Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
Though the title of the chapter is general, the hadīths included in this chapter relate to the night prayer.
261. Al-Mughīrah ibn Shu’bah narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) performed prayers of such length that his feet would become swollen. It was said to him, ‘You exert yourself to such a degree yet Allāh has forgiven your past and future sins?’ The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘Should I not be a grateful servant?’” [303]
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalānī said,
This response of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) could be expanded in other words as: “Praying at night is to show appreciation and thankfulness for Allāh’s forgiveness; hence how could it be possible for me to stop this!”
If a person fears becoming bored due to excessive worship, then he should not force himself to do it. If otherwise, one should push himself to worship as much as possible.
Ibn ‘Allan al-Shafi’ī said,
The companion thought that the reason the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) underwent such difficulties in worship was because he feared the punishment of his sins or hoped for the reward [of the prayers]. But the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) clarified that the reason was nobler and higher: to show appreciation, gratitude and acknowledgement of one’s servitude.
Alī al-Qārī said,
The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) is infallible and the sins referred to in this hadīth are not understood at face value because the good deeds of the pious are viewed as sins for the ones in higher ranks (meaning: the inability of a person to praise, worship, thank Allāh and give Him His due right is looked upon as a shortcoming that equals sins for those who are at a higher state).
262. Abū Hurairah narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to pray at night until his feet became swollen. It was said to him, ‘You do this although Allāh has forgiven your past and future sins?’ The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) replied, ‘Should I not be a grateful servant?’” [304]
263. Abū Hurairah narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) performed such lengthy prayers that his feet became swollen. It was said to him, ‘You do this although Allāh has forgiven your past and future sins?’ The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said, ‘Should I not be a grateful servant?’” [305]
264. Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd enquired from Aisha regarding the prayer of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) at night. She replied: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to sleep for the first half portion of the night (after praying Ishā). He would then wake up and pray at night but when the time of the last sixth of the night entered, he would pray the witr and then go to his bed. If he had a desire, he would approach his wife. And, when he would hear the call for prayer, he would get up actively. If he was in a state of major ritual impurity, he performed ghusl. If not, he performed ablution and then went to pray.” [306]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The beginning of the night starts from sunset but the time intended in this hadīth refers to after the prayer of Ishā because the Prophet (peace be upon him) disliked sleeping before Ishā and disliked talking after it, so he would sleep right after praying Ishā.
He used to wake up after the middle of the night as explained in the authentic hadīth found in Sahīh al-Bukharī (1131) and Sahīh Muslim (1159).
Al-Bajūrī said,
The intention of the question regarding his prayer at night was to ask about the time that he used to pray the night prayers and witr.
It is possible that he (peace be upon him) performed ablution because his ablution was nullified for a reason other than sleeping or that he renewed his ablution. This hadīth teaches us to care for the acts of worship, not to be lazy in sleep and to perform the worship whilst being active and energetic.
265. ‘Abdullāh ibn Abbās reported that he once slept at the house of his maternal aunt Maymūnah. He said: “I slept on the width of the cushion and the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) slept on the length of the cushion and he slept until the middle of the night, or a little before or after that. He (peace be upon him) then awoke, began wiping off the signs of sleep from his face and then recited the last ten ayāt of Sūrah al-‘Imrān.
He then stood and used the water he found in a leather bag that was hanging to perform his ablution. He performed his ablution thoroughly and commenced the prayer.”
‘Abdullāh ibn Abbās added: “I stood next to him [on his left]. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) put his right hand on my head, took hold of my ear and twisted it. He performed two units, then two units, then two units, then two units, then two units, then two units. [Ma’n (a narrator of this hadīth from Ibn ‘Abbās) says the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) prayed two units six times (a total of twelve units)].
The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) then performed the witr and lied down [for a short period] until the mu’adhin came to inform him of the Fajr prayer. He then prayed two short units and headed for the masjid.” [307]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The reason Ibn Abbās slept at the house of his maternal aunt was because his father, al-Abbās (the uncle of the Prophet) wanted to know the worship of the Prophet (peace be upon him) at night so he could follow his guidance.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) normally slept upon a bed besides one of his wives and this was his habit. However, whenever he wanted to perform worship he would leave his wives and focus on his worship. This way he fulfilled the rights of his wives and did justice to the rights of his Lord.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
It can be extracted from this hadīth that it is recommended to recite the last ten ayāt of Sūrah al-Imrān after waking up and that it is allowed to recite the Qur’ān in a state of minor ritual impurity.
He twisted the ear of Ibn Abbās either to notify him that he was not following the Sunnah when he stood on his left side, to keep him alert so that he could memorise the Sunnah or to remove his sleepiness.
