Was prayer prescribed before the Night Journey, and what is meant by the prayer the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with the prophets?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah grant you success, Your Eminence. The questioner says: In the words of Allah the Exalted and Majestic,[Qaf 50:39] Ibn Kathir mentioned in his tafsir that the obligatory prayer before the Night Journey was two: before the sunrise, which is Fajr, and before the sunset, which is 'Asr. The question is: Is the prayer the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with the prophets on the Night Journey in Bayt al-Maqdis the prayer known to us, or is it merely supplication?
Answer:
The question consists of two parts. First, that there was an obligatory prayer before the Night Journey. This is mentioned in a narration. Yes, Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned it, but it is a matter of consideration. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform tahajjud at night, and Allah had made standing in night prayer obligatory for him:[Al-Muzzammil 73:1-2] So he would stand at night and prolong his standing until his feet would crack, (peace and blessings be upon him).
Then Allah abrogated the beginning of the surah with its end, which is His saying, the Exalted:[Al-Muzzammil 73:20] There will be among you the sick [Al-Muzzammil 73:20] meaning travelers, [Al-Muzzammil 73:20] and read what is easy for you of it. So the end of the surah abrogated its beginning regarding the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the five prayers were made obligatory in the day and the night, and standing in night prayer remained as a voluntary act. [Al-Isra 17:79] [Al-Isra 17:78] [Al-Isra 17:79] So standing in night prayer became a recommended practice after the five prayers were made obligatory. As for the claim that there was an obligatory prayer before the Night Journey, this is not well known; Allah knows best, unless what is meant is the standing in night prayer that was obligatory upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with the prophets, it is to be taken at its apparent meaning: a known prayer with bowing, prostration, and saying Allahu akbar. This is the apparent meaning. Yes.
May Allah grant you success, Your Eminence. The questioner says: In the words of Allah the Exalted and Majestic,
and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting,
وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِAnswer:
The question consists of two parts. First, that there was an obligatory prayer before the Night Journey. This is mentioned in a narration. Yes, Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned it, but it is a matter of consideration. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform tahajjud at night, and Allah had made standing in night prayer obligatory for him:
(1) O you who wraps himself [in clothing], (2) Arise [to pray] the night, except for a little -
يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًاThen Allah abrogated the beginning of the surah with its end, which is His saying, the Exalted:
Indeed, your Lord knows, [O Muhammad], that you stand [in prayer] almost two thirds of the night or half of it or a third of it, and [so do] a group of those with you. And Allah determines [the extent of] the night and the day. He has known that
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَىٰ مِن ثُلُثَيِ اللَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُ وَثُلُثَهُ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ مَعَكَ وَاللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ عَلِمَ أَنothers traveling throughout the land seeking [something] of the bounty of Allah
وَآخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِand others fighting for the cause of Allah. So recite what is easy from it
وَآخَرُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُAnd from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you
وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَّكَEstablish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur'an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.
أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًاAnd from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you
وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [197] هل كانت الصلاة مشروعة قبل الإسراء وما المراد بالصلاة التي صلاها النبي ﷺ بالأنبياء؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.