Al-Kāfi - The Book of Prayer

Chapter: Matters Accepted From Salah (Prayer) of a Forgetful Person َّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْ٠َّدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ هِشَا٠ٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلا٠َّاراً السَّابَاطِيَّ رَوَى عَنْكَ رِوَايَةً قَالَ وَ٠َا هِيَ قُلْتُ رَوَى أَنَّ السُّنَّةَ فَرِيضَةٌ فَقَالَ أَيْنَ يَذْهَبُ أَيْنَ يَذْهَبُ لَيْسَ هَكَذَا حَدَّثْتُهُ إِنَّ٠َنْ صَلَّى فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى صَلاَتِهِ لَ٠ْ يُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَهُ فِيهَا أَوْ لَ٠ْ يَسْهُ فِيهَا أَقْبَلَ الله عَلَيْهِ ٠َا أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهَا فَرُبَّ٠َا رُفِعَ نِصْفُهَا أَوْ رُبُعُهَا أَوْ ثُلُثُهَا أَوْ خُ٠َرْنَا بِالسُّنَّةِ لِيَكْ٠1.

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Hisham ibn Salim from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), "Ammar al-Sabatiy has narrated from you a Hadith.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘What Hadith is it? 5 I then said, ‘He narrates that Sunnah is obligatory.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Where does he go! Where does he go! I did not speak to him as such.

I only said to him that when performing Salah (prayer) if one is attentive toward it, does not speak to one’s soul in it and does not make mistakes in it, Allah comes forward eagerly to what is performed eagerly. Perhaps one half is raised, one fourth, one third or one fifth is raised. We command to perform Sunnah only to complete what is missed of obligatory ones.’” صحيح - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (15/233))