English Translation

Yahya ibn Ghaylan told us, Rishdin — meaning Ibn Sa'd — told us, Amr ibn al-Harith told me, and he said: Rishdin also told me, from Salim ibn Ghaylan al-Tujibi, that Sulayman ibn Abi Uthman told him, from Hatim ibn Adi, or Adi ibn Hatim al-Himsi, from Abu Dharr, who said: I said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "I want to spend the night with you tonight so that I may pray as you pray." He said: "You will not be able to keep up with my prayer." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) got up to wash himself, screening himself with a garment while I turned away from him, and he washed. Then I did the same. Then he got up to pray, and I stood with him, until I found myself striking my head against the walls from the length of his prayer. Then Bilal called the adhan for the prayer, and he said: "Have you done it?" He said: "Yes." He said: "O Bilal, you call the adhan when dawn is spreading brightly across the sky, but that is not dawn; dawn is rather like this, stretched across the horizon." Then he called for the pre-dawn meal and ate it.