وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ بِسُورَةِ (الْأَعْرَافِ) فَرَّقَهَا فِي رَكْعَتَيْنِ. رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيّ
‘A’isha said that God’s Messenger prayed the sunset prayer using sura al-A’raf (Al-Qur’an; 7) dividing it between the two rak’as . Nasa’i transmitted it.
وَعَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ أَقُودُ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَاقَتَهُ فِي السَّفَرِ فَقَالَ لِي: «يَا عُقْبَةُ أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكَ خَيْرَ سُورَتَيْنِ قُرِئَتَا؟» فَعَلَّمَنِي (قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبّ الفلق) و (قل أَعُود بِرَبّ النَّاس) قَالَ: فَلَمْ يَرَنِي سَرَرْتُ بِهِمَا جَدًّا فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ لِصَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ صَلَّى بِهِمَا صَلَاةَ الصُّبْحِ لِلنَّاسِ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ الْتَفَتَ إِلَيَّ فَقَالَ: «يَا عُقْبَةَ كَيْفَ رَأَيْتَ؟» . رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَأَبُو دَاوُد وَالنَّسَائِيّ
‘Uqba b. ‘Amir said: When I was leading God’s Messenger’s she-camel for him on a journey he said to me, “Shall I not teach you, ‘Uqba, the best two suras to recite?” Then he taught me “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn” and “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of men” (Al-Qur’an; 113-114). He saw that I was not greatly pleased with them, so when he alighted for the Morning Prayer he used them in leading the people in the Morning Prayer, and when he had finished he turned to me and said, “How do you find them now, ‘Uqba?” Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.
وَعَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَأُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْمَغْرِبِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ: (قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ) و (قل هُوَ الله أحد) رَوَاهُ فِي شرح السّنة وَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ مَاجَهْ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ إِلَّا أَنه لم يذكر «لَيْلَة الْجُمُعَة»
Jabir b. Samura said that the Prophet used to recite in the sunset prayer on Thursday evening, “Say, O unbelievers,”1 and “Say, He is God one God.”2 1. Al-Qur’an; 109 2. Al-Qur’an; 112 [Baghawi] transmitted it in Sharh as-sunna ; and Ibn Majah transmitted it from Ibn ‘Umar, but did not mention Thursday evening.
وَعَن الْبَراء قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يقْرَأ فِي الْعشَاء: (والتين وَالزَّيْتُون) وَمَا سَمِعت أحدا أحسن صَوتا مِنْهُ
Al-Bara’ said that he heard the Prophet recite at the evening prayer, “By the fig and the olive”* and that he had never heard anyone with a more beautiful voice. *Al-Qur’an; 95. (Bukhari and Muslim.)
وَعَنْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: مَا أحصي مَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَأُ فِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَفِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ: بِ (قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ) و (قل هوا لله أحد) رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيّ وَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ مَاجَهْ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ إِلَّا أَنه لم يذكر: «بعد الْمغرب»
‘Abdallah b. Mas’ud said: I cannot count how often I heard God’s Messenger reciting in the two rak’as after the sunset prayer and in the two rak’as before the dawn prayer, “Say, O unbelievers,” and “Say, He is God, one God.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it on Abu Huraira’s authority, but he did not mention “after the sunset prayer.”
وَعَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ قَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْرَأُ فِي الْفَجْرِ ب (ق وَالْقُرْآن الْمجِيد) وَنَحْوِهَا وَكَانَتْ صَلَاتُهُ بَعْدُ تَخْفِيفًا. رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ
Jabir b. Samura said that the. Prophet used to recite at the dawn prayer, “Qaf. By the glorious Qur’an”* and a passage of similar length, and his prayer afterwards was shortened. *Al-Qur’an; 50. Muslim transmitted it.
وَعَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: مَا صَلَّيْتُ وَرَاءَ أَحَدٍ أَشْبَهَ صَلَاةً بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ فلَان. قَالَ سُلَيْمَان: صَلَّيْتُ خَلْفَهُ فَكَانَ يُطِيلُ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ الْأُولَيَيْنِ مِنَ الظّهْر ويخفف الْأُخْرَيَيْنِ ويخفف الْعَصْر وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الْمَغْرِبِ بِقِصَارِ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الْعِشَاءِ بِوَسَطِ الْمُفَصَّلِ وَيَقْرَأُ فِي الصُّبْحِ بِطِوَالِ الْمُفَصَّلِ. رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ وَرَوَى ابْنُ مَاجَهْ إِلَى ويخفف الْعَصْر
Sulaiman b. Yasar quoted Abu Huraira as saying, “I never prayed behind anyone whose prayer more closely resembled that of God’s Messenger than so and so’s.” Sulaiman said that he prayed behind him, and he was prolonging the first two rak’as of the noon prayer, shortening the last two, shortening the afternoon prayer, reciting short suras from al-Mufassal * at the sunset prayer, medium suras from al-Mufassal at the evening prayer, and long ones from al-Mufassal at the morning prayer. * A name applied to the latter part of the Qur’an because there are many divisions, but opinions differ about where it begins. Lane mentions the different views in his Lexicon, pp 2407 f., saying the most correct opinion is that it begins with sura 49. Nasa’i transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted up to “shortening the afternoon prayer.”
وَعَن عَمْرو بن حُرَيْث: أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يقْرَأ فِي الْفجْر (وَاللَّيْل إِذا عسعس) رَوَاهُ مُسلم
‘Amr b. Huraith said that he heard the Prophet reciting at the dawn prayer, “By the night when it dissipates.”* *Al-Qur’an; 81:17 Muslim transmitted it.
وَعَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ قَالَ: كُنَّا خَلْفَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ فَقَرَأَ فَثَقُلَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْقِرَاءَةُ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ قَالَ: «لَعَلَّكُمْ تقرؤون خَلْفَ إِمَامِكُمْ؟» قُلْنَا: نَعَمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. قَالَ: «لَا تَفْعَلُوا إِلَّا بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِهَا» . رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ وَلِلنِّسَائِيِّ مَعْنَاهُ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لأبي دَاوُد قَالَ: «وَأَنا أَقُول مَالِي يُنَازعنِي الْقُرْآن؟ فَلَا تقرؤوا بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ إِذَا جَهَرْتُ إِلَّا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآن»
‘Ubada b. as-Samit said: We were behind the Prophet at the dawn prayer, and he recited a passage, but the recitation became difficult for him. Then when he finished he said, “Perhaps you recite behind your imam?” We replied, “Yes, Messenger of God.” He said, “Do it only when it is Fatihat al-Kitab , for he who does not include it in his recitation is not credited with having prayed.” Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Nasa’i has something to the same effect. In a version by Abu Dawud he said, “I am wondering what is the matter with me that the Qur’an should be at variance with me. So do not recite any of the Qur’an when I recite aloud, except Umm al-Qur’an .”
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا اسْتَفْتَحَ الصَّلَاةَ كَبَّرَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: «إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أَمَرْتُ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسلمين اللَّهُمَّ اهدني لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِي لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَقِنِي سَيِّئَ الْأَعْمَالِ وَسَيِّئَ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَقِي سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ» . رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ
Jabir said that when the Prophet began prayer he said the takbir , then said, “My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to God, the Lord of the universe, who has no partner. I have been so commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. O God, guide me to the best deeds and the best qualities, Thou who alone canst guide to the best of them; and guard me from evil deeds and evil qualities, Thou who alone canst guard from their evil ones.” Nasa’i transmitted it.