What is Sunan Abu Dawud 820 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)), narrated by Abu hurairah said:, states: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded me to announce that prayer is not valid but with the recitation of Fatihat al-kitab and something more."

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 820 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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#819

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Sunan Abu Dawud

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Sunan Abu Dawud #820

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 ابْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرٌ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ أُنَادِيَ أَنَّهُ لاَ صَلاَةَ إِلاَّ بِقِرَاءَةِ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ فَمَا زَادَ ‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded me to announce that prayer is not valid but with the recitation of Fatihat al-kitab and something more.

Narrated by Abu hurairah said:

Context

Abu Hurairah narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) emphasized the necessity of reciting the opening chapter of the Quran, Al-Fatiha, in prayer. This instruction underscores the importance of this surah in establishing the validity of the prayer, indicating that it is a fundamental component of the salah that should not be overlooked.

Modern Application

In our daily salah, the recitation of Al-Fatiha is a crucial element that every Muslim must observe. This hadith serves as a reminder to ensure that we recite it attentively and correctly, as it is central to our prayers.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer and Quran because it highlights the essential role of Al-Fatiha in the validity of prayer, emphasizing the connection between worship and the recitation of the Quran.

Prayer Quran