In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The Ifadah Center
for Humanities Research and Studies
presents:
An Abridgment of Sahih al-Bukhari.
Chapter: The Virtue of the 'Asr Prayer.
On the authority of Jarir ibn 'Abdullah, who said:
We were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
when he looked at the moon on the night of a full moon
and said:
"Behold, you shall see your Lord just as you see this moon."
According to another narration:
"You will see your Lord plainly,
facing no crowding or doubt in seeing Him.
So if you are able to avoid being overcome and missing a prayer before the rising of the sun and before its setting,
then do so."
Then he recited:
“Therefor (O Muhammad), bear with what they say, and celebrate the praise of thy Lord ere the rising of the sun and ere the going down thereof. And glorify Him some hours of the night and at the two ends of the day, that thou mayst find acceptance.” (20:130)
Commentary on the hadith:
"Facing no crowding" (la tudammuna)
means: you will not have to crowd together to gaze at Him.
"Facing no doubt" (la tudahuna)
means: it will not be ambiguous to you such that you fall into doubt.
"In seeing Him,"
that is, as when seeing the moon.
"Avoid being overcome,"
meaning: let no one or nothing cause you to miss it.
"Before the rising of the sun,"
that is, the Fajr prayer.
"And before its setting,"
that is, the 'Asr prayer.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
It is inferred from the hadith:
Affirmation that the believers will see Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, in the Hereafter.
Also, what is intended by his words (peace be upon him) regarding seeing Him
is a comparison between the act of seeing and the act of seeing,
not a comparison between what is seen and what is seen.
Furthermore, the hadith contains:
An emphasis on regularly maintaining the Fajr and 'Asr prayers.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Angels take turns visiting you by night and angels by day,
and they assemble together at the Fajr and 'Asr prayers.
Then those who stayed among you overnight ascend,
and their Lord asks them—though He knows them best—:
'In what state did you leave My servants?'
They reply:
'We left them while they were praying,
and we came to them while they were praying.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"Take turns visiting you,"
meaning: one group comes successively after another.
"Angels by night and angels by day":
these angels
are the guardian angels according to the majority of scholars.
"Ascend,"
that is, rise up.
"Though He knows them best,"
because not even an atom's weight escapes the knowledge of the Exalted.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
It is inferred from the hadith:
Part of Allah's gentleness toward His servants
is that He ordained the assembly and departure of angels to coincide with their times of worship.
The hadith also indicates the transcendence of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, above His creation.
It affirms the existence of the angels and clarifies some of their functions.
It also emphasizes the diligent observance of the Fajr and 'Asr prayers.
Chapter: Whoever Catches One Rak'ah of 'Asr Before Sunset.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"If one of you catches a prostration of the 'Asr prayer before the sun sets,
let him complete his prayer.
And if he catches a prostration of the Subh prayer..."
In another narration:
"Whoever catches a rak'ah of the prayer before the sun rises,
let him complete his prayer."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Catches" means reached in time,
meaning that the prayer is counted for him as being performed on time (ada').
"A prostration" (sajdah):
what is meant by prostration here is a full rak'ah.
A rak'ah is termed a prostration because its completion is marked by prostration.
"Let him complete his prayer,"
meaning: he should finish the prayer,
even if the remainder falls within the disliked time.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The hadith hints that the merit of the congregational prayer is attained by catching even part of it.
It also dispels the illusion that prayer is invalidated at sunrise and sunset
for one who commenced it before sunrise or sunset.
It points to the obligation of hastening to pray once one remembers,
even if only a brief time remains that suffices for just one rak'ah.
It emphasizes maintaining the Fajr and 'Asr prayers,
even if part of them falls into the prohibited time.
It illustrates the vastness of Allah the Exalted's mercy
and His immense favor upon this Ummah.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar:
He heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying:
"Your duration compared to the nations that passed before you..."
In another narration:
"The parable of yourselves, the Jews, and the Christians
is like a man who hired workers."
And in another narration:
"Your lifespan in comparison to the lifespans of the nations of the past
is like the time between the 'Asr prayer and the setting of the sun.
The people of the Torah were given the Torah,
and they worked until midday, when they grew weary and gave up;
so they were given one qirat each.
