یہ باب فرض نماز ولی تعداد رکعت اوران کے ثبوت کے بیان میں ہے

In the conditions of the Madhhab, it is stated that the seventeen Rak'ahs of the five daily prayers are obligatory throughout the day and night, as follows: two Rak'ahs at Fajr, four at Dhuhr, four at 'Asr, three at Maghrib, and four at 'Isha. The following Hadiths are considered as evidence for this:

The First Hadith

It is narrated from Anas (RA) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed four rak'ahs of the Zuhr obligatory prayer in Madinah al-Munawwarah, and (while traveling, when he reached Dhu al-Hudaybiyah,) he prayed two rak'ahs of the 'Asr obligatory prayer (in shortened form) in Dhu al-Hudaybiyah.

The second Hadith

It is narrated from Abu Harb ibn Abi al-Aswad al-Duayli (RA) that when he set out with the intention of travel and was still within the populated area, he saw that Ali (RA) performed four rak’ahs of the Zuhr prayer. Then he advised, 'If you pass through this populated area, then perform the shortened prayer (qasr).'

This is reported by Ibn al-Mubarak and Abd al-Razzaq has also narrated it in this manner.

The Performance of the Obligatory Prayers of Asr, Maghrib, and Isha

3 - It is narrated from Ibn Umar (RA) that he said: 'I prayed four rak'ahs of the Asr prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and after that, he did not pray any additional prayer until the time of Maghrib came. Then he performed three rak'ahs of the Maghrib prayer and two sunnah rak'ahs afterwards. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) then said: 'The Maghrib prayer is the witr of the day, and its performance consists of three rak'ahs, which are read during travel, and not in residence (and when the time for the Isha prayer had not yet come), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) performed four rak'ahs of the Isha prayer and two sunnah rak'ahs afterwards.'

(Imam Tahawi has narrated this.)

The Performance of Two Rak'ahs Before the Five Obligatory Prayers

4 - It is narrated from Hasan Basri (RA) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) returned from the night journey (Mi'raj) in the morning, he stopped his people from performing the prayer of Lut (may Allah's curse be upon him). When the sun was at midday, an announcement was made among the Muslims to gather for prayer. They all gathered, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) led them in four rak'ahs of the Zuhr prayer, in which he recited the Quran in a measured manner. Jibril (peace be upon him) was standing before the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and the people were following the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), who was following the example of Jibril (peace be upon him). Then he gave the Muslims some respite until the sun began to decline.

The procedure was clear and there was no ambiguity; thus, it was announced that people should gather for prayer. The people gathered, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ led them in four rak'ahs of the 'Asr prayer, which were shorter in duration than the Zuhr prayer. In these prayers, the Prophet ﷺ did not recite the Qur'an aloud but read it quietly, following the example of Gabriel (peace be upon him), and the people followed the example of the Prophet ﷺ. Then, he sent the people away until the sun had set, when it was announced again that people should gather for prayer. When the people gathered, the Prophet ﷺ led them in three rak'ahs of the Maghrib prayer, reciting the Qur'an quietly in all three rak'ahs. The Prophet ﷺ was in front of the people, and Gabriel (peace be upon him) was in front of the Prophet ﷺ. The people followed the example of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ followed the example of Gabriel (peace be upon him). They remained until the twilight had disappeared and the night had fully set in, when it was announced once more that people should gather for prayer. The people gathered, and the Prophet ﷺ led them in four rak'ahs of the Isha prayer. He recited the Qur'an quietly in both sermons, but did not recite it aloud in the last sermon. The Prophet ﷺ was in front of the people, and Gabriel (peace be upon him) was in front of the Prophet ﷺ. The people followed the example of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ followed the example of Gabriel (peace be upon him). Then, the people remained throughout the night, unsure if there was any other prayer besides these. Finally, when the true dawn appeared, it was announced that people should gather for prayer. When the people gathered, the Prophet ﷺ led them in two rak'ahs of the Fajr prayer, reciting the Qur'an quietly and reading short surahs. Gabriel (peace be upon him) was in front of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ was in front of the people.

The people were following the example of their Prophet ﷺ, and he ﷺ was following the example of Gabriel (peace be upon him). This is narrated by Al-Buwayd in his chains of transmission, and it is mentioned that there are two versions of this hadith that are marfu‘: one by Hasan Basri (RA) and the other by Zuhri (RA). Imam Abd al-Haq (may Allah have mercy on him) has recorded both in his book Al-Ahkam through Al-Buwayd, and he stated that both are sound in terms of their chains of transmission.

It is narrated that Hazrat Umar (RA) said: In travel, (the four-rak'ah prayer is shortened, but) the full rak'ahs are recited, and the two rak'ahs of the Eid prayers (both Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr) are also obligatory, and the Friday prayer's obligatory rak'ahs are also full. Both Eids and Jumu'ah have their full rak'ahs, which were prescribed by the blessed tongue of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (SAW) in this manner, and they are not shortened; rather, from the beginning, the full rak'ahs were made obligatory. (This narration has been reported by Nasa'i and Ibn Majah, and Ibn Hibban has also reported it in his work. Tahaawi has also narrated it in this way.)