Tafseer of Hud · Hud · 11:114
And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the word of Allah the Exalted: وَأَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَلِكَ ذِكْرَى لِلذَّاكِرِينَ (''And establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones. That is a reminder for those who remember.'') (114)
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah the Exalted says to His Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: (''And establish the prayer''), O Muḥammad — that is to say: pray — (''at the two ends of the day''), that is to say the morning and the evening.
The exegetes differed over which of the evening prayers are intended by this verse — after their unanimity that the prayer of the one end is that of the morning, namely the fajr prayer.
Some said: by it are intended the ẓuhr prayer and the ʿaṣr prayer. They said: both belong to the evening prayers.
Mention of who said this:
18609 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us; and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us — on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: the fajr prayer, and the two evening prayers — that is to say the ẓuhr and the ʿaṣr.
18610 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Abū Nuʿaym related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
18611 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: the fajr prayer and the evening prayer.
18612 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Aflaḥ ibn Saʿīd, saying: I heard Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī say concerning: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: the two ends of the day are: the fajr, the ẓuhr and the ʿaṣr.
18613 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Abū Maʿshar related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: (''the two ends of the day'') are the fajr, the ẓuhr and the ʿaṣr.
18614 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mughrāʾ related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning the word: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: the fajr, the ẓuhr and the ʿaṣr.
Others said: no, by it is intended the maghrib prayer.
Mention of who said this:
18615 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: ʿAbdallāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the word: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he says: the morning prayer and the maghrib prayer.
18616 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of ʿAwf, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: the morning prayer and the maghrib.
18617 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning the word: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day'') — the ṣubḥ and the maghrib.
Others said: by it is intended the ʿaṣr prayer.
Mention of who said this:
18618 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAbdat ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning the word: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: the fajr prayer and the ʿaṣr.
18619 — ... he said: Zayd ibn Ḥubbāb related to us, on the authority of Aflaḥ ibn Saʿīd al-Qubāʾī, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day'') — the fajr and the ʿaṣr.
18620 — Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, saying: Abū Rajāʾ related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning the word: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: the ṣubḥ prayer and the ʿaṣr prayer.
18621 — Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī al-Ṣadāʾī related to me, saying: my father related to us, saying: Mubārak related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, saying: Allah said to His Prophet: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: (''the two ends of the day'') are the morning and the ʿaṣr.
18622 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, his word: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day'') — that is to say the ʿaṣr prayer and the ṣubḥ.
18623 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Mubārak ibn Faḍāla, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day'') — the morning and the ʿaṣr.
18624 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Zayd ibn Ḥubbāb related to us, on the authority of Aflaḥ ibn Zayd, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day'') — the fajr and the ʿaṣr.
18625 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀmir related to us, saying: Qurra related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day''), he said: the morning and the ʿaṣr.
Some said: by the two ends of the day are intended the ẓuhr and the ʿaṣr, and by His word: (''and in the hours of the night'') the maghrib, the ʿishāʾ and the ṣubḥ.
Abū Jaʿfar said: The most correct of these statements according to me is the statement of him who says: ''It is the maghrib prayer'', as we have mentioned from Ibn ʿAbbās. We say that this is the most correct because of the unanimity of all that the prayer of one of the two ends is the fajr prayer, and that it is prayed before sunrise. If that is established by the unanimity of all, then the prayer of the other end must be the maghrib, for it is prayed after sunset. If one of the two ends before sunset were intended, then the other end would be after sunrise — and that is something of which we know no one who has said it, except him who says: ''by it are intended the ẓuhr and the ʿaṣr.'' And this is a statement whose unsoundness is not hidden, for they together belong rather to the prayer of one end than that they belong to the prayers of the two ends of the day. For the ẓuhr is without doubt prayed after the passing of the first half of the day, in the second half — so that it cannot possibly belong to the first end of the day, while it falls in the other end.
If, then, no expert says: ''By the prayer of the first end of the day is intended a prayer after sunrise'', then one may also not say: ''By the prayer of the other end of the day is intended a prayer before sunset.'' And if that is so, then what we have said is confirmed, and what goes against it falls away.
And as for the word: (''and in the hours of the night'') — that means: hours of the night.
