ḤADĪTH OF THE DAY

“ A man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and asked him about the times for prayer. The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him said, "Stay with us, if God wills." He then instructed Bilāl who called (announced) the start of prayer(1) when dawn broke. Thereafter, he instructed him and Bilāl called the start of prayer when the sun passed its zenith, and he prayed the noon prayer (2). Then, he instructed him and Bilāl called the start of prayer, and he prayed the afternoon prayer (3) while the sun was white and high in the sky. Then, he instructed him to call for the sunset prayer (4) when the highest tip of the sun fell (below the horizon). Then, he instructed him to call for the evening prayer (5) and Bilāl called the start of prayer when the twilight disappeared. The following day, he instructed him [to call for the pre-dawn prayer] when there was clear daylight. Then, he instructed him to call for the noon prayer and waited for the weather to cool and the extreme heat to subside before praying. Then, he instructed him to call for the afternoon prayer, and he (Bilāl) called the start of prayer while the sun was at the end of its time, beyond what it was previously(6). Then, he instructed him to call for the sunset prayer and delayed the sunset prayer until shortly before the twilight disappeared. Then, he instructed him to call for the evening prayer and he (Bilāl) called the start of prayer when one third of the night had passed. Then he said, "Where is the man who inquired about the times for prayer?" The man replied, "Here I am." He (the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him) then said, "The times for prayer are between these two (times)."(7) Footnote: 1. (Iqāmah): A shorter and quicker version of the call to prayer that is made to announce that the prayer is about to start. It is usually made up to twenty minutes after the call to prayer (Athān) to give worshippers time to gather for prayer. 2. Second prescribed prayer of the day. 3. Third prescribed prayer of the day. 4. Fourth prescribed prayer of the day. 5. Fifth prescribed prayer of the day. 6. Meaning that on the second day he prayed the afternoon prayer when the shadow of an object was twice its size, and on the first day he prayed it when the shadow of an object was equal to its size. 7. Meaning that the time that the prayer was made on the first day was the starting point for the prayer time, and the time it was made on the second day was its ending time. ”

Sunan at-Tirmithiy كتاب الدعوات باب ما جاء فى القوم يجلسون فيذكرون الله ما لهم من الفضل

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ حَدَّثَنَا مَرْحُومُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَطَّارُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نَعَامَةَ عَنْ أَبِى عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِىِّ عَنْ أَبِى سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِىِّ قَالَ خَرَجَ مُعَاوِيَةُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ مَا يُجْلِسُكُمْ قَالُوا جَلَسْنَا نَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ قَالَ آللَّهِ مَا أَجْلَسَكُمْ إِلاَّ ذَاكَ قَالُوا وَاللَّهِ مَا أَجْلَسَنَا إِلاَّ ذَاكَ. قَالَ أَمَا إِنِّى مَا أَسْتَحْلِفُكُمْ تُهْمَةً لَكُمْ وَمَا كَانَ أَحَدٌ بِمَنْزِلَتِى مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَقَلَّ حَدِيثًا عَنْهُ مِنِّى إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَرَجَ عَلَى حَلْقَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَقَالَ مَا يُجْلِسُكُمْ. قَالُوا جَلَسْنَا نَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ وَنَحْمَدُهُ لِمَا هَدَانَا لِلإِسْلاَمِ وَمَنَّ عَلَيْنَا بِهِ. فَقَالَ آللَّهِ مَا أَجْلَسَكُمْ إِلاَّ ذَاكَ. قَالُوا آللَّهِ مَا أَجْلَسَنَا إِلاَّ ذَاكَ. قَالَ أَمَا إِنِّى لَمْ أَسْتَحْلِفْكُمْ لِتُهْمَةٍ لَكُمْ إِنَّهُ أَتَانِى جِبْرِيلُ فَأَخْبَرَنِى أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَاهِى بِكُمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ. قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ وَأَبُو نَعَامَةَ السَّعْدِىُّ اسْمُهُ عَمْرُو بْنُ عِيسَى وَأَبُو عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِىُّ اسْمُهُ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَلٍّ.
Muʻāwiyah [Ibn-Abī-Sufyān] went to the mosque and asked [the people he found there], "Why are you sitting here?" They replied, "We are sitting to remember God (1)." He said,"By God, is it only this that made you sit here together?" They replied, "By God, it is only this." He said, "Know that I do not adjure you out of suspicion. No one as close to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, as I has narrated fewer ḥadīth (2) than I did.The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, came across a group of his companions sitting in a circle, so he asked them, "Why are you sitting [like that]?" They replied, "We are sitting to remember God (1) and praise Him for guiding us to Islām and for conferring it upon us". He asked, "By God, is it only this that made you sit together?" They replied, "By God, it is only this." He said, "Know that I do not adjure you out of suspicion, rather because Gabriel (archangel) came to me and told me that God is boasting about you before His angels."
(1) A devotional practice that focuses on feeling God's presence in the different facets of life. It includes several kinds like practical evoking (obeying God's commandments), verbal evoking (supplications, praising, glorifying and exalting God), and evoking by the heart (meditation).