Then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel,
and they worked until the 'Asr prayer,
then grew weary and gave up;
so they were given one qirat each.
Then we were given the Qur'an,
and we worked until sunset;
so we were given two qirats each.
The people of the two scriptures said:"
In another narration:
"The Jews and Christians grew indignant,
and they said:
'Why is it that we did more work and received less reward?'
Meaning: 'Our Lord,
You gave them two qirats each,
while You gave us only one qirat each,
though we performed more work.'
He said:
Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said:
'Did I wrong you in any part of your reward?'
In another narration:
'Did I deprive you of your right?'
They said, 'No.'
He said:
'That is My favor; I bestow it upon whomever I will.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"Your duration,"
is an allusion to the nearness of the Hour
and how little of this worldly life remains.
"That passed" means went by,
"of the nations,"
meaning the Jews and Christians.
"They grew weary and gave up,"
meaning they did not fulfill what they were tasked with.
"So they were given,"
that is, wages for their labor.
"Qirat":
the qirat is a well-known measure of weight;
it is said to be one twenty-fourth of a dinar.
"Though we performed more work,"
because a longer duration necessarily entails more labor.
They said this out of envy.
"Did I wrong you in any part of your reward?"
meaning: did I diminish your wage or your due?
For injustice may occur by adding undeserved burdens,
or it may occur by withholding a rightful share.
"Your lifespan,"
meaning your remaining time.
"Of the past" (man khala),
meaning those who went before.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
It is inferred from the hadith:
A demonstration of the virtue of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him)
and the multiplication of its reward for modest deeds.
The hadith affirms that the Torah was revealed to the Jews,
and the Gospel was revealed to the Christians.
The hadith also shows
that the Jews and Christians deviated from the teachings of their scriptures
and failed to uphold their obligations,
thereby incurring wrath and straying from the path.
The hadith also warns against adopting the way of the Jews and Christians.
It demonstrates the legitimacy of using parables,
which leave a deeper impact on the listener's heart,
and from which legal rulings (ahkam) may be derived.
On the authority of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:
"The parable of the Muslims, the Jews, and the Christians
is like that of a man who hired laborers
to perform work for him for a day until nightfall,
for a specified wage.
They worked for him until midday,
then said:
'We have no need for your wage which you stipulated for us,
and our work is void.'
He said to them: 'Do not do that;
complete the rest of your work
and take your full wage.'
But they refused and abandoned it.
Then he hired two workers after them,
saying to them:
'Complete the remainder of this day of yours,
and you shall have the wage I had stipulated for them.'
They worked until the time of the 'Asr prayer,
when they said:
'Whatever we did is void,
and you may keep the wage you set for us in it.'
He said to the two of them:
'Complete the rest of your work;
only a little of the day remains.'
Yet they refused.
So he hired a group to work for him for the remainder of their day;
they worked the rest of their day until the sun set,
and they received the full wages of both previous groups combined.
That is their parable, and the parable of what they accepted of this light."
Commentary on the hadith:
"The likeness of" means a counterpart and parallel.
"He hired people to do work for him":
Those people were the Jews.
"We have no need of your wage":
This was addressed to the employer,
and it signified abandoning the work.
"And what we did is void":
An indication that their deeds were nullified.
"Do not do so" means: do not abandon the work.
"Yet they refused" means they withheld their labor,
"and departed," meaning they abandoned the work and turned away.
So Allah dispensed with them and replaced them.
"Yet they both refused" means both parties declined.
"So he hired people to work for him for the remainder of their day":
These are the Ummah of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
"And they received the full reward of both parties,"
meaning the Jews and the Christians.
"And the likeness of what they accepted of this light":
That is, the likeness of the Muslims and the likeness of what they accepted of this light,
meaning the light of guidance to the truth.
Key benefits of the hadith:
From this hadith is derived the explanation of the virtue of the Islamic Ummah,
which accepted the guidance of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
and that which His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, brought.
It indicates the legitimacy of striking parables to make concepts easier to grasp;
and that the purpose of the first parable
is to demonstrate that the deeds of this Ummah receive greater reward than the deeds of all other nations;
while from the second,
that those who did not believe in Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
have their prior deeds done under their religion rendered devoid of reward.
