The Rare Ahadith

لَمَّا عُرِجَ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص نَزَلَ بِالصَّلَاةِ عَشْرَ رَكَعَاتٍ رَكْعَتَيْنِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ فَلَمَّا وُلِدَ الْحَسَنُ وَ الْحُسَيْنُ زَادَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص سَبْعَ رَكَعَاتٍ شُكْراً لِلَّهِ‌[1] فَأَجَازَ اللَّهُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ وَ تَرَكَ الْفَجْرَ لَمْ يَزِدْ فِيهَا لِضِيقِ وَقْتِهَا لِأَنَّهُ تَحْضُرُهَا مَلَائِكَةُ اللَّيْلِ وَ مَلَائِكَةُ النَّهَارِ فَلَمَّا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ فِي السَّفَرِ وَضَعَ عَ

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘When the Messenger of Allah was taken up (to heavens) he was commanded to perform Salah (prayer) and he returned with ten Rak‘at Salah (prayer) for every day. Each Salah (prayer) consisted of two Rak‘at. When al-Hassan and al-Husayn, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, were born, the Messenger of Allah in

دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع وَ أَنَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ عَنْ صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ فَقُلْتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ وَ عَلَيْكَ السَّلَامُ إِي وَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا لَوُلْدُهُ وَ مَا نَحْنُ بِذَوِي قَرَابَتِهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ قَالَهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ إِذَا لَقِيتَ اللَّهَ بِالصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ الْمَفْرُوضَاتِ لَمْ يَسْأَلْكَ عَمَّا سِوَى ذَلِكَ.

‘If you come in the presence of Allah with five daily obligatory Salah (prayer), He will not ask you about anything other than these.’”

ذَكَرْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع رَجُلًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا فَأَحْسَنْتُ عَلَيْهِ الثَّنَاءَ فَقَالَ لِي كَيْفَ صَلَاتُهُ‌[2].

“Once I spoke before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man of our people and I praised him well. The Imam asked, ‘How is his Salah (prayer)?”’

سُئِلَ عَنِ الْخَمْسِينَ وَ الْوَاحِدِ رَكْعَةً فَقَالَ إِنَّ سَاعَاتِ النَّهَارِ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ سَاعَةً وَ سَاعَاتِ اللَّيْلِ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ سَاعَةً وَ مِنْ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ إِلَى طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ سَاعَةٌ وَ مِنْ غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى غُرُوبِ الشَّفَقِ غَسَقٌ وَ لِكُلِّ سَاعَةٍ رَكْعَتَانِ وَ لِلْغَسَقِ رَكْعَةٌ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), was asked about fifty-one Rak‘at Salah (prayer) daily. He replied, ‘There are twelve hours in the day and twelve in the night. There is one hour between dawn and sunrise. From sunset to disappearing of western brightness is darkness. For every hour there are two Rak‘at and one Rak‘at for darknes

قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع لِمَ صَارَ الرَّجُلُ يَنْحَرِفُ فِي‌ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى الْيَسَارِ فَقَالَ لِأَنَّ لِلْكَعْبَةِ سِتَّةَ حُدُودٍ أَرْبَعَةٌ مِنْهَا عَنْ يَسَارِكَ وَ اثْنَانِ مِنْهَا عَلَى يَمِينِكَ فَمِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ وَقَعَ التَّحْرِيفُ إِلَى الْيَسَارِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), was asked this question: ‘Why is man told to incline toward the left when facing the direction of Qiblah?’ He replied, ‘Ka’bah has six limits, four on the left and two on the right; for this reason inclination is toward the left.’”

مَنْ تَنَفَّلَ مَا بَيْنَ الْجُمُعَةِ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ خَمْسَمِائَةِ رَكْعَةٍ فَلَهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَا شَاءَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَتَمَنَّى مُحَرَّماً.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that whoever performs five hundred Rak‘at optional Salah (prayer) from one Friday to the next Friday, he can ask Allah whatever he wants except a wish for unlawful matters.”

إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ يَقُومُ فَيَقْضِي النَّافِلَةَ فَيُعَجِّبُ الرَّبُّ مَلَائِكَتَهُ مِنْهُ فَيَقُولُ يَا مَلَائِكَتِي عَبْدِي يَقْضِي مَا لَمْ أَفْتَرِضْ عَلَيْهِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that a servant of Allah may rise to perform Qada’ (compensatory prayer for) an optional Salah (prayer) that was missed in its proper time. The Lord then expresses surprise before the angels saying, ‘My angels, look at My servant who makes up for the optional Salah (prayer) missed in tim

شَرَفُ الْمُؤْمِنِ صَلَاتُهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ عِزُّ الْمُؤْمِنِ كَفُّهُ عَنْ أَعْرَاضِ النَّاسِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that nobility of a man is in his Salah (prayer) during the night and his honor is in his keeping away from unsettling people’s confidentiality.”

الصَّلَاةُ وُكِّلَ بِهَا مَلَكٌ لَيْسَ لَهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُهَا فَإِذَا فُرِغَ مِنْهَا قَبَضَهَا ثُمَّ صَعِدَ بِهَا فَإِنْ كَانَتْ مِمَّا تُقْبَلُ قُبِلَتْ وَ إِنْ كَانَتْ مِمَّا لَا تُقْبَلُ قِيلَ لَهُ رُدَّهَا عَلَى عَبْدِي فَيَنْزِلُ بِهَا حَتَّى يَضْرِبَ بِهَا وَجْهَهُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أُفٍّ لَكَ مَا يَزَالُ لَكَ عَمَلٌ يَعْنِينِي.

10. Abu Ali al-Ash’ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya from Harun ibn Kharijah who has said the following: “Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that for Salah (prayer) an angel is assigned and he has no other task to perform. When one completes a Salah (prayer), the angel takes it and a

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ص فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَوْصِنِي فَقَالَ لَا تَدَعِ الصَّلَاةَ مُتَعَمِّداً فَإِنَّ مَنْ تَرَكَهَا مُتَعَمِّداً فَقَدْ بَرِئَتْ مِنْهُ مِلَّةُ الْإِسْلَامِ.

‘You must not give up Salah (prayer) intentionally; the community of Islam is free from all obligations toward one who gives up Salah (prayer) intentionally.’”

فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- رَهْبانِيَّةً ابْتَدَعُوها ما كَتَبْناها عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغاءَ رِضْوانِ اللَّهِ‌[2] قَالَ صَلَاةُ اللَّيْلِ.

“About the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, ‘They invented monkish manners, even though We had not made it obligatory on them, except to seek the pleasure of Allah’ (57: 26), the Imam said that it (pleasure of Allah) is a reference to Salah (prayer) during the night.”

سَمِعْتُ الرِّضَا ع يَقُولُ‌ أَفْضَلُ مَوْضِعِ الْقَدَمَيْنِ لِلصَّلَاةِ النَّعْلَانِ.

“I heard abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.), say, ‘The best place for the feet, during Salah (prayer) is one’s shoes (clean Arabic shoes).”’

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لِجَبْرَئِيلَ ع يَا جَبْرَئِيلُ أَيُّ الْبِقَاعِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قَالَ الْمَسَاجِدُ وَ أَحَبُّ أَهْلِهَا إِلَى اللَّهِ أَوَّلُهُمْ دُخُولًا وَ آخِرُهُمْ خُرُوجاً مِنْهَا.

‘The Messenger of Allah asked Jibril (Gabriel), “Which places are more beloved to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious?” He replied, “It is Masjids and most beloved to Allah of its people are those who enter them first and leave last.’””

مَا مِنْ يَوْمِ سَحَابٍ يَخْفَى فِيهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَقْتُ الزَّوَالِ إِلَّا كَانَ مِنَ الْإِمَامِ لِلشَّمْسِ زَجْرَةٌ حَتَّى تَبْدُوَ فَيُحْتَجَّ عَلَى أَهْلِ كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ مَنِ اهْتَمَّ بِصَلَاتِهِ وَ مَنْ ضَيَّعَهَا.[1]

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that even on cloudy days when the time for noon Salah (prayer) may remain obscure to people, the Imam knows about the sun. (He (the Imam) knows) what is unseen to people, so he always has the proof which town’s people pay attention to the timing of Salah (prayer) and which town’s people