2/99. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 657 — Learning Prayer by Example
Praying On A Hasir (Large Mat)
Hadith About Learning How the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم Prayed
Sunan Abi Dawud : 657
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 657
حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ ضَخْمٌ - وَكَانَ ضَخْمًا - لاَ أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ مَعَكَ - وَصَنَعَ لَهُ طَعَامًا وَدَعَاهُ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ - فَصَلِّ حَتَّى أَرَاكَ كَيْفَ تُصَلِّي فَأَقْتَدِيَ بِكَ . فَنَضَحُوا لَهُ طَرَفَ حَصِيرٍ كَانَ لَهُمْ فَقَامَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ . قَالَ فُلاَنُ بْنُ الْجَارُودِ لأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ أَكَانَ يُصَلِّي الضُّحَى قَالَ لَمْ أَرَهُ صَلَّى إِلاَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ .
Anas bin Malik Narrated from:
A man from the Ansar said: I am a corpulent man-and he was (actually) a fat man; I cannot pray along with you. He prepared food for him and invited him to his house. (he said) (please) pray (here) so that I may see how you pray, and then I would follow you. They (the people) washed one side of their mat. He (the prophet) then got up and prayed two Rak’ahs. Ibn al-Jarud asked Anas b. Malik: would he (the prophet) say the forenoon prayer? He replied: I did not see him offering this prayer except that day.
[1] A small mat, made of woven palm leaves or the like, large enough to cover the area for one's face and hands during prostration. When it is larger it is called Ḥaşīr as in the next chapter.[2] See the previous note.Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 657In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 267English translation : Book 2, Hadith 657
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 657
This Hadith tells of a man from the Ansar who said he was a large man and could not pray along with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He prepared food, invited the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to his house, and asked him to pray there so he could see how he prayed and follow him. The people washed one side of their mat, and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stood and prayed two rak’ahs. The narration also mentions a question to Anas about whether this was the forenoon prayer, and Anas replied that he did not see him offer that prayer except that day. The core topic is learning prayer by example and praying on a mat.
What we learn from this hadith
- The man wanted to learn prayer by watching the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم directly.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم responded by praying two rak’ahs in the house.
- The people prepared the mat by washing one side of it.
- Anas carefully limited what he had personally seen about that prayer.
