Before the five daily prayers were prescribed, prayer initially consisted of two units in the morning and two in the evening. It is reported that al-Hasan said concerning the words of Allah, glorified and exalted be He:

“And glorify your Lord with praise in the evening and the morning.” [Ghāfir: 55]

This referred to the Prophet’s prayer in Mecca, when prayer consisted of two units in the morning and two in the evening. Prayer remained prescribed in this form during the nine years that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and the Muslims were in Mecca. Then, one year before the Hijrah, Allah took His servant and Messenger—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque. Gabriel then ascended with him from Jerusalem to the lowest heaven, and continued with him from one heaven to another until he reached the seventh heaven, then the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary. Allah then revealed to His servant what He revealed, and prescribed for him and his community fifty prayers each day and night.

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When I departed with this command, I met Moses son of ‘Imrān in the sixth heaven. He asked, ‘What have you been commanded to do?’ I replied, ‘I have been commanded to perform fifty prayers each day and night.’ He said to me, ‘Your community will not be able to bear that. I have had experience of people before you and endured the greatest hardship with the Children of Israel. Only two prayers each day and night were prescribed for them, yet they could not bear them. Return to your Lord and ask Him to lighten the burden upon your community.’ I did so, and my Lord reduced them to forty prayers. I passed by Moses, and he asked me, ‘What did you do?’ I replied, ‘My Lord reduced them to forty prayers.’ He said, ‘Ask Him to lighten the burden, for your community will not be able to bear that.’ I continued going back and forth between my Lord and Moses, with the number being reduced until He made them five prayers. Then He said to me, ‘I have confirmed My ordinance, lightened the burden upon your community, and granted them ten times the reward for each good deed: thus five count as fifty.’ I then knew that this was a firm decree from my Lord.”

The meaning of his words, “Five count as fifty,” is that they are five in number but fifty through the multiplication of their reward. Allah made each prayer count as ten and, on account of the prescription of the prayers, made every other good deed count tenfold as well. This was a favour from Him to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his community; no prophet before him had been granted this.

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Allah, blessed and exalted be He, has mentioned prayer in terms of its bowing, prostration, standing, recitation and times