2 of 5 · Rajab 9 AH · autumn 630 CE · The road to Tabuk
'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf رضي الله عنه
The Prophet Prays Behind Him
On the expedition to Tabuk the army marched through hardship in the heat. During the journey the Prophet ﷺ went off before dawn to relieve himself, and al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah followed with a vessel of water.
When they came back, the Muslims had already begun the dawn prayer, and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf was leading them. The Prophet ﷺ joined the prayer behind him and completed the rak'ah he had missed after 'Abd al-Rahman finished (Sahih Muslim 274).
It is a rare honour in the Companions' biographies: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself stood in the line behind 'Abd al-Rahman as a follower. Scholars have mentioned the incident as evidence of his standing, and also for its rulings on prayer.
Those who serve quietly can be given the greatest honours without ever seeking them.
Where could you serve without needing to be seen?
- Sahih Muslim 274 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa'l-NihayahHistorical report
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
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