The habit of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was to pray the witr at the end of the night but sometimes he prayed it at the mid-point and sometimes at the beginning. The variation most likely occurred due to the necessities of different situations, as it is possible that he prayed the witr at the beginning of the night due to sickness and at the middle of the night because he was travelling.
The fiqh of this hadīth is:
· It is recommended for a congregation made of two that the person following the imām stands to his right side, and to move to the right side if he was standing on the left side. If he does not move to the correct side, it is recommended for the imām to move him to his right side.
· It is recommended for the imām to physically instruct the person praying behind him to the Sunnah if he notices him not following it. This shows that a small amount of physical action in the prayer does not nullify the prayer, and it can be the Sunnah in some cases as exemplified in this hadīth.
· The congregation is valid with a young boy and he takes the same ruling as adults in congregation.
· It is valid to pray a voluntary prayer in congregation.
· It is recommended to pray the witr and voluntary prayers, two units by two units.
· It is recommended for the muadhin to notify the imām in person to come to the prayer.
· It is recommended to make the Sunnah of Fajr short.
266. ‘Abdullah ibn Abbās narrated: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray during the night thirteen units.” [308]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
There are other hadīths stating that he (peace be upon him) prayed eleven units and nine units. However, scholars understood these hadīths in the context that each refers to a different situation and incident.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The thirteen units mentioned consist of two units as the Sunnah of Ishā or the Sunnah of ablution and eleven units as witr.
267. Aisha reported: “Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) could not pray the night prayers due to sleep or excessive fatigue; he would pray twelve units during the daytime.” [309]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This shows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not pray witr during the daytime. It teaches us that if a person misses his regular night prayers, it is prescribed for him to make them up during the day.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The night prayers mentioned in the hadith refer to the tahajjud and witr.
The reason the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not pray at night, based on the wording of the hadīth, shows that the narrator was uncertain as he mentioned two possibilities, each of which gives a different meaning i.e. if the reason was that he slept, that means he made the choice to sleep though he could stay awake, but if the reason was that he was too fatigued, it means that he was in a state where he could not stay awake.
268. Abū Hurairah narrated: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘When one awakes at night, let him begin [his night prayers] with two short units of prayer.’” [310]
Al-Bajūrī said,
These two units are recommended to be an introductory to the witr so that one can pray the witr actively while being fully awake. This is similar to how it is recommended to precede the obligatory prayer with the Sunnah prayer.
269. Zayd ibn Khālid narrated: “I decided that I would closely observe how the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed his prayers. Thus, I lied down on the threshold [of his house or his tent]. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) first prayed two short units, and then he prayed two long units, two long units, two long units. He then prayed two units shorter than the previous ones, and then prayed two more units shorter than the ones before. And again, he prayed two more units shorter than the previous ones. He again prayed two units shorter than the previous ones. He then prayed the witr. They amounted to thirteen units of prayer in total.” [311]
Al-Bajūrī said,
The person who narrated from Zayd doubted whether it was the threshold of his house or his tent, and it is most likely the latter because the Prophet (peace be upon him) would be with his wives in his house and so it is inappropriate to say that Zayd stood there watching him inside in such circumstances. However, during his travels, he (peace be upon him) would be in his tent and not with his wives so Zayd could remain on the threshold of his tent and watch.
The reason Zayd repeated thrice that the first two units were long was to show how lengthy they were, as if they were equivalent in length to six long units. The reason he (peace be upon him) made the first two units very long was because a person is more active and possesses more energy at the beginning of the prayer as opposed to the end. This is why it is recommended to make the first unit of the prayer longer than the second one in obligatory prayers.
The thirteen units mentioned include the introductory two units and the remaining eleven units are witr prayer.
270. Abū Salamah asked Aisha to describe for him the prayer of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) so she said: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) did not pray more than eleven units, whether he prayed in the month of Ramadan or outside of it. He used to pray four units and it is too difficult to describe their length and earnestness. Then, in the same manner he prayed four more units. After that he prayed three units of prayer.” Aisha said, “I asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allāh. How come you sleep before praying the witr?’ He replied, ‘O Aisha, my eyes sleep but my heart does not.’” [312]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This hadīth does not contradict the other hadīths by stating that he (peace be upon him) prayed eleven units of prayer. This is because Aisha did not count the two introductory units that he (peace be upon him) prayed at the beginning as can be noted when she detailed how the units were divided four by four.
Al-Bajūrī said,
Each set of four units were prayed two by two and not as the apparent meaning of the statement of Aisha. This way, the hadīth conforms to the previous hadīth narrated by Zayd. The reason the four units were mentioned as a whole is because the two sets of two units were similar in length and performance.
This hadīth shows that prolonging the standing in prayer is better than praying a higher quantity of short units. The hadīth about the closeness to our Lord in prostration[313] teaches us that supplications are more likely to be answered therein. The last three units were not described in the same manner as the preceding ones to show that they were short.
