Detailed Injunctions about Witr

Al-Zuhri said: These modes of reading aimed at the same point, not different in respect of lawful and unlawful.

Ubayy b. Ka'b reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Ubayy, I was asked to recite the Qur'an and I was asked: 'In one mode or two modes?' The angel that accompanied me said: 'Say, in two modes', I said: 'In two modes', I was asked again: 'In two or three modes'. The matter reached up to seven modes. He then said: 'Each mode is sufficiently health-giving, whether you utter 'all-hearing and all-knowing' or instead 'all-powerful and all-wise'. This is valid until you finish the verse indicating punishment on mercy and finish the verse indicating mercy on punishment."

Ubayy b. Ka'b said: The Prophet (ﷺ) was present at the pool of Banu Ghifar, Gabriel came to him and said: "Allah has commanded you to make your community read (the Qur'an) in one harf. He (the Prophet) said: 'I beg Allah His pardon and forgiveness; my community has not strength to do so'. He then came for the second time and told him the same thing till he reached up to seven harfs. Finally, he said: 'Allah has commanded you to make your community read (the Qur'an) in seven harfs; in whichever mode they read, that will be correct.

Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Supplication (du'a') is itself the worship. (He then recited:) "And your Lord said: Call on Me, I will answer you" (xI.60).

Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: Ibn Sa'd said: My father (Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas) heard me say: O Allah, I ask Thee for Paradise, its blessings, its pleasure and such-and-such, and such-and-such; I seek refuge in Thee from Hell, from its chains, from its collars, and from such-and-such, and from such-and-such. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: There will be people who will exaggerate in supplication. You should not be one of them. If you are granted Paradise, you will be granted all what is good therein; if you are protected from Hell, you will be protected from what is evil therein.

Narrated Fudalah ibn Ubayd,: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a person supplicating during prayer. He did not mention the greatness of Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He made haste. He then called him and said either to him or to any other person: If any of you prays, he should mention the exaltation of his Lord in the beginning and praise Him; he should then invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ); thereafter he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes.

'Aishah said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) liked comprehensive supplication and abandoned other kinds.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "One of you should not say (in his supplication): O Allah, forgive me if You please, show mercy to me if You please.' Rather, be firm in your asking, for no one can force Him."

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "One of you is granted an answer (to his supplication) provided he does not say: 'I prayed but I was not granted an answer.'"

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not cover the walls. He who sees the letter of his brother without his permission, sees Hell-fire. Supplicate Allah with the palms of your hands; do not supplicate Him with their backs upwards. When you finish supplication, wipe your faces with them.Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted through a different chains by Muhammad b. Ka'b; all of them are weak. The chain I have narrated is best of them; but it is also weak.

Narrated Malik ibn Yasar as-Sakuni, al-Awfi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When you make requests to Allah, do so with the palms of your hands, and not backs, upwards.Abu Dawud said: The narrator Sulaiman b. 'Abd al-Hamid said: according to us Malik b. Yasar was a Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicating Allah in this manner with the palms of his hands and also with their backs upwards.

Narrated Salman al-Farsi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: Ikrimah quoted Ibn Abbas as saying: When asking for something you should raise your hands opposite to your shoulders; when asking for forgiveness you should point with one finger; and when making an earnest supplication you should spread out both your hands.

In another version Ibn 'Abbas said: Earnest supplication should be made like this: he raised his hand and made his palms in the direction of his face.

The above mentioned tradition has also been transmitted in a similar manner by Ibn 'Abbas from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Narrated Yazid ibn Sa'id al-Kindi: When the Prophet (ﷺ) made supplication (to Allah) he would raise his hands and wipe his face with his hands.

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers.

The aforesaid tradition has been transmitted through a different chain of narrators by Malik b. Mighwal. This verso adds: "He has asked Allah using His Greatest Name."

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives.

'Asma daughter of Yazid reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: "Allah's Greatest Names is in these two verses: "And your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God), none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving' and the beginning of Surah Al 'Imran, "A.L.M Allah, there is no deity but He, the Living, the Eternal."

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Ata' said: The quilt of Aisha was stolen. She began to curse the person who had stolen it. The Prophet (ﷺ) began to tell her: Do not lighten him.Abu Dawud said: The meaning of the Arabic words la tasbikhi 'anhu means "do not lessen him or lighten him".

Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab: I sought permission of the Prophet (ﷺ) to perform umrah. He gave me permission and said: My younger brother, do not forget me in your supplication. He (Umar) said: He told me a word that pleased me so much so that I would not have been pleased if I were given the whole world. The narrator Shu'bah said: I then met Asim at Medina. He narrated to me this tradition and reported the wordings: "My younger brother, share me in your supplication."

Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by me while I was supplicating by pointing with two fingers of mine. He said: Point with one finger; point with one finger. He then himself pointed with the forefinger.

Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: Once Sa'd, with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), visited a woman in front of whom were some date-stones or pebbles which she was using as a rosary to glorify Allah. He (the Prophet) said: I tell you something which would be easier (or more excellent) for you than that. He said (it consisted of saying): "Glory be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He has created in Heaven; "Glory be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He has created on Earth; "Glory be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He has created between them; "Glory be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He is creating; "Allah is most great" a similar number of times; "Praise (be to Allah)" a similar number of times; and "There is no god but Allah" a similar number of times; "There is no might and no power except in Allah" a similar number of times.

Narrated Yusayrah, mother of Yasir: The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded them (the women emigrants) to be regular (in remembering Allah by saying): "Allah is most great"; "Glory be to the King, the Holy"; "there is no god but Allah"; and that they should count them on fingers, for they (the fingers) will be questioned and asked to speak.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) counting the glorification of Allah on fingers. Ibn Qudamah said (in his version: "With his right hands".

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out from Juwayriyyah (wife of the Prophet). Earlier her name was Barrah, and he changed it. When he went out she was in her place of worship, and when he returned she was in her place of worship. He asked: Have you been in your place of worship continuously? She said: Yes. He then said: Since leaving you I have said three times four phrases which, if weighed against all that you have said (during this period), would prove to be heavier: "glory be to Allah", and I begin with praise of Him to the number of His creatures, in accordance with His good pleasure, to the weight of His throne and to the ink (extent) of His words.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: AbuDharr said: Prophet of Allah. The wealthy people have all the rewards; they pray as we pray; they fast as we fast; and they have surplus wealth which they give in charity; but we have no wealth which we may give in charity. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: AbuDharr, should I not teach you phrases by which you acquire the rank of those who excel you? No one can acquire your rank except one who acts like you. He said: Why not, Messenger of Allah? He said: Exalt Allah (say: Allah is Most Great) after each prayer thirty-three times; and praise Him (say: Praise be to Allah) thirty-three times; and glorify Him (say: Glory be to Allah) thirty-three times, and end it by saying, "There is no god but Allah alone, there is no partner, to Him belongs the Kingdom, to Him praise is due and He has power over everything". His sins will be forgiven, even if they are like the foam of the sea.

Al-Mughirah b. Shu'bah reported: "Mu'awiyah wrote to al-Mughirah b. Shu'bah: 'What would the the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recite when he gave Taslim (salutation) in the prayer ?' Al-Mughirah dictated and wrote to Mu'awiyah: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say (at the end of the prayer after taslim): 'There is no God but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner, to Him belongs the dominion, to Him praise is due, and He is Omnipotent. O Allah no one cane withhold what You give and give what You withhold, and none benefits the fortunate person, for from You is the fortune. '"