It is the plural of ''zulfa'', and ''zulfa'' means hour, rank, and nearness. It is said that al-Muzdalifa and Jamʿ are so named because it is a resting place after ʿArafa. It is also said that it is so named because of the drawing near (izdilāf) of Ādam from ʿArafa to Ḥawwāʾ while she was there. From this stems the word of al-ʿAjjāj in his description of a camel: ''A swift beast that has consumed the weariness of trotting — having traversed the nights hour by hour.''
The reciters differed in its reading. Most of the reciters of Medina and Iraq read it as (wa-zulafan), with ḍamma on the zāy and fatḥa on the lām. Some of the people of Medina read it with ḍamma on both the zāy and the lām — as if they took it as a singular, on the model of ''ḥulm''. Some of the people of Mecca read: (wa-zulfan), with ḍamma on the zāy and sukūn on the lām.
Abū Jaʿfar said: The reading most appealing to me is: (wa-zulafan), with ḍamma on the zāy and fatḥa on the lām, as the plural of ''zulfa'', as ''ghurfa'' has the plural ''ghuraf'' and ''ḥujra'' has the plural ''ḥujar''. I have preferred this reading because the ʿishāʾ prayer is prayed only after hours of the night have passed, and that is what is intended, in my opinion, by: (''and in the hours of the night'').
In agreement with what we have said about (''and in the hours of the night'') spoke a group of exegetes.
Mention of who said this:
18626 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: the hours of the night — the ʿatama prayer.
18627 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
18628 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
18629 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: ʿAbdallāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: (''hours of the night''), he says: the ʿatama prayer.
18630 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of ʿAwf, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: the ʿishāʾ.
18631 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Ādam related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿUbaydallāh ibn Abī Yazīd, saying: Ibn ʿAbbās used to delay the ʿishāʾ prayer and recite: (''and in the hours of the night'').
18632 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ibn Numayr related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: an hour of the night — the ʿatama prayer.
18633 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning the word: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: the ʿatama. And I have not heard any of our scholars and masters say ''the ʿishāʾ'' — they only say ''the ʿatama''.
Others said: The prayer that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was commanded to perform in the hours of the night are the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
Mention of who said this:
18634 — Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm and Ibn Wakīʿ related to me — and the wording is that of Yaʿqūb — they said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, saying: Abū Rajāʾ related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: they are two hours of the night: the maghrib prayer and the ʿishāʾ prayer.
18635 — Ibn Ḥumayd and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, they said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning the word: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
18636 — Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī related to me, saying: my father related to us, saying: Mubārak related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: Allah said to His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''), he said: (''hours of the night'') are the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ''They are the two hours of the night — the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.''
18637 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us; and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us — on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
18638 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
18639 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Abū Nuʿaym related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
18640 — ... he said: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Mubārak ibn Faḍāla, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: Allah has clarified the times of prayer in the Qurʾān. He said: أَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ [Surah al-Isrāʾ: 78] — he said: ''its dulūk'' is when it declines from the middle of the sky and there is a shadow upon the earth. And he said: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day'') — the morning and the ʿaṣr, (''and in the hours of the night'') — the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ. He said: the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ''They are the two hours of the night — the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.''
18641 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: that is to say the maghrib prayer and the ʿishāʾ prayer.
18642 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Aflaḥ ibn Saʿīd, saying: I heard Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī say: (''hours of the night'') — the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
18643 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Zayd ibn Ḥubbāb related to us, on the authority of Aflaḥ ibn Saʿīd, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb — the same.
18644 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Abū Maʿshar related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī: (''and in the hours of the night'') — the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
18645 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim ibn Sulaymān, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, saying: the two hours of the night — the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
18646 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mughrāʾ related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning the word: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
18647 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
18648 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAbdat ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: (''and in the hours of the night''), he said: the maghrib and the ʿishāʾ.
18649 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (''hours of the night'') — the maghrib prayer and the ʿishāʾ.
And as for the word: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones'') — Allah the Exalted says: the return to obedience to Allah and acting according to what pleases Him drives away the stains of disobedience to Allah and wipes out the sins.
Then the exegetes differed over the good deeds that Allah intended in this place, the deeds that drive away the bad ones. Some said: those are the five obligatory prayers.
Mention of who said this:
18650 — Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of al-Jurayrī, on the authority of Abū al-Ward ibn Thamāma, on the authority of Abū Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥaḍramī, saying: Kaʿb related to us in this mosque, saying: By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Kaʿb — the five prayers are the good deeds that drive away the bad ones, as water washes away the filth.
18651 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Aflaḥ, saying: I heard Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī say concerning the word: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: those are the five prayers.
