Makhul, tracing it back, told how God’s Messenger said, “If anyone before engaging in conversation after the sunset prayer prays two rak'as (four rak'as according to another version), his prayer will be taken up to ‘Illiyun.” It is given in mursal form. Hudhaifa has something similar, adding that he used to say, “Hasten the two rak'as 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 Shu'ab al-iman.
Ibn ‘Abbas said that God’s Messenger prolonged the recitation of the Qur’an in the two rak'as after the sunset prayer till the people in the mosque separated.
‘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 imam 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 (maqsura) 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.
Ka‘b b. ‘Ujra said that the Prophet came to the mosque of the B. ‘Abd al-Ashhal and prayed the sunset prayer in it. When the people finished their prayer he saw them performing tasbih after it and said, “This is the prayer to be observed at home.”*
* This refers to supererogatory prayers. Tasbih is the utterance of 'Glory be to God!’
Abu Dawud transmitted it. In the version by Tirmidhi and Nasa’i it says that the people got up and offered supererogatory prayers, whereupon the Prophet said, “Observe this prayer at home.”
