Sunan Ibn Majah

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed, and he added or omitted something.” (One of the narrators) Ibrahim said: “The confusion stems from me (i.e., he was not sure which it was).” “It was said to him: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Has something been added to the prayer?’ He said: ‘I am only human, I forget just as you forget. If anyone forgets, let him perform two prostrations when he is sitting (at the end).’ Then the Prophet (ﷺ) turned and prostrated twice.”

“One of us prays and he does not know how many (Rak’ah) he has prayed.” He said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘When anyone of you prays and does not know how many he has prayed, let him perform two prostrations while he is sitting.’”

“(Once) the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed Zuhr with five Rak’ah, and it was said to him: ‘Has something been added to the prayer?’ He said: ‘What is that?’ They told him, and he turned back towards the Qiblah and performed two prostrations.”

“The Prophet (ﷺ) offered prayer, I think it was the ‘Asr, and in the second Rak’ah he stood up before he sat. Before he said the Salam, he prostrated twice.”

It was narrated from ‘Abdur-Rahman Al-A’raj that Ibn Buhainah told him that the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up in the second Rak’ah of Zuhr and forgot to sit. When he had finished his prayer, and before he said the Salam, he performed the two prostrations for forgetfulness (Sahw) and said the Salam.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone of you stands after two Rak’ah, if he has not yet stood up fully, let him sit down again, but if he has stood up fully, then let him not sit down, and let him perform two prostrations for forgetfulness (Sahw).’”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘If anyone of you is uncertain as to whether he has prayed one or two Rak’ah, let him assume it is one. If he is uncertain as to whether he has prayed two or three, let him assume it is two. If he is uncertain as to whether he has prayed three or four, let him assume it is three. Then let him complete what is left of his prayer, so that the doubt will be about what is more. Then let him prostrate twice while he is sitting, before the Taslim (saying the Salam).’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone of you is uncertain about his prayer, let him put aside uncertainty and act upon that which is certain. When he has made sure his prayer is complete, then let him prostrate twice. Then if his prayer was complete, that (extra) Rak’ah will be counted as voluntary, and if his prayer was lacking, that Rak’ah will complete his prayer, and the two prostrations will rub the Satan’s nose in the dust.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offered prayer, and I am not sure whether he did something extra or omitted something. He asked, and we told him, so he turned to face the Qiblah and prostrated twice, then he said the Salam. Then he turned to face us and said: ‘If any new command has been revealed concerning the prayer, I would certainly have told you. But I am only human and I forget and you forget. If I forget, then remind me. And if anyone of you is uncertain about the prayer, let him do what is closest to what is correct, then complete the prayer, say the Salam and prostrate twice.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone of you is uncertain about his prayer, let him try to do what is correct then let him prostrate twice.’” Tanafisi said: "This is the basic rule, and no one is able to reject it."

‘O Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been shortened or did you forget?’ He said: ‘It has not been shortened and I did not forget.’ He said: ‘But you prayed two Rak’ah.’ He said: ‘Is what Dhul-Yadain says true?’ They said: ‘Yes.’ So he went forward and performed two Rak’ah and said the Salam, then he prostrated twice for prostrations of forgetfulness.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in one of the afternoon prayers, and he prayed two Rak’ah, then he said the Salam. Then he stood up and went to a piece of wood in the mosque, and leaned against it. Those who were in a hurry left the mosque, saying that the prayer had been shortened. Among the people were Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, but they dared not say anything. Among the people there was also a man with long hands who was called Dhul- Yadain. He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been shortened or did you forget?’ He said: ‘It has not been shortened and I did not forget.’ He said: ‘But you prayed two Rak’ah.’ He said: ‘Is what Dhul- Yadain says true?’ They said: ‘Yes.’ So he went forward and performed two Rak’ah and said the Salam, then he prostrated twice, and then he said the Salam again.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said the Salam after three Rak’ah for ‘Asr, then he stood up and went into the apartment. Khirbaq, a man with big hands, stood up and called out: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Has the prayer been shortened?’ He came out angrily, dragging his lower garment, and asked about it, and was told (what had happened). So he performed the Rak’ah that he had omitted, then he said the Salam, then he prostrated twice and said the Salam again.”

“The Satan comes to any one of you while he is praying and comes between him and his soul, until he does not know whether he as added something or omitted something. If that happens, then he should prostrate twice before the Salam, then he should say the Salam.”

“The Satan comes between the son of Adam and his soul, and he does not know how many Rak’ah he has prayed. If a person notices that, then let him prostrate twice before he says the Salam.”

It was narrated from ‘Alqamah that Ibn Mas’ud prostrated twice for the prostrations of forgetfulness after the Salam, and he mentioned that the Prophet (ﷺ) did that.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘For every mistake there are two prostrations, after saying the Salam.’”

