In the name of Allah, the entirely Merciful, the especially Merciful.
The Ifadah Center
for Humanities Studies and Research
presents:
Abridged Sahih al-Bukhari.
Chapter: Prayer after Fajr until the sun has risen.
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, who said:
"Trustworthy men testified before me,
the most pleasing of whom to me was 'Umar,
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
prohibited praying after the morning prayer
until the sun rises,
and after 'Asr until it sets."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Testified" here means informed and reported,
not testimony before a judge.
"Trustworthy men"
means their truthfulness and religious commitment are beyond doubt.
"After the morning"
means after the dawn prayer.
"And after 'Asr"
means after the 'Asr prayer.
"Until the sun rises"
means until it appears, rises high, and shines brightly.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
a demonstration of the virtue of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
The hadith also points to the probity of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
It shows the disapproval of praying during prohibited times.
Scholars have differed concerning prayers that have a specific cause.
Furthermore, the prohibition mentioned in the hadith
is tied to performing the prayer itself, not merely to the passage of time.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"When the upper rim of the sun emerges,
refrain from praying until it is fully visible;
and when the lower rim of the sun disappears,
refrain from praying until it has completely set.
Do not intentionally time your prayer with the rising or setting of the sun,
for it rises between the two horns of Satan,"
or "a devil."
Commentary on the hadith:
"The rim of the sun" is the first part of it that becomes visible.
"Refrain from praying"
means withhold from and postpone prayer
"until it is fully visible,"
meaning until it ascends.
"Do not intentionally time"
means do not deliberately seek out—
that is, do not purposely aim for those specific times.
"Between the two horns of Satan":
the horn of Satan
refers to the side of his head.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
the prohibition of imitating the worship of the polytheists,
the disapproval of praying during prohibited times,
and that the stated prohibition is tied to performing the prayer, not merely to the passage of time.
Chapter:
Do not deliberately seek to pray right before sunset.
On the authority of Qaza'ah, the freedman of Ziyad,
who said:
I heard Abu Sa'id,
who had taken part in military expeditions alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him)
twelve times,
say:
"Four matters I heard directly from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)"—
or he said—
"he narrates them from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
and they delighted and impressed me:
that no woman should travel a journey of two days
without her husband or a mahram accompanying her;
that there is no fasting on two days:
'Id al-Fitr and 'Id al-Adha;
that there is no prayer after two prayers:
after 'Asr until the sun sets,
and after Fajr until the sun rises;
and that mounts are not to be saddled for travel except to three mosques:
al-Masjid al-Haram,
this mosque of mine,
and al-Masjid al-Aqsa."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Do not deliberately seek to pray right before sunset":
deliberate seeking
means intentionality and painstaking effort in pursuing something.
"They delighted and impressed me":
both words carry the meaning of bringing immense admiration and delight,
reiterating the same meaning using varied phrasing.
"A mahram"
is anyone permanently forbidden to marry the woman.
"And no fasting"
means she or one must not fast.
"And no prayer"
means one must not pray.
"Until the sun rises"
means until it ascends, elevates, and illuminates.
"Mounts are not to be saddled"
means packing luggage for the explicit purpose of travel.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
the restriction on a woman traveling without her husband or an unmarriageable male kin (mahram).
It also establishes the prohibition of fasting on the days of 'Id.
It affirms that the prohibition of prayer after Fajr and 'Asr
is tied to the performance of the prayer, not merely the elapsed time.
It illustrates the preeminent merit of these three mosques,
and that devotional journeys should not be undertaken to any other.
On the authority of Mu'awiyah, who said:
"You perform a prayer
during which we accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and never saw him pray it;
in fact, he prohibited them"—
referring to the two rak'ahs after 'Asr.
Commentary on the hadith:
"After 'Asr"
means after the 'Asr prayer has been performed.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
that the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
is the ultimate standard for the validity of worship.
Furthermore, every Companion transmitted what he personally saw and heard from the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Chapter:
Missed prayers and the like performed after 'Asr.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, who said:
"By the One Who took his soul,
he never abandoned them until he met Allah;
and he did not meet Allah, Exalted is He, until prayer had become physically burdensome for him,
and he would offer much of his prayer seated"—
she meant the two rak'ahs after 'Asr.
