387 – Salih ibn Khawwat reports, on the authority of someone who performed the fear prayer with the Prophet ﷺ on the day of Dhat al-Riqaʿ, that: “One contingent of his Companions prayed with him while another faced the enemy. He led the group with him in one rakʿah, then remained standing while they completed the prayer on their own. They then withdrew and took their position facing the enemy, whereupon the other contingent came forward. He led them in the remaining rakʿah, then stayed seated while they completed the prayer on their own, after which he pronounced the salutation with them.” Agreed upon; this is Muslim’s wording. In al-Maʿrifah by Ibn Mandah the chain reads: from Salih ibn Khawwat, from his father.(1)

― Vocabulary of the ḥadith ―

• Khawwat: with an open khāʾ and a doubled wāw. Salih ibn Khawwat is one of the well-known Successors.
• Dhat al-Riqaʿ: lit. “the one with patches,” pronounced with a kasrah on the rāʾ, a light fatha on the qāf, then an alif and finally a soft ʿayn. Plural: riqaʿ, meaning a patch of leather or the like. It was the name of an expedition of the Prophet ﷺ toward Najd, against Ghatafan. It received this name because, on that day, some Companions—barefoot due to the rough terrain—wrapped strips of cloth around their feet.
• Fear prayer: from the verb khāfa (to fear); it is the opposite of security. Linguistically, khawf (fear) is the expectation of harm based on a probable or known indication. Here it refers to the legal ruling of the fear prayer when the worshippers are on foot or mounted, according to the enemy’s position and movement. The prayer is ascribed to fear by attributing the act to its cause.