for circumambulation, nor for the eclipse prayer, nor for the prayer for rain (1), because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions did not take a ritual bath for these acts of worship, although they performed them.

Others cite as evidence what al-Bukhārī included in his Sahīh (2), where he said: “Chapter: Prayer after Friday prayer and before it. ‘Abd Allāh ibn Yūsuf narrated to us: Mālik informed us, on the authority of Nāfi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to pray two units before the noon prayer and two after it, two units after the sunset prayer in his house, and two units before the night prayer. He would not pray after Friday prayer until he had left, when he would pray two units.”

This, however, provides no proof. Al-Bukhārī did not intend thereby to establish a sunnah prayer before Friday prayer. Rather, he meant to ask whether anything had been reported concerning prayer before or after it (3). He then cited this hadith, indicating that the Prophet was only reported (4) to have performed the sunnah prayer (5) after it, and that nothing had been reported concerning prayer before it.

This is similar to what he did in the Book of the Two Eids (6), where he said: “Chapter: Prayer before the Eid prayer (7) and after it. Abū al-Mu‘allā (8) said: I heard Sa‘īd relate from Ibn ‘Abbās that he disliked prayer before the Eid prayer.” He then cited the hadith of Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, “from Ibn ‘Abbās that the Prophet