English Translation

Abdullah narrated to us: My father narrated to me: Yunus narrated to us: Fulayh narrated to us, from Zayd ibn Abi Unaysah, from Amr ibn Murrah, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from Muadh, that the prayer went through three changes; and he mentioned only its changes. Abu al-Nadr narrated to us: al-Masudi narrated to us; and Yazid ibn Harun said: al-Masudi informed us. Abu al-Nadr said in his narration: Amr ibn Murrah narrated to me, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from Muadh ibn Jabal, who said: The prayer went through three changes, and the fasting went through three changes. As for the changes of the prayer, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to Medina and prayed toward Jerusalem for seventeen months. Then Allah revealed to him, 'We have certainly seen the turning of your face toward the sky, so We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you all are, turn your faces toward it.' So Allah turned him toward Mecca. He said: This is one change. He said: They used to gather for the prayer and would inform one another of it, until they nearly struck a wooden clapper, or almost did so. He said: Then a man of the Ansar called Abdullah ibn Zayd came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I saw in what a sleeper sees, and had I said I was not asleep I would have spoken the truth. While I was between sleeping and waking, I saw a figure wearing two green garments who faced the qiblah and said: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest; I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah, two by two, until he finished the call to prayer. Then he paused a while.' He said: Then he said the like of what he had said, except that he added to it: The prayer has been established, the prayer has been established. So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Teach it to Bilal so he may call the prayer with it.' So Bilal was the first to call the prayer with it. He said: And Umar ibn al-Khattab came and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, the like of what came to him came to me too, except that he preceded me.' So these are two changes. He said: They used to come to the prayer while the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had already performed part of it. He said: A man would gesture to another man when he came, asking how many the Prophet had prayed, and he would say one or two; so he would pray them and then join the people in their prayer. He said: Then Muadh came and said, 'I will never find him in any state but that I will be upon it, then I will make up what preceded me.' He said: So he came while the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had already performed part of it, and he remained with him. When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, finished his prayer, Muadh stood up and made up the rest. So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Muadh has instituted a practice for you, so do likewise.' So these are three changes. As for the changes of the fasting: the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came to Medina and began to fast three days of every month. Yazid said: So he fasted for seventeen months from Rabi al-Awwal until Ramadan, three days of each month, and he fasted the day of Ashura. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, made fasting obligatory upon him, and Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed, 'O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you,' up to the verse, 'And upon those who are able to do it is a ransom of feeding a poor person.' He said: So whoever wished fasted, and whoever wished fed a poor person, and that sufficed for him. He said: Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed the other verse, 'The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed,' up to His saying, 'So whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast it.' He said: So Allah established its fasting upon the resident and the healthy, and granted a concession in it for the sick and the traveler, and confirmed the feeding for the elderly who is unable to fast. So these are two changes. He said: They used to eat, drink, and approach their women as long as they had not slept, but when they slept, they abstained. He said: Then a man of the Ansar called Sirmah kept working while fasting until evening came. He came to his family and prayed the night prayer, then slept without having eaten or drunk, until morning came, and he awoke fasting. He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, saw him having exerted himself severely, and said, 'What is it with you that I see you have exerted yourself severely?' He said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I worked yesterday, and I came at the time I came, then I threw myself down and slept, and I awoke at the time I awoke, fasting.' He said: And Umar had approached his wife, whether a slave girl or a free woman, after he had slept, and he came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and mentioned that to him. So Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed, 'It has been made lawful for you, on the night of the fast, to approach your wives,' up to His saying, 'Then complete the fast until the night.' And Yazid said: So he fasted nineteen months from Rabi al-Awwal until Ramadan.