The conqueror of Persia, Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said: Whoever, upon hearing the call of the muezzin, says: I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, He is One and has no partner, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is Allah's servant and Messenger. I am pleased and content with Allah's Lordship, with Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) Messengership, and I have accepted the religion of Islam—then the sins of such a person are forgiven.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: We were forbidden from asking the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) too many questions, so we used to like it when an intelligent person from among the desert dwellers would come and ask him, and we would listen. So, one of the desert dwellers came and said, "O Muhammad (peace be upon him)! Your messenger came to us and said that you claim Allah has sent you?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The messenger has spoken the truth." The man said, "Who created the sky?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Allah." He said, "Who created the earth?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Allah." Then he said, "Who raised the mountains and created what is in them?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Allah." Then the man said, "By the One who created the sky and made the earth and raised the mountains, has Allah truly sent you?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Yes." Then the man said, "Your messenger said that five prayers are obligatory upon us in every day and night." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He has spoken the truth." The man said, "By the One who sent you, has Allah commanded you with these prayers?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Yes." Then the man said, "Your messenger said that there is zakat due on our wealth." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He has spoken the truth." The man said, "By the One who sent you, has Allah commanded you with zakat?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Yes." Then the man said, "Your messenger said that fasting in Ramadan is obligatory upon us once a year." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He has spoken the truth." The man said, "By the One who sent you, has Allah commanded you with these fasts?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Yes." Then the man said, "Your messenger said that whoever among us is able to find a way (i.e., has the means and transport and the way is safe) then Hajj to the House of Allah is obligatory upon him." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He has spoken the truth." Upon hearing this, the man turned away and said, "By the One who sent you as a true Prophet, I will do no more and no less than this." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "If he is truthful, he will enter Paradise."

It is narrated from Umm al-Mu'mineen Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) that both in residence and on a journey, two rak'ahs were prescribed as obligatory, then the prayer during travel remained as it was, but the prayer during residence was increased. Zuhri (the narrator) said: I asked 'Urwah (may Allah be pleased with him), "Why did Umm al-Mu'mineen Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) perform the full prayer during travel? (That is, according to her, only two rak'ahs were obligatory.)" He replied: Umm al-Mu'mineen Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) interpreted it in the same way as Sayyiduna 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) did (i.e., shortening the prayer during travel is a concession, and performing the full prayer is permissible).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The five prayers and from one Friday to the next Friday are expiation for the sins committed in between them, as long as major sins are not committed. And in another narration: Ramadan to the next Ramadan is expiation for the sins committed in between them, as long as major sins are not committed.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say that (for a believer) the difference between a man and disbelief and polytheism is abandoning the prayer.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The time for Zuhr begins when the sun declines and lasts until a man's shadow is equal to his height, as long as the time for Asr does not come. The time for Asr remains until the sun becomes yellow. The time for Maghrib lasts until the twilight disappears. The time for Isha lasts until the middle of the night. The time for Fajr prayer is from the appearance of dawn until the sun rises. Then, when the sun rises, refrain from prayer, for it rises between the two horns of Satan.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that a questioner came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and asked about the times of prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not reply at that moment (because he intended to demonstrate by action). Then (at the time of Fajr) he ordered Bilal to give the (iqamah), and performed the Fajr prayer as soon as dawn broke, and the people could not recognize each other (due to the darkness). Then he ordered and performed the Zuhr prayer when the sun had declined, and someone would say that half the day had passed (meaning it was still midday), and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) knew best. Then he ordered and performed the Asr prayer while the sun was still high. Then he ordered and performed the Maghrib prayer when the sun had set. Then he ordered and performed the Isha prayer when the twilight had disappeared. Then on the second day, he ordered the Fajr prayer, and when he finished, someone would say that the sun had risen, or was about to rise. Then he delayed Zuhr until it was close to the time of yesterday's Asr. Then he delayed Asr until, when he finished, someone would say that the sun had turned red. Then he delayed Maghrib until it was close to the disappearance of the twilight. Then he delayed Isha until the first third of the night had passed. Then morning came, and he called the questioner and said: The time for prayer is between these two times.

Muhammad bin Amr says that when Hajjaj came to Madinah, we asked Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) about the timings of the prayers. He said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to offer the Zuhr prayer at midday and in intense heat (i.e., after the sun had passed its zenith), and he used to offer the Asr prayer at a time when the sun was still bright. He would offer the Maghrib prayer when the sun had set, and then he would pray. As for the Isha prayer, sometimes he would delay it and sometimes he would offer it at the beginning of its time. When he saw that the people had gathered, he would offer it at the beginning of its time, and when he saw that the people were late in coming, he would delay it. And he used to offer the Fajr prayer in darkness.

'Abu Bakr bin 'Ammarah bin Ruwaybah narrates from his father Sayyiduna 'Ammarah (may Allah be pleased with him),' he said that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: That person will never enter Hell who performed the prayer before sunrise and before sunset, that is, Fajr and 'Asr prayers. A man from among the people of Basrah said: Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes. He said: I also bear witness that I too heard this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). My ears heard it and my heart remembered it. (It is obvious that whoever performs these difficult prayers will surely perform the rest of the prayers as well.)

`Sayyiduna Abu Bakr bin Abu Musa Ash'ari narrates from his father, Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever performs the two cool prayers will enter Paradise.