(Second chain) Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I offered two rak‘ahs before Zuhr with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), two after it, two after Maghrib, two after ‘Isha, and two after Jumu‘ah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer the prayers after Jumu‘ah and Maghrib at home. And my sister, Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her), informed me that when Fajr would dawn, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would offer two light rak‘ahs; this was a time when I would not go to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Two (rak‘ahs) before Zuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib, two after ‘Isha, and two rak‘ahs before Fajr—these were such prayers that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would never abandon them.

Abdullah bin Shaqiq says: I asked Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) about the voluntary prayers of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). She said: Before Dhuhr, he would pray four rak‘ahs in my house and then go out; after leading the people in prayer, he would return to my house and perform two rak‘ahs. Then, after leading the people in Maghrib prayer, he would return home and pray two rak‘ahs. After leading the ‘Isha prayer, he would enter my house and pray two rak‘ahs. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray nine rak‘ahs at night, including Witr. He (peace and blessings be upon him) would spend a considerable part of the night standing and a considerable part sitting in prayer. When he recited while standing, he would also perform ruku‘ and sujud standing; and when he recited sitting, he would also perform ruku‘ and sujud sitting. When Fajr would dawn, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform two rak‘ahs and then go out to lead the people in prayer.

They say: I asked Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so she said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray four rak‘ahs before Zuhr, two after it, two before Asr, two after Maghrib, and two after Isha, and at night he would perform nine rak‘ahs of prayer. I asked: Did he pray standing or sitting? She said: He would pray for a long time standing and for a long time sitting. I asked: When he recited standing and when sitting, how did he do it? She said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited standing, he would also bow (ruku‘) standing, and when he recited sitting, he would also bow sitting, and he used to pray two rak‘ahs before the Fajr prayer.

Qaboos’s father sent a woman to Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) to ask her which prayer was most beloved to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he would perform regularly. She said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray four rak‘ahs before Dhuhr, standing long in them and performing bowing and prostration in a good manner. As for the prayer which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never abandoned whether in health, sickness, travel, or residence, it is the two rak‘ahs before Fajr.

Hassan bin Atiyyah says: When the time of death approached for Anbasah bin Abi Sufyan, his anxiety increased. Someone asked him: What is this anxiety? He said: I heard from my sister, Sayyidah Umm Habibah, that she said the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Whoever prays four rak‘ahs before Zuhr and four rak‘ahs after it, Allah Almighty will make his flesh forbidden to the Fire. And since I heard this hadith from her, I have never abandoned these eight rak‘ahs.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Sa’ib (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to perform four rak‘ahs before Zuhr but after the sun had passed its zenith, and he used to say: At this time, the gates of the heavens are opened, and I like that a righteous deed of mine be raised up in it.

Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to always perform four rak‘ahs after the sun had declined. One day I asked: O Messenger of Allah! What are these rak‘ahs that you perform regularly? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: At the time of the sun’s decline, the gates of the heavens are opened, and they are not closed until the Zuhr prayer is performed, so I like that a righteous deed of mine is raised up during this time. I asked: O Messenger of Allah! Do you recite (Qur’an) in all these rak‘ahs? He replied: Yes. I asked: Is there a separating salam in them? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: No.

(Second chain) Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) used to regularly perform four rak‘ahs before Zuhr. Someone said to him:“You perform this prayer very regularly?”He replied:“I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) doing this, so I asked him about it, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘This is a time when the gates of the heavens are opened, and I like that my righteous deed is raised up at that time.’”

Sayyiduna Bara’ bin ‘Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I accompanied the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on eighteen journeys; I never saw him abandon the two rak‘ahs before Zuhr.