In another narration:
"Never did the Prophet (peace be upon him)
visit me on any day after 'Asr
without praying two rak'ahs."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to
pray them,
but he would not pray them in the mosque
out of fear that it might impose a burden upon his Ummah,
for he loved whatever would lighten their load.
Commentary on the hadith:
"By the One Who took his soul":
she swore by Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He,
meaning: by the One Who took the soul of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
"Until he met Allah"
means until Allah, Exalted is He, took his life.
"Had become physically burdensome"
means his illness grew severe.
"Out of fear"
means out of apprehension
"that it might impose a burden upon his Ummah,"
meaning that it might bring hardship and distress upon them.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
the permissibility of swearing an oath regarding scholarly matters.
It establishes the permissibility of offering voluntary prayers while seated.
It highlights the importance of maintaining and persisting in voluntary prayers,
as well as the prescribed nature of offering voluntary prayers at home.
It clearly displays the deep compassion of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and his mercy toward his Ummah,
along with his keen desire
to ease matters for his Ummah.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, who said:
"There were two pairs of rak'ahs that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
never abandoned, whether in secret or in public:
two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer,
and two rak'ahs after 'Asr."
Commentary on the hadith:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) never abandoned them"
means he did not neglect them;
this provides evidence of consistent continuity, regular adherence to an action,
and not leaving it off.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith is
consistently observing the two rak'ahs before the Fajr prayer.
The hadith also serves as evidence for those who advocate consistently observing two rak'ahs after 'Asr.
Chapter: The call to prayer after the passing of its prescribed time.
On the authority of Abu Qatadah, who said:
We traveled by night with the Prophet (peace be upon him),
and some of the people said,
"If only you would halt with us to rest for the late night, O Messenger of Allah."
He replied,
"I fear you will sleep past the prayer."
Bilal said,
"I will wake you up."
So they lay down to sleep,
while Bilal rested his back against his riding beast;
then his eyes overcame him and he fell asleep.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) awoke
when the upper rim of the sun had already emerged,
and said,
"O Bilal,
what of what you promised?"
He replied,
"Such a slumber has never overcome me before."
The Prophet said,
"Indeed, Allah took your souls when He willed,
and returned them to you when He willed.
O Bilal,
rise and call the people to prayer."
In another narration:
So they relieved themselves,
and he performed ablution.
When the sun had risen and brightened,
he stood and prayed.
Commentary on the hadith:
"Arrast" (we halted at the end of the night):
"At-Ta'ris"
means a traveler halting to sleep and rest before continuing the journey.
"Against his mount,"
meaning leaning against his riding-camel.
"Sleep overcame his eyes, so he slept,"
referring to Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him.
"The brow of the sun,"
meaning its upper rim and edge.
"Where is what you said?"
meaning: Where is the fulfillment of your promise,
"I shall wake you up"?
"Such a heavy sleep was never cast upon me before."
The meaning is:
"I have never slept such a sleep before."
"The sun had risen and brightened,"
meaning it had ascended and become clear and bright.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith are:
the Prophet's gentle reproach of his Companions,
his kindness toward them,
and that the leader must oversee religious welfare.
It also shows the necessity of taking precautions against whatever might risk
causing an act of worship to miss its prescribed time.
The hadith demonstrates that there is no negligence in sleep;
rather, negligence only occurs while awake.
It also indicates the prohibition of making up missed prayers
during the times when prayer is forbidden.
Furthermore, it shows the permissibility of making up missed prayers in congregation.
Chapter: Praying with the people in congregation after the time has passed.
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah:
'Umar ibn al-Khattab came on the Day of the Trench after the sun had set,
and began cursing the disbelievers of Quraysh.
He said,
"O Messenger of Allah!
I could hardly pray 'Asr until the sun was almost setting."
In another narration:
"And that was after the fasting person had broken his fast."
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
"By Allah, I have not prayed it yet."
So we went down to Buthan,
and he performed ablution for the prayer,
and we performed ablution for it as well.
Then he prayed 'Asr after the sun had set,
and after that, he prayed Maghrib.
