Sunan an-Nasa'i al-Kubra, Book of Tafsīr (Exegesis)

al-Shaykh al-Faqīh

The Prophet ﷺ passed by him when he was praying, and called him. He said: "I finished praying, then I came to him, and he said: 'What kept you from answering me?' He said: 'I was praying.' He said: 'Does not Allah say: O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life? Shall I not teach you the greatest surah before I leave the masjid?' Then he went to leave, and I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what about what you said?' He said: "All praise and thanks be to Allah, Lord of all that exists. These are the seven oft-recited that I have been given, and the Grand Quran.'"

سَمِعْتُ عَنِ الشَّيْخِ الْفَقِيهِ الْمُشَاوَرِ الْمُحَدِّثِ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَتَّابٍ ؓ فِي مَسْجِدِهِ بِحَاضِرَةِ قُرْطُبَةَ حَرَسَهَا اللهُ سَنَةَ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ وَخَمْسَمِائَةٍ قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى الشَّيْخِ الْفَقِيهِ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ حَاتِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّرَابُلْسِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَلَفٍ الْقَابِسِيُّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ حَمْزَةُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْكَنَانِيُّ قَالَ لِي ابْنُ عَتَّابٍ وَأَجَازَ لِي الْفَقِيهُ الْحَافِظُ أَبُو عُمَرَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْبَرِّ النَّمَرِيُّ وَالْقَاضِي أَبُو عُمَرَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ الْحَذَّاءِ التَّمِيمِيُّ قَالَا أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ الْقَاضِي الْإِمَامُ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ حُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ فِيَرَةَ الصَّدَفِيُّ الْحَافِظُ ؓ إِجَازَةً قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي الشَّيْخُ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَبَّالُ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ إِجَازَةً يَلْفُظُ لِي بِهَا فِي مَنْزِلِهِ بِمِصْرَ إِذْ كَانَ قَدِ امْتَنَعَ مِنْ كِتَابَةِ إِجَازَةٍ وَنَقَلْتُ هَذَا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ كِتَابٍ قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِ وَأُرِيتُ عَلَيْهِ خَطَّهُ أَخْبَرَ بِهِ عَنْ شَيْخِهِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مَرْزُوقٍ الْأَنْمَاطِيُّ قَرَأَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ حَمْزَةُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْعَبَّاسِ الْكِنَانِيُّ قِرَاءَةً عَلَيْهِ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ مِنْهُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ سِنَانِ بْنِ بَحْرٍ النَّسَائِيُّ قَالَ [6] 10914 أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْحَارِثِ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ خُبَيْبِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ حَفْصَ بْنَ عَاصِمٍ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُعَلَّى

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ مَرَّ بِهِ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي فَدَعَاهُ قَالَ فَصَلَّيْتُ ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهُ قَالَ «مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تُجِيبَنِي؟» قَالَ كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي قَالَ أَلَمْ يَقُلِ اللهُ ﷻ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ} [الأنفال 24] أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكَ أَعْظَمَ سُورَةٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ؟ قَالَ فَذَهَبَ لِيُخْرِجَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَوْلَكَ قَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِيَ وَالْقُرْآنُ الْعَظِيمُ

Sūwayd b. Naṣr > ʿAbdullāh > Mālik And al-Ḥārith b. Miskīn > Minh > Ibn al-Qāsim > Mālik > al-ʿAlāʾ b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Abū al-Sāʾib a freed slave of Hishām b. Zuhrah > Abū Hurayrah

"I heard Abu Hurairah say: 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever offers a prayer in which he does not recite Umm Al-Quran (Al Fatihah), it is deficient, it is deficient, it is deficient, incomplete." I (Abu As-Sa'ib) said: 'O Abu Hurairah, sometimes I am behind the Imam.' He poked me in the arm and said: 'Recite it to yourself, O Persian! For I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "Allah says: "I have divided prayer between Myself and My slave into two halves, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.'" The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Recite, for when the slave says: All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists, Allah says: 'My slave has praised Me.' And when he says: The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Allah says: 'My slave has extolled Me.' And when he says: The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection), Allah says: 'My slave has glorified Me' . And when he says: You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help (for each and everything), He says: 'This is between Me and My slave, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.' And when he says: 'Guide us to the straight way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed Your grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray, He says: 'This is for My slave, and My slave shall have what he asked for.'"

أَخْبَرَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ عَنْ مَالِكٍ وَالْحَارِثِ بْنِ مِسْكِينٍ قِرَاءَةً عَلَيْهِ وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ مِنْهُ عَنِ ابْنِ الْقَاسِمِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ عَنِ الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا السَّائِبِ مَوْلَى هِشَامِ بْنِ زُهْرَةَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «كُلُّ صَلَاةٍ لَمْ يُقْرَأْ فِيهَا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ هِيَ خِدَاجٌ هِيَ خِدَاجٌ هِيَ خِدَاجٌ غَيْرُ تَمَامٍ» قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ إِنِّي أَكُونُ أَحْيَانًا وَرَاءَ الْإِمَامِ؟ فَغَمَزَ ذِرَاعِي وَقَالَ اقْرَأْ بِهَا يَا فَارِسِيُّ فِي نَفْسِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ قَالَ اللهُ ﷻ قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ فَنِصْفُهَا لِي وَنِصْفُهَا لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ اقْرَءُوا يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ {الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ} [الفاتحة 2] يَقُولُ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ {الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ} [الفاتحة 1] يَقُولُ اللهُ أَثْنَى عَلَيَّ عَبْدِي يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ {مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ} يَقُولُ اللهُ مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ {إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ} [الفاتحة 5] فَهَذِهِ الْآيَةُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ {اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ} [الفاتحة 7] فَهَؤُلَاءِ لِعَبْدِي وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ

Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Mālik > Sumay > Abū Ṣāliḥ > Abū Hurayrah

Abu Hurairah reported the prophet ﷺ as saying; when the imam recites “ not of those with whom thou art angry, nor of those who go astray” (surah al-fatihah,verse 7) say Amin, for if one’s words (utterance of amin) synchronise with those of the angles, he will be forgiven his past sins.

Ibrāhīm b. al-Ḥasan > al-Ḥārith b. ʿAṭiyyah > Hishām al-Dastuwāʾī > Qatādah > Anas b. Mālik

That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The believers will gather on the Day of Resurrection and say, 'If only we could intercede with our Lord to relieve us from this place.' So they will come to Adam and say, 'O Adam, you are the father of mankind, Allah created you with His own hand, and the angels prostrated to you and He taught you the names of everything. Intercede for us with your Lord so that He may relieve us from this place.' and he will relate the lengthy narration of intercession."

Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Yaʿqūb > ʿAmr > al-Aʿraj > Abū Hurayrah

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Adam and Moses debated, and Moses said to him, 'O Adam, Allah created you with His own hand and then breathed into you from His soul and said to you, 'Be,' and you were. Then He commanded the angels, and they prostrated to you. Then He said, 'Reside in Paradise, you and your spouse, and eat from it freely wherever you will, but do not approach this tree, lest you be from the wrongdoers.' [2:35] But you disobeyed your Lord and ate from the forbidden tree.' Adam said, 'O Moses, didn't you know that Allah had decreed this upon me before He created me?' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Indeed, Adam argued with Moses three times.'"

ʿĪsá b. Ḥammād > al-Layth > Muḥammad b. ʿAjlān > al-Qaʿqāʿ b. Ḥakīm > Abū Ṣāliḥ > Abū Hurayrah

The Prophet of Allah ﷺ said, "Adam met Moses and Moses said to him, 'You are the one who did what you did to us. You were in Paradise and you brought us down to Earth?' Adam, ﷺ , replied, 'Are you Moses, the one whom Allah gave the Torah?' Moses said, 'Yes.' Adam asked him, 'How do you find the Torah, was it written before my creation?' Moses, ﷺ , replied, 'Yes, it was written like this and like that.' Adam then said, 'Did you not find in it my mistake?' Moses said, 'Yes.' Adam said to him, 'So you blame me for something that Allah decreed for me before my creation?' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'So Adam overwhelmed Moses with strong arguments.'"

Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Jarīr > Manṣūr > Abū Wāʾil > ʿAmr b. Shuraḥbīl > ʿAbdullāh

I asked the Prophet, "What is the greatest sin in the Sight of Allah?" He said, "That you set up a rival unto Allah though He Alone created you." I said, "That is indeed a great sin." Then asked, "What is next?" He said, "To kill your son lest he should share your food with you." I asked, "What is next?" He said, "To commit illegal sexual intercourse with the wife of your neighbor."

Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm And ʿAlī b. Ḥujr > Jarīr > Muṭarrif > al-Ḥakam b. ʿUtaybah > al-Ḥasan al-ʿUranī > ʿAmr b. Ḥurayth > Saʿīd b. Zayd

“I heard Sa’eed bin Zaid bin ‘Amr bin Nufail narrating from the Prophet ﷺ that: ‘Truffles are a type of manna that Allah sent down to the Children of Israel, and their water is a healing for eye (diseases).’”

Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl b. Ibrāhīm > ʿAbd al-Raḥman > ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak > Maʿmar > Hammām b. Munabbih > Abū Hurayrah

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "It was said to Bani Israel, Enter the gate (of the town) with humility (prostrating yourselves) and saying: "Repentance", but they changed the word and entered the town crawling on their buttocks and saying: "A wheat grain in the hair."

Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd b. Muḥammad > ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak > Maʿmar > Hammām > Abū Hurayrah

About the Prophet ﷺ , in regard to his saying "حِطَّةٌ" [Al-Baqarah 58], he said, "They changed it and said, 'حَبَّةٌ'".

al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad b. Ḥabīb > Muḥammad / Ibn ʿAbdullāh b. Numayr > Wakīʿ > Sufyān > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. ʿAlqamah > Ibn ʿAbbās

I heard Ibn Abbas saying, "{For those who write the scripture with their own hands}" [Al-Baqarah 79] was revealed regarding the people of the scripture.

Muḥammad b. al-Muthanná > Khālid / Ibn al-Ḥārith > Ḥumayd > Anas In Shāʾ Allāh

When ʿAbdullah bin Salam heard the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ at Medina, he came to him and said, "I am going to ask you about three things which nobody knows except a prophet: What is the first portent of the Hour? What will be the first meal taken by the people of Paradise? Why does a child resemble its father, and why does it resemble its maternal uncle" Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Gabriel has just now told me of their answers." ʿAbdullah said, "He (i.e. Gabriel), from amongst all the angels, is the enemy of the Jews." Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The first portent of the Hour will be a fire that will bring together the people from the east to the west; the first meal of the people of Paradise will be Extra-lobe (caudate lobe) of fish-liver. As for the resemblance of the child to its parents: If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife and gets discharge first, the child will resemble the father, and if the woman gets discharge first, the child will resemble her." On that ʿAbdullah bin Salam said, "I testify that you are the Messenger of Allah." ʿAbdullah bin Salam further said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! The Jews are liars, and if they should come to know about my conversion to Islam before you ask them (about me), they would tell a lie about me." The Jews came to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and ʿAbdullah went inside the house. Allah's Apostle asked (the Jews), "What kind of man is ʿAbdullah bin Salam amongst you?" They replied, "He is the most learned person amongst us, and the best amongst us, and the son of the best amongst us." Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "What do you think if he embraces Islam (will you do as he does)?" The Jews said, "May Allah save him from it." Then ʿAbdullah bin Salam came out in front of them saying, "I testify that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah." Thereupon they said, "He is the evilest among us, and the son of the evilest amongst us," and continued talking badly of him.

Muḥammad b. al-ʿAlāʾ > Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > al-Minhāl b. ʿAmr > Saʿīd b. Jubayr > Ibn ʿAbbās