“The Prophet (ﷺ) came out to pray and said the Takbir, then he gestured to them to wait. He went and took a bath, and his head was dripping with water while he led them in prayer. When he finished he said: ‘I came out to you in a state of sexual impurity, and I forgot until I had started to pray.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever vomits, has a nosebleed, belches, or emits prostatic fluid, should stop praying; perform ablution, then resume his prayer, and while he is in that state he should not speak.”

“When anyone of you performs prayer and commits Hadath, (passing wind) let him take hold of his nose, then leave.” Another chain with similar wording.

“I suffered from Nasur* and I asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about prayer. He said: ‘Perform prayer standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot then while lying on your side.’”

“I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) performing prayer while sitting on his right side when he was sick.”

‘By the One Who took his soul (i.e., the soul of the Prophet (ﷺ)), he did not die until he offered most of his prayers sitting down. And the dearest of the actions to him was the righteous action that the person does regularly, even if it were a little.”

“The Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite Qur’an sitting down, then when he wanted to bow he would stand up for as long as it takes a person to recite forty Verses.”

“I did not see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offer any of the night prayers in any way other than standing, until he became old. Then he started to pray sitting down until, when there were thirty or forty Verses left of his recitation, he would stand up and recite them, and prostrate.”

“I asked ‘Aishah about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at night. She said: ‘He used to pray for a long time at night standing up, and for a long time at night sitting down. If he prayed standing, he would bow standing, and if he prayed sitting, he would bow sitting.’”

“The prayer of one who sits down is equivalent to half of the prayer of one who stands.”

“The prayer of one who sits down is equivalent to half of the prayer of one who stands.”

It was narrated from ‘Imran bin Husain that he asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about a man who prays sitting down. He said, “Whoever performs prayer standing up, that is better. Whoever performs prayer sitting down will have half the reward of one who prays standing. And whoever performs prayer lying down will have half the reward of one who prays sitting.”

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fell ill with the sickness that would be his last” – (One of the narrators) Abu Mu’awiyah said: “When he was overcome by sickness” – “Bilal came to tell him that it was time for prayer. He said, ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is a tender-hearted man, and when he takes your place he will weep and not be able to do it. Why do you not tell ‘Umar to lead the people in prayer?’ He said: ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer; you are (like) the female companions of Yusuf.’” She said: “So we sent word to Abu Bakr, and he led the people in prayer. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to feel a little better, so he came out to the prayer, supported by two men with his feet making lines along the ground. When Abu Bakr realized that he was there, he wanted to step back, but the Prophet (ﷺ) gestured to him to stay where he was. Then (the two men) brought him to sit beside Abu Bakr, and Abu Bakr was following the lead of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the people were following Abu Bakr.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) told Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer when he was sick, and Abu Bakr used to lead them in prayer. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to feel a little better, so he came out, and saw Abu Bakr leading the people in prayer. When Abu Bakr saw him, he stepped back, but the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gestured to him to stay where he was. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat beside Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr was following the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and the people were following the prayer of Abu Bakr.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fainted when he was sick, then he woke up and said: ‘Has the time for prayer come?’ They said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Tell Bilal to call the Adhan, and tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ Then he fainted, then he woke up and said: ‘Has the time for prayer come?’ They said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Tell Bilal to call the Adhan, and tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ Then he fainted, then he woke up and said: ‘Has the time for prayer come?’ They said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Tell Bilal to call the Adhan, and tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ ‘Aishah said: ‘My father is a tender-hearted man, and if he stands in that place he will weep and will not be able to do it. If you told someone else to do it (that would be better).’ Then he fainted, then woke up and said: ‘Tell Bilal to call the Adhan, and tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. You are (like) the female companions of Yusuf.’ So Bilal was told to call the Adhan and he did so, and Abu Bakr was told to lead the people in prayer, and he did so. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) felt a little better, and he said: ‘Find me someone I can lean on.’ Barirah and another man came, and he leaned on them. When Abu Bakr saw him, he started to step back, but (the Prophet (ﷺ)) gestured him to stay where he was. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came and sat beside Abu Bakr, until Abu Bakr finished praying. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed away.”

