Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 2, Hadith 28
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: What brought you here? He said: (I came) to ask you about three things. He said: What are they? He said: A woman and I may be in a confined space and the time for prayer comes, but if we both pray she will be standing next to me, and if she prays behind me she will have to go out of the space, ‘Umar said: Put a cloth to serve as a screen between you and her, and let her pray alongside you if you wish. (And I asked) about the two rak’ahs after ‘Asr and he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told me not to do them. He said: (And I asked) about stories (for preaching), because they wanted me to tell them stories. He said: Whatever you want. It was as if he did not want to tell him not to do that. He said: I only wanted to follow what you say. He said: I am afraid that if you tell them stories (for preaching), you will think that you are better than them, then you will tell them stories and think that you are better than them, until you imagine that you are as far above them as the Pleiades, then Allah will put you that far beneath their feet on the Day of Resurrection.
حَدَّثَنَا بَهْزٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ شَهِدَ عِنْدِي رِجَالٌ مَرْضِيُّونَ مِنْهُمْ عُمَرُ وَأَرْضَاهُمْ عِنْدِي عُمَرُ أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَقُولُ لَا صَلَاةَ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ حَتَّى تَغْرُبَ الشَّمْسُ وَلَا صَلَاةَ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ.
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 2, Hadith 28
The above hadith is from the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal collection of hadiths. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Musnad represents one of the largest and most significant early collections of prophetic traditions. This massive compilation is uniquely arranged by the names of the companions (Sahabah), devoting individual chapters to each one to consolidate all the narrations they are known to have transmitted. This approach offers profound insights into the teachings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad from the perspective of those who knew him best. The collection is universally esteemed for its authenticity and historical value, serving as a critical resource for scholars. However, because it aims for breadth, it encompasses a wide range of narrations, including some that experts have identified as having less reliable chains of narration alongside its many strong ones.
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For more Hadith in Book 2: Musnad `Umar b. al-Khattab (ra)