Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When you come to the prayer and we are prostrating ourselves you must prostrate yourselves without reckoning it as part of your prayer; and if anyone is present at a rak'a he has been present at the prayer.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Anas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone prays to God for forty days in congregation being present in time for the first takbira, two immunities will be recorded for him, one from hell and one from hypocrisy,” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God s Messenger as saying, “If anyone performs ablution, doing it well, then goes and finds that the people have finished the prayer, God will give him a reward equivalent to that of those who prayed and were present at it without that diminishing anything from their rewards.” Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri told how a man came when God’s Messenger had already prayed, and he said, “Will no one give alms* to this man and pray along with him?” Thereupon a man got up and prayed along with him. * This is a literal translation. The idea is that by joining with him he increased the reward the man would receive for his prayer, as prayer in company has a much greater reward than prayer alone. Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

He said: If anyone raises and lowers his head before the imam, his forelock is in the devil’s hand. Malik transmitted it.

He said that Mu’adh would pray the evening prayer along with the Prophet, then return to his people and lead them in the evening prayer, it being a supererogatory prayer for him…* transmitted it. * The source is not mentioned. In al-Masabih, where the division of the chapters is into traditions which are sahih and traditions which are hasan, the collection of Tradition from which they are taken is not mentioned, but all those in section I are meant to be taken from Bukhari, or Muslim, or both. I have failed to find this one anywhere. The concordance does not seem to refer to it.

Yazid b. al-Aswad said: I was present with the Prophet (ﷺ) at his pilgrimage and prayed the Morning Prayer along with him in the mosque of al-Khaif. When he finished his prayer and turned away there were two men at the back of the people who had not prayed along with him. He said, “Bring them to me,” and they were brought trembling with fear. He asked what had prevented them from praying along with him, and they replied, “Messenger of God, we had already prayed in our lodging.” He said, “Don’t do so. When you pray in your lodging and then come to a mosque where there is a congregation, you must pray along with them, and it will be a supererogatory prayer for you. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Busr b. Mihjan reported his father as saying he had been at a meeting along with God’s Messenger when the adhan for prayer was called. God’s Messenger got up and prayed, and when he returned he found Mihjan sitting where he had been, so he asked him, “What prevented you from praying along with the people? Are you not a Muslim?” He replied, “Certainly, Messenger of God; but I had already prayed at home.” God’s Messenger then said to him, “When you come to the mosque having mready prayed and the time for prayer comes, pray along with the people even if you have already prayed.” Malik and Nasa’i transmitted it.

A man of Asad b. Khuzaima said he put this question to Abu Ayyub al-Ansari: I* pray at home and then go to the mosque and the time to begin the prayer comes, so I pray along with the congregation, but I feel some uneasiness about that. Abu Ayyub replied, “We asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about that and he said that such a person gets a portion of the reward for corporate prayer.” * The Arabic has “One of us prays . . . then goes . . .” After that the first person singular is used. While such a construction is quite usual in 'Arabic, it makes impossible English, so I have used the first person all through. Malik and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Yazid b. ‘Amir said: I came to God’s Messenger when he was praying and sat down, but did not join the congregation in prayer. When he finished he saw me sitting and asked, “Have you not become a Muslim, Yazid?” I replied, “I certainly have become a Muslim, Messenger of God.” He asked, “What prevented you from joining the people in their prayer?” I replied, “I had already prayed at home, thinking you had prayed.” So he said, “When you come to prayer and find the people praying, pray along with them. If you have already prayed it will be a supererogatory prayer for you, though this is a prescribed prayer.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said that a man questioned him saying, “When I pray in my house and then come to the mosque in time for prayer along with the imam, should I pray along with him?” He replied, “Yes.” The man asked which of them he should consider his obligatory prayer, and Ibn ‘Umar replied, “Is that your affair?* that is only to be left to God’s decision who will appoint whichever He wishes.” *The Arabic is in the form of a statement, but in view of the phrase immediately following it seems necessary to treat it as a question. Malik transmitted it.

Sulaiman, client of Maimuna said: We came to Ibn ‘Umar at al- Balat* when the people were praying, and I remarked on the fact that he was not praying along with the people. He replied that he had already prayed and that he had heard God’s Messenger say, “Do not pray a prayer twice on the same day.” * A square paved with stones between the Prophet's mosque and the market-place in Medina. Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Nafi‘ said that Ibn ‘Umar used to say, “If anyone prays the sunset or the morning prayer and then comes when the imam is praying them, he must not say them over again.” Malik transmitted it.

Umm Habiba reported God’s Messenger as saying, “A house will be built in paradise for anyone who prays in a day and a night twelve rak'as, four before and two after the noon prayer, two after the sunset prayer, two after the evening prayer, and two before the dawn prayer.” Tirmidhi transmitted it. In a version by Muslim she said she heard God’s Messenger say, “If any Muslim prays to God twelve voluntary rak'as daily, over and above the obligatory ones, God will build a house for him in paradise,” or, “a house will be built for him in paradise.”

‘Abdallah b. Shaqiq said he asked ‘A'isha about the Messenger of God’s voluntary prayers and she replied, “Before the noon prayer he would pray four rak'as in my house, then go out and lead the people in prayer, then come in and pray two rak'as. He would lead the people in the sunset prayer, then come in and pray two rak'as. Then he would lead the people in the evening prayer, and enter my house and pray two rak'as. He would pray nine rak'as during the night, including the witr.* At night he would pray for a long time standing and for a long time sitting, and when he recited the Qur’an while standing he would bow and prostrate himself from the standing position, and when he recited while sitting he would bow and prostrate himself from the sitting position; and when dawn came he prayed two rak'as." *See Chap. 34 Muslim transmitted it, and Abu Dawud added, “Then he would go out and lead the people in the dawn prayer.”

She reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The two rak'as at dawn are better than this world and what it contains.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If any of you prays after the Friday noon prayer, he should pray four rak'as.” Muslim transmitted it. In another version by him he said, “When any of you prays the Friday noon prayer, he should pray four rak'as after it.”

Umm Habiba said she heard God’s Messenger say, “If anyone keeps on praying four rak'as before and four after the noon prayer, God will forbid that he be sent to hell.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The gates of heaven are opened for four rak'as containing no taslim before the noon prayer.” Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. as-Sa’ib said God’s Messenger used to pray four rak'as before the noon prayer, after the sun had passed the meridian, saying, “It is an hour at which the gates of heaven are opened, and I like a good deed of mine to ascend at that time.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.