Examining hadiths on salah takes us through the fascinating history of how salah was prescribed. Many of us may not realise that the five daily prayers were not prescribed in their final form from the beginning. Rather, Allah Almighty introduced them gradually, through different stages of revelation.
Yet, once their final form was established, the salah remained unchanged in its essential structure. Nearly fifteen hundred years later, Muslims throughout the world continue to pray as the Prophet ﷺ taught his Companions.
The hadith: how salah was prescribed
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اَللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: «أَوَّلُ مَا فُرِضَتْ اَلصَّلَاةُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، فَأُقِرَّتْ صَلَاةُ اَلسَّفَرِ وَأُتِمَّتْ صَلَاةُ اَلْحَضَرِ».
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:
“When salah was first prescribed, it consisted of two rak‘at. Afterwards, the prayer during travelling was maintained as two rak‘at, while the prayer at the place of residence was completed as four rak‘at.”
[Bukhari and Muslim]
Imam al-Bukhari recorded an additional wording:
ثُمَّ هَاجَرَ، فَفُرِضَتْ أَرْبَعًا، وَأُقِرَّتْ صَلَاةُ اَلسَّفَرِ عَلَى اَلْأَوَّلِ
“Then the Prophet ﷺ migrated, and the prayer was prescribed as four rak‘at, while the prayer during travel remained according to its original prescription.”
Imam Ahmad also recorded:
إِلَّا اَلْمَغْرِبَ فَإِنَّهَا وِتْرُ اَلنَّهَارِ، وَإِلَّا اَلصُّبْحَ، فَإِنَّهَا تَطُولُ فِيهَا اَلْقِرَاءَةُ
“Except Maghrib, for it is the Witr of the day, and except Fajr, because the recitation in it is prolonged.”
These narrations give us a picture of how the salah developed, from its earliest beginnings in Makkah to the form in which we perform it today.
The first stage: salah in the early days of Islam
From the very beginning of the Prophet’s ﷺ mission, salah was part of the life of the believers. When the Prophet ﷺ first received revelation at the age of forty, the Muslims began praying in Makkah. In those early days, they performed two rak‘at in the morning and two in the evening.
How did they know how to pray? Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet ﷺ and taught him how to perform wudu and salah. The prayer was therefore not something the Prophet ﷺ devised himself. Its guidance came from Allah Almighty.
When we read the Seerah, we find the Prophet ﷺ praying near the Ka‘bah from the earliest days of his mission, with his Companions praying alongside him. Sometimes they were beaten and persecuted by the polytheists of Quraysh, but despite the hostility, they continued to pray.
Salah was their refuge. Amid the accusations, persecution and relentless opposition, it gave them a sanctuary where they could renew their strength and find tranquillity. This is an important point. Although the five daily prayers had not yet been prescribed in the form we know today, the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions were praying from the earliest days of Islam. Salah was never a later addition to the religion.
The second stage: the Night Journey and Ascension
The next major development came during al-Isra wal-Mi‘raj, the Night Journey and Ascension of the Prophet ﷺ. This took place in Makkah, towards the end of the Makkan period, before the Hijrah. It was during this extraordinary journey that Allah Almighty prescribed the five daily prayers.
Previously, the Muslims had been praying in the morning and evening. Now, five daily prayers were prescribed. But what about the number of rak‘at? Were they four rak‘at each, as some are today? No. At this stage, the prayers generally consisted of two rak‘at each, with the exception of Maghrib, which consisted of three. Maghrib was described as the witr of the day, just as we have the witr prayer at night. Thus, the number of daily prayers increased to five, while the original number of rak‘at remained largely unchanged.
The third stage: the final prescription in Madinah
Following the Prophet’s ﷺ migration to Madinah, the third stage took place. The number of rak‘at for Dhuhr, Asr and Isha was increased from two to four for those residing at home. The traveller’s prayer, however, remained at the original two rak‘at. Maghrib remained three rak‘at because it is the witr of the day, while Fajr remained two rak‘at because of its prolonged recitation.