Commentary on the hadith:
"I could hardly pray 'Asr until the sun was almost setting."
This implies that 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
had prayed 'Asr just before the sun set,
because it is well known regarding the verb "kada" (almost)
that when used in a negative context, it affirms the action,
and when used in an affirmative context, it negates it.
Buthan is a valley in Medina.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith are:
the permissibility of invoking against the disbelievers
when they cause obligatory duties to be missed.
It emphasizes strictly maintaining the 'Asr prayer.
It also indicates the permissibility of reviling the polytheists,
due to the tacit approval granted for it—
provided it does not involve foul language,
as that alone befits the dignified station of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.
It shows the permissibility of swearing an oath without being asked to swear,
when a religious benefit is served by it.
It establishes the legitimacy of praying a missed prayer in congregation.
Whoever misses a prayer and remembers it during the time of another
should begin with the missed prayer and then perform the current one.
The hadith serves as evidence for those who hold that Maghrib extends
until the disappearance of the twilight,
because he gave precedence to 'Asr over it;
for had its time been narrow,
he would have begun with Maghrib
so that its time would not expire as well.
Chapter: Whoever forgets a prayer,
let him pray it when he remembers,
and he needs not repeat anything except that prayer.
On the authority of Anas ibn Malik,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
who said:
"Whoever forgets a prayer,
let him pray it when he remembers it;
there is no expiation for it except that:
'And establish prayer for My remembrance.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"Forgets,"
meaning was unmindful or inadvertently neglected it.
"There is no expiation for it except that,"
meaning there is no expiation for that forgotten prayer
other than performing it.
"And establish prayer for My remembrance,"
meaning establish the prayer for the purpose of remembering Me,
because remembering Him, Exalted is He, is the most sublime of objectives;
it is the servitude of the heart
and the source of its ultimate bliss.
Key benefits of the hadith:
Derived from the hadith are:
the obligation of making up the prayer upon the sleeper and the one who forgot,
whether the missed prayers are many or few.
His statement, peace be upon him,
"when he remembers it,"
is used as evidence by those who hold that missed prayers are to be made up
even during times when prayer is ordinarily forbidden.
The hadith also shows that there is no proxy in performing prayer,
and that prayer cannot be compensated for with monetary payment,
unlike fasting and other acts of worship.
Chapter: Conversing at night with a guest and family.
On the authority of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr:
The People of the Suffah were poor men,
and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever has food for two,
let him take a third;
and if he has food for four, let him take a fifth or a sixth."
Abu Bakr brought three people,
while the Prophet, peace be upon him, took ten.
He said: That left myself, my father, and my mother—
and I do not know if he also said:
my wife, and a servant
shared between our house and Abu Bakr's house.
Abu Bakr had his dinner
with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
then remained until the 'Isha prayer was performed,
and then returned.
He stayed until the Prophet had dined,
and came home after as much of the night had passed as Allah willed.
His wife said to him,
"What kept you away from your guests?"
— or she said, "your guest?"
He said, "Have you not served them dinner?"
She said, "They refused until you arrived;
it was offered to them, but they refused."
He said: So I went and hid myself,
and he exclaimed, "O Ghunthar (you foolish one)!"
and he scolded and reviled,
saying,
"Eat! May it bring you no joy!"
and added, "By Allah, I will never taste it!"
By Allah,
we did not take a single morsel
but that there grew from beneath it more than it.
He said: They ate until they were fully satisfied,
and the food became more plentiful than it was before.
Abu Bakr looked at it
and found it as it had been, or even more abundant.
He said to his wife,
"O sister of Banu Firas,
what is this?"
She replied, "No, by the delight of my eyes!
It is now three times greater than it was before!"
So Abu Bakr ate from it
and said, "That was only from Satan,"
referring to his oath.
In another narration:
He said, "You only waited for me?
By Allah, I shall not taste it tonight!"
The others said,
"By Allah, we will not eat it until you eat it."
He said, "I have never seen an evil night like tonight!
Woe to you, what is the matter with you?
Why do you not accept your hospitality from us?"
He said, "Bring your food."
So he brought it,
and he placed his hand in it, saying, "In the name of Allah;
the first oath was from Satan."
