8. Prayer in Congregation
٨۔ كتاب صلاة الجماعة
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Harmala al- Aslami from Said ibn al-Musayyab that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "What separates us from the hypocrites is being present at isha and subh. They cannot do it," or words to that effect.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ شُهُودُ الْعِشَاءِ وَالصُّبْحِ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَهُمَا أَوْ نَحْوَ هَذَا
the one killed by a plague, the one killed by a disease of the belly, the one who drowns, the one killed by a collapsing building, and the martyr in the path of Allah.' He also said, "If people knew what there was in the call to prayer and the first row, and they could find no other way except to draw lots for it, they would draw lots for it. And if they knew what there was in doing dhuhr at its time, they would race each other to it. And if they knew what there was in the prayers of isha and maghrib, they would come to them even if they had to crawl .
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ يَمْشِي بِطَرِيقٍ إِذْ وَجَدَ غُصْنَ شَوْكٍ عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ فَأَخَّرَهُ فَشَكَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ فَغَفَرَ لَهُ وَقَالَ الشُّهَدَاءُ خَمْسَةٌ الْمَطْعُونُ وَالْمَبْطُونُ وَالْغَرِقُ وَصَاحِبُ الْهَدْمِ وَالشَّهِيدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَالَ لَوْ يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ مَا فِي النِّدَاءِ وَالصَّفِّ الأَوَّلِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَجِدُوا إِلاَّ أَنْ يَسْتَهِمُوا عَلَيْهِ لاَسْتَهَمُوا وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِي التَّهْجِيرِ لاَسْتَبَقُوا إِلَيْهِ وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِي الْعَتَمَةِ وَالصُّبْحِ لأَتَوْهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Bakr ibn Sulayman ibn Abi Hathma that Umar ibn al-Khattab missed Sulayman ibn Abi Hathma in the subh prayer. In the morning he went to the market, and Sulayman's house was between the market and the Prophet's mosque. He passed ash-Shifa, Sulayman's mother, and said to her, "I did not see Sulayman at subh." She replied, "He spent the night in prayer and his eyes overcame him. Umar said, "I would rather be present at subh than stand the whole night in prayer.
أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ فَقَدَ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ أَبِي حَثْمَةَ فِي صَلاَةِ الصُّبْحِ وَأَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ غَدَا إِلَى السُّوقِ وَمَسْكَنُ سُلَيْمَانَ بَيْنَ السُّوقِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ النَّبَوِيِّ فَمَرَّ عَلَى الشِّفَاءِ أُمِّ سُلَيْمَانَ فَقَالَ لَهَا لَمْ أَرَ سُلَيْمَانَ فِي الصُّبْحِ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّهُ بَاتَ يُصَلِّي فَغَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنَاهُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ لأَنْ أَشْهَدَ صَلاَةَ الصُّبْحِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَقُومَ لَيْلَةً
Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim that Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Amra al-Ansari said that Uthman ibn Affan came to the isha prayer and seeing only a few people in the mosque, he lay down at the back of the mosque to wait for the number of people to increase. Ibn Abi Amra went and sat down beside him and Uthman asked him who he was, so he told him. Uthman said, "What have you memorised of the Qur'an?", and he told him. Uthman said, "If someone is present at isha, it is as if he had stood in prayer for half a night, and if some one is present at subh, it is as if he had stood in prayer for a whole night.
أَنَّهُ قَالَ جَاءَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ إِلَى صَلاَةِ الْعِشَاءِ فَرَأَى أَهْلَ الْمَسْجِدِ قَلِيلاً فَاضْطَجَعَ فِي مُؤَخَّرِ الْمَسْجِدِ يَنْتَظِرُ النَّاسَ أَنْ يَكْثُرُوا فَأَتَاهُ ابْنُ أَبِي عَمْرَةَ فَجَلَسَ إِلَيْهِ فَسَأَلَهُ مَنْ هُوَ فَأَخْبَرَهُ فَقَالَ مَا مَعَكَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَأَخْبَرَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ عُثْمَانُ مَنْ شَهِدَ الْعِشَاءَ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَامَ نِصْفَ لَيْلَةٍ وَمَنْ شَهِدَ الصُّبْحَ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَامَ لَيْلَةً