The hadith also contains an allusion to the occurrence of textual corruption in the scriptures of previous nations;
and that the earlier nations were deprived of the full reward
because they refused to complete the work they had undertaken.
It establishes the permissibility of hiring for a known wage up to a known time;
and that whoever completes the work is entitled to the full wage.
The hadith also points to the obligation of fulfilling agreed conditions between contracting parties.
Chapter: The Time of the Maghrib Prayer.
On the authority of Rafi' ibn Khadij, who said:
"We used to pray Maghrib with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and one of us would leave while still able to see the spots where his arrows fell."
Commentary on the hadith:
"And one of us would leave," meaning after departing from the Maghrib prayer,
"while still able to see the spots where his arrows fell":
That is, if he were to shoot an arrow from his bow,
he could see where it landed because daylight still remained.
Key benefits of the hadith:
The hadith indicates the recommendation to hasten to perform Maghrib at the beginning of its time, immediately after sunset.
It also indicates that the prayer times are divinely determined (tawqifiyyah).
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah, who said:
"The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to pray Zuhr at the midday heat,
and 'Asr while the sun was still pure"—
and in another narration:
"while the sun was bright"—
"and Maghrib when it had set;
and as for 'Isha', at varying times:
when he saw that they had gathered, he would hasten it,
and when he saw that they were slow in arriving, he would delay it.
And the morning prayer, they used to—or the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to—pray it in the twilight of dawn."
Commentary on the hadith:
"At the midday heat" (al-hajirah):
Al-hajirah is midday when the heat becomes intense.
"While the sun was pure":
That is, clear and radiant,
not yet touched by yellowness or alteration.
"When it had set" (wajabat):
What is meant is the dropping of the sun's disc below the horizon at sunset.
"He would hasten it":
Meaning the 'Isha' prayer.
"And when he saw that they were slow in arriving, he would delay it":
That is, when he saw the congregants arriving late,
he would delay the 'Isha' prayer
so that they might attain the virtue of praying in congregation.
"In the twilight of dawn" (bi-ghalas):
Meaning in the darkness of the tail end of the night.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
that the times of prayer are divinely determined,
the ultimate standard for them being the practice of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
It indicates the recommendation to delay the 'Isha' prayer,
as well as the permissibility of hastening it.
It also shows the recommendation to delay the 'Isha' prayer
so that more people may assemble for it.
It shows the recommendation to begin the Fajr prayer in the twilight of dawn.
The hadith also indicates
hastening to perform prayer at the beginning of its time,
except where textual evidence specifies otherwise—
such as waiting for the heat to abate for Zuhr,
delaying Fajr until dawn broadens (isfar),
and postponing 'Isha' when the congregation is late in arriving.
The hadith points to the virtue of congregational prayer
and waiting for its numbers to increase,
and that the imam should be mindful of the congregants' circumstances.
On the authority of Salamah, who said:
"We used to pray Maghrib with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
when the sun had hidden behind the veil."
Commentary on the hadith:
"We used to" is a formulation indicating regular and continued practice.
"When the sun had hidden behind the veil"
means when it had become concealed by that which screens it from sight.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
hastening to pray Maghrib at the very beginning of its time,
and that the prayer times are divinely determined.
Chapter: Disapproval of Calling Maghrib by the Name 'Isha'.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal al-Muzani,
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Let not the Bedouins prevail over you concerning the name of your prayer, Maghrib."
He added: "The Bedouins call it 'Isha'."
Commentary on the hadith:
The Bedouins are the dwellers of the desert,
and the meaning is: do not be deceived by their naming it so or by their practice
such that you delay your prayer,
but rather pray it when its designated time arrives.
"It is 'Isha'":
Meaning the beginning of night's darkness, when they delay milking their camels into the night.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
adherence to the terminology established by the Shariah,
especially when confusion and ambiguity may arise.
It also indicates that the names of the prayers are divinely determined.
Chapter: The Virtue of the 'Isha' Prayer.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, who said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, delayed the 'Isha' prayer into the darkness of night"—
and in another narration:
"and that was before Islam had spread widely—
until 'Umar called out to him:
'The prayer!
The women and children have fallen asleep!'
So he came out and said"—
and in another narration:
"he said to the people of the mosque—
'None of the people of the earth is waiting for it except you.'