The reason Aisha asked the question [regarding sleeping before witr] is because it was known that he (peace be upon him) ordered some of his companions such as Abū Hurairah not to sleep before praying witr due to fearing that they may oversleep and miss it. The answer of the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to show that the possibility to miss the Fajr is inapplicable in his case as his heart is awake. Thus, it is recommended for the one who is certain that he will wake up before Fajr to postpone the witr and pray it after waking up, if otherwise he should pray it before.
271. Aisha narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to pray eleven units at night, one of which was a unit of witr. After he finished, he would lie down on his right side.” [314]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr,
Some scholars extracted a gem from this hadīth: The number of units that he (peace be upon him) prayed at night was exactly the same as the units performed for the daytime obligatory prayers, which are Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
This is an explicit statement to show that the least number of units for witr is one, and that a prayer of one unit is valid.
272. Ibn Shihāb reported the same through two different routes.
273. Aisha narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to pray nine units during the night.” [315]
274. Al-A’mash reported the same through a different route.
275. Hudhaifah ibn al-Yamān narrated: “I prayed with the Prophet (peace be upon him) wherein he commenced the prayer with the following statement, ‘Allāhu Akbar dhul Malakūtī wal Jabarūtī wal Kibryā wal ‘Adhamah.’ Then he recited Sūrah al-Baqarah (after al-Fātihah) and proceeded to bow. The length of the bowing was as long as the standing posture, during which he said repeatedly, ‘Subhana rabbiy al-Adhim.’ Then, he raised his torso and the length of his standing was like that of his bowing, during which he said repeatedly, ‘Li-Rabbi al-Hamd.’ Then, he prostrated and the length of his prostration was similar to his standing, during which he said repeatedly, ‘Subhan Rabbi al-‘Ala.’ Then he raised himself from prostration. The length of the sitting posture was similar to the prostration, during which he said, ‘Rabbi Ighfir Lī.’ He prayed each unit in the same manner and in that prayer he recited al-Baqarah, al-Imrān, al-Nisā’ and [al-Maidah or al-An’ām].” [316]
Al-Bajūrī said,
Regarding the meaning of the opening statement: Dhul Malakūt means the One with Dominion and Pride. Dhul Jabarūtī means the Subduer and Surmounter. Dhul Kibriyā means the One who transcends all defects and shortcomings while everything submits to Him. Dhul ‘Adhama means the One Who nothing can encompass. It is said that Kibryā refers to the perfection of His essence while ‘Adhamah refers to the beauty of His Attributes.
The narrator who heard this from Hudhaifah doubted whether it was Sūrah al-Ma’ida or al-An’ām that was recited in the fourth unit.
276. Aisha narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) stood in a [complete] night’s prayer reciting one ayah of the Qur’ān.” [317]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The ayah mentioned is: {If You should punish them - indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them - indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.}[318] As stated in the hadīth collected in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad.
Ibn al-Qayyim said,
If people knew the benefits of contemplating the Qur’ān they would busy themselves with it and leave everything else. A person should recite the Qur’ān with contemplation and if he comes across an ayah that touches his heart, repeat it one hundred times or even the whole night to attain its benefit. The recitation of an ayah with contemplation and understanding is better than reciting the whole Qur’ān without understanding and contemplating it. It is certainly more beneficial to the heart and increases one’s imān in it. Furthermore, it lets the person taste the sweetness of the Qur’ān. This was the habit of the salaf who used to repeat one ayah until the time of Fajr.
277. ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd narrated: “Once at night I prayed in congregation with the Messenger of Allāh wherein he stood for such a long time that I intended to do a bad deed.” Someone asked: “What deed did you intend to do?” He replied: “I was about to sit down and leave the Prophet (peace be upon him) standing alone.” [319]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This is intended to show how long the night prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was.
278. A similar report is narrated through a different route from al-A’mash.
279. Aisha narrated: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed in a sitting posture until about thirty or forty ayāt were remaining. At this point he stood up and completed them standing. He then bowed and prostrated. He would subsequently do the same in the second unit.” [320]
Al-Bajūrī said,
This was the case when he (peace be upon him) became old in age as Aisha explicitly stated in the hadīth documented in Sahīh al-Bukharī and Sahīh Muslim.
It shows that it is allowed to pray while sitting in voluntary prayers.
