The Book of Leading the Prayer (Al-Imamah)

"When the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) passed away, the Ansar said: 'Let there be an Amir from among us and an Amir from among you.' Then 'Umar came to them and said: 'Do you not know that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) commanded …

"Ziyad delayed the prayer, then Ibn Samit came to me and I gave him a chair and he sat on it. I told him what Ziyad had done and he bit his lip (in disapproval), and he struck me on the thigh and said: 'I asked Abu Dharr …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'You may live to meet people who will be offering the prayer outside its (prayer) time. If you meet them, then offer the prayer on time, then pray with them and make that a voluntary …

"The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ)said: 'Let the one who has most knowledge of the Book of Allah lead the people in prayer. If they are equal in terms of knowledge of the Qur'h, let the one who emigrated first (lead them). If …

"I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with a cousin of mine" - once he said, "with a friend of mine" - and he said: 'When you travel, call the Adhan and Iqamah, and let the older of you lead the prayer

"when there are three people let one of them lead the prayer, and the one who is most entitled to lead the prayer is the one who has most knowledge of the Qur'an

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'A man should not be led in prayer in his place of authority, and no one should sit in his place of honor except with his permission

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has been delayed (there) and the time for prayer has come, will you lead the people in prayer?" Abu Bakr said: 'Yes, if you wish.' Bilal said the Iqamah and Abu Bakr went forward and said the …

"In the last prayer that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) prayed with the people, he prayed wrapped up in a single garment, behind Abu Bakr

It was narrated from Aisha that Abu Bakr led the people in prayer and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)was in the row

"I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'When any one of you visits some people,he should not lead them in prayer

"Sometimes it is dark or rainy or there is a flood, and I am a blind man; 0 Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), (come and) pray in a place in my house that I may take as a prayer-place." He said: "Where would you like me to pray for …

"Riders used to pass by us and we would leam the Qur'an from them. My father came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: 'Let the one of you who knows most Qur'an leads the prayer.' My father came and said that the Messenger of …

"The messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'When the call to prayer is given, do not stand up until you see me

"The Iqamah for prayer was said, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was conversing privately with a man, and did not commence the prayer until the people slept

"The Iqamah for prayer was said and the people stood in rows, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out. Then when he stood in the place where he prayed, he remembered that he had not performed Ghusl. He said to the …

"There was some fighting among Banu 'Amr bin 'Awf, and news of that reached the Prophet (ﷺ). He prayed Zuhr, then he went to them to reconcile between them. Then he said to Bilal: 'O Bilal, if the time for Asr comes and …

"The Imam is appointed to be followed. When he bows, then bow, when he stands up, then stand up, when he prostrates, then prostrate, and when he says Sami' Alldhu liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him), then …

"Come forward and follow me, and let those who are behind you follow your lead. If people continue to lag behind, Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, will put them back

(Another chain) from Abu Nadrah (from Abu Sa'eed) with similar narration

"The Prophet was in front of Abu Bakr and he prayed sitting down, and Abu Bakr was leading the people in prayer, and the people were behind Abu Bakr

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in Zuhr prayer and Abu Bakr was behind him. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said the Takbir, Abu Bakr said the Takbir so that the people could hear

"We entered upon 'Abdullah at midday and he said: 'There will be rulers who would be distracted from praying on time, so pray on time.' Then he stood up and prayed between him and I, and said: 'This is what I saw the …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr passed by me and Abu Bakr said to me: '0 Mas'ud, go to Abu Tamim' - meaning the man from whom he had been freed - 'and tell him to give us a camel so that we could ride, and let …

"Get up and I will lead you in prayer." Anas said: "So I got up and brought a reed mat of ours that had turned black from long use, and spreaded some water on it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood and the orphan and I …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered upon us and the only people present were myself, my mother, the orphan and Umm Harh, my maternal aunt. He said: 'Stand up and I will lead you in prayer.' It was not the time for a …

It was narrated from Anas that he and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his mother, and his maternal aunt (were together). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed, and he told Anas to stand on his right and his mother and …

"I prayed beside the Prophet (ﷺ) and Ayesha was behind us praying with us, and I was beside the Prophet (ﷺ) praying with him

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led me and a woman from my family in prayer. He made me to stand on his right and the woman to stand behind us

"I stayed overnight with my maternal aunt Maimunah, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up to pray at night. I stood on his left, so he did this to me: He took me by the head and made me stand on his right

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to gently pat our shoulders (to make sure the row was straight) at the time of prayer, and he-would say:'Keep (the rows) straight; do not differ from one another lest your hearts would be …

"While I was in the Masjid in the first row, a man pulled me from behind and moved me aside, and took my place. By Allah, I could not focus on my prayer, then when he left I saw that it was Ubayy bin Ka'b. He said: '0 …

