Book 4: Prayer

Abu Malik al-Ash‘ari said: I must tell you how God’s Messenger conducted prayer. He said that he had the iqama announced, drew the men up in line and drew up the youths behind them, then led them in prayer (mentioning how he conducted it), then said, “Thus is the prayer of. . ,”* ‘Abd al-A‘la said: I think he must have said “my people.” * The wording of the tradition is incomplete. ‘Abd al-A‘la who appears at a later stage in the isnad supplies what he considers the missing word must have been. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Qais b. ‘Ubad said: While I was in the mosque in the front row a man pulled me from behind, moved me aside and took my place, with the result, I swear by God, that I did not know what prayers I said. When he had finished I saw that he was Ubayy b. Ka'b. He said, “Young man, God does not wrong you, for this is a charge from the Prophet (ﷺ) to us that we should be near him.” He then faced the qibla and said three times, “May ahl al-'aqd perish, by the Lord of the Ka'ba!” Then he said, “I swear by God that I do not grieve for them, but for those they have led astray.” I asked, “Abu Ya'qub, what do you mean by ahl al-'aqd?”* He replied, “The commanders.” * One of the meanings of 'aqd is “responsibility.’’ The phrase literally means “the people bf responsibility”, i.e. those who are in responsible positions. A chief ruler may be called sahib al-'aqd wal hall, i.e. he who binds and looses. Nasa’i transmitted it.