Ibn Sīrīn, that Abū Mūsā, Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj, and Anas ibn Mālik would lie down at the time of the two units before Fajr and instruct others to do so.

He also related (1), from Ma‘mar, from Ayyūb, from Nāfi‘, that Ibn ‘Umar would not do this and would say: “The closing salutation is sufficient.”

He also related (2) from Ibn Jurayj: “Someone I trust informed me that ‘Ā’ishah used to say: ‘The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not lie down to establish a sunnah; rather, he would exert himself throughout the night and then rest.’” He said: “Ibn ‘Umar would throw pebbles at them when he saw them lying on their right sides (3).”

Two groups have gone to extremes concerning this practice of lying down, while a third has taken a middle course (4). Some adherents of the literalist school deemed it obligatory and declared the prayer invalid if it was omitted, including Ibn Hazm and those who agreed with him (5). Some jurists disapproved of it and called it a religious innovation. Mālik and others took a middle course: they saw no harm in it for someone who did it to rest, but disapproved of it for someone who did it as a sunnah practice. Another group considered it recommended without qualification, whether or not one rested by doing so, citing the hadith of Abū Hurayrah as evidence.

Among those who disapproved of it were some who cited reports from the Companions, such as Ibn ‘Umar and others, since