Baqiyyah also narrated it through another chain of transmission, saying: “Buhayr ibn Saʿd narrated to me from Khalid ibn Maʿdan, who said: Jubayr ibn Nufayr narrated to us that ʿUmar al-Jumaʿi narrated to him that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said…” He then cited it. Ahmad recorded it (4/135). This is a good chain of transmission, provided that Baqiyyah retained it accurately; otherwise, the preserved version is what ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr ibn Nufayr narrated from his father, from ʿAmr ibn al-Hamiq, as in the first route. See the biographical entry for this ʿUmar al-Jumaʿi in al-Isabah by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar.

1115 – “The time lies between these two.”

Al-Bazzar recorded it (43): Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us; Khalid ibn al-Harith narrated to us from Humayd, from Anas, who said: “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked about the time of the dawn prayer. He prayed when dawn first broke, then later prayed when it had become light. He then said: ‘Where is the one who asked about the time of the dawn prayer? It lies between …’”

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim. It is among the proofs cited by those who hold that the optimal time for the dawn prayer is while it is still dark at dawn. This was the Messenger’s practice throughout his life, as is established in the authentic hadiths. One should only finish the prayer when daylight has brightened; this is what is meant by his saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Perform the dawn prayer when it has become light, for that brings greater reward.” This is an authentic hadith recorded by al-Bazzar and others from Anas, and by ʿAsim ibn ʿUmar ibn Qatadah from his grandfather. It is also found in the Sunan collections and elsewhere in the hadith of Rafiʿ ibn Khadij. It has been fully referenced in al-Mishkat (614) and al-Irwa (258), which is currently in press.

1116 – “Honor my Companions for my sake, then those who follow them, then those who follow them. Then falsehood will become widespread, until a man gives testimony without being asked to testify and swears an oath without being asked to swear.”

Ibn Majah recorded it (2/64) through Jarir, from ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr, from Jabir ibn Samurah, who said: “ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab delivered a sermon to us at al-Jabiyah and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood before us as I am standing before you, and said…’” He then cited it.