Muwatta Malik #379
Shortening the Prayer
The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.
وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ أَبِي سُهَيْلِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ فَقَامَتِ الصَّلاَةُ وَأَنَا أُكَلِّمُهُ، فِي أَنْ يَفْرِضَ، لِي فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أُكَلِّمُهُ وَهُوَ يُسَوِّي الْحَصْبَاءَ بِنَعْلَيْهِ حَتَّى جَاءَهُ رِجَالٌ قَدْ كَانَ وَكَلَهُمْ بِتَسْوِيَةِ الصُّفُوفِ . فَأَخْبَرُوهُ أَنَّ الصُّفُوفَ قَدِ اسْتَوَتْ فَقَالَ لِي اسْتَوِ فِي الصَّفِّ . ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ .
Yahya related to me from Malik from his paternal uncle, Abu
Suhayl ibn Malik, that his father said, "I was with Uthman ibn Affan
when the iqama was said for the prayer and I was talking to him about
being assigned a definite allowance by him. I continued talking to him
while he was levelling some small stones with his sandals, and then
some men that he had entrusted to straighten the rows came and told
him that the rows were straight. He said to me, 'Line up in the row,'
and then he said the takbir."
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About Muwatta Malik
This hadith is #379 from Muwatta Malik, in the Book of Shortening the Prayer.