Sahih
Muslim

صحيح مسلم

05

The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer

كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ

 

Chapter 53: Who is more entitled to lead the prayer

باب مَنْ أَحَقُّ بِالإِمَامَةِ

Sahih Muslim 674 a

Malik b. Huwairith reported

We came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and we were all young men of nearly equal age. We stayed with him (the Holy Prophet ) for twenty nights, and as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was extremely kind and tender of heart, he therefore, thought that we were eager (to see) our family (we felt homesick). So he asked us about the members of the family that we had left behind and when we informed him, he said: Go back to your family, stay with them, and teach them (beliefs and practices of Islam) and exhort them to good, and when the time for prayer comes, one amongst you should announce Adhan and then the oldest among you should lead the prayer.

وَحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلاَبَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ، قَالَ أَتَيْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَنَحْنُ شَبَبَةٌ مُتَقَارِبُونَ فَأَقَمْنَا عِنْدَهُ عِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَحِيمًا رَقِيقًا فَظَنَّ أَنَّا قَدِ اشْتَقْنَا أَهْلَنَا فَسَأَلَنَا عَنْ مَنْ تَرَكْنَا مِنْ أَهْلِنَا فَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ ارْجِعُوا إِلَى أَهْلِيكُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا فِيهِمْ وَعَلِّمُوهُمْ وَمُرُوهُمْ فَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلاَةُ فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ لَكُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ ثُمَّ لْيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَكْبَرُكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Grade: Sahih