She said:
'And on that day, it was not prayed anywhere except in Medina.'
And they used to pray"—
in another narration:
"and they used to pray the night prayer ('Atamah)
between the disappearance of the twilight
and the end of the first third of the night."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Delayed into the night" (a'tama):
Al-'atamah is
the darkness of the early part of the night.
The meaning is
that he delayed and postponed it until darkness had fully set in.
"Before it had spread widely"
means before it became widespread.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
that the predominant practice of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was to perform the prayer early out of gentleness toward his Ummah
and to remove hardship from them caused by lengthy waiting.
It demonstrates the virtue of waiting for the prayer.
It shows the permissibility of reminding the imam or scholar regarding the prayer.
It indicates the recommendation to delay the 'Isha' prayer,
and the recommendation for women and children to attend congregational prayer.
On the authority of Abu Musa, who said:
"I and my companions who arrived with me on the ship
were staying in Baqi' Buthan,
while the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was in Medina.
A group of them would take turns going to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
every night at the time of the 'Isha' prayer.
It coincided that we were with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
I and my companions,
while he was occupied with some matter of his.
So he delayed the prayer until the middle of the night,
after which the Prophet, peace be upon him, came out
and led them in prayer.
When he concluded his prayer,
he said to those present:
'Stay where you are,
and rejoice!
For indeed, it is among the favors of Allah upon you
that no one among mankind is praying at this hour except you'—
or he said:
'No one has prayed at this hour except you.'
He did not know which of the two statements he uttered.
Abu Musa said:
'So we returned,
delighted with what we had heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"In Baqi' Buthan":
It is a valley in Medina.
"Would take turns"
means that these would attend one time, and those another time.
"A group" (nafar):
A small company of men ranging from three to ten.
"It coincided that we were"
means we happened to be present.
"Some matter"
was the outfitting of an army.
"He delayed the prayer"
means he deferred it and postponed it
"until the middle of the night,"
meaning until night had reached its midpoint.
"When he concluded his prayer"
means when he finished it.
"Take your time,"
meaning: do not rush.
"And we rejoiced at what we heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,"
meaning: we were overjoyed with the glad tidings.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that it is permissible to take turns in seeking knowledge;
and in it is the keenness to learn the Sunnahs and the obligatory duties;
and in the hadith is the acceptance of a single-narrator report (khabar al-wahid);
and in it is the permissibility of delaying the 'Isha prayer
if it is known that the people have the strength to wait for it;
and in it is the permissibility of speaking after 'Isha [for a good purpose],
and the prohibition of doing so in other than goodness;
and in the hadith [it is shown]
that his customary practice, peace be upon him,
was to perform the prayer early out of kindness to his Ummah,
and to lift hardship from them caused by a long wait;
and in it is an explanation of the virtue of waiting for the prayer,
and an encouragement to exercise deliberation in affairs;
and in it is that giving glad tidings to a Muslim with what pleases him is commendable and beloved,
because it brings joy into the heart of a believer;
and in it is the permissibility of rejoicing over glad tidings.
Chapter: Sleeping Before 'Isha for One Who Is Overcome by Sleep.
On the authority of Nafi',
on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was occupied one night away from it,
so he delayed it until we dozed off in the mosque,
then we woke up,
then we dozed off,
then we woke up,
and then the Prophet, peace be upon him, came out to us
and said,
"None of the people of the earth is waiting for the prayer except you."
And Ibn 'Umar did not mind whether he performed it early or delayed it,
as long as he did not fear being overcome by sleep past its time;
and he used to nap before it.
Commentary on the hadith:
"He was occupied one night away from it,"
meaning: he was occupied away from the time of the 'Isha prayer.
"Until we dozed off in the mosque,"
meaning: until we fell asleep in the mosque.
"And Ibn 'Umar did not mind whether he performed it early or delayed it,"
meaning: he was indifferent
to whether he prayed 'Isha early or delayed it,
whenever he had no fear of being overcome by sleep beyond the time of 'Isha.
"Except you"
means: none besides you.
"And he used to nap before it,"
meaning: he would sleep before the 'Isha prayer.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that his customary practice, peace be upon him,
was to perform the prayer early out of kindness to his Ummah,
and to lift hardship from them caused by a long wait;
and in it is the permissibility of sleeping before the 'Isha prayer
for one who expects to wake up before its time elapses;
and in it is the recommendation of delaying the 'Isha prayer [when appropriate],
and the permissibility of sleeping in the mosque.