"The Iqamah for prayer was said, and we stood up and the rows were straightened, before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us and stood in the place where he prayed, before …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to straighten the rows like shaft of an arrow is straightened before the head is attached to it. He saw a man whose chest was sticking out from the row. I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to go between the rows from one side to another, patting our shoulders and chests and saying: 'Do not make your rows ragged or your hearts will be filled with enmity toward one another.' …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to gently pat our shoulders (to make sure the row was straight) at the time of prayer, and he would say: 'Keep (the rows) straight; do not differ from one another lest your hearts should …

"Make your rows straight, make your rows straight, make your rows straight. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! I can see you behind me as I can see you in front of me

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)turned to face us when he stood up to pray, before he said the Takbir and said: 'Make your rows straight and come close to one another, for I can see you behind my back

"Make your rows solid and close together, and keep your necks in line. By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad! I can see the shaitan entering through the gaps in the rows as if they are small sheep

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and said:'Will you not form rows as the angels form rows before their Lord? They said: 'How do the angels form rows before their lord? He said: 'They complete the first row and …

It was narrated from Al'Irbad bin Sariyah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to send Salah on the first row three times and on the second row once

"Complete the first row, then the one behind it, and if any row is to be left incomplete let it be the last row

"Whoever completes a row, may Allah be generous to him, and whoever cuts a row, may Allah cut him off

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The best rows for men are the front rows and the worst are the last, and the best rows for women are the back rows and the worst are those in the front

"We were with Anas and we prayed with one of the Amirs. They pushed us until we stood and prayed between two rows, and Anas started moving backward and said: 'We used to avoid this at the time of the Messenger of Allah …

"When we prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) I liked to be to his right

"When any one of you leads the people in prayer, let him make it short, for among them are the sick, the weak and the elderly. And when any one of you prays by himself, let him make it as long as he wishes

It was narrated from Anas that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to make his prayer very brief but still complete when leading people

"I stand in prayer, then I hear a child crying, so I make my prayer brief, because I do not want to cause hardship for his mother

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to enjoin upon us to make the prayer short, but he would lead us in prayer and recite As-Saffat

"I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)leading the people in prayer, carrying Umamah bint Abi Al-As on his shoulder. When he bowed he put her down and when he stood up from prostration he picked her up again

"Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'Does the one who raises his head before the Imam not fear that Allah may turn his head into the head of a donkey?

"I heard 'Abdullah bin Yazid delivering a Khutbah. He said: 'Al-Bara, who was no liar,told us that when they prayed with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would raise his head from bowing and they would remain standing until …

"Abu Musa led us in prayer and when he was sitting, a man from among the people entered and said: 'Prayer is based on righteousness and is always mentioned alongside Zakah (in the Qur'an).' When Abu Musa had said the …

"A man from the Ansar came when the Iqamah for prayer had been said. He entered the Masjid and prayed behind Muadh, and he(Muadh) made the prayer lengthy. The man went away and prayed in a comer of the Masjid, then he …

"The Imam is appointed to be followed. If he prays standing then pray standing; when he bows, bow; when he says, Sami' Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him), say 'Rabbana lakalhamd (Our Lord, to You be …

"When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) became seriously ill, Bilal came to tell him it was time to pray and he said: 'Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer."' She said: "I said: '0 Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr is a …

"I entered upon Aisha and said: 'Will you not tell me about the sickness of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?' She said: 'When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), became seriously ill, he said: "Have the people prayed?" We said: "No, …

"I heard Jabir bin 'Abdullah say: 'Mu'adh used to pray with the Prophet (ﷺ) then he would go back to his people to lead them in a prayer. He stayed late one night and prayed with the Prophet (ﷺ) then he went back to his …

It was narrated from Abu Bakr that the Prophet (ﷺ) offered the fear prayer (Salat Al-Khauf). He led those who were behind him in two Rak'ah and those who came (after them) in two Rak'ah, so the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed four …

"Praying in congregation is twenty-seven times better than praying alone

"Praying in congregation is twenty-five portions better than one of you praying alone

"Prayer in congregation is twenty-five levels better than a prayer offered on one's own

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said: 'If there are three people, let one of them lead the others in prayer, and the one who has the most right to lead the prayer is the one who recites (knows) the most (Qur'an)

"I prayed beside the Prophet (ﷺ) and Aisha was behind us praying with us, and I was beside the Prophet (ﷺ) praying with him

"I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)and I stood on his left. He took hold of me with his left hand and made me stand on his right

"One day the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Fajr, then he said: 'Did so-and-so attend the prayer? They said: 'No.' He said: '(What about) so-and-so? They said:'No' He said: 'These two prayers. are the most burdensome for …