280. ‘Abdullāh ibn Shaqīq asked Aisha about the prayer of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him). She said: “He used to pray lengthy periods of the night whilst standing and lengthy periods of the night whilst sitting. If he prayed standing, he would bow and prostrate whilst standing, and if he prayed whilst sitting, he would bow and prostrate from the sitting posture.” [321]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The reward for praying while sitting down is half of praying while standing. However, this does not apply to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as he himself stated in the hadīth documented in Sahīh Muslim:
‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr reported: “It was narrated to me that the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) had said, ‘The prayer observed by a person sitting is half of the prayer.’ I came to him (peace be upon him) and found him praying in a sitting position. I placed my hand on his head. He said, ‘O ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr, what is the matter with you?’ I replied, ‘Messenger of Allāh, it has been narrated to me that you said, ‘The prayer of a man in a sitting position is half of the prayer,’ and you are observing the prayer sitting.’ He (peace be upon him) said, ‘Yes, it is so, but I am not like anyone amongst you.’”[322]
281. The wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him) Hafsah narrated: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) prayed voluntary prayers whilst sitting. He would recite with slow, distinct and clear intonation, such that the sūrah became longer than a sūrah that was actually lengthier.” [323]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
He prayed most of the time whilst sitting towards the end of his life as he was sick and could not stand for long durations as he used to.
The manner in which he (peace be upon him) recited was to recite slowly, contemplating the ayāt. If there was an ayah about punishment, he would take refuge in Allāh from it, and if an ayah contained tasbih, he would glorify Allāh, and if an ayah contained a mercy, he would ask Allāh for His mercy. This is why the sūrah appeared longer than other lengthier ones.
282. Aisha reported: “The Prophet (peace be upon him), towards the end of his life, would perform most of his prayers whilst sitting.” [324]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This was close to the time of his death and due to the toll inflicted by age and his illness.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
This refers to the optional prayers.
283. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar narrated: “I prayed with the Prophet (peace be upon him) two units before and after Dhuhr, two units after Maghrib in his house, and [also] two units after Ishā in his house.” [325]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This hadīth talks about the regular Sunnah units associated with the obligatory prayers while the previous hadīth was regarding optional prayers.
284. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar narrated: “Hafsah related to me that the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) used to pray two units upon the commencement of Fajr, when the call to prayer was made.” Ayyūb (one of the narrators) said: “I think he said: ‘Short units.’” [326]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This hadīth talks about the supererogatory prayers of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he prayed before Fajr and with these two units, the total number of the units is ten. Ibn ‘Umar saw him pray eight units and then his sister Hafsah, the wife of the Prophet, informed him of the other two units. The Sunnah is to recite in the first unit of the Sunnah of Fajr “al-Kafirūn” and the second unit “al-Ikhlās”.
Al-Bajūrī said,
The two short units referred to here are the Sunnah of Fajr.
285. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar narrated: “I memorised from the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) eight units of prayer; two before Dhuhr and two after it; two units after Maghrib and two after Ishā. Hafsah related to me about the two units before Fajr, which I did not observe from the Prophet (peace be upon him).” [327]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
This shows that he (peace be upon him) prayed the regular Sunnah of the obligatory prayers in the masjid; therefore Ibn ‘Umar saw them. Unlike the Sunnah of Fajr which he always prayed at home.
286. ‘Abdullāh ibn Shaqīq asked Aisha about the optional prayers of the Prophet (peace be upon him). She replied: “He used to pray two units before and two after Dhuhr, two units after Maghrib, two units after ‘Ishā and two before Fajr.” [328]
287. ‘Āsim ibn Damrah narrated: “We asked Alī ibn Abī Tālib about the optional prayers that the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) performed during the daytime. Alī replied, ‘You do not have the capability to perform them.’ We replied, ‘Whoever from amongst us that possesses the capability will do so.’ Alī said, ‘In the morning when the sun rises to the height, the same as it is at the time for ‘Asr. At that time he performed two units. When the sun rises in the east to a similar height as it is in the west at the time of Dhuhr, he performed four units. He performed four units before Dhuhr and two after. Four units were performed before ‘Asr. In between the two units [of a four unit prayer] he would sit and send salutations to the close angels, Prophets, and those who followed them from the devoted believers and Muslims.’” [329]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The inquiry of ‘Āsim shows the keen interest of the salaf towards learning the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and following it.
The first set of two units mentioned in the hadīth refers to the Duha prayer.
The first set of four units mentioned in the hadīth refers to, as explained by some commentators, the prayer of awwabyeen which is offered when the pebbles become overheated (i.e. when the temperature is high).
The second set of four units mentioned in the hadīth refers to the regular Sunnah preceding the prayer of Dhuhr, which confirms the previous hadīths.
The two units performed after Dhuhr and four units before Asr are not the regular Sunnah associated with these two prayers. These two prayers have a great reward mentioned in other hadīths.
The statement he (peace be upon him) said could be the taslīm with which he concluded the prayer or the tashahud wherein salutations are sent to all pious slaves of Allāh, which includes angels and the Prophets. However, the former is more likely to be the case and more obvious in the context of this hadīth and other hadīths.