حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ حَفْصٍ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ ابْنِ عُمَرَ فِي سَفَرٍ فَصَلَّى الظُّهْرَ وَالْعَصْرَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ قَامَ إِلَى طِنْفِسَةٍ فَرَأَى نَاسًا يُسَبِّحُونَ بَعْدَهَا فَقَالَ مَا يَصْنَعُ هَؤُلَاءِ قُلْتُ يُسَبِّحُونَ قَالَ لَوْ كُنْتُ مُصَلِّيًا قَبْلَهَا أَوْ بَعْدَهَا لَأَتْمَمْتُهَا صَحِبْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى قُبِضَ فَكَانَ لَا يَزِيدُ عَلَى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى قُبِضَ فَكَانَ لَا يَزِيدُ عَلَيْهِمَا وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ كَذَلِكَ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 5185
It was narrated from 'Eesa ibn Hafs: my father told me: I was with Ibn 'Umar on a journey and he prayed Zuhr and 'Asr with two rak'ahs each. Then he went to sit on a rug of his and saw some people offering a voluntary prayer afterwards. He said: What are these people doing? I said: They are offering voluntary prayer. He said: If I wanted to offer any (voluntary) prayer before it or after it, I would have offered it (the obligatory prayer) in full. I accompanied the Prophet (PBUH) until he passed away, and he did not do any more than two rak'ahs (when travelling). And (I accompanied) Abu Bakr until he passed away, and he did not do any more than two rak'ahs (when travelling), and the same goes for 'Umar and 'Uthmaan.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020