn Hakim that Abu Yunus, the mawla of A'isha, umm al-muminin said,''A'isha ordered me to write out a Qur'an for her. She said, 'Whenyou reach this ayat, let me know, "Guard the prayers carefully and themiddle prayer and stand obedient to Allah." ' When I reached it I toldher, and she dictated to me, 'Guard the prayers carefully and themiddle prayer and the asr prayer and stand obedient to Allah.' A'ishasaid, 'I heard it from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that Amr ibnRafi said, "I was writing a Qur'an for Hafsa, umm al-muminin, and shesaid, 'When you reach this ayat, let me know, "Guard the prayerscarefully and the middle prayer and stand obedient to Allah." When Ireached it I told her and she dictated to me, 'Guard the prayerscarefully and the middle prayer and the asr prayer and stand obedientto Allah.' " Yahya related to me from Malik from Da'ud ibn al-Husayn that IbnYarbu al-Makhzumi said, "I heard Zayd ibn Thabit say, 'The middleprayer is the prayer of dhuhr.' " Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that AIi ibn AbiTalib and Abdullah ibn Abbas used to say, "The middle prayer is theprayer of subh." Malik said, "Out of all that I have heardabout the matter, I prefer what Ali ibn Abi Talib and Abdullah ibnAbbas said." Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that Umar ibn Abi Salama saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, praying in one garment in the house ofUmm Salama. He was completely covered by it, and had put both endsover his shoulders. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al-Musayyab from Abu Hurayra that some one asked the Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace about praying in one garment.The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,"Do you all have two garments?" Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Said ibn al-Musayyab said that Abu Hurayra was asked, "May a man pray in onegarment?" He said, "Yes." The man then said to him "Do you do that?"and he replied, "Yes, I pray in one garment while my clothes are onthe clothes-rack." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Jabir ibnAbdullah used to pray in one garment. Yahya related to me from Malik from Rabia ibn Abi Abd ar-Rahmanthat Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm used to pray in a single long shirt. Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard from Jabir ibnAbdullah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "Let anyone who cannot find two garments pray in onegarment and wrap himself in it, and if the garment is short, let himwrap it around his waist." Malik said, "In my view it ispreferable for someone who prays in a single shirt to put a garment ora turban over his shoulders." Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that A'isha, thewife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used topray in a shift and head-covering. Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Zayd ibn Qunfudhthat his mother asked Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, "What clothes can a woman wear inprayer?" She said, "She can pray in a shift that reaches down andcovers the top of her feet." Yahya related to me from Malik from a reliable source from Bukayribn Abdullah ibn al-Ashajj from Busr ibn Said that when Ubaydullah ibnal-Aswad al-Khawlani was in the room of Maimuna, the wife of theProphet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, she used to pray ina shift and head-covering, without a waist-wrapper. Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that a woman asked him for a decision, saying, "Waist-wrappersare painful to me. Can I pray in a shift and head-covering?" Hereplied, "Yes, if the shift is long."