So he ate, and they ate.
Then he took a morsel from it
and carried it to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and it remained with him until morning.
There was a covenant between us and another tribe,
and the term had expired,
so he divided us into twelve men,
with each man having a group of people—
Allah knows best how many were with each man—
and they all ate from it.
Commentary on the hadith:
Chapter: Conversing at night with a guest and family.
"As-Samar" is conversing by night.
"The People of the Suffah":
The Suffah was a shaded area in the mosque
where the poor, the Emigrants, and travelers would take shelter.
"Labitha,"
meaning he stayed and remained.
"What kept you away from your guests?"
meaning what prevented you from coming to your guests?
"Abawe" (they refused),
meaning they declined.
"It was offered to them, but they refused,"
meaning the food was presented to them, but they would not eat.
"O Ghunthar!"
meaning: O vile one;
it is also said to mean:
O ignorant one;
and other explanations are given.
In sum, it is an expression of censure and disparagement
An expression an angry person utters when exasperated.
"He prayed that an ear or nose be cut off" (jadha'a),
meaning he invoked against him that his nose be severed,
"and he reviled,"
meaning he scolded and insulted him.
"May it not be wholesome" (la hani'an);
he said this by way of reprimand and discipline.
And it is said
that it was not an invocation against them,
but merely a factual statement,
meaning: you did not enjoy it at its proper time.
"By Allah's oath" (wa-ymu Allah),
meaning: by the oath of Allah,
which is an expression used for swearing an oath.
"It increased" (raba),
meaning the food rose and multiplied.
"O delight of my eye" (qurrata 'ayni);
the phrase "delight of the eye"
is an expression for happiness,
and for beholding what a person loves and pleases them.
"Indeed, it is now,"
referring to the food,
"That was only from Satan,"
referring to his oath,
so he confounded him by breaking the oath in favor of what was better.
"Then he carried it,"
meaning he carried the bowl along with the food inside it.
"There was a pact between us and a certain people,"
meaning a treaty of truce,
"and the term expired,"
so they came to Medina.
"Why do you not accept our hospitality?"
The word qira
refers to the food and accommodation prepared for a guest.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that altruism and mutual consolation carry immense virtue;
that when guests are numerous, the leader
may distribute them among the residents of the neighborhood,
each according to his capacity,
while he himself accommodates as many as he can;
and it demonstrates the great virtue of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him),
his commitment to the best of matters,
and his precedence in generosity and openhandedness.
It also shows the profound love of al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him)
for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
his devotion to him, and his preference of him over all other people.
It indicates the permissibility of a friend eating
at the home of his friend,
and the permissibility of a host who has guests
attending to his own affairs and obligations
if there is someone else to attend to their needs.
It also establishes the permissibility of a guest eating
in the absence of the host,
and that he should not refrain from doing so if permission has been granted,
as evidenced by al-Siddiq's disapproval of their refusal.
It shows that it is incumbent upon children and family members
to honor guests
just as it is required of the master of the house;
that a man may discipline his children and family
for falling short in honoring his guests,
and that he may become angry on that account.
It provides evidence for a manifest miraculous grace granted to al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him),
affirming the miraculous graces of the righteous allies of Allah.
It also shows the legitimacy of breaking an oath along with offering expiation
in order to do that which is better.
Furthermore, it is courteous for a considerate friend
to present an eminent brother with even a modest gift.
The Book of the Adhan.
Chapter: The Beginning of the Adhan.
On the authority of Anas ibn Malik, who said:
"When the people increased in number, they discussed
finding a means to know the time of prayer by something recognizable to them.
So they suggested lighting a fire
or ringing a bell,
whereupon Bilal was commanded to repeat the phrases of the adhan twice
and to pronounce the phrases of the iqamah once."
In one narration: "except for the phrase of iqamah."
Commentary on the hadith:
The Book of the Adhan.
The adhan is the announcement of the beginning of the prescribed prayer's time using specific words.
"Lighting a fire"
refers to kindling a fire, as the Zoroastrians do.
"Ringing a bell" (naqus):
The naqus is the bell of the Christians that they ring for the times of prayer.
