We were on the bank of a river in al-Ahwaz from which the water had receded. Abu Barza al-Aslami came riding a horse, dismounted, and began to pray, leaving his horse loose. The horse wandered off, so he interrupted his prayer and went after it until he caught it. Then he came back and completed his prayer.Among us was a man with strong opinions, and he started saying, "Look at this old man, he abandoned his prayer for the sake of a horse."Abu Barza came forward and said, "No one has rebuked me since I parted from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ." He said, "My home is far away, and if I had prayed and let the horse go, I would not reach my family until nightfall."He mentioned that he had accompanied the Prophet ﷺ and witnessed how he made things easy.In another narration he said, "I went on six, or seven, or eight military expeditions with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and I witnessed how he made things easy. For me to return with my mount is dearer to me than to leave it to return to its familiar place, which would cause me hardship."
كنا على شاطئ نهر بالأهواز، قد نضب عنه الماء. فجاء أبو برزة الأسلمي على فرس، فصلى، وخلى فرسه، فانطلقت الفرس. فترك صلاته، وتبعها حتى أدركها، فأخذها، ثم جاء فقضى صلاته، وفينا رجل له رأي فأقبل يقول: انظروا إلى هذا الشيخ، ترك صلاته من أجل فرس. فأقبل فقال: ما عنفني أحد منذ فارقت رسول الله ﷺ وقال: إن منزلي متراخ، فلو صليت وتركت لم آت أهلي إلى الليل. وذكر أنه صحب النبي ﷺ فرأى من تيسيره. وفي رواية قال: وإني غزوت مع رسول الله ﷺ ست غزوات أو سبع غزوات وثمان، وشهدت تيسيره، وإني إن كنت أن أرجع مع دابتي أحب إلي من أن أدعها ترجع إلى مألفها، فيشق علي.
Bukhari narrated it in Al-Adab (6127) from Abu Numan, who said, Hammad bin Zayd narrated to us, from Azraq bin Qays, with the same wording. Ibn Khuzayma also narrated it (866) from Ahmad bin Abdah, who said, Hammad, meaning Ibn Zayd, informed us, with the same chain, except that it states that he saw Abu Barza Aslami praying, with the rein of his riding animal in his hand. When he bowed in ruku, the rein slipped from his hand and the animal ran off. He said, Abu Barza stepped backward on his heels and did not turn away until he caught up with the animal and took hold of it. Then he walked back just as he was, returned to the spot where he had been praying, completed his prayer, and then said the closing salutation.This narration indicates that he did not break off his prayer, but rather walked to catch the animal. This is supported by the established narration in Bukhari, in the chapter on actions during prayer (1211), from Adam, who said, Shuba narrated to us, who said, Azraq bin Qays narrated to us, saying, We were in Al-Ahwaz fighting the Haruriyya. While I was on the bank of a river, there was a man praying, with the bridle of his riding animal in his hand. The animal kept pulling against him, and he kept following it. Shuba said, He was Abu Barza Aslami. A man from the Khawarij started saying, "O Allah, deal with this old man as he deserves." When the old man finished, he said, "I heard what you said." Then he went on to relate the rest of the hadith.This is further supported by what is established in other narrations, "He took hold of it, then walked backward." Reconciling the two narrations, the phrase about leaving the prayer does not mean breaking off the prayer, but rather that he followed the animal to catch it while still remaining within his prayer.This hadith serves as evidence for the jurists who hold the view that whenever there is something, whether personal belongings or otherwise, whose loss is feared, it is permissible to break off the prayer for its sake, if indeed leaving the prayer here meant breaking it off and invalidating it.