Riyadh al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The Virtue of the First Row and the Command to Complete and Straighten the First Rows and to Stand Shoulder-to-Shoulder in Them.
On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Straighten the rows, align your shoulders, and fill the gaps."
"Be gentle in the hands of your brothers."
"Do not leave gaps for the Shaytan."
"Whoever connects a row, Allah will connect him."
"Whoever severs a row, Allah will sever him."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to straighten the rows, establish them, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder and foot-to-foot.
The Shaytan enters through the gaps.
To corrupt the hearts of those praying.
A Muslim should maintain what Allah has commanded to be maintained.
Among this is connecting the rows and filling the gaps.
And constricting the Shaytan.
Whoever opposes the command of Allah,
He is on the edge of a crumbling precipice.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Close up your rows, bring them close together,"
"And align your necks."
"For by Him in whose hand is my soul,"
"I see the Shaytan entering through the gaps in the row,"
"As if they were small black sheep."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
The *hadhaf* (mentioned in the hadith),
Are small black sheep found in Yemen.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One should close up the rows and bring them close together,
By aligning the feet and shoulders.
An explanation of the reason for which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commanded,
The closing of the rows,
And their straightening and bringing them close together,
So that no gaps remain for the Shaytan,
Because he enters through them.
Straightening the rows is among the means of suppressing the Shaytan that nullifies his whispers,
Destroys his plot, and burns his soldiers,
And repels the evil he possesses.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Complete the front row, then the one that follows it,"
"And whatever is lacking, let it be in the last row."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is obligatory to complete the front row, then the one that follows it.
The deficiency should be in the back row,
So that it is possible for those who come late,
To join the prayer.
On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Indeed, Allah and His angels invoke blessings upon the right sides of the rows."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
On the authority of al-Bara’, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"When we prayed behind the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,"
"We liked to be on his right side,"
"So that he would turn his face toward us."
"O Allah, protect me from Your punishment on the day You resurrect or gather Your servants."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to pray behind the Imam, and then to his right.
It is from the Sunnah that the Imam turns his face toward those praying after the taslim.
From the prescribed dhikr after the obligatory prayer:
"O Allah, protect me from Your punishment on the day You resurrect Your servants."
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Center the Imam and fill the gaps."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is obligatory to fill the gaps between the rows so that the Shaytan does not enter through them.
Chapter: The Virtue of the Regular Sunnah Prayers alongside the Obligatory Prayers,
And an explanation of their minimum, their most complete form, and what is between them.
On the authority of the Mother of the Believers,
Umm Habibah Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"There is no Muslim servant who prays twelve rak‘ahs for Allah the Almighty every day,"
"Voluntarily, other than the obligatory,"
"Except that Allah will build a house for him in Paradise,"
"Or: Except that a house will be built for him in Paradise."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Establishing the virtue of voluntary prayer.
Allah the Almighty holds servants accountable for their deeds.
Issuing rulings in the Shari‘ah is dependent on the nature of the deed.
Paradise is populated for its inhabitants according to their deeds.
On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
"I prayed with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, two rak‘ahs before Dhuhr,"
"And two rak‘ahs after it,"
"And two rak‘ahs after Jumu‘ah,"
"And two rak‘ahs after Maghrib,"
"And two rak‘ahs after ‘Isha’."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to maintain the regular voluntary prayers,
Because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prayed them.
Praying voluntary prayers in the home is better than in the mosque.
On the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn Mughaffal, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Between every two calls (adhan and iqamah) there is a prayer."
"Between every two calls there is a prayer."
"Between every two calls there is a prayer."
He said on the third time:
"For whoever wishes."
Agreed upon.
What is meant by the "two calls"
Is the Adhan and the Iqamah.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility of referring to the Iqamah as an Adhan.
The permissibility of engaging in non-obligatory prayer after the Adhan,
As long as the obligatory prayer has not yet been performed.
Evidence that a command implies obligation,
Unless there is an indication that diverts it from that.
Chapter: The Emphasis on the Two Rak‘ahs of the Morning Sunnah.
On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Would not abandon four before Dhuhr,
And two before the morning prayer.
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"The morning" means the Subh prayer.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Would sometimes pray four before Dhuhr,
And sometimes two.
This is a matter of variety,
So he would do this sometimes and that other times.
The morning Sunnah is emphasized,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, maintained it,
In his residence and during his travels.
On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Was not,
More diligent about any voluntary prayer than the two rak‘ahs of Fajr.
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The regular Sunnah prayers are not equal in virtue.
