In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Ifadah Center
for Humanities Studies and Research
presents
The Abridged Sahih al-Bukhari
Chapter: The Virtue of One Who Wakes Up at Night and Prays
From 'Ubadah Ibn al-Samit
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"Whoever wakes up at night and says:
'There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner,
“All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth Allah; unto Him belongeth Sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise, and He is Able to do all things.” (64:1)
and He is capable of all things.
Praise be to Allah,
and glory be to Allah,
and there is no god but Allah,
and Allah is the Greatest,
and there is no power nor strength except by Allah.'
Then he says:
'O Allah, forgive me,'
or he supplicates,
his supplication will be answered.
If he then performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Wakes up" (ta'arra)
means he becomes alert and awakens from his sleep.
"His prayer will be accepted"
means the attainment of reward for the correct performance of the act.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is understood from the hadith
that whoever wakes from his sleep should occupy himself with the declaration of Allah's oneness (tawhid).
If he supplicates to Allah, He will answer him.
And if he prays, his prayer will be accepted.
It contains an encouragement to begin with the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted, after waking.
The hadith indicates the two types of supplication: the supplication of praise and the supplication of request.
It is proper for praise to precede the request and the petition.
From Abu Hurayrah, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Indeed, he does not speak obscenities."
He meant by this 'Abdullah Ibn Rawahah.
"Among us is the Messenger of Allah, reciting His Book,
when the light of dawn breaks forth clearly.
He showed us guidance after blindness, so our hearts
are certain that what he said is reality.
He spends the night keeping his side away from his bed,
while the beds of the polytheists are heavy with sleep."
Commentary on the hadith:
"He does not speak obscenities" means
he does not speak poetry that contains falsehood or lewdness.
"When the light of dawn breaks forth clearly"
refers to his reciting the Book of Allah
at the time of the breaking of the bright dawn.
"After blindness" means after misguidance.
"So our hearts are certain of it"
means they are filled with certainty regarding what he brought.
"Keeping his side away" (yujafi) means he distances it.
"Beds" (madaji') means the places of sleep.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is understood from the hadith
the clarification of the virtue of 'Abdullah Ibn Rawahah, may Allah be pleased with him.
The hadith shows that obscenity in speech and action
is not among the morals of a Muslim.
It permits the recitation of good poetry.
It clarifies the virtue of the night prayer (qiyam al-layl).
From Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them,
that some men among the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
saw the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr) in a dream
during the last seven nights.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"I see that your dreams have converged upon the last seven nights.
So whoever is seeking it,
let him seek it in the last seven nights."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Converged" (tawata'at) means they agreed.
"Seeking it" (mutaharriha) means intending it and striving to find it.
"In the last seven nights" means of Ramadan.
In another narration, "the last ten nights."
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is understood from the hadith
the legitimacy of relating a dream to a righteous person.
The hadith shows the Prophet's interpretation
of the dreams of his Companions.
It clarifies the virtue of the Night of Decree.
It encourages striving to seek the Night of Decree.
The hadith indicates that the Night of Decree
occurs in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan.
Chapter: What has been said regarding voluntary prayers being two units by two units
From Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to teach us the prayer of seeking guidance (istikhara) in all matters,
just as he taught us a surah from the Qur'an.
He would say:
"If one of you intends to do a matter,
let him pray two units of prayer other than the obligatory ones.
Then let him say:
'O Allah, I seek Your guidance by Your knowledge,
and I seek ability by Your power,
and I ask You of Your great bounty.
For You are able and I am not,
and You know and I do not,
and You are the Knower of the unseen.
O Allah, if You know that this matter
is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair,'
or he said,
'my immediate and future affair,
then decree it for me and make it easy for me.
Then bless me in it.
And if You know that this matter
is evil for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair,'
or he said,
'in my immediate and future affair,
then turn it away from me and turn me away from it,
and decree for me the good wherever it may be,
then make me satisfied with it.'
He said:
'And he should mention his need.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"Teaches us the istikhara"
means the prayer of istikhara.
"Khayrah" (goodness)
is the seeking of the best of matters.
"Khara Allah laka"
means He gave you what is best for you.
"Just as he taught us a surah from the Qur'an"
indicates the great importance of the matter of istikhara.
"If one of you intends"
means if he desires.
"And I seek ability by Your power"
means I ask You to grant me the ability to perform it.
"In my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair"
or he said, "my immediate and future affair."
When these four are gathered, it is complete goodness.
"Then decree it for me"
means write it for me.
"Then bless me in it"
comes from the word 'barakah' (blessing),
meaning make it abundant and lasting.
"Then turn it away from me"
means avert it from me.
"Then make me satisfied with it."
Satisfaction (rida) is the tranquility of the soul regarding the decree and predestination of Allah.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is understood from the hadith
that what Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, has chosen for us is all goodness in religion and worldly life.
