What is Sunan Abu Dawud 482 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)), narrated by Abu al-‘Ala’ reported on the authority of his father:, states: "I came to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) who was saying prayer. He spat beneath his left foot."

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Abu Dawud, which contains 5,276 hadiths across 43 books. It is hadith number 482 in the Book of Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat).

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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#481

#482

Sunan Abu Dawud

#483

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Sunan Abu Dawud #482

Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

Sahih

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

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا سَعِيدٌ الْجُرَيْرِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي الْعَلاَءِ، عَنْ مُطَرِّفٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي فَبَزَقَ تَحْتَ قَدَمِهِ الْيُسْرَى ‏.‏

I came to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) who was saying prayer. He spat beneath his left foot.

Narrated by Abu al-‘Ala’ reported on the authority of his father:

Context

In this narration, Abu al-‘Ala’ describes witnessing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ spitting beneath his left foot while in prayer. This act illustrates the natural human behaviors that can occur even during worship, reminding followers that maintaining focus in prayer is important but does not eliminate the human experience.

Modern Application

This teaching can encourage individuals to remain focused during prayer while also understanding that minor distractions are part of the human experience. It serves as a reminder to maintain humility and awareness during acts of worship.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer because it depicts an action of the Prophet ﷺ during prayer, highlighting the balance between focus and natural behavior.

Prayer