That the truth should be for the people of Jarada, so he judged for them and was punished when his desires were not in them one by one. Then he came when Allah wanted to test him, so He gave him the ring and entered the castle. And Satan took the form of Sulaiman and said, "Give me my ring," so she gave him his ring and he wore it. And when he wore it, the demons, humans, jinn, and everything obeyed him. He said, "Then Sulaiman came to her and said, 'Give me my ring.'" She said, "You are not Sulaiman." Sulaiman said, "Indeed, this is from the command of Allah. He tested me with it." So he left and began saying, "I am Sulaiman." They stoned him until they broke his ankle. So he went carrying on the seashore, and Satan stayed among them, marrying his wives and passing judgments between them. And when Allah wanted to take away Sulaiman's kingdom, the demons went and wrote books in which there was magic and disbelief. They buried them under Sulaiman's chair. Then they dug them up and said, "This is what used to test the jinn and humans." Sulaiman said, "So the people disbelieved in Sulaiman until Allah sent Muhammad. So Allah revealed to Muhammad, 'And Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved.'" The one who did this said, "So Sulaiman went carrying on the seashore." When the people denied him, when Allah wanted to take away Sulaiman's kingdom, they denied him. So the demons went and came to his wives and asked them, and they said, "Indeed, he used to come to us while we were menstruating, and he never used to come to us before that." So when the devil saw that his destruction was near, he fled and was thrown into the sea. In the narration, a fish swallowed him, so he took the fish with him until he reached him. He gave the fish that was in its belly the ring, and when he gave the fish the ring, it split its belly, wanting to roast it. And behold, he wore the ring, so humans and jinn came to him. So he sent in search of the devil, and they found that they were unable to bear him. So they said, "He is luring us." So they went, and they found him asleep, intoxicated. So they built a house for him from lead, then they came to take him, and he leaped and never landed on any side except that he took the lead with him. So they took him and brought him to Sulaiman. So Sulaiman ordered a grinder made of marble, and he was ground until he became fine powder. Then he ordered him to be thrown into the sea.

Muḥammad b. al-ʿAlāʾ > Abū Usāmah > al-Aʿmash > al-Minhāl > Saʿīd b. Jubayr > Ibn ʿAbbās

Aasif was Sulaiman bin Dawud's scribe, and he knew the Greatest Name. He used to write everything that Sulaiman commanded him and buried it beneath his throne. When Sulaiman died, the devils took out what Aasif had written and added magic, lies, and disbelief between each line. They claimed that these were the actions done by Sulaiman, and the ignorant people, their fools, cursed him. Their scholars stood with them, and their ignorant ones continued to curse him until Allah revealed, "And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Sulaiman. It was not Sulaiman who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved" [Al-Baqarah 102].

ʿAmr b. ʿAlī > Yaḥyá > Sufyān > Ḥabīb > Saʿīd b. Jubayr > Ibn ʿAbbās

ʿUmar said, "Our best Qur'an reciter is Ubai and our best judge is ʿAli; and in spite of this, we leave some of the statements of Ubai because Ubai says, 'I do not leave anything that I have heard from Messenger of Allah ﷺ while Allah: "Whatever verse (Revelations) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We bring a better one or similar to it." (2.106)

Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > al-Naḍr > Shuʿbah > Yaʿlá b. ʿAṭāʾ > al-Qāsim b. Rabīʿah > Lisaʿd b. Mālik In Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab Yaqraʾ Mā Nansakh from Āyah or Tunsahā

Indeed, Allah did not recite the Quran upon Musayyib or his son, and indeed, He only abrogates a verse or forgets it. O Muhammad, He said, "And mention your Lord when you forget." [Al-Kahf 18:24]

Muḥammad b. Ādam b. Sulaymān > Ibn al-Mubārak > ʿAbd al-Malik b. Abū Sulaymān > Saʿīd b. Jubayr > Ibn ʿUmar

The Prophet ﷺ used to pray on his riding animal wherever it would take him, then he recited this verse: "So wherever you [might] turn, there is the face of Allah." [Quran 2:115]

Hannād b. al-Sarī > Ibn Abū Zāʾidah > Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl > Anas > ʿUmar

“I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, why do you not take the Maqam of Ibrahim as a place of prayer?’ Then the following was revealed: ‘And take you (people) the Maqam of Ibrahim as a place of prayer.’” [2:125]

Muḥammad b. Salamah And al-Ḥārith b. Miskīn > Ibn al-Qāsim > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > Sālim b. ʿAbdullāh > ʿAbdullāh b. Muḥammad b. Abū Bakr Akhbar ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar > ʿĀʾishah

(The wife of the Prophet) Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Don't you see that when your people built the Kaʿba, they did not build it on all Abraham's foundations?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Why don't you rebuild it on Abraham's foundations?" He said, "Were your people not so close to (the period of Heathenism, i.e. the Period between their being Muslims and being infidels), I would do so." The sub-narrator, ʿAbdullah bin ʿUmar said, "Aisha had surely heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying that, for I do not think that Messenger of Allah ﷺ left touching the two corners of the Kaʿba facing Al-Hijr except because the Kaʿba was not built on all Abraham's foundations."

Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl b. Ibrāhīm > Isḥāq > Zakariyyā > Abū Isḥāq > al-Barāʾ b. ʿĀzib

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Al-Madinah and prayed toward Bait Al-Maqdis for sixteen months, then he was commanded to face towards the Ka'bah. A man who had prayed with the Prophet ﷺ passed by some of the Ansar and said: 'I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has been commanded to face towards the Ka'bah' so they turned to face the Ka'bah."

Muḥammad b. Ḥātim > Ḥabbān > ʿAbdullāh > Sharīk > Abū Isḥāq

About Al-Bara' in his saying "The foolish among the people will say, 'What has turned them away from their qiblah, which they used to face?" [Al-Baqarah 142]. He said, "They are the people of the scripture, the foolish ones."

Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Mālik > ʿAbdullāh b. Dīnār > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar

While some people were offering morning prayer at Quba' a man came to them and said, "A Qur'anic Order has been revealed to Messenger of Allah ﷺ tonight that he should face the Kaʿba at Mecca (in prayer), so you too should turn your faces towards it." At that moment their faces were towards Sham (i.e. Jerusalem) (and on hearing that) they turned towards the Kaʿba (at Mecca).

أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا النَّاسُ بِقُبَاءَ فِي صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ جَاءَهُمْ آتٍ فَقَالَ

«إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَدْ أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلَةَ وَأُمِرَ أَنْ يَسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةَ فَاسْتَقْبِلُوهَا وَكَانَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ إِلَى الشَّامِ فَاسْتَدَارُوا إِلَى الْكَعْبَةِ»

Muḥammad b. Ḥātim b. Nuʿaym > Ḥabbān > ʿAbdullāh > Sharīk > Abū Isḥāq > al-Barāʾ

I prayed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ towards the direction of Al-Masjid al-Aqsa for sixteen months. The Prophet of Allah ﷺ used to love to pray towards the Kaaba, so he would raise his head towards the sky. Then, Allah (ﷻ) revealed the verse: "We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward Al-Masjid al-Haram" [Quran 2:144]. Al-Bara' said, "We were the qiblah for Allah, then Allah sw the qiblah for us." And in regards to the statement of Allah, "That He may test you." [Quran 2:143], he said, "Allah would not allow the prayer of someone who dies while facing Al-Masjid al-Aqsa to go waste."

أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَاتِمِ بْنِ نُعَيْمٍ أَخْبَرَنَا حَبَّانُ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ عَنْ شَرِيكٍ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ قَالَ

صَلَّيْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا وَكَانَ نَبِيُّ اللهِ ﷺ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ نَحْوَ الْكَعْبَةِ فَكَانَ يَرْفَعُ رَأْسَهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ} [البقرة 144] قَالَ الْبَرَاءُ وَالشَّطْرُ فِينَا قِبَلَهُ وَقَالَ فِي قَوْلِ اللهِ تَعَالَى {لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ} [البقرة 143] قَالَ مَا كَانَ اللهُ لِيُضِيعَ صَلَاةَ مَنْ مَاتَ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ

Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbd al-Ḥakam > Shuʿayb > al-Layth > Khālid b. Yazīd > Ibn Abū Hilāl > Marwān b. ʿUthmān > ʿUbayd b. Ḥunayn > Abū Saʿīd b. al-Muʿallá

We used to go to the market during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , and we would pass by the mosque and pray in it. One day, we passed by and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting on the pulpit. I said, "Something must have happened." So, I sat down and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited the verse, "{Indeed, We see the turning of your face toward the heaven}" [Quran 2:144], until he finished the verse. Then, I said to my companion, "Come, let's pray two units of prayer before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ descends and we will be the first to pray." So, we hid and prayed, then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ descended and prayed the Dhuhr prayer for the people on that day.

أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ شُعَيْبٍ أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي هِلَالٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي مَرْوَانُ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ أَنَّ عُبَيْدَ بْنَ حُنَيْنٍ أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُعَلَّى قَالَ

كُنَّا نَغْدُوا لِلْسُوقِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَنَمُرُّ عَلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَنُصَلِّي فِيهِ فَمَرَرْنَا يَوْمًا وَرَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ قَاعِدٌ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَقُلْتُ لَقَدْ حَدَثَ أَمْرٌ فَجَلَسْتُ فَقَرَأَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ {قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ} [البقرة 144] حَتَّى فَرَغَ مِنَ الْآيَةِ قُلْتُ لِصَاحِبِي تَعَالَ نَرْكَعُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَنَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ صَلَّى فَتَوَارَينَا فَصَلَّيْنَا ثُمَّ نَزَلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَصَلَّى لِلنَّاسِ الظُّهْرَ يَوْمَئِذٍ

Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Yaḥyá b. Ādam > Abū Zubayd > Sulaymān al-Taymī > Anas

"No one left who prayed both directions except me."

أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَخْبَرَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ آدَمَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو زُبَيْدٍ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ التَّيْمِيِّ عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ

«مَا بَقِيَ أَحَدٌ صَلَّى الْقِبْلَتَيْنِ غَيْرِي»

Muḥammad b. al-Muthanná > Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik > Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > Abū Ṣāliḥ > Abū Saʿīd

"From the Prophet ﷺ, 'We have made you an Ummah justly balanced' [Al-Baqarah 143]. He said, 'Balanced.'"

Muḥammad b. Ādam b. Sulaymān > Abū Muʿāwiyah > al-Aʿmash > Abū Ṣāliḥ > Abū Saʿīd

“A Prophet will come accompanied by two men, and a Prophet will come accompanied by three, and (some will come) with more or less than that. It will be said to him: ‘Did you convey the message to your people?’ And he will say: ‘Yes.’ Then his people will be called and it will be said: ‘Did he convey the message to you?’ They will say: ‘No.’ Then it will be said: ‘Who will bear witness for you?’ He will say: ‘Muhammad and his nation.’ So the nation of Muhammad will be called and it will be said: ‘Did this man convey the message?’ They will say: ‘Yes.’ He will say: ‘How did you know that?’ They will say: ‘Our Prophet told us that the Messengers had conveyed the message, and we believed him.’ This is what Allah says: “Thus We have made you, a just (and the best) nation, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ) be a witness over you.’” [2:143]

Abū Bakr b. Nāfiʿ > Bahz > Ḥammād b. Salamah > Thābit > Anas

The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions used to pray in the direction of Jerusalem. When the following verse was revealed: “ So turn thy face towards the inviolable mosque”; and Ye (O Muslims), wheresoever ye may be, turn your face towards it”(ii. 144), a man passed by the people of Banu Salamah. He called them while they were bowing in the morning prayer facing Jerusalem: Lo, the qiblah (direction of prayer) has been changed towards the ka’bah. He called them twice. So they turned their faces towards the Ka’bah while they were bowing.

Muḥammad b. Salamah And al-Ḥārith b. Miskīn > Ibn al-Qāsim > Mālik > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father

I said to ʿAisha, the wife of the Prophet, and I was at that time a young boy, "How do you interpret the Statement of Allah: "Verily, Safa and Marwa (i.e. two mountains at Mecca) are among the Symbols of Allah." So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj to the House of Allah) or perform the Umra, to ambulate (Tawaf) between them. In my opinion it is not sinful for one not to ambulate (Tawaf) between them." ʿAisha said, "Your interpretation is wrong for as you say, the Verse should have been: "So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj or Umra to the House, not to ambulate (Tawaf) between them.' This Verse was revealed in connection with the Ansar who (during the Pre-Islamic Period) used to visit Manat (i.e. an idol) after assuming their Ihram, and it was situated near Qudaid (i.e. a place at Mecca), and they used to regard it sinful to ambulate between Safa and Marwa after embracing Islam. When Islam came, they asked Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it, whereupon Allah revealed:-- "Verily, Safa and Marwa (i.e. two mountains at Mecca) are among the Symbols of Allah. So it is not harmful of those who perform the Hajj of the House (of Allah) or perform the Umra, to ambulate (Tawaf) between them." (2.158)

Hārūn b. ʿAbdullāh And Yūsuf b. Saʿīd > Ḥajjāj > Ibn Jurayj > Ismāʿīl b. Umayyah > Ayyūb b. Khālid > ʿAbdullāh b. Rāfiʿ > Abū Hurayrah

The Messenger of Allah took my hand and said, "Allah created the soil on Saturday, and He created the mountains on Sunday, and He created the trees on Monday, and He created the abominable things on Tuesday, and He created the light on Wednesday, and He spread the creatures in it on Thursday, and He created Adam after Asr prayer on Friday, at the last hour of the day."