18652 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Muslim, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: the five prayers.
18653 — ... he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: (''the good deeds'') — the prayers.
18654 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Yaḥyā related to us; and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Abū Usāma related to us — both on the authority of ʿAwf, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: the five prayers.
18655 — Zurayq ibn al-Sakht related to me, saying: Qabīṣa related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Muslim, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: the five prayers.
18656 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: Hushaym informed us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning the word of Allah the Exalted: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: the five prayers.
18657 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: Hushaym informed us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, saying: the five prayers.
18658 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: al-Ḥammānī related to us, saying: Sharīk related to us, on the authority of Simāk, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of ʿAlqama, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: the five prayers.
18659 — ... he said: Suwayd related to us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of Saʿīd al-Jurayrī, saying: Abū ʿUthmān related to me, on the authority of Salmān, saying: By Him in Whose hand is my soul — the good deeds by which Allah wipes out the bad ones, as water washes away the filth, are: the five prayers.
18660 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth related to us, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Muslim, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: the five prayers.
18661 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: ʿAbdallāh related to us, on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Mazīda ibn Zayd, on the authority of Masrūq: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: the five prayers.
18662 — Muḥammad ibn ʿImāra al-Asadī and ʿAbdallāh ibn Abī Ziyād al-Qaṭwānī related to me, they said: ʿAbdallāh ibn Yazīd related to us, saying: Ḥaywa informed us, saying: Abū ʿAqīl Zuhra ibn Maʿbad al-Qurashī — of the Banū Taym, the tribe of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, may Allah be pleased with him — informed us, that he heard al-Ḥārith, freedman of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, may Allah have mercy on him, say: ʿUthmān sat down one day and we were sitting with him. When the muʾadhdhin (caller to prayer) came in, ʿUthmān asked for water in a vessel — I reckon it held about a mudd — and he performed the ablution (wuḍūʾ). Then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, perform the ablution as I have just performed it. Then he said: ''Whoever performs the ablution as I have performed it, then rises and prays the ẓuhr prayer — he is forgiven what lay between that and the ṣubḥ prayer. Then prays the ʿaṣr prayer — he is forgiven what lay between that and the ẓuhr. Then prays the maghrib prayer — he is forgiven what lay between that and the ʿaṣr. Then prays the ʿishāʾ prayer — he is forgiven what lay between that and the maghrib. Then perhaps he sleeps his night, tossing in his bed. Then he rises, performs the ablution, and prays the ṣubḥ prayer — he is forgiven what lay between that and the ʿishāʾ. And those are the good deeds that drive away the bad ones.''
18663 — Saʿd ibn ʿAbdallāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam related to me, saying: Abū Zurʿa related to us, saying: Ḥaywa related to us, saying: Abū ʿAqīl Zuhra ibn Maʿbad related to us, that he heard al-Ḥārith, freedman of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, may Allah have mercy on him, say: ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān sat one day at the sitting-places — then he mentioned the same, on the authority of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, except that he said: ''And those are the good deeds. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones.''
18664 — Ibn al-Barqī related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Maryam related to us, saying: Nāfiʿ ibn Yazīd and Rushdīn ibn Saʿd informed us, they said: Zuhra ibn Maʿbad related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḥārith, freedman of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, say: ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān sat one day at the sitting-places — then he mentioned the same, on the authority of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, except that he said: ''And those are the good deeds: 'Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones.'''
18665 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAwf related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl related to us, saying: his father related to us, saying: Ḍamḍam ibn Zarʿa related to us, on the authority of Shurayḥ ibn ʿUbayd, on the authority of Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī, saying: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ''The prayers are made as expiation (kaffārāt) for what lies between them. Verily, Allah said: 'Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones.'''
18666 — Ibn Siyyār al-Qazzāz related to us, saying: al-Ḥajjāj related to us, saying: Ḥammād related to us, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Zayd, on the authority of Abū ʿUthmān al-Nahdī, saying: I was with Salmān under a tree, and he plucked a dry branch from its branches and shook it until the leaves fell off. Then he said: This is what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did. I was with him under a tree. He plucked a dry branch and shook it until the leaves fell off. Then he said: ''Will you not ask me why I do this, O Salmān?'' I said: ''Why do you do it?'' He said: ''When the Muslim performs the ablution and performs it well, then prays the five prayers — his sins fall off as these leaves fell off.'' Then he recited this verse: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night'') to the end of the verse.
