Chapter

Prayer in Congregation

كتاب صلاة الجماعة

Arabic Text

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي عَمْرَةَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ جَاءَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ إِلَى صَلاَةِ الْعِشَاءِ فَرَأَى أَهْلَ الْمَسْجِدِ قَلِيلاً فَاضْطَجَعَ فِي مُؤَخَّرِ الْمَسْجِدِ يَنْتَظِرُ النَّاسَ أَنْ يَكْثُرُوا فَأَتَاهُ ابْنُ أَبِي عَمْرَةَ فَجَلَسَ إِلَيْهِ فَسَأَلَهُ مَنْ هُوَ فَأَخْبَرَهُ فَقَالَ مَا مَعَكَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَأَخْبَرَهُ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ عُثْمَانُ مَنْ شَهِدَ الْعِشَاءَ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَامَ نِصْفَ لَيْلَةٍ وَمَنْ شَهِدَ الصُّبْحَ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَامَ لَيْلَةً ‏.‏

English Translation

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim that Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Amra al-Ansari said that Uthman ibn Affan came to the isha prayer and seeing only a few people in the mosque, he lay down at the back of the mosque to wait for the number of people to increase. Ibn Abi Amra went and sat down beside him and Uthman asked him who he was, so he told him. Uthman said, "What have you memorised of the Qur'an?", and he told him. Uthman said, "If someone is present at isha, it is as if he had stood in prayer for half a night, and if some one is present at subh, it is as if he had stood in prayer for a whole night.