its time, and because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever catches one rak'ah of the prayer has caught the prayer.” (1)
And Whatever May Be Combined with It Before It
His statement, “and whatever may be combined with it before it,” means: he must also perform the prayer that may be combined with it before it. For example, if he catches enough of the time of the afternoon prayer for one rak'ah, or enough for the opening takbir, then the afternoon prayer is binding upon him, and the noon prayer is binding upon him as well. If he catches this amount of time during the night prayer, then the night prayer and the sunset prayer are both binding upon him. But if he catches this amount of time during the dawn prayer, only the dawn prayer is binding upon him, because it cannot be combined with the prayer before it.
If it is asked: What is the basis for the obligation of the noon prayer in the first example, and of the sunset prayer in the second?
The answer is: textual evidence and rational consideration.
As for the textual evidence, this has been reported from Ibn Abbas and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, may Allah be pleased with them both. (2)
(1) Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim; its documentation has preceded on p. 121.
(2) It was narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf.
As for the report of Abdullah ibn Abbas: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated it in Book of Prayer, chapter “A Menstruating Woman Becomes Pure at the End of the Day,” no. 7206; and al-Darimi in Book of Purification, chapter “A Woman Becomes Pure at Prayer Time or Begins Menstruating,” no. 886, through Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad, from Miqsam, from Ibn Abbas: regarding a menstruating woman who becomes pure before sunset, she is to pray Zuhr and Asr; and if she becomes pure before dawn, she is to pray Maghrib and Isha.
Ibn al-Mundhir narrated it in al-Awsat, 2:243, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra, 1:387, and al-Marifah wa al-Athar, 2:217, through Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad, from Tawus, from Ibn Abbas, with the same wording. That is, Yazid narrates it at one time from Miqsam and at another from Tawus.
Ibn al-Turkumani deemed its chain weak in al-Jawhar al-Naqi because of the weakness of Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad. Yazid is weak, as stated in al-Taqrib. Moreover, it contains the inconsistency mentioned above.
However, Layth ibn Abi Sulaym corroborated him, narrating from Tawus and Ata, from Ibn Abbas, as recorded by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra, 1:378, and al-Marifah wa al-Athar, 2:217. In addition to having become confused in his later years, Layth ibn Abi Sulaym was also narrated from inconsistently: at times, he attributed it to Ibn Abbas, as mentioned above; and at other times, he stopped it at Tawus and Ata, as narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah in the previously cited place, no. 7208.
Ibn al-Turkumani also deemed this chain weak in al-Jawhar al-Naqi.
As for the report of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated it in Book of Prayer, chapter “A Menstruating Woman Becomes Pure at the End of the Day,” no. 7204. From his route, Ibn al-Mundhir narrated it in al-Awsat, 2:243, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra, 1:387, and al-Marifah wa al-Athar, 2:217, through a freedman of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, from Abd al-Rahman, with wording similar to the report of Ibn Abbas.
Ibn al-Turkumani said: “This freedman is unknown.”
Abd al-Razzaq narrated it, no. 1285, from Ibn Jurayj, who said: “I was told from Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf,” and then mentioned it. The identity of the one who informed him is likewise unknown. Thus, the chain is weak.