often rise up against rulers who do not govern by Islam, resulting in much civil strife and the shedding of innocent blood—all because of zeal for which they have made no proper preparation. In my view, what is required is to purge Islam of what does not belong to it, such as false beliefs, unsound rulings, and moribund opinions that contradict the sunnah, and then to cultivate the generation upon this purified Islam. Allah is the One whose help is sought.

Discussion of this important issue has already preceded, with some beneficial detail, Allah Most High willing, under the earlier hadith (2552).

2705 — “He would pray four rak'ahs before the Zuhr prayer, prolonging the standing and performing the bowing and prostration well. As for the prayer that he would not omit, whether healthy or ill, travelling or at home, it was the two rak'ahs before Fajr.”

Ahmad (6/43), al-Tabarani in al-Awsat (7610), and al-Khatib in al-Tarikh (6/284–285), in abbreviated form, transmitted it through Qabus, from his father, who said: My father sent a woman to Aishah to ask her, “Which prayer did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, most love to observe consistently?” She said: and she mentioned it.

I say: The narrators of this chain are reliable, apart from Qabus—who is Ibn Abi Zabyan—and he has some weakness, as stated in al-Taqrib. However, he has been corroborated. Thus, al-Tayalisi said in his Musnad (no. 524, according to its arrangement): Qays ibn al-Rabi narrated to us, from Abu Zabyan, from Umm Ja'far, who said: “I asked Aishah about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.” She said: and she mentioned it.

I say: This Qays has weakness similar to that of Qabus, so each of them reinforces the other. This Umm Ja'far apparently is the woman mentioned in the first narration, but I have not identified her. In the section on women’s agnomina in al-Tahdhib, Umm Ja'far is mentioned, with a cross-reference to the biographical entry of Umm Awn. There it states: