Ikrimah bin Khalid Makhzumi narrates: A man asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them): Why do you not participate in battles? He replied: I heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) say:“Islam is built upon five things: Bearing witness that there is no god but Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakat, fasting in Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the House of Allah.”

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man asked: O Messenger of Allah! How many prayers has Allah made obligatory upon His servants? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Five prayers. He asked: Is there anything else (i.e., any additional prayer) required before or after them? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon His servants. He asked: Is there anything else before or after them? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon His servants. The narrator states: So that man swore by the name of Allah that he would neither add to them nor decrease from them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If he has spoken the truth, he will enter Paradise." (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) heard this narration from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he heard this incident in detail from Sayyiduna Malik bin Sa’sa’ah (may Allah be pleased with him), and he heard part of this incident from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), so all three chains are authentic.

It is narrated about Ibn Shihab that during the time when Umar bin Abdul Aziz was the governor of Madinah Munawwarah, he was sitting at his door. Urwah was also sitting with him. Umar bin Abdul Aziz delayed the Asr prayer a little, so Urwah said to him: Sayyiduna Jibreel (peace be upon him) descended. He performed the prayer in front of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). So Umar bin Abdul Aziz said: O Urwah! Be mindful of what you are saying. So Urwah said: I heard Basheer bin Abu Mas’ood narrate this. I heard Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate this, he says: I heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) say:“Jibreel (peace be upon him) descended, he performed the prayer, I prayed following him, then I prayed following him, then I prayed following him, then I prayed following him, then I prayed following him.”He counted on his fingers regarding the five prayers.

Usama bin Zaid, the narrator, reports: Ibn Shihab informed him that once Umar bin Abdul Aziz was sitting on the pulpit. He delayed the prayer a little, so Urwah bin Zubair said: Sayyiduna Jibreel (peace be upon him) informed Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about the timings of the prayers. Umar bin Abdul Aziz said to him: Consider carefully what you are saying. So Urwah said: I heard Basheer bin Abu Mas’ood narrate this, he says: I heard Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ood Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate this, he says: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say:“Jibreel descended and informed me about the time of the prayer, so I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him, then I prayed with him.”The narrator counted on his fingers regarding the five prayers. (The narrator says) I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) perform the Zuhr prayer when the sun had declined, and when the heat was intense, he would sometimes delay this prayer, and I saw him perform the Asr prayer when the sun was high and bright, and there was no yellowness in it yet, and a person could go to Dhul-Hulaifah after finishing the prayer before the sun set. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the Maghrib prayer after the sun had set, and he would perform the Isha prayer when the horizon had become dark. Sometimes he would delay this prayer until the people gathered. He would sometimes perform the Fajr prayer in darkness and sometimes in light, then after that he began to perform the Fajr prayer in darkness until (according to this practice) he passed away. He never performed this prayer in the light again.

Ibn Shihab narrates: One day, during his caliphate (or during his governorship), Umar bin Abdul Aziz delayed a prayer. Urwah bin Zubair came to him and informed him that Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) once performed a prayer late. At that time, he was the governor in Kufa. So Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him and said: O Mughirah! What have you done? Do you not know that Sayyiduna Jibreel (peace be upon him) descended, and he performed the prayer, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also performed the prayer. Then he performed the prayer, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also performed the prayer. Then he performed the prayer, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also performed the prayer. Then he performed the prayer, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also performed the prayer. Then he performed the prayer, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also performed the prayer. Then he informed: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was commanded regarding this matter. So Umar bin Abdul Aziz said: O Urwah! Consider carefully what you are narrating. Would Sayyiduna Jibreel (peace be upon him) establish the time of prayer for the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? So Urwah said: Basheer bin Abu Mas’ud narrated the hadith from his father in the same way. Urwah narrates: Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) informed me that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform the Asr prayer while the sunlight was still in the room of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and it had not yet risen high.

Umeed bin Abdullah narrates: He said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them): We find mention of the prayer of residence and the prayer in a state of fear in the Qur'an, but we do not find mention of the prayer of travel in the Qur'an. So Sayyiduna Abdullah said to him: O my nephew! Indeed, Allah Almighty sent Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace be upon him) to us. We had no knowledge of anything; we do as we saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) doing.

Tha’labah bin Zahdam narrates: We were with Sa’eed bin Al-‘Aas in Tabaristan. He inquired: Who among you has performed the prayer of fear behind the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? So Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: I have. The narrator states: Then Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and formed two rows of people behind him. One row stood behind him and the other row stood facing the enemy. He led those behind him in one rak’ah of prayer, then these people went and stood in their place and the others came, so he led them also in one rak’ah of prayer. These people did not make up the missed prayer (they did not complete the prayer, i.e., they only prayed one rak’ah).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The difference between a servant and disbelief is only abandoning the prayer."

Abdullah bin Buraidah narrates from his father that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, the fundamental thing between us and them (the disbelievers) is the prayer; whoever abandons it has committed disbelief."

Nafi’ reports: Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) was informed about his wife's illness during a journey, so he delayed the Maghrib prayer. He was told: The time for prayer has come, but he remained silent. He delayed this prayer until after the twilight had disappeared and a part of the night had passed, then he dismounted and performed Maghrib and Isha prayers together. Then he explained that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do the same when he wished to travel quickly.