أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ عَنْ مَالِکٍ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ أَدْبَرَ الشَّيْطَانُ وَلَهُ ضُرَاطٌ حَتَّی لَا يَسْمَعَ التَّأْذِينَ فَإِذَا قُضِيَ النِّدَائُ أَقْبَلَ حَتَّی إِذَا ثُوِّبَ بِالصَّلَاةِ أَدْبَرَ حَتَّی إِذَا قُضِيَ التَّثْوِيبُ أَقْبَلَ حَتَّی يَخْطُرَ بَيْنَ الْمَرْئِ وَنَفْسِهِ يَقُولُ اذْکُرْ کَذَا اذْکُرْ کَذَا لِمَا لَمْ يَکُنْ يَذْکُرُ حَتَّی يَظَلَّ الْمَرْئُ إِنْ يَدْرِي کَمْ صَلَّی
سنن نسائی · Hadith 674
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم said: “When the call for the prayer is given, the Shaitan takes to his heels, passing wind loudly so that he will not hear the call to prayer. When the call to prayer is finished, he comes back. And when the Iqamah is said, he again takes to his heels, and after it is completed, he returns again to interfere between the (praying) person and his heart, saying to him: ‘Remember such and such, remember such and such,’ — things that he had not remembered — until he does not know how many (Rak’ahs) he has prayed.” (Sahih).
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020