It provides guidance to seek istikhara in all matters,
both large and small.
It shows that the istikhara supplication is not performed after an obligatory prayer.
The hadith shows that the supplication in the istikhara prayer is fixed (tawqifi).
The istikhara supplication includes complete humility and seeking help,
and turning to the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing,
and disavowal of one's own power and strength.
The istikhara supplication contains both praise and request.
The hadith shows that it is incumbent upon the believer to refer all matters to Allah, the Exalted.
A note:
It has not been reported in any of the chains of the istikhara hadiths that specific verses must be recited in the two units.
Chapter: Maintaining the Two Units of Fajr
And those who call them voluntary prayers.
From 'Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was not
more diligent in any voluntary prayer than he was in the two units of Fajr.
Commentary on the hadith:
"More diligent" (ashaddu ta'ahudan)
'Ta'ahud' and 'ta'ahud'
mean preserving a thing and being consistent with it.
The intended meaning here is intense perseverance.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is understood from the hadith
the emphasis on the two units of Fajr,
and that they are among the most noble of voluntary prayers,
due to his, peace be upon him, perseverance and consistency in performing them.
Chapter: What is recited in the two units of Fajr
From 'Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to lighten the two units that precede the morning prayer,
to the point that I would say:
"Did he recite the Mother of the Book (al-Fatihah)?"
Commentary on the hadith:
"Lighten the two units"
means he would lighten them while still performing them completely.
"Did he recite the Mother of the Book?"
means did he recite the Opening of the Book in them or not?
This is an exaggeration to emphasize the lightness.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith is evidence for the exaggeration in lightening the voluntary prayer of Fajr.
It contains an indication of the obligation of reciting al-Fatihah in prayer.
Chapter: The Duha Prayer while Traveling
From Muwarriq, who said:
I said to Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them:
"Do you pray the Duha prayer?"
He said, "No."
I said, "What about 'Umar?"
He said, "No."
I said, "What about Abu Bakr?"
He said, "No."
I said, "What about the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?"
He said, "I do not think so."
Commentary on the hadith:
"I do not think so" (la ikhaluhu) means I do not suppose it.
He denied it based on his supposition,
despite the intensity of Ibn 'Umar's, may Allah be pleased with both of them,
Regarding the guidance of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith demonstrates Ibn 'Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with them both) adherence to the Sunnah of the two Sheikhs,
Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).
It also shows the Companions' recognition of the high status of the two Sheikhs.
The hadith indicates that supererogatory prayers are not emphasized while traveling.
Chapter: The Duha (mid-morning) prayer while at home.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"My beloved [the Prophet] advised me to do three things,
which I will not abandon until I die:
to fast three days of every month,
to perform the Duha prayer, and to sleep after having performed the Witr prayer."
Commentary on the hadith:
"My beloved advised me":
The *khalil* (beloved friend) is the sincere, intimate friend,
whose love has permeated the heart and settled within its depths,
meaning, within its innermost core.
"I will not abandon them," meaning I will not leave them.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One may derive from the hadith
the intensity of the love the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) had
for the Prophet, peace be upon him.
It also clarifies that fasting and prayer
are among the most noble of physical acts of worship.
Chapter: The two rak'ahs before the Dhuhr prayer.
On the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her),
that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
would never omit four rak'ahs before Dhuhr,
and two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer.
Commentary on the hadith:
"Would" (kana) implies continuity and consistency.
"Never omit," meaning he would never leave them.
"Before the dawn prayer,"
meaning before the Fajr prayer.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith highlights the importance of the regular Sunnah prayers (al-sunan al-rawatib).
It also shows that the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) persistence in performing some of them
indicates the confirmed recommendation of doing so.
Chapter: Prayer before the Maghrib prayer.
On the authority of 'Abdullah al-Muzani,
that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"Pray before the Maghrib prayer."
He said it a third time,
"For whoever wishes,"
out of dislike that people might take it as a binding Sunnah.
Commentary on the hadith:
"Out of dislike that people might take it as a Sunnah":
A Sunnah,
meaning a mandatory practice that they would strictly adhere to.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith demonstrates the perfection of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) compassion
and his making things easier for his Ummah.
It also indicates the recommendation of praying two rak'ahs before the Maghrib prayer.
On the authority of Marthad ibn 'Abdullah al-Yazani, who said:
"I came to 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir al-Juhani and said,
'Shall I not amaze you with Abu Tamim?
He prays two rak'ahs before the Maghrib prayer.'
'Uqbah replied,
'We used to do that during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.'
I asked,
'Then what prevents you now?'
He said,
'Being busy.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"Shall I not amaze you":
Meaning, shall I mention something to you that you might find strange?
"With Abu Tamim":
He is 'Abdullah ibn Malik al-Jayshani.
