The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "How will you be when you have rulers over you who delay the prayer past its time, or who let the prayer die by neglecting its time?"I said, "What do you command me to do?"He said, "Pray the prayer at its proper time. Then if you catch it with them, pray with them, for it will count as a voluntary prayer for you."In another narration, "Pray the prayer at its proper time. If you pray it at its time, then praying with them will be voluntary for you. Otherwise, you will have at least secured your prayer."In another narration, "If the prayer is called while you are in the mosque, then pray."In another narration from Abu Aliyah al-Barra, who said, Ibn Ziyad delayed the prayer. Abdullah bin Samit came to me, so I set out a chair for him, and he sat on it. I mentioned to him what Ibn Ziyad had done. He bit his lip, struck my thigh, and said, "I asked Abu Dharr the same thing you are asking me, and he struck my thigh just as I have struck yours, and he said, 'I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the same thing you are asking me, and he struck my thigh just as I have struck yours, and said, "Pray the prayer at its proper time. Then if you catch the prayer with them, pray with them, and do not say, 'I have already prayed, so I will not pray again.'"'"In another narration, "Pray the prayer at its proper time. Then if the prayer is called, pray with them, for it is an increase in goodness."In another narration from Abu Aliyah al-Barra, who said, I said to Abdullah bin Samit, "On Friday we pray behind rulers who delay the prayer."He struck my thigh a blow that hurt me and said, "I asked Abu Dharr about that, and he struck my thigh and said, 'I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about that, and he said, "Pray the prayer at its proper time, and let your prayer with them be voluntary."'"
قال لي رسول الله ﷺ: كيف أنت إذا كانت عليك أمراء يؤخرون الصلاة عن وقتها، أو يميتون الصلاة عن وقتها؟ قال قلت: فما تأمرني؟ قال: صل الصلاة لوقتها، فإن أدركتها معهم فصل فإنها لك نافلة. وفي رواية: فصل الصلاة لوقتها، فإن صليت لوقتها كانت لك نافلة، وإلا كنت قد احرزت صلاتك. وفي رواية فإن أقيمت الصلاة وأنت في المسجد فصل وفي رواية عن أبي العالية البراء قال: أخر ابن زياد الصلاة. فجاءني عبد الله بن الصامت، فألقيت له كرسيا فجلس عليه، فذكرت له صنيع ابن زياد، فعض على شفته وضرب فخذي وقال: إني سألت أبا ذر كما سألتني، فضرب فخذي كما ضربت فخذك وقال: إني سألت رسول الله ﷺ كما سألتني، فضرب فخذي كما ضربت فخذك، وقال: صل الصلاة لوقتها، فإن أدركت الصلاة معهم فصل ولا تقل: إني قد صليت فلا أصلي. وفي رواية: فصل الصلاة لوقتها، ثم إن أقيمت الصلاة فصل معهم، فإنها زيادة خير. وفي رواية: عن أبي العالية البراء قال: قلت لعبد الله بن الصامت: تصلي يوم الجمعة خلف أمراء فيوخرون الصلاة، قال: فضرب فخذي ضربة أوجعتني، وقال: سألت أبا ذر عن ذلك، فضرب فخذي وقال: سألت رسول الله ﷺ عن ذلك فقال: صلوا الصلاة لوقتها، واجعلوا صلاتكم معهم نافلة.
All these narrations were recorded by Muslim in the Book of Mosques (648) through various routes from Abdullah bin Samit, from Abu Dharr. His statement, "Do not say I have already prayed, so I will not pray," contains encouragement to comply with the rulers in matters that do not involve disobedience, so that unity is not fractured and discord does not occur. This is why Abu Dharr used to say, "My close companion instructed me to listen and obey, even if he were a slave with amputated limbs." Muslim recorded it (1837).