"Bilal was commanded":
The one who commanded that was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
"To repeat the phrases of the adhan twice":
What is meant is that most of the phrases of the adhan are pronounced in pairs.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that a Companion's statement "he was commanded"
implies a prophetic attribution;
that consultation is recommended in important matters;
and that differing from the People of the Book and the Zoroastrians is prescribed.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, who said:
"When the Muslims arrived in Medina,
they used to gather and estimate the time of prayer,
as there was no call announced for it.
So one day they discussed that matter,
and some of them said,
'Adopt a bell like the bell of the Christians.'
Others said,
'Rather, a horn like the ram's horn of the Jews.'
Thereupon 'Umar said,
'Will you not dispatch a man to call for the prayer?'
So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
'O Bilal, stand up and call for the prayer.'"
Commentary on the hadith:
"They estimated the time of prayer" (yatahayyanuna al-salah),
meaning they would estimate its moment (hinaha),
that is, its due time and season, so that they could attend it.
"Rather, a horn like the ram's horn of the Jews":
meaning a horn that is blown into,
and both the trumpet and the ram's horn are symbols of the Jews.
"Call for the prayer":
The apparent meaning is that it was a simple announcement, not the prescribed form of the adhan,
but merely an alert that its time had arrived;
yet it is also possible that he called with the transmitted adhan.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The statement "they estimated the time of prayer" indicates
the virtue of observing the congregational prayer consistently.
It shows the Muslims' intense dedication to religious symbols;
the recommendation of consultation in public and significant affairs;
the prohibition of imitating the Jews and Christians;
and that the adhan is among the divinely ordained symbols
endorsed by the Lawgiver.
It demonstrates the virtue of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him),
and the legitimacy of delivering the adhan while standing.
Chapter: The Virtue of Calling the Adhan.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"When the call for prayer is made,
Satan retreats while passing wind with noise,
so that he may not hear the adhan.
When the adhan is finished, he returns;
and when the iqamah is called, he retreats again.
When the iqamah is finished, he returns,
intruding between a person and his thoughts,
saying, 'Remember such-and-such, remember such-and-such,'
about things he had not been thinking of,
until the man is left not knowing how much he has prayed.
So if one of you does not know how much he has prayed,
whether three or four units,
let him perform two prostrations while sitting."
Commentary on the hadith:
"When the call for prayer is made,"
meaning when the adhan is proclaimed for the sake of the prayer.
"He retreats," meaning he turns away and flees.
"Passing wind" (durat) is gas expelled from the anus accompanied by a sound.
"The adhan is finished," meaning the caller has completed the adhan.
"When the iqamah is called" (thuwwiba biha),
meaning when the iqamah for prayer is pronounced.
"The iqamah is finished," meaning its recital has ended.
"Intruding," meaning whispering temptations.
"Until he is left," meaning until he becomes in such a state.
"Not knowing" (in yadri), meaning he does not know.
"Let him perform two prostrations," meaning for forgetfulness.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
It is derived from the hadith
that repelling and banishing Satan is achieved through the adhan;
and that the forgetfulness that afflicts a worshiper in prayer stems from the whispering of Satan.
Chapter: Raising the Voice with the Call.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Sa'sa'ah al-Ansari al-Mazini,
that Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said to him:
"I see that you love sheep and the desert wilderness.
So when you are among your sheep or in your wilderness,
and you call the adhan for prayer,
raise your voice with the call;
for no jinn, human, or anything else hears the extent of the caller's voice
except that it will testify for him on the Day of Resurrection."
Abu Sa'id said:
"I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)."
Commentary on the hadith:
"The wilderness" (badiyah) is an uncultivated, uninhabited desert.
"The extent of the voice," meaning its utmost reach.
"Or anything else" is an indefinite noun in the context of a negation,
which conveys generality, encompassing animals, inanimate objects, and other creations.
It is derived from the hadith
that working in the desert and tending sheep is permissible;
that seclusion is legitimate,
as is staying away from worldly trials and its embellishments;
that proclaiming the Sunnah and openly manifesting religious practices holds great virtue;
that calling the adhan is recommended even for an individual praying alone;
and that the jinn indeed hear the voices of the children of Adam.