Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we were present in the service of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he said: "Indeed, Allah the Exalted has granted me three special things." One of those present in the gathering asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what are those things?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah the Exalted has granted me the prayer in rows, and has bestowed upon me the greeting of peace, and indeed it is the gift and greeting of the people of Paradise. And He has granted me 'Ameen.' No prophet before me was given this, except for Harun (peace be upon him), to whom Allah the Exalted granted 'Ameen.' Musa (peace be upon him) would supplicate, and Harun (peace be upon him) would say 'Ameen.'"

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) explains the interpretation of Allah Almighty’s statement «‏‏‏‏وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة الإسراء: 110 ] “Do not recite your prayer in too loud a voice, nor in a very low voice.”This blessed verse was revealed at a time when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was hiding in Makkah Mukarramah. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led his noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) in prayer, he would recite the Qur’an aloud. In the narration of Janab al-Dawraqi, it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would raise his voice while reciting. Thus, when the polytheists heard the recitation of the Qur’an, they would abuse the Qur’an, its revealer, and the one who brought it. Therefore, Allah Almighty commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) «‏‏‏‏وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ» ‏‏‏‏“Do not make your recitation in a loud voice,”so that the polytheists would not hear it and abuse the Qur’an «‏‏‏‏وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا» ‏‏‏‏ nor recite in such a low voice that your companions cannot hear you «‏‏‏‏وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا» ‏‏‏‏ but adopt a way between the two. In the narration of Janab al-Dawraqi, it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not keep his voice so low with his companions that they could not hear his recitation. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that this narration is related to the kind of thing about which I have already explained in the Book of Faith, that sometimes the application of a name is made to one part or branch of a thing that has various parts and branches. In this narration, Allah Almighty has applied the term“prayer”only to recitation «‏‏‏‏وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ» ‏‏‏‏“Do not raise your recitation.”Here, by“prayer”(salat), only recitation is meant, not the entire prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite (quietly, inaudibly) in the Zuhr prayer, and sometimes he would let us hear one or two verses. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would make the first rak‘ah long. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in the narration of Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), it is mentioned that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to move his blessed lips. And in the narration of Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him), it is mentioned that we would know the recitation of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) by the movement of his beard.“This is evidence that he used to recite quietly in the Zuhr and Asr prayers. I have mentioned the narrations of both Companions (may Allah be pleased with them both) in the chapters of recitation in the Book of Prayer.”

Sayyiduna Jubair bin Mut’im (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting Surah At-Tur in the Maghrib prayer.

Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reciting Surah At-Tin «‏‏‏‏وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ» ‏‏‏‏ in the ‘Isha prayer. I have not heard anyone with a better and more beautiful recitation than the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Qutbah bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with them) that he heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting Surah Qaf in the Fajr prayer. (He says) I heard him reciting this verse «‏‏‏‏وَالنَّخْلَ بَاسِقَاتٍ لَّهَا طَلْعٌ نَّضِيدٌ» ‏‏‏‏ "And tall date-palms with layers of clustered fruit." And on one occasion, these words were narrated «‏‏‏‏بَاسِقَاتٍ لَّهَا طَلْعٌ نَّضِيدٌ» ‏‏‏‏. The wording of the narration of Janab Abdul Jabbar is that I prayed behind the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so I heard him reciting this verse «‏‏‏‏وَالنَّخْلَ بَاسِقَاتٍ» ‏‏‏‏.

From Maghrib and ‘Isha’ if the report is established with a chain, though I do not think so, and I have only included this report in this book because there is no disagreement among the people of the Qiblah regarding the authenticity of its text, even if the report is not established from the aspect of the chain of transmission that we mention.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "While I was (sleeping) between the Black Stone and the Station of Ibrahim, I heard someone speaking." Then he narrated the complete hadith of the Mi'raj and said: "Then it was announced that indeed, for every prayer you will receive the reward of ten times." He said: "Then I descended. When the sun had declined from the middle of the sky, Jibril (peace be upon him) descended with a row of angels and led you (the Prophet, peace be upon him) in prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered his noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them), so they formed rows behind him. Thus, the Prophet (peace be upon him) followed Jibril, and the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) followed the Prophet (peace be upon him) in prayer. He (peace be upon him) led them in four rak‘ahs of prayer and recited in a low voice, then left the companions. Until the sun declined but was still bright and white (had not turned yellow). Jibril (peace be upon him) descended and led them in four rak‘ahs in which the recitation was silent. Thus, the Prophet (peace be upon him) followed Jibril (peace be upon him), and the companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) followed the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then he left them until the sun set. Then Jibril (peace be upon him) descended and led them in three rak‘ahs, reciting aloud in the first two rak‘ahs and silently in the third. The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed following Jibril (peace be upon him), and the companions prayed following the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then, when the twilight disappeared, Jibril (peace be upon him) descended and led them in four rak‘ahs, reciting aloud in two rak‘ahs and silently in two rak‘ahs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) followed Jibril (peace be upon him), and the companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) followed the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then the people slept until morning came, and Jibril (peace be upon him) descended and led them in two rak‘ahs, in which he recited at length. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the Basri narrators have narrated this hadith from Sa‘id, and he from Qatadah, from the teacher of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Malik bin Sa‘sa‘ah (may Allah be pleased with him), in the incident of Mi'raj. At the end of the narration, they say that Imam Hasan al-Basri says: Then, when the sun declined, Jibril (peace be upon him) descended... until the end. Similarly, they have narrated the rest of the narration from this point onwards as mursal from Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him). And ‘Ikrimah bin Ibrahim has included this story in the hadith of Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), although these events are not preserved and established in the form of the hadith of Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him). However, all Muslims agree that the mention of audible and silent recitation in prayer that has come in this hadith is correct, just as it is mentioned in this hadith.

Hazrat Hattan bin Abdullah Raqashi narrates that Hazrat Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in prayer. When he sat at the end of his prayer, a person said that prayer has been joined with charity (zakat) (they are mentioned together in the Holy Qur'an). Then, when Hazrat Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) finished the prayer, he asked, "Who among you said these words? Do you not know which words you are to say in your prayer? Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon to us, explained to us the Sunnahs, and taught us our prayer." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you pray, straighten and align your rows, and one person from among you should lead the prayer. Then, when the imam says the takbir, you should also say the takbir, and when he recites «‏‏‏‏غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ ‎» , you should say 'Ameen', Allah will accept your supplication. And when the imam says the takbir and bows (for ruku'), you should also say the takbir and bow. For the imam bows before you and raises his head from ruku' before you. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'This will be equal (your delay in going into ruku' and rising after him).' When he says the takbir and prostrates, you should also prostrate, for surely the imam prostrates before you and raises his head from prostration before you." In the narration of Bandaar, there is an addition: "So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This will be in exchange for that." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that what is meant is that the imam bows before you, takes precedence over you, and you raise your head from ruku' after he has raised his head, thus you remain in ruku' (for a while) after him. In this way, remaining in ruku' after the imam has raised his head from ruku' will be in exchange for the precedence the imam takes over the followers in ruku' and prostration.

And the explanation of the matter that when the follower precedes the imam in going into bowing (ruku‘), the follower will make up for that precedence after the imam raises his head. (That is, the amount of his bowing will become equal to the amount of the imam’s bowing.)