invoking any of those reports and instead turned to a narration whose chain is sound, though it bears no direct relevance to the subject. Al-Nawawī—may Allah have mercy on him—had already taken the same course, adducing another authentic ḥadīth that is nevertheless not explicit in its import. This is the report recorded by Abū Dāwūd in his Sunan with a sound isnād that meets al-Bukhārī’s criteria, from Ayyūb, from Nāfiʿ, who said:

“Ibn ʿUmar used to lengthen the prayer before Jumuʿah and would perform two rakʿahs afterward in his house, and he would relate that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do that.”

On the surface, this seems to indicate that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) practiced both: praying before Jumuʿah and praying after it. Yet the first practice is not intended, as is clear from the version narrated by al-Bukhārī from Ibn ʿUmar and from another narration that will be mentioned. Al-Ḥāfiẓ says in Fatḥ ⦗2/341⦘:

“Al-Nawawī, in al-Khulāṣah, cited this ḥadīth as evidence for a sunnah prayer before Jumuʿah, but it has been countered that his remark, ‘He used to do that’ …”