The Imam (‘a) thus answered: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ يُصَلِّي ثَمَانِيَ رَكَعَاتِ الزَّوَالِ وَأَرْبَعاً الأُولَى، وَثَمانِياً بَعْدَهَا، وَأَرْبَعاً الْعَصْرَ، وَثَلاَثاً الْمَغْرِبَ، وَأَرْبَعاً بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ، وَالعِشَاءَ الآخِرَةَ أَرْبَعاً، وَثَمَانِيَ صَلاَةَ اللَّيْلِ، وَثَلاَثاً الْوِتْرَ، وَرَكْعَتَيِ الْفَجْرِ وَصَلاَةَ الْغَدَاةِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ. The Holy Prophet (S) offered eight units before the four units of the obligatory afternoon prayer.
He offered four units of the obligatory afternoon prayer; then three units of the obligatory sunset prayer with four units after that; four units of the obligatory early night prayer; eight units of the night prayer with three units of the Witr prayer; two units of the obligatory dawn prayer with two units after that.
[^3] Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said: شِيعَتُنَا أَهْلُ الْوَرَعِ وَأَهْلُ الْوَفَاءِ وَالأَمَانَةِ وَأَهْلُ الزُّهْدِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ، أَصْحَابُ إحْدَى وَخَمْسِينَ رَكْعَةً فِي الْيَوْمِ وَاللَّيْلَةِ، الْقَائِمُونَ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالصَّائِمُونَ بِالنَّهَارِ، يُزَكُّونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ، وَيَحِجُّونَ الْبَيْتَ وَيَجْتَنِبُونَ كُلَّ مُحَرَّمٍ. Our Shi’ah are the people of piety, faithfulness, and honesty. They are the people of asceticism and worship.
They perform fifty-one units of prayer in a single day and night. They pass their nights in devotional acts and their days fasting. They purify their wealth, go on pilgrimage to the House of God, and refrain from committing any forbidden act.
[^4] In the book entitled Misbah al-Mutahajjid , Shaykh al-Tusi reports Imam al-Askari (‘a) as saying: عَلاَمَاتُ الْمُؤْمِنِ خَمْسٌ: صَلاَةُ الْخَمْسِينَ، وَزِيَارَةُ الأَرْبَعِينَ، وَالتَّخَتُّمُ فِي الْيَمِينِ، وَتَعْفِيرُ الْجَبِينِ، وَالْجَهْرُ بِبِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ.
The signs of true faithful believers are five: Offering the fifty prayers, visitation (of holy shrines) on the Day of Arba’in, wearing a ring on the right hand, pressing the forehead, and raising the voice with bismi-llahir-rahmanir-rahim. [^5] , [^6] More Privileges The (‘a) School has had a number of advantages over the other Muslim sects with regard to prayer and its details.