Buraida reported God’s Messenger as saying,“The covenant between us and them is prayer, so if anyone abandons it he has become an infidel.”Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud told of a man coming to the Prophet and saying,“Messenger of God, I sported with a woman on the outskirts of Medina, and I got what I wanted from her short of having intercourse with her. Now here I am, so decide what you wish about me.”‘Umar said to him,“God has concealed this about you. Would that you had kept it to yourself!”Ibn Mas'ud said that the Prophet gave no reply, so the man got up and went away. Then the Prophet sent a man after him to summon him, and he recited this verse to him.“And observe the prayer at the two ends of the day and the neighbouring parts of the night, for good deeds remove evil deeds. That is a reminder to those who remember (Al-Qur’an, 11:114).”One of the people asked,“Prophet of God, does this refer to him in particular?”He replied,“No, it refers to all men.”Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Dharr said that the Prophet went out in winter time when the leaves were falling, and took two branches of a tree whose leaves began to fall. He then addressed Abu Dharr who replied,“At your service, Messenger of God.”He said,“A Muslim observes prayer for God’s sake and his sins fall from him as these leaves fall from this tree.”Ahmad transmitted it.

Zaid b Khalid al-Juhani reported God’s Messenger as saying,“If anyone observes two prostrations without being negligent in them, God will forgive him his previous sins.”Ahmad transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As said that the Prophet mentioned prayer one day saying,“If anyone keeps to it, it will be light, evidence and salvation for him on the day of resurrection; but if anyone does not keep to it, it will not be for him light, evidence, or salvation, and on the day of resurrection he will be associated with Qarun, Pharaoh, Haman, 1 and Ubayy b. Khalaf”2 1. These three are mentioned together in Al-Qur’an, 29:39; 40:24. A longer account is given of Qarun in 28:76 ff. Haman is mentioned also in 28:38. The Old Testament gives the story of Korah (Qarun) in Numbers, Chap. 16, and of Haman in Esther, Chaps, 3 ff. 2. Ubayy had been an enemy of the Prophet in Mecca. Ubayy had said he would kill him, but the Prophet replied that if God willed he would kill Ubayy. At the battle of Uhud (3 A H.) Ubayy received a scratch, and remembering the Prophet’s words, he felt sure he was going to die. He died at Sarif, about six miles from Mecca, as he was returning home. See the Cairo edition of as-Sira an-nabawiya by Ibn Hisham, 1355/1936, vol.3, p. 89. Ahmad, Darimi, and Baihaqi in Shu'ab al-lman transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Shaqiq said that the companions of God’s Messenger did not consider the abandonment of any good deeds but prayer to be infidelity. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Darda’ said:My friend enjoined me thus,“Do not associate anything with God even if you are cut to pieces and burnt; do not abandon a prescribed prayer intentionally, for if anyone abandons it intentionally protection will not apply to him; and do not drink wine, for it is the key to every evil.”Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s Messenger as saying,“The time of the noon prayer is when the sun passes the meridian and a man’s shadow is the same length as his height, so long as the time for the afternoon prayer has not come; the time for the afternoon prayer is as long as the sun has not become yellow; the time of the sunset prayer is as long as the twilight has not ended; the time of the night prayer is up to midnight; and the time of the morning prayer is from the appearance of dawn, as long as the sun has not risen, but when the sun rises refrain from prayer, for it rises between the horns of the devil.”Muslim transmitted it.

Buraida told of a man asking God’s Messenger about the time of prayer, to which he replied,“Pray with us these two,”meaning two days. When the sun passed the meridian he gave command to Bilal who uttered the call to prayer, then he commanded him and he made the announcement declaring that the time to begin the noon prayer had come. He gave him command and he made the announcement declaring that the time to being the afternoon prayer had come when the sun was high, white and clear. Then he gave him command and he made the announcement declaring that the time to begin the sunset prayer had come when the sun had set. Then he gave him command and he made the announcement declaring that the time to begin the night prayer had come when the twilight had ended. Then he gave him command and he made the announcement declaring that the time to begin the dawn prayer had come when the dawn appeared. Next day he commanded him to delay the noon prayer till the extreme heat had passed and he did so, and he allowed it to be delayed till the extreme heat had passed. He observed the afternoon prayer when the sun was high, delaying it beyond the time he had previously observed it. He observed the sunset prayer before the twilight had ended; he observed the night prayer when a third of the night had passed; and he observed the dawn prayer when there was clear daylight. Then asking where the man was who had enquired about the time of prayer and receiving from him a reply that he was present, he said,“The time for your prayer is within the limits of what you have seen.”Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported God’s Messenger as saying,“Gabriel twice led me in prayer at the House (i.e. the Ka’ba). He prayed the noon prayer with me when the sun had passed the meridian to the extent of the thong of a sandal; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when every thing’s shadow was as long as itself; he prayed the sunset prayer with me at the time when one who has been fasting breaks his fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when the twilight had ended; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me at the time when food and drink become forbidden to one who is fasting. On the following day he prayed the noon prayer with me when his shadow was as long as himself; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when his shadow was twice as long as himself; he prayed the sunset prayer with me at the time when one who has been fasting breaks his fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when about a third of the night had passed; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when there was clear daylight. Then turning to me he said, ‘Muhammad, this is the time observed by the prophets before you, and the time is anywhere between these two times.”Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it.