Others said: it is the saying of ''Subḥān Allāh, wa-l-ḥamdu li-llāh, wa-lā ilāha illā llāh, wa-llāhu akbar''.
Mention of who said this:
18667 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: al-Ḥammānī related to us, saying: Sharīk related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), he said: ''Subḥān Allāh, wa-l-ḥamdu li-llāh, wa-lā ilāha illā llāh, wa-llāhu akbar.''
Abū Jaʿfar said: The most correct of the two statements is the statement of him who says: ''those are the five prayers'' — because of the soundness and the numerous narrations from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said: ''The likeness of the five prayers is like a flowing river at the door of one of you: he immerses himself in it five times a day — what then does he leave of his filth?'' And because the promise upon the prayers fits in the context of Allah's command to perform them, and the promise upon what is not mentioned of the remaining righteous deeds — if some part of it were preferred over another part — fits less.
And as for the word: (''That is a reminder for those who remember'') — Allah the Exalted says: This which I have warned concerning inclining toward injustice and threatened against, and this which I have promised concerning the performance of the prayers that drive away the bad deeds, is a reminder which I have given to people who remember the promise of Allah — they hope for His reward and fear His threat — and not to him upon whose heart a seal has been placed, so that he answers no caller and hears no warner.
It is mentioned that this verse was sent down on account of a man who took from a woman who was neither his wife nor his possession something that was forbidden to him, and then showed repentance for that sin.
Mention of the narration about that:
18668 — Hannād ibn al-Sarī related to us, saying: Abū al-Aḥwaṣ related to us, on the authority of Simāk, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of ʿAlqama and al-Aswad, they said: ʿAbdallāh ibn Masʿūd said: A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said: ''I occupied myself with a woman in one of the outlying districts of Medina, and took from her less than intercourse. Here I am, then — judge concerning me what you wish!'' ʿUmar said: ''Allah has covered you — would that you had covered yourself!'' And the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave no answer. The man rose and went away. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent a man after him to call him back. When he returned to him, he recited to him: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones. That is a reminder for those who remember''). One of those present said: ''Is this for him alone, O Messenger of Allah?'' He said: ''No, for all people.''
18669 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us; and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us — on the authority of Isrāʾīl, on the authority of Simāk ibn Ḥarb, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of ʿAlqama and al-Aswad, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, saying: A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said: ''O Messenger of Allah, I met a woman in the garden, and pressed her against me and caressed her and kissed her, and did everything with her except that I did not lie with her.'' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was silent. Then this verse was sent down: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones. That is a reminder for those who remember''). The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, called him and recited it to him. ʿUmar said: ''O Messenger of Allah, is it for him alone, or for all people?'' He said: ''No, for all people.'' The wording is that of Ibn Wakīʿ.
18670 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Isrāʾīl informed us, on the authority of Simāk ibn Ḥarb, that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn Zayd narrate, on the authority of ʿAlqama and al-Aswad, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd, saying: A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said: ''O Messenger of Allah, I found a woman in a garden and did everything with her, except that I did not lie with her — I kissed her and embraced her long, but did nothing further. Do with me what you wish.'' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said nothing to him. The man went away. ʿUmar said: ''Allah has covered him — would that he had covered himself!'' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, followed him with his gaze and said: ''Bring him back to me!'' They brought him back. He recited to him: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones. That is a reminder for those who remember''). Muʿādh ibn Jabal said: ''Is it for him alone, O Prophet of Allah, or for all people?'' He said: ''No, for all people.''
18671 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: al-Ḥammānī related to us, saying: Abū ʿAwāna related to us, on the authority of Simāk, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of ʿAlqama and al-Aswad, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, saying: A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said: ''O Messenger of Allah, I seized a woman in the garden and took everything from her, except that I did not lie with her — do with me what you wish!'' The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was silent. When he went away, he called him and recited to him this verse: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''), the verse.
18672 — Muḥammad ibn al-Muthanná related to us, saying: Abū al-Nuʿmān al-Ḥakam ibn ʿAbdallāh al-ʿIjlī related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Simāk ibn Ḥarb, saying: I heard Ibrāhīm narrate on the authority of his uncle al-Aswad, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh: that a man met a woman on one of the paths of Medina and took from her less than intercourse. He came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him that. Then there was sent down: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones. That is a reminder for those who remember''). Muʿādh ibn Jabal said: ''O Messenger of Allah, is this for him alone, or for all of us?'' He said: ''No, for all of you.''
