What is Sunan Abu Dawud 587 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)), narrated by ‘Amr b. Salamah reported on the authority of his father (Salamah) that they visited the Prophet (ﷺ). When they intended to return, they said:, states: "Messenger of Allah, who will lead us in prayer? He said: The one of you who knows most of the Qur’an, or memorizes most of the Qur’an, (should act as your imam). There was none in the clan who knew mo…"

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 587 in the Book of Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat).

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#586

#587

Sunan Abu Dawud

#588

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Sunan Abu Dawud #587

Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

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

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ مِسْعَرِ بْنِ حَبِيبٍ الْجَرْمِيِّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ سَلِمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّهُمْ وَفَدُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمَّا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَنْصَرِفُوا قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ يَؤُمُّنَا قَالَ ‏"‏ أَكْثَرُكُمْ جَمْعًا لِلْقُرْآنِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ أَوْ ‏"‏ أَخْذًا لِلْقُرْآنِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ جَمَعَ مَا جَمَعْتُهُ - قَالَ - فَقَدَّمُونِي وَأَنَا غُلاَمٌ وَعَلَىَّ شَمْلَةٌ لِي فَمَا شَهِدْتُ مَجْمَعًا مِنْ جَرْمٍ إِلاَّ كُنْتُ إِمَامَهُمْ وَكُنْتُ أُصَلِّي عَلَى جَنَائِزِهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِي هَذَا ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَرَوَاهُ يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ عَنْ مِسْعَرِ بْنِ حَبِيبٍ الْجَرْمِيِّ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَلِمَةَ قَالَ لَمَّا وَفَدَ قَوْمِي إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَمْ يَقُلْ عَنْ أَبِيهِ ‏.‏

Messenger of Allah, who will lead us in prayer? He said: The one of you who knows most of the Qur’an, or memorizes most of the Qur’an, (should act as your imam). There was none in the clan who knew more of the Qur’an than I did. They, therefore, put me in front of them and I was only a boy. And I wore a mantle, Whenever I was present in the gathering of Jarm (name of his clan), I would act as their Imam, and lead them in their funeral prayer until today. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by ‘Amr b. Salamah through a different chain of transmitter. This version has: “When my clan visited the Prophet( may peace be upon him) ....” He did not report it on the authority of his father.

Narrated by ‘Amr b. Salamah reported on the authority of his father (Salamah) that they visited the Prophet (ﷺ). When they intended to return, they said:

Context

This hadith narrates an incident where a group visited the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and inquired about who should lead them in prayer. The Prophet advised that the one who knows the most of the Qur'an should be their imam. This emphasizes the value of knowledge and leadership in religious practices, particularly in communal worship.

Modern Application

In modern settings, this principle can be applied by encouraging individuals to engage in Qur'anic studies and memorization, fostering a sense of community where knowledgeable members can lead prayers. This practice promotes spiritual growth and collective worship.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer and Prophetic Conduct because it illustrates the importance of knowledge in leading prayers and reflects the Prophet's (ﷺ) guidance on community leadership.

Prayer Prophetic Conduct