5/11. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 1282 — Praying Before Maghrib
The Prayer Before Maghrib
Praying Before Maghrib Hadith: The Prophet Saw and Did Not Forbid
Sunan Abi Dawud : 1282
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 1282
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ الْبَزَّازُ، أَخْبَرَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورُ بْنُ أَبِي الأَسْوَدِ، عَنِ الْمُخْتَارِ بْنِ فُلْفُلٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ صَلَّيْتُ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْمَغْرِبِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم . قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَنَسٍ أَرَآكُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ نَعَمْ رَآنَا فَلَمْ يَأْمُرْنَا وَلَمْ يَنْهَنَا .
Anas bin Malik Narrated from:
I offered two rak'ahs of prayer before the Maghrib prayer (i.e. obligatory) during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I (narrator al-Mukhtar b. Fulful) asked Anas: Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) se you ? He replied: Yes, but he neither commanded us nor forbade us (to do so).
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 1282In-book reference : Book 5, Hadith 33English translation : Book 5, Hadith 1277
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 1282
This praying before Maghrib hadith gives a simple picture from the time of the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Anas b. Malik said that he offered two rak'ahs before the obligatory Maghrib prayer during the Prophet's time. When he was asked whether the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saw them, he answered yes. He then made it clear that the Prophet neither commanded them nor forbade them. The wording is very important for understanding this specific report. It shows that the act was seen and was not stopped, but it was also not ordered here. So the hadith keeps the matter balanced: it records practice, approval by silence, and the absence of a direct command in this narration.
What we learn from this hadith
- Anas prayed two rak'ahs before Maghrib during the Prophet's lifetime.
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saw this act and did not forbid it.
- This narration does not present the act as a direct command from the Prophet.
- A silent approval in a report should be understood with the wording given.
