وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيُّ
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَخْرُجُ يَوْمَ الْأَضْحَى ويم الْفِطْرِ فَيَبْدَأُ بِالصَّلَاةِ فَإِذَا صَلَّى صَلَاتَهُ قَامَ فَأقبل عل النَّاسِ وَهُمْ جُلُوسٌ فِي مُصَلَّاهُمْ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ حَاجَة ببعث ذِكْرَهُ لِلنَّاسِ أَوْ كَانَتْ لَهُ حَاجَةٌ بِغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ أَمَرَهُمْ بِهَا وَكَانَ يَقُولُ: «تَصَدَّقُوا تَصَدَّقُوا تَصَدَّقُوا».
وَكَانَ أَكْثَرَ مَنْ يَتَصَدَّقُ النِّسَاءُ ثُمَّ ينْصَرف فَلم يزل كَذَلِك حَتَّى كَانَ مَرْوَان ابْن الْحَكَمِ فَخَرَجْتُ مُخَاصِرًا مَرْوَانَ حَتَّى أَتَيْنَا الْمُصَلَّى فَإِذَا كَثِيرُ بْنُ الصَّلْتِ قَدْ بَنَى مِنْبَرًا مِنْ طِينٍ وَلَبِنٍ فَإِذَا مَرْوَانُ يُنَازِعُنِي يَدَهُ كَأَنَّهُ يَجُرُّنِي نَحْوَ الْمِنْبَرِ وَأَنَا أَجُرُّهُ نَحْوَ الصَّلَاة فَلَمَّا رَأَيْت ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ قُلْتُ: أَيْنَ الِابْتِدَاءُ بِالصَّلَاةِ؟
فَقَالَ: لَا يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ قَدْ تُرِكَ مَا تَعْلَمُ قُلْتُ: كَلَّا وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَا تأتون بِخَير مِمَّا أعلم ثَلَاث مَرَّات ثمَّ انْصَرف
God’s Messenger used to go out on the day of sacrifice and the day of the breaking of the fast, first of all pray, and when he had prayed stand up facing the people while they were seated in their place of prayer. If he had cause to send out an expedition he mentioned it to the people, or if he required anything else he gave them commands about it, and he would say, “Give alms, give alms, give alms.”
Those who gave most were the women. Then he would go away. This practice went on till the time of Marwan b. al-Hakam.* I went out hand in hand with Marwan, and when we came to the place of prayer we saw that Kathir b. as Salt had built a pulpit of clay and brick. Marwan began to tug me with his hand as though he were pulling me towards the pulpit, while I was pulling him towards the prayer.
When I saw what he was doing I said, “What has happened to the practice of beginning with prayer?” He replied, “No, Abu Said, what you are familiar with has been abandoned.”
I thereupon said three times, “By no means, by Him in whose hand my soul is, you are not doing something better than what I am familiar with.” Then he went away. *Ummayyad Caliph, 64-65 A.H.