The Prescription of Prayer

Ibn Ishaq related from Salih ibn Kaysan, from ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, from ‘A’ishah: When prayer was first prescribed for the Messenger, each prayer consisted of two units. Allah later completed the prayer at home to four units, while retaining its original obligation of two units during travel.

The manuscripts differ in the section heading. Al-Suhayli discusses reports that prayer before the Night Journey consisted of one prayer before sunset and one before sunrise, and the possibility that ‘A’ishah’s account describes the later increase after the five prayers were prescribed. He also records another interpretation: two units were prescribed for each prayer on the night of the Night Journey and later increased for residents. The chronology and wording are transmitted with differing scholarly explanations.

Ibn Ishaq said: I was told by a learned person that when prayer was prescribed, Gabriel came to the Messenger in the upper part of Makkah. He struck the ground at the edge of a valley with his heel, and a spring burst forth. Gabriel performed ablution while the Messenger watched, showing him how to purify himself for prayer. The Messenger then performed ablution as Gabriel had, and Gabriel led him in prayer. The Messenger prayed with him, after which Gabriel departed.

The Messenger went to Khadijah and performed ablution so that she could see how to purify herself for prayer, as Gabriel had shown him. She performed ablution as he did, and then he led her in prayer.

Al-Suhayli notes that this Seerah report is disconnected and by itself is not a foundation for legal rulings. A connected version is also reported through Zayd ibn Harithah, but its chain includes Ibn Lahi‘ah, whose memory and books were criticized, though Malik is reported to have spoken favorably of him. The commentary discusses when prayer was increased from two units and whether adding units or additional prayers is technically abrogation; it records the difference between the Hanafi view and that of most theologians. The timing of these events relative to the Night Journey is also disputed.

Ibn Ishaq related from Ibn ‘Abbas: When prayer was prescribed for the Messenger, Gabriel led him in the noon prayer after the sun passed its zenith, the afternoon prayer when an object’s shadow equaled its length, sunset prayer when the sun disappeared, night prayer when twilight had vanished, and dawn prayer when daybreak appeared. The next day Gabriel led him in the noon prayer when the shadow equaled the object’s length, afternoon when it was twice its length, sunset at the same time as the previous day, night when the first third of the night had passed, and dawn when the light spread but before sunrise. Gabriel then said, “Muhammad, the prayer time is between the times you prayed today and yesterday.”

Ibn Ishaq said: The first male among the people to believe in the Messenger, pray with him, and affirm what came to him from Allah was ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim. He was ten years old at the time.

One of Allah’s favors to ‘Ali was that he grew up in the Messenger’s household before Islam. Ibn Ishaq related from Mujahid that Quraysh suffered a severe famine, while Abu Talib had many dependents. The Messenger proposed to his uncle al-‘Abbas, one of the wealthier Hashimites, that each take one of Abu Talib’s sons to ease his burden. Abu Talib agreed, asking only that they leave ‘Aqil with him. The Messenger took ‘Ali into his household, and al-‘Abbas took Ja‘far. ‘Ali remained with the Messenger until Allah sent him as a Prophet; ‘Ali believed and followed him. Ja‘far remained with al-‘Abbas until he accepted Islam and no longer needed his care.

The source reports two different explanations for when the prayer times were taught; al-Suhayli says the report is misplaced here because sounder accounts place it after the Night Journey. A separate report says Gabriel taught ablution at the beginning of revelation, leading the editor to distinguish the Makkah-period practice from the later Medinan Qur’anic legislation. The notes identify Mujahid, explain that the famine was a year of drought, record a variant reading in the account of taking the boys into care, and give their relative ages.