The concern of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
For the two rak‘ahs of the morning Sunnah,
Was greater than for other voluntary prayers.
On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"The two rak‘ahs of Fajr,"
"Are better than the world and what is in it."
Narrated by Muslim.
And in a narration of theirs: "They are dearer to me,"
"Than the entire world."
From the benefits of the hadith:
An explanation of the virtue of the two rak‘ahs of Fajr,
For those praying in the Garden of Eternity.
They are better than the world and what is in it.
The delight of the believer is in prayer,
Because it is a connection, tranquility, and peace.
On the authority of Abu ‘Abdullah,
Bilal ibn Rabah, may Allah be pleased with him,
The mu'adhdhin of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
That he came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
To inform him of the morning prayer,
But ‘A’ishah occupied Bilal with a matter she asked him about,
Until it became very bright.
So Bilal stood and informed him of the prayer,
And continued his call.
But the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not come out.
When he came out, he led the people in prayer,
And he informed him that ‘A’ishah,
Had occupied him with a matter she asked him about,
Until it became very bright,
And he was delayed in coming out.
He said, meaning the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"I had prayed the two rak‘ahs of Fajr."
He said, "O Messenger of Allah,"
"It has become very bright."
He said, "If it had become brighter,"
"Than it has, I would still have prayed them,"
"And performed them well and beautifully."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility of a woman speaking to the freedman of her father,
And asking him about what she needs.
The respect of Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him,
For the Mother of the Believers, ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
As he listened to her until she finished her need,
Of speaking with him,
And his lack of disapproval toward her.
The permissibility of informing someone by way of kindness.
Those praying should wait for the Imam,
As long as he is detained from them,
Provided the time for prayer has not passed.
Chapter: Lightening the Two Rak‘ahs of Fajr,
An explanation of what is recited in them,
And an explanation of their time.
On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Used to pray two light rak‘ahs,
Between the call and the iqamah of the morning prayer.
Agreed upon.
And in a narration of theirs:
"He would pray the two rak‘ahs of Fajr,"
"When he heard the Adhan,"
"And he would lighten them so much that I would say,"
Did he recite the Mother of the Qur'an in them?
And in a narration by Muslim:
He used to pray the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer.
And in a narration: when the dawn broke.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to keep the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer brief.
The dawn rak'ahs:
They are prayed after the time for the dawn prayer has entered.
On the authority of Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with her:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Used to, when the mu'adhdhin called for the dawn prayer,
And the dawn had appeared,
It is agreed upon.
And in a narration by Muslim:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
When the dawn broke,
Would pray nothing but two brief rak'ahs.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:
He said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Used to pray at night in pairs of two,
And would conclude with a single rak'ah at the end of the night,
And he would pray two rak'ahs before the morning prayer,
As if the adhan were two calls.
It is agreed upon.
As if the adhan were two calls.
The intended meaning of 'adhan' here is the iqamah.
The meaning is that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Used to hasten to pray the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer,
With the haste of one who hears the iqamah for prayer,
For fear of missing the beginning of the time.
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Used to recite in the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer:
In the first of them:
"Say: We believe in Allah,"
"And what has been sent down to us,"
The verse in Surah al-Baqarah.
And in the second of them:
“But when Jesus became conscious of their disbelief, he cried: Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples said: We will be Allah's helpers. We believe in Allah, and bear thou witness that we have surrendered (unto Him).” (3:52)
And in a narration:
And in the second, the one in Surah Al 'Imran:
“Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).” (3:64)
"Between us and you."
Both were narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Recited in the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer:
“Say: O disbelievers!” (109:1)
Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:
He said: I observed the Prophet, peace be upon him,
For a month, and he used to recite
In the two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer:
“Say: O disbelievers!” (109:1)
And "Say: He is Allah, [who is] One."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
Among the benefits of the hadiths:
[It is recommended to recite] the verse: "Say: We believe in Allah,"
"And what has been sent down to us,"
From Surah al-Baqarah.
“Say: O disbelievers!” (109:1)
And it is recommended to recite in the second rak'ah:
"We believe in Allah and bear witness that we are"
"Muslims," or "Come to,"
“Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).” (3:64)
Or "Say: He is Allah, [who is] One."
This variety in recitation
Is a facilitation for the Ummah, because it is
A diversity of variation.
It is appropriate for the Muslim to begin his day
By disavowing shirk and the polytheists,
And by showing loyalty to and pride in the tawhid,
And the monotheists.
Riyad al-Salihin.