Did you pray in time of danger with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ? AbuHurayrah replied: Yes. Marwan then asked: When? AbuHurayrah said: On the occasion of the Battle of Najd. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to offer the afternoon prayer. One section stood with him (to pray) and the other was standing before the enemy, and their backs were towards the qiblah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ uttered the takbir and all of them too uttered the takbir, i.e. those who were with him and those who were facing the enemy. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered one rak'ah and the section that was with him also prayed one rak'ah. He then prostrated himself and those who were with him also prostrated, while the other section was standing before the enemy. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then stood up and the section with him also stood up. They went and faced the enemy and the section that was previously facing the enemy stepped forward. They bowed and prostrated while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was standing in the same position. Then they stood up and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon) prayed another rak'ah and all of them bowed and prostrated along with him. After that the section that was standing before the enemy came forward and they bowed and prostrated, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ remained seated and also those who were with him. The salutation then followed. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ uttered the salutation and all of them uttered it together. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed two rak'ahs and each of the two sections prayed one rak'ah with him (and the other by themselves).  

أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ هَلْ صَلَّيْتَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلاَةَ الْخَوْفِ قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ نَعَمْ قَالَ مَرْوَانُ مَتَى فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ عَامَ غَزْوَةِ نَجْدٍ قَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى صَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ فَقَامَتْ مَعَهُ طَائِفَةٌ وَطَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَى مُقَابِلَ الْعَدُوِّ ظُهُورُهُمْ إِلَى الْقِبْلَةِ فَكَبَّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَكَبَّرُوا جَمِيعًا الَّذِينَ مَعَهُ وَالَّذِينَ مُقَابِلِي الْعَدُوِّ ثُمَّ رَكَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَكْعَةً وَاحِدَةً وَرَكَعَتِ الطَّائِفَةُ الَّتِي مَعَهُ ثُمَّ سَجَدَ فَسَجَدَتِ الطَّائِفَةُ الَّتِي تَلِيهِ وَالآخَرُونَ قِيَامٌ مُقَابِلِي الْعَدُوِّ ثُمَّ قَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَقَامَتِ الطَّائِفَةُ الَّتِي مَعَهُ فَذَهَبُوا إِلَى الْعَدُوِّ فَقَابَلُوهُمْ وَأَقْبَلَتِ الطَّائِفَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ مُقَابِلِي الْعَدُوِّ فَرَكَعُوا وَسَجَدُوا وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَائِمٌ كَمَا هُوَ ثُمَّ قَامُوا فَرَكَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَكْعَةً أُخْرَى وَرَكَعُوا مَعَهُ وَسَجَدَ وَسَجَدُوا مَعَهُ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَتِ الطَّائِفَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ مُقَابِلِي الْعَدُوِّ فَرَكَعُوا وَسَجَدُوا وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَاعِدٌ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ ثُمَّ كَانَ السَّلاَمُ فَسَلَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَسَلَّمُوا جَمِيعًا فَكَانَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَكْعَتَانِ وَلِكُلِّ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ رَكْعَةٌ رَكْعَةٌ  

We went out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to Najd. When we reached Dhat ar-Riqa at Nakhl (or in a valley with palm trees) he met a group of the tribe of Ghatafan. The narrator then reported the tradition to the same effect, but his version is other than that of Haywah. He added to the words "when he bowed along with those who were with him and prostrated" the words "when they stood up, they retraced their footsteps to the rows of their companions". He did not mention the words "their back was towards the qiblah".  

خَرَجْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى نَجْدٍ حَتَّى إِذَا كُنَّا بِذَاتِ الرِّقَاعِ مِنْ نَخْلٍ لَقِيَ جَمْعًا مِنْ غَطَفَانَ فَذَكَرَ مَعْنَاهُ وَلَفْظُهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ لَفْظِ حَيْوَةَ وَقَالَ فِيهِ حِينَ رَكَعَ بِمَنْ مَعَهُ وَسَجَدَ قَالَ فَلَمَّا قَامُوا مَشَوُا الْقَهْقَرَى إِلَى مَصَافِّ أَصْحَابِهِمْ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ اسْتِدْبَارَ الْقِبْلَةِ  

This tradition has been transmitted by 'Aishah through a different chain of narrators. She said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ uttered the takbir and the section that was in the same row with him also uttered the takbir. He then bowed and they also bowed, and he prostrated and they also prostrated. Then he raised his head and they also raised (their heads). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then remained seated. They prostrated alone and stood up and retraced their footsteps and stood behind them. Then the other section came; they stood up and uttered the takbir and bowed by themselves. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prostrated himself and they also prostrated with him. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up and they performed the second prostration by themselves. Then both the sections stood up and prayed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He bowed and they also bowed, and then he prostrated himself and they also prostrated themselves. Then he returned and performed the second prostration and they also prostrated with him as quickly as possible, showing no slackness in quick prostration. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then uttered the salutation. After that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up. Thus everyone participated in the entire prayer.  

كَبَّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَكَبَّرَتِ الطَّائِفَةُ الَّذِينَ صُفُّوا مَعَهُ ثُمَّ رَكَعَ فَرَكَعُوا ثُمَّ سَجَدَ فَسَجَدُوا ثُمَّ رَفَعَ فَرَفَعُوا ثُمَّ مَكَثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ جَالِسًا ثُمَّ سَجَدُوا هُمْ لأَنْفُسِهِمُ الثَّانِيَةَ ثُمَّ قَامُوا فَنَكَصُوا عَلَى أَعْقَابِهِمْ يَمْشُونَ الْقَهْقَرَى حَتَّى قَامُوا مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ وَجَاءَتِ الطَّائِفَةُ الأُخْرَى فَقَامُوا فَكَبَّرُوا ثُمَّ رَكَعُوا لأَنْفُسِهِمْ ثُمَّ سَجَدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَسَجَدُوا مَعَهُ ثُمَّ قَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَسَجَدُوا لأَنْفُسِهِمُ الثَّانِيَةَ ثُمَّ قَامَتِ الطَّائِفَتَانِ جَمِيعًا فَصَلُّوا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَرَكَعَ فَرَكَعُوا ثُمَّ سَجَدَ فَسَجَدُوا جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ عَادَ فَسَجَدَ الثَّانِيَةَ وَسَجَدُوا مَعَهُ سَرِيعًا كَأَسْرَعِ الإِسْرَاعِ جَاهِدًا لاَ يَأْلُونَ سِرَاعًا ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَسَلَّمُوا فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَقَدْ شَارَكَهُ النَّاسُ فِي الصَّلاَةِ كُلِّهَا