because of the length of its recitation.’ She added: ‘And whenever he travelled, he would perform the first prayer (i.e., Ẓuhr) as it had originally been prescribed.’ Ahmad (6/241 & 265) narrated it through Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind → al-Shaʿbī → ʿĀʾishah; the chain is authentic according to the criteria of Muslim. Ahmad (6/272) also records a second route from her with similar wording and a sound chain. An abridged form is found in al-Bukhārī and Muslim, though without mention of Fajr and Maghrib.

This does not contradict the report of Ibn ʿAbbās: ‘Allah ordained the prayer, through the tongue of your Prophet ﷺ, as four units while resident, two units on a journey, and one unit in time of fear,’ Muslim (2/143) and others, for that narration describes the ruling as it ultimately settled.

5 – Whoever abandons the prayer is in danger of falling into disbelief. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Between a man and disbelief stands the abandonment of the prayer,’ Muslim. Hibat Allah al-Ṭabarī adds, ‘If he leaves it, he has committed shirk.’ Al-Mundhirī remarked, ‘Its chain is sound.’

He ﷺ also said, ‘The covenant that lies between us and them is the prayer; whoever abandons it has disbelieved,’ (Ahmad, al-Nasāʾī, al-Tirmidhī: sound; Muslim: authentic – see Naqd al-Tāj).

For this reason the Companions of Muhammad ﷺ held that no deed, when neglected, amounts to disbelief except the prayer. Al-Tirmidhī transmits this from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shaqīq al-ʿUqaylī; al-Ḥākim supplies the name of Abū Hurayrah in the chain, and it is authentic.

Accordingly, on the Day of Resurrection such a person will be raised in the company of the great idolaters. The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Whoever guards the prayer will have light, proof, and salvation on the Day of Resurrection, whereas whoever neglects it will have no light, no proof, and no salvation.’