"0 Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) the floods keep me from coming to the Masjid of my people. I would like you to come and pray in a place in my house so that I can take it as a Masjid." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "We shall …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned to face us when he stood up to pray, before he said Takbir, and said: 'Make your rows straight and fill the gaps, for I can see you from behind my back

"We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when some of the people said: 'Why do you not stop with us to rest awhile, 0 Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?' He said: 'I am afraid that you will sleep and miss the prayer.' Bilal said:'I …

"Abu Ad-Darda said to me: 'Where do you live?' I said: 'In a town near Hims.' Abu Ad-Darda said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "There are no three people in a town or encampment among whom prayer is not …

"By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! I nearly ordered that firewood be gathered to be lit, then I would have ordered that the Adhan be called for prayer, and ordered a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would have …

"Whoever would like to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, let him regularly attend these five (daily) prayers whenever the call for them is given (that in the mosques), for Allah prescribed for His Prophet the ways of …

"A blind man came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)and said: 'I do not have a guide to bring me to the prayer.' And he asked him to grant him a dispensation allowing him to pray in his house, and he gave him permission. Then …

"0 Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), there are many (dangerous) pests and wild animals in Al-Madinah." He said: "Can you hear (the words) 'Come prayer, come to prosperity'?" He said "Yes." He said: "Then be quick to respond," and …

"I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'If any one of you feels the need to defecate, let him do that first, before he prays

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'If dinner is ready and the Iqamah for prayer is said, then start with dinner first

"We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Hunain and it rained. The caller of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called out, telling us: 'Pray where you are

"Whoever performs wudu' and does it well, then sets out for the Masjid and finds that the people have already prayed, Allah will decree for him a reward like that of those who attended (the prayer), without reducing the …

"I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Whoever does wudu' properly, then walks to (attend) the prescribed prayer, and prays with the people or with the congregation or in the Masjid, Allah will forgive him his sins

"What kept you from praying? Are you not a Muslim man?" He said: "Yes, but I had already prayed with my family." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said to him: "When you come you should pray with the people even if you have …

"I attended Fajr prayer with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)in Masjid Al Khaif. When he finished praying, he saw two men at the back of the people who had not prayed with him. He said: 'Bring them here.' So they were brought …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, and struck my thigh: 'What will you do if you stay among people who delay the prayer until its time is over?' He said: 'What do you command me to do?' He said: 'Offer the prayer on …

"I saw Ibn 'Umar sitting in Al-Balat when the people were praying. I said: '0 Abu 'Abdur- Rahman, why are you not praying?' He said: 'I have already prayed, and I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "Do not repeat a …

"The Messenger of (ﷺ) said: 'When you come to pray, do not come rushing; come walking in a dignified manner, and whatever you catch up with, pray, and whatever you miss, make it up

"After the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had prayed Asr, he would go to Banu 'Abdul-Ashhal to speak to them, until the time for Maghrib came." Abu Rafi said: "While the Prophet (ﷺ) was hastening to pray Maghrib, we passed by …

(Another chain) with similar from Abu Rafi

"The likeness of one who comes early to prayer is that of one who sacrificed a camel, then the one who comes after him is like one who sacrificed a cow, then the one who comes after him is like one who sacrificed a ram, …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) aid: 'When the Iqamah for prayer is said, there is no prayer except the prescribed prayer

"When the Iqamah for prayer is said, there is no prayer except the prescribed prayer

"The Iqamah for Subh prayer was said, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw a man praying while the Mu'adhdhin saying the Iqamah. He said: 'Are you praying Subh with four Rak'ahs?

"A man came while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was praying Subh, and he prayed two Rak'ahs then joined the prayer. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had finished praying he said: O so-and-so, which of them is your prayer - …

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to our house and I prayed with an orphan of ours behind him, and Umm Sulaim prayed behind us

"There was a woman who used to pray behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was beautiful, one of the most beautiful of people. Some of the people used to go to the front row to avoid seeing her, and some used to go to the …

"May Allah increase you in keenness, but do not do this again

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed one day then left and said: '0 so-and-so, why don't you improve your prayer? Shouldn't the one who is praying reflection how he prays it for himself? I can see behind me just as I can …

It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray two Rak'ahs before Zuhr and two afterward, and he used to pray two Rak'ahs after Maghrib in his house, and two Rak'ahs after 'Isha', and he did …

"We asked 'Ali about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: 'Who among you could manage to do that?' We said: 'Even if we cannot do it, we still want to hear about it.' He said: 'When the sun reached the same …

"I asked 'Ali bin Abi Talib about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during the day before the prescribed prayers. He said: 'Who is able to do that?' Then he told us:'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray two …