Part 1 · Page 243
The Prayers Were First Two Units Each
English rendering of the source section
Local English translation from the Arabic text; reports and editorial assessments are distinguished.
This local English rendering may condense the Arabic narration and editorial notes. It is not a complete published English edition. Consult the Arabic source for exact wording and context.
Read the corresponding Arabic sectionIbn 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.