What is Jami` at-Tirmidhi 368 about?

This hadith from Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Book of The Book on Salat (Prayer)), narrated by Ibn Umar narrated:, states: ""I said to Bilal: 'How did the Prophet (S) reply to them when they gave him Salams and he was performing Salat?' He said: 'He would motion with his hand.'""

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Hasan. Hasan hadiths are considered good and acceptable in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Jami` at-Tirmidhi, which contains 4,053 hadiths across 49 books. It is hadith number 368 in the Book of The Book on Salat (Prayer).

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

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#367

#368

Jami` at-Tirmidhi

#369

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Jami` at-Tirmidhi #368

The Book on Salat (Prayer)

Hasan

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِبِلاَلٍ كَيْفَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِمْ حِينَ كَانُوا يُسَلِّمُونَ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ قَالَ كَانَ يُشِيرُ بِيَدِهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ وَحَدِيثُ صُهَيْبٍ حَسَنٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ اللَّيْثِ عَنْ بُكَيْرٍ ‏.‏ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِبِلاَلٍ كَيْفَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَصْنَعُ حَيْثُ كَانُوا يُسَلِّمُونَ عَلَيْهِ فِي مَسْجِدِ بَنِي عَمْرِو بْنِ عَوْفٍ قَالَ كَانَ يَرُدُّ إِشَارَةً ‏.‏ وَكِلاَ الْحَدِيثَيْنِ عِنْدِي صَحِيحٌ لأَنَّ قِصَّةَ حَدِيثِ صُهَيْبٍ غَيْرُ قِصَّةِ حَدِيثِ بِلاَلٍ ‏.‏ وَإِنْ كَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَوَى عَنْهُمَا فَاحْتَمَلَ أَنْ يَكُونَ سَمِعَ مِنْهُمَا جَمِيعًا ‏.‏

"I said to Bilal: 'How did the Prophet (S) reply to them when they gave him Salams and he was performing Salat?' He said: 'He would motion with his hand.'"

Narrated by Ibn Umar narrated:

Context

This hadith illustrates how the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would respond to greetings while engaged in prayer. Instead of verbally replying, he would gesture with his hand, indicating a practical approach to maintaining focus during salah. This behavior exemplifies the balance between social interaction and devotion in worship.

Modern Application

In daily salah, one can adopt this practice by acknowledging greetings with a simple hand gesture rather than interrupting their prayer. This approach allows individuals to remain focused on their worship while still being courteous to others.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer and Prophetic Conduct because it demonstrates the Prophet's method of responding to greetings while maintaining his focus on prayer, showcasing a model of respectful interaction.

Prayer Prophetic Conduct