18673 — Ibn al-Muthanná related to us, saying: Abū Dāwūd related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, saying: Simāk informed me, saying: I heard Ibrāhīm narrate on the authority of his uncle, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd: that a man said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: ''I met a woman in a private garden in Medina, and took from her less than intercourse'' — in accordance with the foregoing.
18674 — Ibn al-Muthanná related to us, saying: Abū Qaṭan ʿAmr ibn al-Haytham al-Baghdādī related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Simāk, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of his uncle, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd, on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace — in accordance with the foregoing.
18675 — Abū al-Sāʾib related to me, saying: Abū Muʿāwiya related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, saying: A man named Fulān ibn Muʿattib, a man of the Anṣār, came and said: ''O Messenger of Allah, a woman came in to me, and I took from her what a man takes from his wife, except that I did not lie with her.'' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not know what to answer him, until this verse was sent down: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''), the verse. He called him and recited it to him.
18676 — Yaʿqūb and Ibn Wakīʿ related to me, they said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us; and Ḥumayd ibn Masʿada related to us, saying: Bishr ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us; and Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān related to us — all on the authority of Sulaymān al-Taymī, on the authority of Abū ʿUthmān, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd: that a man took something from a woman — I do not know how far it went — except that it was less than fornication (zinā). He came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him that. Then there was sent down: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones''). The man said: ''Is this for me, O Messenger of Allah?'' He said: ''For whoever holds to it of my community'' — or: ''for whoever acts according to it.''
18677 — Abū Kurayb and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, they said: Qabīṣa related to us, on the authority of Ḥammād ibn Salama, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Zayd, on the authority of Abū ʿUthmān, saying: I was with Salmān. He took a dry branch from a tree and shook it, and said: ''I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: 'Whoever performs the ablution and performs it well — his sins fall off as these leaves fall off!''' Then he recited: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night'') to the end of the verse.
18678 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Abū Usāma and Ḥusayn al-Juʿfī related to us, on the authority of Zāʾida, saying: ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Layla, on the authority of Muʿādh, saying: A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said: ''O Messenger of Allah, what do you think of a man who met a woman whom he did not know, and he did with her everything that a man does with his wife, except that he did not lie with her?'' Allah then sent down this verse: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones. That is a reminder for those who remember''). The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him: ''Perform the ablution and pray.'' Muʿādh said: I said: ''O Messenger of Allah, is it for him alone, or for all the believers?'' He said: ''No, for all the believers.''
18679 — Muḥammad ibn al-Muthanná related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Layla: that a man took less than intercourse from a woman. He came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask him about that. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recited — or: there was sent down — (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''), the verse. Muʿādh said: ''O Messenger of Allah, is it for him alone, or for all people?'' He said: ''It is for all people.''
18680 — Ibn al-Muthanná related to us, saying: Abū Dāwūd related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr, saying: I heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Layla say: A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace — then he mentioned the same.
18681 — ʿAbdallāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Shabawayh related to me, saying: Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm related to us, saying: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbdallāh ibn Sālim related to me, on the authority of al-Zubaydī, saying: Sulaym ibn ʿĀmir related to us, that he heard Abū Umāma say: A man came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said: ''O Messenger of Allah, carry out the ḥadd punishment upon me'' — once and twice. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, turned his face away from him. Then the prayer was performed. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, finished the prayer, he said: ''Where is the one who said: 'Carry out the ḥadd punishment upon me'?'' He said: ''It is I!'' He said: ''Did you perform the ablution well and pray with us just now?'' He said: ''Yes!'' He said: ''You are free of your sin as your mother bore you — do not do it again!'' And Allah then sent down upon His Messenger: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''), the verse.
18682 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Malik, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Layla, on the authority of Muʿādh ibn Jabal: that he was sitting with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and there came a man who said: ''O Messenger of Allah, a man took from a woman what is not permitted to him — he left nothing of what a man takes from his wife, except that he did not lie with her.'' He said: ''Let him perform a good ablution and then pray.'' Allah then sent down this verse: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''), the verse. Muʿādh said: ''Is it for him alone, O Prophet of Allah, or for all the Muslims?'' He said: ''No, for all the Muslims.''
