5/39. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 644b — Isha Named in the Book of Allah
The time of `Isha and delaying it
Hadith About Isha Prayer Being Its Proper Name
Sahih Muslim : 644b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 644b
وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي لَبِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَغْلِبَنَّكُمُ الأَعْرَابُ عَلَى اسْمِ صَلاَتِكُمُ الْعِشَاءِ فَإِنَّهَا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ الْعِشَاءُ وَإِنَّهَا تُعْتِمُ بِحِلاَبِ الإِبِلِ " .
Ibn 'Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Let the bedouin not gain upper band over you In regard to the name of your prayer, i. e. night prayer, for it is mentioned 'Isya' in the Book of Allah (i. e. the Qur'an). (The bedouin call it 'Atama because) they make delay in milling their she-camels.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 644bIn-book reference : Book 5, Hadith 289USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1344
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 644b
This Hadith explains the proper name of the night prayer with more detail. Ibn Umar reports that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said not to let the bedouins gain the upper hand over the name of the prayer, meaning the night prayer. He said it is mentioned as Isha in the Book of Allah. The report also says the bedouins used the name Atama because they delayed milking their she-camels. The core topic is Isha prayer name. A reader searching for Atama meaning in Hadith will find the answer here: the Hadith directs Muslims to use Isha as the name of the prayer, while explaining why another term was used by some people.
What we learn from this hadith
- The prayer is identified as Isha in this narration.
- The Hadith connects the term Atama to delayed camel milking.
- Religious wording should be preserved as taught in the report.
