ḤADĪTH OF THE DAY

“ While the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, was sitting with his companions in the mosque one day, a man who looked like a Bedouin came in. He prayed swiftly then greeted the Prophet peace and blessings of God be upon him, who returned the greeting and said, "Go back and pray for you have not prayed." The Bedouin went back and prayed, then returned, and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, greeted him back and said, "Go back and pray for you have not prayed." He did that two or three times; each time he would come and greet the Prophet, and the Prophet would return the greeting and say, "Go back and pray for you have not prayed." People (1) became alarmed and were distressed [by the fact] that if a prayer is performed quickly, it would not be accepted. The man finally said, "Then show me and teach me for indeed I am human, I do right and I do wrong." The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said, "Indeed. When you get up to pray, perform ablution as God commanded you to do, perform the call to prayer and then perform the prayer. If you have memorized some Qur'ān, recite it or praise God, testify to His Greatness, and bear witness that there is no god except He. Then, bow down and settle in your bow, then stand up straight (3), then prostrate and settle in your prostration, then sit up and settle in your sitting position and get up [to start the next unit of prayer]. If you do that, your prayer is complete; if you leave out any part of it, your prayer will be deficient." This was easier on the Companions than the first [statement made by the Prophet] (4) for it meant that whoever left out a component of the prayer would have that deficiency in his prayer but the whole prayer would not be invalid. Footnotes: (1) The Companions who were sitting in the mosque and witnessing this incident. (2) The opening chapter of the Qur'ān (al-Fāti ḥah) must be recited in every unit of prayer, and an additional section of Qur'ān may be recited afterwards. (3) Similarly, until your bones in your have settled. (4) "Go back and pray for you have not prayed" ”

Sunan at-Tirmithiy كتاب الصوم باب ما جاء عاشوراء أى يوم هو

حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادٌ وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ عَنْ حَاجِبِ بْنِ عُمَرَ عَنِ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ الأَعْرَجِ قَالَ انْتَهَيْتُ إِلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَهُوَ مُتَوَسِّدٌ رِدَاءَهُ فِى زَمْزَمَ فَقُلْتُ أَخْبِرْنِى عَنْ يَوْمِ عَاشُورَاءَ أَىُّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ أَصُومُهُ فَقَالَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ هِلاَلَ الْمُحَرَّمِ فَاعْدُدْ ثُمَّ أَصْبِحْ مِنَ التَّاسِعِ صَائِمًا. قَالَ فَقُلْتُ أَهَكَذَا كَانَ يَصُومُهُ مُحَمَّدٌ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ نَعَمْ.
Al- Ḥakam Ibnul-A'raj said, "I came to Ibn-'Abbās , who he was bolstered on his cloak at Zamzam, and said, 'Tell me which day is the Day of 'Āshūrā' (2) so that I fast it.' He replied, 'When you see the crescent (3) of [the month of] Muharram, count [the days] then begin fasting from the ninth day (4).' I asked, 'Is this how Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, used to fast ['Āshūrā']?' He confirmed, 'yes.'" Footnotes: 1. The well located in the vicinity of the Sanctified House of God, the Ka'bah, where the prophet Ishmael's mother, Hagar, found water under her son's feet. The well produces water to this day. 2. The day on which prophet Moses used to fast to give thanks to God for saving the Children of Israel from their enemy. Fasting on the Day of 'Ashūrā' is optional. However, the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said that the reward for fasting on that day is the expiation of sins committed during the year leading up to it. 3. The appearance of the crescent signals the beginning of the month. 4. The majority of scholars consider the Day of 'Āshūrā' to be the tenth of Muharram. Ibn-'Abbās also narrated another hadīth clearly identifying the tenth of Muharram as the Day of Āshūrā'. However, the Jews of Madīnah used to fast on that day long before the arrival of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him. In order to distinguish the Muslims from them, the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, decided to fast an extra day the following year; only he did not live long enough to do so. In which case, he would indeed have started to fast the morning of the ninth of Muharram, as indicated by Ibn-'Abbās. Click on ḥadīth to read more