"We used to do that during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him":
Meaning, we used to pray them during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
"Then what prevents you now?":
Meaning, from praying those two rak'ahs.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One may derive from the hadith
that the standard of guidance is the actions and statements of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and that the statement of a Companion,
"We used to do so,"
carries the status of a prophetic attribution (marfu').
Chapter: The virtue of prayer in the mosques of Makkah and Madinah.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"Do not undertake a journey except to three mosques:
the Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Haram),
the Mosque of the Messenger, peace be upon him,
and the Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Do not undertake a journey":
Meaning, it is not permissible to travel for the purpose of worship to any place other than those excepted.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One may derive from the hadith
that there is a prohibition against traveling for worship to a specific location
except to these three mosques.
It also shows that the honor and virtue of places are established by textual evidence, not by opinion.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"A prayer in this mosque of mine
is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere,
except for the Sacred Mosque."
Commentary on the hadith:
"A prayer":
Meaning, both the supererogatory and the obligatory.
"Better than a thousand prayers":
Meaning, greater in reward and recompense.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One may derive from the hadith
that the virtue of times and places is a matter of divine decree (tawqifi) that cannot be grasped by opinion.
It also indicates that prayer in the Sacred Mosque is absolutely superior.
Chapter: The Quba Mosque.
On the authority of Nafi',
that Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) would not perform the Duha prayer except on two days:
the day he arrived in Makkah,
for he would arrive in the morning (duha),
perform Tawaf around the House,
and then pray two rak'ahs behind the Maqam [of Ibrahim],
and the day he came to the Quba Mosque,
for he would visit it every Saturday,
and when he entered the mosque,
he disliked leaving it until he had prayed in it.
He said,
"And he used to report that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
would visit it riding and walking."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Behind the Maqam":
Meaning the Maqam of Ibrahim, peace be upon him.
"He comes to the Quba Mosque":
The Quba Mosque is located
south of the Prophet’s Mosque.
"He used to come to it every Saturday":
"Used to" (kana) implies continuity and consistency.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One may derive from the hadith
that designating specific times for acts of worship
is a matter of divine decree.
Likewise, establishing the virtue of a place can only be done through textual evidence.
Chapter: The virtue of what is between the grave and the pulpit.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Zayd al-Mazini (may Allah be pleased with him),
that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"What is between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise."
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"What is between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise,
and my pulpit is upon my Basin (Hawd)."
Commentary on the hadith:
Chapter: The virtue of what is between the grave and the pulpit.
"The grave":
Meaning the grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
which is in his house.
This contains an indication that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
knew he would be buried in his house.
The hadith with the wording,
"What is between my grave and my pulpit,"
is not according to the criteria of Al-Bukhari.
"A garden":
The intended meaning is
the blessed spot
that lies between the house of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his grave.
"And my pulpit is upon my Basin":
It has been said
that this very pulpit
Allah the Exalted will restore it at his Basin.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith confirms the existence of the Basin.
It also confirms the existence of Paradise,
and that there is a pulpit for the Prophet, peace be upon him, within it.
Chapter: What is forbidden of speech during prayer.
On the authority of 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"We used to greet the Prophet, peace be upon him,
while he was praying, and he would return the greeting to us.
But when we returned from the Negus (Najashi),
we greeted him,
and he did not return the greeting to us.
So we said,
'O Messenger of Allah,
we used to greet you and you would return it to us.'
He said,
'Indeed, in prayer there is a preoccupation.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"And he would return it to us":
Meaning the greeting (salam).
"When we returned from the Negus":
Their return was from Abyssinia to Madinah.
"Indeed, in prayer there is a preoccupation":
The intended meaning is
the heart’s preoccupation with turning toward Allah the Exalted.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One may derive from the hadith
the permissibility of sequence in acts of worship.
The hadith also points to the virtue of spreading the greeting of peace.
On the authority of Zayd ibn Arqam, who said:
"We used to speak during prayer in the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him;
one of us would speak to his companion about his need,
until it was revealed:
“Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and stand up with devotion to Allah.” (2:238)
So we were commanded to be silent."
Commentary on the hadith:
"One of us would speak to his companion about his need":
Meaning, he would speak to the person next to him about what he wanted.
"And stand before Allah in devout obedience":
“Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and stand up with devotion to Allah.” (2:238)
performing it at its proper time, with its conditions, pillars, and humility,
And all that it entails of obligatory and recommended acts.
By maintaining the prayers,
one achieves the maintenance of all other acts of worship.
It serves to forbid indecency and wrongdoing,
especially if one completes it as commanded by His saying:
﴾And stand before Allah, devoutly obedient﴿, meaning humble.
It contains the command to stand and be devout, and the prohibition of speaking.
And the command to have humility.
This is along with peace of mind and tranquility.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith indicates the permissibility of abrogation in acts of worship.
It contains the prohibition of speaking during prayer.
