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 532 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.

‹

#531

#532

Sunan Abu Dawud

#533

›

Sunan Abu Dawud #532

Q: What is Sunan Abu Dawud 532 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)), narrated by Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:, states: "Bilal made a call to prayer before the break of dawn; the Prophet (ﷺ), therefore, commanded him to return and make a call: Lo! the servant of Allah (i.e. I) had slept (hence this mistake). The…"

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، وَدَاوُدُ بْنُ شَبِيبٍ، - الْمَعْنَى - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ بِلاَلاً، أَذَّنَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ فَأَمَرَهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَرْجِعَ فَيُنَادِيَ ‏ "‏ أَلاَ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ قَدْ نَامَ أَلاَ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ قَدْ نَامَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ زَادَ مُوسَى فَرَجَعَ فَنَادَى أَلاَ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ نَامَ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ لَمْ يَرْوِهِ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ إِلاَّ حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ‏.‏

Bilal made a call to prayer before the break of dawn; the Prophet (ﷺ), therefore, commanded him to return and make a call: Lo! the servant of Allah (i.e. I) had slept (hence this mistake). The version of Musa has the addition: He returned and made a call: Lo! the servant of Allah had slept. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by al-Darawardi from 'Ubaid Allah on the authority of Ibn 'Umar saying: There was a mu'adhdhin of 'Umar, named Mas'ud. He then narrated the rest of the tradition. This version is more correct than that one.

Narrated by Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:

Context

This hadith recounts an incident involving Bilal, the Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) mu'adhdhin, who mistakenly called the adhan before dawn. The Prophet (ﷺ) instructed him to return and announce that the servant of Allah had slept, highlighting the importance of timing in prayer. This situation emphasizes the significance of adhering to proper prayer times and the understanding that human errors can occur.

Modern Application

In today's world, this principle reminds us to be mindful of our responsibilities and the timing of our actions. For instance, when setting alarms for Fajr prayer, we should ensure they are set correctly to avoid missing the prayer, reflecting the importance of diligence in our daily routines.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer and Prophetic Conduct because it illustrates the proper timing for prayer and the Prophet's (ﷺ) guidance in correcting a mistake.

Prayer Prophetic Conduct