And on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, delayed into the late night
one night the 'Isha prayer,
until the people slept and woke up,
and slept and woke up.
Then 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab stood up and said,
"The prayer!"
In another narration:
"The women and children have gone to sleep!"
Thereupon the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, came out—
as if I am looking at him right now—
with water dripping from his head,
placing his hand upon his head,
and he said:
In another narration:
"This indeed is its proper time,
were it not that I would impose hardship upon my Ummah,
I would have commanded them to pray it like this."
Commentary on the hadith:
"With water dripping from his head,"
meaning: from performing ghusl.
"Placing his hand upon his head,"
meaning: he parted his fingers slightly,
then placed his fingertips on the crown of his head,
then joined them together and passed them over his head,
until his thumb touched the edge of the ear nearest the face,
upon the temple and the side of the beard.
"I would have commanded them to pray it like this,"
meaning: I would have commanded them to perform the prayer at this hour.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
In the hadith is an indication that a light sleep does not invalidate ablution;
and in it is the legitimacy of reminding the imam and the scholar of the prayer;
and in the hadith is that if the imam delays coming out to his companions,
or something occurs from him that he suspects might cause them hardship,
he offers an apology to them and clarifies his excuse;
and in it is the obligation to avert hardship from oneself and others;
and in it is the permissibility of sleeping in the mosque;
and in it is the recommendation of delaying the 'Isha prayer.
Chapter: The Time of 'Isha Up to the Middle of the Night.
On the authority of Humayd, who said:
Anas Ibn Malik was asked,
"Did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, wear a ring?"
He replied, "Yes.
One night he delayed the 'Isha prayer until the middle of the night,
then he turned his face toward us after he had prayed,
and said,
'The people have prayed and gone to sleep,
but you have continuously remained in prayer for as long as you waited for it.'"
He said,
"It is as if I am looking at the glistening of his ring."
Commentary on the hadith:
"The middle of the night" means half of the night.
"The people have prayed and gone to sleep":
what is meant are those who were not present,
namely those who prayed in their homes or the mosques of their tribes.
"For as long as you waited for it,"
meaning: throughout the duration of your waiting.
"The glistening of his ring,"
meaning: its shine and luster.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that wearing a ring is permissible;
and in it is an explanation of the virtue of waiting for the prayer;
and that asking questions is the key to knowledge;
and in it is the recommendation of delaying the 'Isha prayer.
Chapter: The Virtue of the Fajr Prayer.
On the authority of Abu Musa,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever prays the two cool prayers shall enter Paradise."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Prays the two cool prayers":
the two cool prayers
are Fajr and 'Asr.
They were so named
because they are performed during the cooler parts of the day.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
an explanation of the virtue of the 'Asr and Fajr prayers;
and in it is an encouragement to maintain the 'Asr and Fajr prayers regularly.
Chapter: The Time of Fajr.
On the authority of Anas Ibn Malik,
that Zayd Ibn Thabit narrated to him
that they ate the pre-dawn meal (suhur) with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and then they stood up for the prayer.
[Anas asked,] "How much time was there between the two?"
He replied,
"The measure of fifty or sixty,"
meaning verses.
Commentary on the hadith:
"They ate the pre-dawn meal (suhur),"
meaning: the meal of suhur for one intending to fast.
"How much time was there between the two?"
meaning: how long was the duration between suhur and the start of the time for the morning prayer.
"The measure of fifty or sixty,"
meaning: the span of time
equivalent to reciting fifty or sixty verses.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that the Companions narrated from one another,
and all of them are upright and trustworthy;
and in it is the recommendation of delaying the suhur meal.
On the authority of Sahl Ibn Sa'd, who said:
"I used to eat the pre-dawn meal (suhur) among my family,
and then I would have to hurry
to catch the Fajr prayer with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Hurry" means rushing.
"Catch" means to join in time.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
an explanation of the virtue of eating the suhur meal for one intending to fast;
and in it is the virtue of the congregational prayer,
and the recommendation of arriving early for the congregational prayer.