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 516 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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#515

#516

Sunan Abu Dawud

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Sunan Abu Dawud #516

Q: What is Sunan Abu Dawud 516 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)), narrated by Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:, states: "when the call to prayer is made; the devil turns his back and breaks wind so as not to hear the call being made; but when the call is finished, he turns round. When the second call to prayer (iqamah)…"

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 الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِذَا نُودِيَ بِالصَّلاَةِ أَدْبَرَ الشَّيْطَانُ وَلَهُ ضُرَاطٌ حَتَّى لاَ يَسْمَعَ التَّأْذِينَ فَإِذَا قُضِيَ النِّدَاءُ أَقْبَلَ حَتَّى إِذَا ثُوِّبَ بِالصَّلاَةِ أَدْبَرَ حَتَّى إِذَا قُضِيَ التَّثْوِيبُ أَقْبَلَ حَتَّى يَخْطِرَ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَنَفْسِهِ وَيَقُولَ اذْكُرْ كَذَا اذْكُرْ كَذَا لِمَا لَمْ يَكُنْ يَذْكُرُ حَتَّى يَضِلَّ الرَّجُلُ إِنْ يَدْرِي كَمْ صَلَّى ‏"‏ ‏.‏

when the call to prayer is made; the devil turns his back and breaks wind so as not to hear the call being made; but when the call is finished, he turns round. When the second call to prayer (iqamah) is made, he turns his back, and when the second call is finished, he turns round and suggest notions in the mind of the man (at prayer) to distract his attention, saying: remember such and such, referring to something the man did not have n mind, with the result that he does not know how much he has prayed.

Narrated by Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:

Context

In this hadith, Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) described how the devil reacts to the call to prayer. When the adhan is called, the devil turns away and makes noise to avoid hearing it. After the call, he returns to distract the worshippers during their prayers, causing them to lose track of their actions. This highlights the importance of being aware of distractions during prayer.

Modern Application

In our daily salah, it's common to face distractions, whether from our thoughts or the environment. This hadith reminds us to focus on our prayers and seek to minimize interruptions, ensuring that we maintain our connection with Allah during our worship.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer and Spiritual Vigilance because it emphasizes the significance of prayer and the need for mindfulness to counter distractions during worship.

Prayer Spiritual Vigilance