This is how the five daily prayers came to have the number of rak‘at we know today:
- Fajr: two rak‘at
- Dhuhr: four rak‘at
- Asr: four rak‘at
- Maghrib: three rak‘at
- Isha: four rak‘at
The four-rak‘at obligatory prayers remain two rak‘at for the traveller when the concession of shortening the prayer applies.
When did this change take place?
Imam al-‘Ayni, the great Hanafi scholar and commentator on Sahih al-Bukhari, discussed the historical accounts of when the resident’s prayer was increased from two to four rak‘at.
One report, attributed to Imam al-Dulabi, places the change on the 12th of Rabi‘ al-Akhir, 1 AH, approximately one month after the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah. Other reports place it approximately one year after the Hijrah. Although the precise date is disputed, the change itself is firmly established through the authentic narrations of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).
In a single statement, therefore, Aisha summarised an important part of the history of salah: the prayer was originally prescribed as two rak‘at, the traveller’s prayer remained at two, and the resident’s prayer was completed as four.
This gradual development was part of Allah’s wisdom and mercy. The believers were introduced to salah and became familiar with its recitation, movements and discipline before the full prescription was established.
The remarkable preservation of salah
Now we can appreciate something extraordinary. The number of prayers and rak‘at changed during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ through divine prescription. But once the final form of salah was established, its essential structure did not change. Wherever you go in the world, you find Muslims performing the same five daily prayers.
Travel to Siberia and you will find Muslims praying four rak‘at for Dhuhr, Asr and Isha. Go deep into the remote regions of Africa and you will find Muslims praying the same four, three and two rak‘at, according to what has been prescribed.
The sequence and essential structure of salah are also preserved: standing, recitation, ruku‘, sujud and the other prescribed elements of prayer.
Of course, there are differences in some details between the schools of thought, including certain movements and recitations. But the fundamental structure of salah remains recognisable across the Muslim world.
Muslims do not decide to make Dhuhr five rak‘at or Maghrib four. They follow the prescription that was transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ. This is remarkable when we consider that almost fifteen hundred years have passed and Muslims live in vastly different countries, cultures and societies.
Despite their differences in language, customs and interpretations of certain matters, they continue to perform the same obligatory prayers.
Preserved in its original language
Another remarkable aspect is that salah has retained its original language. The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic, and Muslims throughout the world continue to recite it in Arabic during their prayers. A Muslim in Indonesia, Nigeria, Britain or Saudi Arabia recites the same Surah al-Fatihah.
The Qur’an was conveyed by Allah Almighty through Jibril to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who taught it to his Companions. They passed it to the generations after them, and it has continued to be transmitted from generation to generation until it reached us.
We teach it to our children, and they will teach it to theirs, insha’Allah. Alhamdulillah, this is one of the great blessings of Allah Almighty: the preservation of our worship across both time and place.
The wisdom behind the gradual prescription
When we look back at these stages, we can see the mercy and wisdom of Allah Almighty. Salah was present from the beginning of Islam. It was then developed through divine revelation until the five daily prayers were established in their final form.
The gradual prescription gave the early Muslims time to become accustomed to prayer, while salah itself sustained them through the difficult years in Makkah.
It was not merely an obligation. It was their connection with Allah Almighty, their source of strength and their place of refuge. And that remains true for us today.
Although our circumstances are very different from those of the early Muslims, we turn to the same salah for strength, tranquillity and closeness to Allah.
The essential prayer that sustained the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions continues to sustain believers throughout the world.
The prescription of salah developed, but its final form was preserved. Its origins were divine, its stages were divinely ordained, and its fundamental structure has been transmitted faithfully through the generations. This is a tremendous blessing, and one we should never take for granted.
The prayer of the traveller
The prayer of the traveller, however, remained unchanged at its original two rak‘at. This was a mercy from Allah Almighty, who granted travellers ease by not increasing their obligatory prayers to four rak‘at. While the prayers of residents were completed as four rak‘at, the traveller retained the original prescription of two. This reflects the wisdom of Allah Almighty in making worship manageable, particularly when people face the difficulties and demands of travelling.
Based on the session by Shaykh Haytham Tamim delivered at the hadith class on 10th October 2026.