‘Awf did not offer the midmorning prayer. Mujāhid said: “I entered the mosque with ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr and found Ibn ‘Umar sitting beside ‘Ā’ishah’s chamber, while people were offering the midmorning prayer in the mosque. We asked him about their prayer, and he replied, ‘An innovation.’ On another occasion, he said, ‘And what an excellent innovation!’” Al-Sha‘bī said: “I heard Ibn ‘Umar say, ‘The Muslims have introduced nothing better than the midmorning prayer.’” When Anas was asked about the midmorning prayer, he replied: “There are five prayers.”

A third group held that it is recommended (1) to offer it intermittently, on some days but not others. This is one of the two positions reported from Ahmad (2). Al-Tabarī attributed this view to a group of scholars, saying (3): “They supported it with the report narrated by al-Jurayrī from ‘Abd Allāh ibn Shaqīq, who said: ‘I asked ‘Ā’ishah, “Did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, offer the midmorning prayer?” She replied, “No, except when he returned after being away (4).”’” He then cited the previously mentioned hadith of Abū Sa‘īd:

“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would offer the midmorning prayer until we said, ‘He will never leave it,’ and would leave it until we said, ‘He will never offer it.’”

He then said: “An account (5) of those among the early generations who followed this practice:

Shu‘bah narrated from Habīb ibn al-Shahīd, from ‘Ikrimah, who said: ‘Ibn ‘Abbās would offer it for one day and leave it for ten days’—meaning the midmorning prayer (6).”