Azami 2004

Bukhari narrated it in "The Book of Adhan," through the route of Shayban (759), and Muslim in "The Book of Prayer" through the route of Hajjaj Sawwaf (451), both from Yahya bin Abu Kathir, from Abdullah bin Abu Qatada, from his father, who mentioned the same. Abu Dawud (800) narrated it through the route of Abdul-Razzaq, who said, Mamar informed us, from Yahya, from Abdullah bin Abu Qatada, from his father, who said, "So we thought he meant by that to let people catch the first rakat."The two sheikhs, Bukhari (776) and Muslim, both narrated it from the hadith of Hammam bin Yahya, and Muslim paired it with Abu Aban bin Yazid, both from Yahya bin Abu Kathir with the same chain. In it is mentioned, "and in the last two rakats, with the Mother of the Book," meaning limiting the recitation in the last two rakats to the Fatihah, and this is how Bukhari titled his chapter. This refutes those who say, "He does not recite anything in them, but only glorifies Allah."Ibn Khuzayma (503) said, after narrating it from the hadith of Hammam bin Yahya and Abu Aban bin Yazid, "For a long time I used to think that this report, mentioning the recitation of the Fatihah in the last two rakats of Dhuhr and Asr, was narrated by no one except Abu Aban bin Yazid and Hammam bin Yahya, based on what I used to hear our companions among the scholars of hadith say. But then I found that Uzai, despite his great standing, had also mentioned this addition in his report." He meant that he had feared this addition might be irregular, namely the recitation of the Fatihah in the last two rakats, since some jurists held that nothing should be recited in them and that one should only glorify Allah, until this addition was strengthened for him by the corroboration of Uzai.Ibn Khuzayma said, in his chapter heading for this hadith, "Against those who claimed that a person praying Dhuhr or Asr may choose between reciting the Fatihah in the last two rakats or glorifying Allah in them, and in opposition to the view of those who claimed that one glorifies Allah in the last two rakats and does not recite in them at all."I say, the hadith of Uzai was narrated by Bukhari (778) from Muhammad bin Yusuf, from him, who said, Yahya bin Abu Kathir told me. Except that he did not mention in his report the recitation of the Fatihah in the last two rakats. Al-Hafiz attributed this discrepancy to the companions of Uzai, since they did not agree upon it.As for his statement, "He used to lengthen the first rakat of the Fajr prayer, and likewise in Asr," and in Dhuhr according to one version, this description of the Messenger of Allah's ﷺ prayer has a supporting witness from the hadith of Abu Malik Ashari. Ahmad (22911) narrated it from Abu Nadr, who said, Abu Muawiya, meaning Shayban, and Layth told us, from Shahr bin Hawshab, from Abu Malik Ashari, from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that he used to make the four rakats equal in recitation and standing, but would make the first rakat the longest of them so that people could catch up. He would place the men in front of the boys, the boys behind them, and the women behind the boys. He would say the takbir every time he prostrated and every time he rose, and he would say the takbir every time he stood up between two rakats if he had been sitting.Shahr bin Hawshab has well-known criticism directed at him, but this hadith has sahih supporting witnesses. The lengthening of the first rakat in four-rakat or two-rakat prayers is not mentioned in the other sahih hadiths, as will follow, so this should be understood as something he did at times, while at other times he made the rakats equal.