مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 5096

It was narrated that Anas ibn Sireen said: I said to 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar: Should I recite behind the imam? He said: The recitation of the imam is sufficient for you. I said: The two (Sunnah) rak'ahs of Fajr: should I make the recitation in them long? He said: The Messenger of Allah (M) used to pray at night, two (rak'ahs) by two. He said: Rather I asked you about the two rak'ahs of Fajr! I said: You are dense! Did you not see me start to narrate the hadeeth? (So let me finish it.) The Messenger of Allah ($M) used to pray at night, two (rak'ahs) by two, then when he feared that dawn was about to break, he would pray Witr with one rak'ah. then he would lie down, and if you wished, you might say that he slept or of You wished, you might say that he did not sleep, then he would get up to pray (the two rak'ahs of Fajr, after having prayed the Sunnah) with the adhaan still ringing in his ears. So what kind of lengthy (Sunnah) prayer can this be? I said: A man bequeathed some money for the sake of Allah; can seme of it to be spent on Hajj? He said: If you do that, it will be for the sake of Allah. I said: A man missed a rak'ah with the imam, then the imam said the salaam. Can he get up to make it up before the imam gets up? He said: When the imam says the salaam, he has finished the prayer. I said: Can a creditor take from the debtor (who has failed to pay his debt) wealth that is greater than the debt owed? He said: For every betrayer a banner will be raised on the Day of Resurrection by his backside, commensurate w r ith the level of his betrayal.

Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020