Shareek bin Abdullah narrates: He heard Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: Once we were sitting in the mosque. A man came riding on a camel. He made the camel sit in the mosque and then tied it. Then he asked the people: Who among you is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among the people, reclining. The narrator says: We told him: This is the fair-complexioned gentleman, sitting while reclining (the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him). That man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): O son of Abdul Muttalib! The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied to him: I am ready to answer you. He asked: O Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! I will ask you some questions and while asking, I may show some harshness, so do not be angry with me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Ask whatever you find appropriate. He said: I ask you by your Lord and the Lord of those before you. Has Allah sent you to all mankind? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: Allah (knows), yes. He asked: I ask you by Allah, has Allah commanded you that we should offer five prayers every day? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah (knows), yes. He asked: I ask you by Allah, has Allah commanded you that we should fast in this month every year? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah (knows), yes. He asked: I ask you by Allah, has Allah commanded you that you should take zakat from our wealthy and distribute it among our poor? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah (knows), yes! That man said: I believe in what you have brought, and I am the representative of my people who are behind me. My name is Dhamam bin Tha’labah, and I belong to Banu Sa’d bin Banu Bakr.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: We were forbidden from asking the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about anything. So we used to wish that a Bedouin would come to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and ask him a question, so we could listen to it. Once, a Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He said: O Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), your messenger came to us. He said: You say that Allah Almighty has sent you. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: He spoke the truth. The man asked: Who created the sky? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: Allah Almighty. He asked: Who created the earth? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: Allah Almighty. He asked: Who set up these mountains? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: Allah Almighty. He asked: Who placed benefits in them? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: Allah Almighty. He said: Then by the One who created the heavens and the earth, and set up the mountains, and placed benefits in them, I ask you (by His name), did Allah Almighty send you? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: Yes. He said: Your messenger told us that it will be obligatory for us to pray five prayers (daily). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: He spoke the truth. He asked: By the One who sent you, did Allah Almighty command you this? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied: Yes! He said: Your messenger told us that paying zakat from our wealth will be obligatory. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: He spoke the truth. The man said: By the One who sent you, did Allah Almighty command you this? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Yes! He said: Your messenger also told us that fasting for one month in the whole year will be obligatory upon us. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: He spoke the truth. The man said: I ask you by the One who sent you, did Allah Almighty command you this? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Yes!

(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says: Rulings of this nature, such as wudu, tayammum, ghusl janabah, five prayers, obligatory fasting, and other such rulings, are obligatory upon the addressed individuals in some circumstances, not in all circumstances.)

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: When the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen, he said:“You are going to a people from among the People of the Book, so first invite them to the worship of Allah. When they come to know Allah, then inform them that Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon them in every day and night. When they do this, then inform them that Allah has made zakat obligatory upon them, which will be taken from their wealth and returned to their poor. When they obey this, then take zakat from them, but avoid taking the best of people’s wealth.”

(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) This category, such as Hajj and Zakat and other similar obligations, are those which are made obligatory upon some sane and mature people in certain specific circumstances; they are not obligatory in every situation (i.e., zakat is obligatory upon the one who possesses the nisab and a year passes over it, and Hajj is obligatory upon the one for whom it is possible to reach Makkah during the specific days of Hajj. These are not obligatory upon every Muslim in every situation.)

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A delegation from the tribe of Abdul Qais came to the service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They said: O Messenger of Allah! We belong to the tribe of Rabi’ah. Between us and you are the disbelievers of the tribe of Mudar, who act as a barrier. Therefore, we can only come to you during the sacred months. Please command us with something that we may act upon and invite those behind us to it as well. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: I command you with four things: to have faith in Allah, that is, to bear witness that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah, to establish prayer, to give zakat, and to pay the fifth (khums) from the spoils of war. And I forbid you from (using) Dubba’, Hantam, Naqir, and Muqayyar. This narration has been transmitted by Qatadah from Sa’id bin Musayyib and Ikrimah from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), and by Abu Nadrah from Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him).