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fell ill with what would be his final illness, he was in the house of ‘Aishah. He said: ‘Call ‘Ali for me.’ ‘Aishah said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we call Abu Bakr for you?’ He said: ‘Call him.’ Hafsah said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we call ‘Umar for you?’ He said: ‘Call him.’ Ummul-Fadl said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we call Al-‘Abbas for you?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ When they had gathered, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) lifted his head, looked and fell silent. ‘Umar said: ‘Get up and leave the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).’ Then Bilal came to tell him that the time for prayer had come, and he said: ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ ‘Aishah said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr is a soft and tender-hearted man, and if he does not see you, he will weep and the people will weep with him. If you tell ‘Umar to lead the people in prayer (that would be better).’ Abu Bakr went out and led the people in prayer, then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) felt a little better, so he came out, supported by two men, with his feet making lines along the ground. When the people saw him, they said: ‘Subhan-Allah,’ to alert Abu Bakr. He wanted to step back, but the Prophet (ﷺ) gestured him to stay where he was. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came and sat on his right. Abu Bakr stood up and he was following the lead of the Prophet (ﷺ), and the people were following the lead of Abu Bakr. Ibn ‘Abbas said; ‘And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) started to recite from where Abu Bakr had reached.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) lagged behind (on a journey) and we reached the people when ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf had already led them in one Rak’ah of the prayer. When he realized that the Prophet (ﷺ) was there, he wanted to step back, but the Prophet (ﷺ) gestured to him that he should complete the prayer. He said: ‘You have done well, do the same in the future.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fell ill and some of his Companions came to visit him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performed prayer while sitting down, and they prayed behind him standing up. He gestured them to sit down, and when he finished he said: ‘The Imam is appointed to be followed. When he bows, then bow; when he stands up again, then stand up, and if he prays sitting down then pray sitting down.’”

“The Imam is appointed to be followed. When he says Allahu Akbar, then say Allahu Akbar; when he bows, then bow; when he says Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah, then say Rabbana wa lakal-hamd; when he prostrates then prostrate; and if he prays sitting down then pray sitting down.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The Imam is appointed to be followed. When he says Allahu Akbar, then say Allahu Akbar; when he bows, then bow; when he says Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah, then say Rabbana wa lakal-hamd; when he prostrates then prostrate; if he prays standing, then pray standing, and if he prays sitting down then pray sitting down.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fell ill, and we prayed behind him while he was sitting down, and Abu Bakr was saying the Takbir so that the people could hear them. He turned to us and saw us standing, so he gestured to us to sit down. When he had said the Salam, he said: ‘You were about to do the action of the Persians and Romans, who remain standing while their kings are seated. Do not do that. Follow the lead of your Imam; if he prays standing, then pray standing, and if he prays sitting down, then pray sitting down.’”

“I said to my father: ‘O my father! You prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and behind Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, and behind ‘Ali here in Kufah for about five years. Did they recite Qunut in Fajr?’ He said: ‘O my son! That is an innovation.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was forbidden to recite Qunut in Fajr.”

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite Qunut in the Subh prayer, and he used to supplicate in it against one of the Arab tribes for a month, then he stopped doing so.

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his head from Ruku’ in the Subh prayer, he said: ‘O Allah, save Al-Walid bin Walid, Salamah bin Hisham and ‘Ayyash bin Abu Rabi’ah, and the oppressed in Makkah. O Allah, tighten Your grip on Mudar, and send them years of famine like the famine of Yusuf.”

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded killing the two black ones during prayer; the scorpion and the snake.

“The Prophet (ﷺ) was stung by a scorpion while he was performing prayer, and he said: ‘May Allah curse the scorpion, for it does not spare anyone, whether he is praying or not. Kill them whether you are in Ihram or not.’” In Al-Hill (outside the sacred precincts of Makkah) or Al-Haram (the sacred precincts or Makkah).

It was narrated from Ibn Abu Rafi’, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Prophet (ﷺ) killed a scorpion while he was praying.

prayer after the Fajr until the sun has risen, and prayer after ‘Asr until the sun has set.

“There is no prayer after the ‘Asr until the sun has set, and there is no prayer after the Fajr until the sun has risen.”

“Good men among whom was ‘Umar bin Khattab, and the best of them in my view is ‘Umar, testified before me that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘There is no prayer after Fajr until the sun has risen, and there is no prayer after the ‘Asr until the sun has set.’”

“I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: ‘Is there any time that is more beloved to Allah than another?’ He said: ‘Yes, the middle of the night, so pray as much as you want until dawn comes. Then refrain from praying until the sun has risen, and as long as it looks like a shield until it becomes apparent. Then pray as much as you want until a pole stands on its shadow (i.e., noon), then refrain from praying until it has crossed the zenith, for Hell is heated up at midday. Then pray as much as you want until you pray ‘Asr, then refrain from praying until the sun has set, for it sets between the two horns of Satan and it rises between the two horns of Satan.’”

“Safwan bin Mu’attal asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): ‘O Messenger of Allah, I want to ask you about something of which you have knowledge and I know nothing.’ He said: ‘What is it?’ He said: ‘Is there any time of the night or day when it is disliked to perform prayer? He said: ‘Yes, when you have prayed the Subh, then do not pray until the sun has risen, for it rises between the two horns of Satan. Then pray, for the prayer is attended (by the angels) and is acceptable (to Allah) until the sun is right overhead like a spear. For at that time Hell is heated up and its gates are opened. (Then refrain from prayer) until the sun passes the zenith. Then when it has passed the zenith, the prayer is attended (by the angels) and is acceptable (to Allah) until you pray the ‘Asr. Then stop praying until the sun has set.’”