18683 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Muslim informed us, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Dīnār, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn Juʿda: that a man of the companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made mention of a woman while he was sitting with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He asked him permission for a need, and it was granted to him. He went out to seek her but did not find her. On his way back, the man wanted to bring the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the news of the rain. He found the woman sitting by a pool of water, and pushed her on her chest and sat between her legs — his member became as limp as a fringe-edge. He rose repentant and came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him what he had done. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him: ''Ask your Lord for forgiveness and pray four rakʿāt.'' And he recited to him: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''), the verse.
18684 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Qays ibn al-Rabīʿ related to us, on the authority of ʿUthmān ibn Wahb, on the authority of Mūsā ibn Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Abū al-Yasar ibn ʿAmr al-Anṣārī, saying: A woman came to me to buy dates for a dirham. I said: ''In the house there are dates better than these!'' She went inside. I bent over her and kissed her. I went to Abū Bakr and asked him. He said: ''Cover yourself, show repentance and ask Allah for forgiveness!'' I went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said: ''You have betrayed a man who fights in the way of Allah regarding his wife among his family in such a way!!'' Until I thought that I was among the people of the Fire, and wished that I had embraced Islām at that very moment! He said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, lowered his head for a moment, and Jibrīl descended and said: ''Where is Abū al-Yasar?'' I came. He recited to me: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night'') to: (''a reminder for those who remember''). Someone said: ''Is it for him alone, O Messenger of Allah, or for all people?'' He said: ''For all people.''
18685 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: al-Ḥammānī related to us, saying: Qays ibn al-Rabīʿ related to us, on the authority of ʿUthmān ibn Mawwāhib, on the authority of Mūsā ibn Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Abū al-Yasar, saying: I met a woman and embraced her, but I did not lie with her. I came to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, may Allah have mercy on him, and he said: ''Fear Allah, and cover yourself — tell no one!'' I could not keep it to myself and came to Abū Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, and asked him. He said: ''Fear Allah, and cover yourself — tell no one!'' He said: I could not keep it to myself and came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him. He said: ''Have you ruined a warrior's wife for him?'' I said: ''No.'' He said: ''Have you replaced a warrior with his family?'' I said: ''No.'' Then he said to me — until I wished that I had entered Islām at that very moment! He said: When I turned away, he called me and recited: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''). The companions said: ''Is it for him alone, or for all people?'' He said: ''No, for all people.''
18686 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: that a man took a kiss from a woman. He came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said: ''O Prophet of Allah, I am lost!'' Allah then sent down: (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones. That is a reminder for those who remember'').
18687 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Sulaymān al-Taymī, saying: A man struck the buttocks of a woman, and then came to Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, may Allah have mercy on them both. Each time he asked one of them about the expiation for that, he said: ''Is her husband on a campaign?'' He said: ''Yes.'' He said: ''I do not know!'' Then he came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked him about that. He said: ''Is her husband on a campaign?'' He said: ''Yes!'' He said: ''I do not know!'' — until Allah sent down: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones'').
18688 — Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Qays ibn Saʿd, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, concerning the word of Allah: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''): that a woman came in to a man who was selling flour, and he kissed her — he was deeply ashamed. He came to ʿUmar and told him that. He said: ''Fear Allah, and let it not be the wife of a warrior!'' The man said: ''She is the wife of a warrior.'' He went to Abū Bakr, who said the same as ʿUmar. They all went together to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said the same to him. Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was silent and did not answer them. Allah then sent down: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night'') — the obligatory prayers — (''Verily, the good deeds drive away the bad ones. That is a reminder for those who remember'').
18689 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ informed me, saying: A woman came until she went in to one who was selling flour, to buy from him. When he was alone with her, he kissed her. He was deeply ashamed and departed to Abū Bakr and told him that. He said: ''Beware — make sure it is not the wife of a warrior!'' While they were thus occupied, there was sent down: (''Establish the prayer at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night''). ʿAṭāʾ was asked: ''Are they the obligatory prayers?'' He said: ''Yes, they are the obligatory prayers.'' Ibn Jurayj said: and ʿAbdallāh ibn Kathīr said: they are the obligatory prayers. Ibn Jurayj said: on the authority of Yazīd ibn Rūmān: There was a man of the Banū Ghanm to whom a woman came in. He kissed her and placed his hand on her buttocks. He came to Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Then he came to ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him. Then he came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Then this verse was sent down: (''Establish the prayer'') to His word: (''That is a reminder for those who remember''). The man who had kissed the woman kept remembering it, and that is then the word: (''a reminder for those who remember'').