Prayer Section · 11 – Someone Who Is Asleep or Forgets Prayer
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) returned from the expedition to Khaybar at night and continued on his way. When drowsiness overcame them, they rested in the darkness and he commanded Bilal to keep watch over them for the prayer. Bilal leaned against his load and fell asleep. They did not awaken until the sun rose above them – neither Bilal, nor the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him), nor his companions. The first one to awaken was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him). He sprang up excitedly and said, “Why didn’t you rouse us?” Bilal replied, "May my mother and father be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! Sleep overcame me." The companions shifted their loads slightly. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) performed ablution and ordered Bilal to pronounce the call to prayer. Bilal pronounced the call to prayer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) led them in the Fajr prayer. When he finished the prayer, he said, “Whoever forgets a prayer, let him perform it when he remembers, for Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) has prescribed the prayer.”
Yunus said:
Ibn Shihab recited the verse as (li’z-zikrâ).
Anbese would narrate this hadith as "pray the prayer for remembrance (li zikrî)." Ahmed bin Salih, KERÂ: means dozing off. [303]
Kafele: Means to return.
Kerâ: Means dozing and sleeping.
Arresa: Means descended to rest. We translated it as: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) gave them respite because he descended to allow his companions to rest.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated the story as mentioned previously:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to his companions: “Change your place of heedlessness.” And he commanded Bilal to pronounce the call to prayer (adhan) and the summons to prayer (iqama). So Bilal pronounced the adhan and the iqama. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then led them in the prayer.
Abu Dawud said: I narrated this hadith from Malik, Sufyan ibn Uyayna, Awza’i, Abdurrazzak; Ma'mar and Ibn Ishaq. None of them mentioned the adhan in this narration of Zuhri. And none of them, except Awza’i and Aban al-Attar, attributed this report to Ma’mar.
EXPLANATION:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sleeping and missing the morning prayer is for teaching those who sleep how to act. If this had not happened to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, those who delay the morning prayer would not know how to pray it once the sun rises. Had the topic of instruction not been brought up for his community, our Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, whose eyes sleep but whose heart does not sleep, would have been awakened by our Lord for the morning prayer.
From Abu Katada, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, was traveling on a journey and pulled aside to the side of the road, and I pulled aside with him. He said, "Look at those coming towards us." I said, “There is one mounted, then there are two mounted, then three mounted,” until seven people gathered. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, commanded us not to sleep but to wait so that he could lead us in our prayers.
He intended the obligatory night prayer and the dawn prayer. Breathing ceased, and everyone slept. They could not be awakened except by the heat of the sun. They rose from their places after a short time, descended, and performed ablution. Bilal gave the call to prayer, first performing the two Sunnah rak'ahs of dawn, then the obligatory prayer. They spoke amongst themselves, "We have failed in our prayers." The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, said, “There is no failure in missing [a prayer] while sleeping. Failure is in missing it while awake. Whoever forgets a prayer, let him perform it when he remembers it, and let him perform that prayer on the following day at its time.”
EXPLANATION
Heniyye: Means a short time.
A person should use an alarm clock to wake himself up for the dawn prayer. For the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, appointed Bilal from among the companions as a watchman to awaken them. It is reported that if precautions are taken and one still cannot be awakened for the dawn prayer, he is not sinful. Of course, this is on the condition that it does not become a habit. It indicates that after a missed prayer is performed, it is not necessary to repeat it at the same time the next day, but rather the morning prayer of the following day will be performed within its time. (Read the explanation and hadith numbered 438 which follows.)
The Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam's mount was Abu Katada
radiyallahu anhu, who narrated:
He recounted the previous story about the army of 'Umar and said that none awakened us. (Then he continued) But we awoke as the sun rose, and we arose to the morning prayer with distress!
The Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam said, “Remain until the sun rises.” When the sun rose, He said, "Let those who wish to perform the Sunna of the morning pray." Those who wished performed it, and those who did not. Then He ordered Bilal to call for prayer. They were called to prayer. The Prophet sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam stood up and after performing the obligatory prayer of the morning, turned and said:
“Take heed! All praise is due to Allah that nothing from worldly affairs prevented us from our prayer. But our souls are in the power of Allah (may He be exalted). He sends them wherever He wills. Whoever among you can reach the morning prayer perfectly tomorrow, let him pray a morning prayer like that.”
EXPLANATION
Ceyşül Umara: This is the name of the army sent to Mu'ta. But sleeping and missing the morning prayer happened on the return from Khaybar.
Vehilîna: It means excitedly, anxiously, or hastily.
Rüveyde: It means grant respite, slowly, calmly.
This hadith informs that after performing the morning prayer the next day, the missed prayer of the previous day should also be made up. However, the jurists have taken the preceding hadith as the basis in this matter, stating that the re-making up of the missed prayer is not necessary and that it may have been mistakenly transmitted by the narrator of this hadith. (Hattabi Ma'alimussunnan)
Ibn al-Hazm addressed this topic in his work, *Al-Ahkam*, vol. 7, p. 108.
439 – A similar narration was transmitted from Abu Katada, may Allah be pleased with him: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “He takes your souls wherever He wills and sends them wherever He wills.” Then he ordered Bilal, "Rise and give the call to prayer." They all rose and performed ablution for the prayer. When the sun began to rise a little, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, led them in the Fajr (dawn) prayer. [305]
From Abdullah ibn Abu Katada, from his father; in one narration, the sun had risen when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution and led them in the Fajr prayer.
Abu Katada (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no lapse in sleep, but a lapse is delaying one prayer until the time for another prayer enters.”
Anes ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “If one forgets a prayer, let him perform it when he remembers it. There is no expiation for the missed prayer other than its performance.”
Imran ibn Husayn, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, slept during a campaign with the companions until the time of Fajr prayer. They awoke due to the heat of the sun. They traveled for a while until the sun had risen somewhat. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered the mu'adhdhin to pronounce the adhan. When the mu'adhdhin pronounced the adhan, he performed two rak’ahs of the Sunnah before the obligatory Fajr prayer. Then the mu'adhdhin made the iqama. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then offered the obligatory prayer.
Amr ibn Umayyah ad-Damari, may Allah be pleased with him, relates:
We were once in the company of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, slept until sunrise. When he awoke, he said, “Move a little.” (They moved a little) and then ordered Bilal to call the adhan. The companions washed for ablution, performed the sunnah prayer of the morning, and he ordered Bilal to announce the iqama for the prayer and led them in the obligatory prayer of the morning.
It is narrated from Zī Mihbar al-Habashī – may Allah be pleased with him – who served the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him), in a previous account: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) performed ablution. Not even dust was wetted by the water of his ablution, and he commanded Bilal to give the adhan, which Bilal did. Then he rose and offered two rak'ahs of prayer without haste. He then ordered Bilal to pronounce the iqama for the prayer, and he also led the obligatory prayer without haste.
In another narration, from Hajjaj, who narrated from Yazid bin Sulayh: A Habashī man named Zī Mihbar reported to me.
Ubayd said: Yazid bin Salih said
This narration is from Zī Mihbar, the son of the brother of Najāshī. Zī Mihbar said: The muezzin recited the adhan without haste.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: We were returning from the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. (We stopped at a place to rest.) The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Who will watch over us?” Bilal replied, "I and [another person]." They all fell asleep until sunrise. First, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, awoke and said, “Perform [the prayer] as you always perform [it], according to its prescribed practice.” We performed it. He then said, “Let those who slept or forgot do like this.”
COMMENTARY:
*Yekleü:* Has the meaning of "to watch over."
This narration contradicts the preceding narrations. In the earlier narrations, this event was reported as having occurred on the return from the Battle of Khaybar. However, in a narration by Tabarani, it is reported that this event took place on the return from the Expedition of Tabuk. It is possible to reconcile these hadiths by stating that this event occurred on several occasions, or one may prefer the soundness of Hadith no. 435, which states that this event occurred on the return from Khaybar (Menhel vol. 4, p. 42).