Narrated Kuraib said that Ibn ‘Abbas, al-Miswar b. Makhrama and ‘Abd ar-Rahman b. al-Azhar sent him to ‘A’isha telling him to give her their greetings and ask her about the two rak'as after the afternoon prayer. He said that when he went to visit her and conveyed their message she told him to ask Umm Salama,:
I heard the Prophet prohibiting them and afterwards saw him praying them. When he came in I sent the slavegirl to him telling her to say that Umm Salama sent this query, “Messenger of God, I heard you prohibiting these two, and I see you praying them.” He replied, “Daughter of Abu Umayya,* you have asked about the two rak'as after the afternoon prayer. Some people of ‘Abd Qais came and hindered me from praying the two rak'as which come after the noon prayer, so those are the two I have been praying.”
* Abu Umayya was Umm Salama’s father. Although the slavegirl conveyed the query, the reply is given as if addressed directly to Umm Salama.
Muhammad b. Ibrahim on the authority of Qais b. ‘Amr told how when the prophet saw a man praying two rak'as after the Morning Prayer he said, “At the Morning Prayer pray two rak'as." The man replied I had not prayed the two rak'as which precede them, so I prayed themjust now,” and God’s Messenger said nothing.
Abu Dawud transmitted it. Tirmidhi transmitted something similar, saying, “The isnad of this tradition is not connected, because Muhammad b. Ibrahim did not hear from Qais b. ‘Amr.” There is something similar in Sharh as-sunna and in some texts of al-Masabih from Qais b. Qahd.
Jubair b. Mut'im reported the Prophet as saying, “You descendants of ‘Abd Manaf must not prevent anyone who goes round this House and prays at any hour of the night or day he wishes.”
Abu Khalil said on the authority of Abu Qatada that the Prophet disliked prayer in the middle of the day before the sun declined from the meridian, except on Friday, saying, “Jahannam is heated up except on Friday.”
Abu Dawud transmitted it, adding that Abu Khalil did not meet Abu Qatada.
‘Abdallah as-Sunabihi reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The sun rises accompanied by the horn of the devil, but when it is fully risen it leaves it; then when it is at the meridian it joins it, but when it passes the meridian it leaves it; then when it comes near to setting it joins it, but when it sets it leaves it.” God’s Messenger prohibited prayer at those hours.
God’s Messenger led us in the afternoon prayer at al-Mukhammas and said, “This is a prayer which was proposed to your predecessors, but they neglected it. Everyone who keeps observing it will have a double reward, but there is no prayer after it till ash-shahid rises.” Ash-shahid is the star.*
* No particular star is intended. The meaning is that the prayer should be observed when stars become visible.
Mu'awiya said, “You observe a prayer which we who were the companions of God's Messenger never saw him pray; indeed, he forbade them;”* meaning the two rak'as after the afternoon prayer.
* The dual is used here, the reference being to the two rak’as.
Narrated Abu Dharr who had gone up on the step of the Ka'ba said:
He who knows me knows me, and if anyone does not know me, I am Jundub* who heard God's Messenger say, “There is no prayer after the morning prayer till the sun rises, or after the afternoon prayer till the sun sets except in Mecca, except in Mecca, except in Mecca.”
Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Prayer said in a congregation is twenty-seven degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person.”
Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “By Him in whose hand my soul is, I have thought about giving orders for fuel and having it gathered, then giving orders for prayer and having the adhan called for it, then ordering a man to lead the people, then going off to some people (who are not present at the prayer, as it says in a version) and burning down their houses over them. By Him in whose hand my soul is, if one of them knew he would find a fat meaty bone or two fine sheep’s hoofs, he would attend the evening prayer.”
Bukhari transmitted it and Muslim has something similar.
He told of a blind man coming to the Prophet and saying, “Messenger of God, I have no one to guide me to the mosque.” He therefore asked God’s Messenger for licence to pray at home, and he granted it; then when the man turned away he called him and asked, “Can you hear the call to prayer?” On receiving the reply that he could, he said, “Well, respond to it.”
He reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When one of you is served with his supper and the time for prayer comes, he should first have his supper and not hasten till he has finished it.” When Ibn ‘Umar’s food was served and the time for prayer came, he did not go to the prayer till he finished it; and he could hear the imam’s recitation.