Whoever speaks in prayer intentionally, their prayer is invalidated.
It contains the obligation to maintain the prayers.
The hadith contains the command to maintain the middle prayer.
Scholars have mentioned many opinions regarding it.
The most prominent is that the middle prayer is the Asr prayer.
Chapter: Clapping for Women.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"Tasbih (saying SubhanAllah) is for men,
and clapping is for women."
Commentary on the hadith:
Tasbih means the praying person saying "SubhanAllah."
Clapping is striking one hand against the other.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One learns from the hadith the possibility of the Imam making a mistake.
It contains the legitimacy of alerting the Imam to what he intends in prayer.
It shows that if the Imam makes a mistake in prayer,
it is Sunnah for men to perform Tasbih,
and it is Sunnah for women to clap.
The hadith indicates that the state of the Muslim woman is based on modesty and concealment.
Chapter: If a Mother Calls Her Son During Prayer.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"None spoke in the cradle except for three:
Isa (Jesus),
and there was a man among the Children of Israel called Jurayj.
He was praying,
when his mother came and called him.
He said, 'Should I answer her or continue my prayer?'
In one narration:
She said, 'O Jurayj!'
He said, 'O Allah, my mother or my prayer?'
So she said, 'O Allah, do not let him die until he sees the faces of harlots.'
Jurayj was in his hermitage.
A woman propositioned him and spoke to him.
In one narration:
A shepherdess who tended sheep used to take shelter near his hermitage.
She gave birth,
and she went to a shepherd and allowed him to have his way with her.
She gave birth to a boy.
She said, 'It is from Jurayj.'
They came to him,
tore down his hermitage,
brought him down, and insulted him.
He performed ablution and prayed.
Then he came to the boy
and said,
'Who is your father, O boy?'
In one narration:
'O little one, who is your father?'
He said,
'The shepherd.'
They said,
'We will rebuild your hermitage with gold.'
He said,
'No,
only with mud.'
There was a woman nursing her son among the Children of Israel.
A man passed by her, riding and well-dressed.
She said,
'O Allah, make my son like him.'
He left her breast, turned to the rider, and said,
'O Allah, do not make me like him.'
Then he returned to her breast and suckled.
Abu Hurayrah said:
'It is as if I am looking at the Prophet, peace be upon him, sucking his finger.'
Then he passed by a woman,
and she said,
'O Allah, do not make my son like her.'
He left her breast and said,
'O Allah, make me like her.'
She asked,
'Why is that?'
He said,
'The rider is a tyrant among the tyrants,
and this woman,
they say, "You have stolen, you have committed adultery,"
yet she did not do it.'
In one narration:
'And she says, "Allah is sufficient for me."'
Commentary on the hadith:
The cradle is the bed of the nursing infant.
Harlots,
meaning prostitutes and immoral women.
In his hermitage:
The hermitage is a building with a pointed top,
where monks worship.
A woman propositioned him,
saying, 'I will tempt Jurayj.'
But he refused,
meaning he refrained from the sin.
She allowed him to have his way with her,
meaning she accused him of adultery.
And they insulted him,
meaning they cursed him.
Well-dressed,
meaning possessing beauty and elegance.
On her breast sucking it,
meaning nursing.
By a woman,
in one narration:
'By a woman who is being dragged and toyed with.'
From the benefits of the hadith:
One learns from the hadith:
The permissibility of speaking in prayer in the laws of those before us.
It contains the prohibition of adultery in all religious laws.
The hadith shows that ablution existed in the laws of those before us.
It contains the glorification of the rights of parents,
and that the prayer of a parent is answered.
The hadith confirms the miracles of the righteous.
It shows that whoever takes refuge in Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
He will suffice him and honor him.
It shows that in important matters, one should turn to Allah the Exalted,
by directing oneself to Him in prayer.
It shows that miracles may occur through extraordinary events of all kinds.
It clarifies that relief comes with strong certainty and sound hope.
The hadith indicates that whoever adopts strictness in matters of worship is better,
provided he knows he has the strength for it.
The hadith shows that the law of those before us is a law for us,
though there is a difference of opinion on this.
It contains a warning against praying against one's children.
It contains the permissibility of interrupting a voluntary prayer for a need.
Chapter: Smoothing Pebbles During Prayer.
On the authority of Mu'ayqib,
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
said regarding a man who levels the earth where he prostrates:
"If you must do it, then only once."
Commentary on the hadith:
He mentioned "the man" because it is the general case.
Otherwise, the ruling includes both men and women.
Levels the earth,
meaning he makes it level.
Where he prostrates, meaning the place of his prostration.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One learns from the hadith:
That minor movement does not invalidate the prayer.
The hadith provides guidance to the one praying,
that his mind should not be occupied with something that distracts him from the prayer and the mercy facing him,
lest he lose his share.