Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them

It wasnarrated from ‘Aishah that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray nineRak’ah at night.

It wasnarrated that ‘Amir Ash-Sha’bi said: “I asked ‘Abdullah bin‘Abbas and ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar about the Prophet’s prayer atnight.They said:’(He prayed) thirteen Rak’ah, including eight,and three forWitr, and two Rak’ah after the Fajr.’”

It wasnarrated that Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani said: “I said, I mustobserve how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prays tonight. So I lay downat his door. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up and prayed two briefRak’ah, then two long ones, which were very, very long, then twoRak’ah which were shorter than the ones preceding them, then twoRak’ah which were shorter than the ones preceding them, then twoRak’ah which were shorter than the ones preceding them, then twoRak’ah, then Witr. That was thirteen Rak’ah.”

It wasnarrated from Kurraib, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbas, that Ibn‘Abbas told him that he slept at the house of Maimunah, the wife ofthe Prophet (ﷺ), who was his maternal aunt. He said: “I lay downacross the pillow and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his wife werelaying along it. The prophet (ﷺ) slept until midnight, or a littlebefore, or a little after. The Prophet (ﷺ) woke up and began to rubthe sleep from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last tenVerses of Surah Al ‘Imran. Then he got up and went to a water skinthat was hanging up and performed ablution from it, and he performedablution well, then he stood up and prayed.” ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbassaid: “I stood up and did what he had done, then I went and stoodbeside him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) put his right hand on myhead, took hold of my right ear and tweaked it. Then he prayed twoRak’ah, then two Rak’ah, then two Rak’ah, then two Rak’ah,then twoRak’ah, then two Rak’ah, then he prayed Witr. Then helay down untilthe Mu’adh-dhin came to him and he prayed two briefRak’ah, then hewent out to pray.”

It wasnarrated that ‘Amr bin ‘Abasah said: “I came to the Messengerof Allah (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, who became a Muslimwith you?’ He said: ‘A free man and a slave.’ I said: ‘Isthere anyhour of the night that is closer to Allah than another?’He said:‘Yes, the last hour of the night.’”

It wasnarrated that ‘Aishah said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) usedtosleep during the first part of the night and stay awake during thelatter part.”

It wasnarrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said: “Our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, descends when one third ofthenight remains, every night and He says: ‘Who will ask of Me, thatImay give him? Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who willask My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’ until dawn comes.”Hencethey used to prefer voluntary prayers at the end of the nightratherthan at the beginning.

It wasnarrated that Rifa’ah Al-Juhani said: “The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: ‘Allah provides respite until, when half or two thirdsofthe night had passed, He says: “My slave does not ask of anyoneotherthan Me. Whoever calls upon Me, I will answer him; whoever asksof Me,I will give him; whoever asks My forgiveness, I will forgivehim,”until dawn comes.’”

It wasnarrated that Abu Mas’ud said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said:“Whoever recites the last two Verses of Surat Al-Baqarah atnight,that will be sufficient for him.”

It wasnarrated from Abu Mas’ud that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said: “Whoever recites the last two Verses of Surat Al-Baqarah atnight,that will be sufficient for him.”

It wasnarrated that ‘Aishah said: “The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Ifanyoneof you becomes drowsy, let him sleep until he feels refreshed,for hedoes not know, if he prays when he feels drowsy, he may want tosaywords seeking forgiveness but (instead) he ends up cursinghimself.’”

It wasnarrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)entered the mosque and saw a rope tied between two pillars. He said,“What is this rope?” They said: “It belongs to Zainab. Sheprays hereand when she gets tired she holds on to it.” He said:“Untie it, untieit; let any one of you pray when he has energy, ifhe gets tired lethim sit down.”

It wasnarrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whenanyone of you gets up to pray at night, and his tongue stumbles overthe words of the Qur’an, and he does not know what he is saying,lethim lie down.”

It wasnarrated that ‘Aishah said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said:‘Whoever prays twenty Rak’ah between Maghrib and ‘Isha’,Allahwill build for him a house in Paradise.’”

It wasnarrated that Abu Hurairah said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said: ‘Whoever prays six Rak’ah after the Maghrib and does notspeakevil between them, they will be made equivalent to twelveyears’worship.’”

It wasnarrated that ‘Asim bin ‘Amr said: “A group from the people of‘Iraq came to ‘Umar and when they came to him, he said to them:‘Whereare you from?’ They said: ‘From the inhabitants of‘Iraq.’ He said:‘Have you come with permission?’ They said:‘Yes.’ Then they asked himabout a man’s prayer in his house.‘Umar said: ‘I asked the Messengerof Allah (ﷺ) and he said:“As for a man’s prayer in his house, it islight, so illuminateyour houses.’””

It wasnarrated from Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri that the Prophet (ﷺ)said: “When anyone of you has finished his prayer, let him give hishousea share of that, for Allah will put something good in his housebecause of that prayer.”

It wasnarrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said:‘Do not make your houses into graves.’”

‘Abdullah bin Sa’d said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ):‘Which is better prayer in my house or prayer in the mosque?’ Hesaid:‘Do you not see how close my house is to the mosque?’ Butpraying inmy house is dearer to me than praying in the mosque, apartfrom theprescribed prayers.’”

It wasnarrated that ‘Abdullah bin Harith said: “During the caliphateof‘Uthman, when the people were present in large numbers, I askedabout Duha prayer, and I could not find anyone who could tell me thathe, meaning the Prophet (ﷺ), had prayed it, apart from Umm Hani’.She told me that he had prayed it with eight Rak’ah.”

It wasnarrated that Anas bin Malik said: “I heard the Messenger ofAllah(ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever prays Duha with twelve Rak’ah, Allah willbuild for him a palace of gold in Paradise.’”

Mu’adhahAl-‘Adawiyyah said: “I asked ‘Aishah: ‘Did the Prophet (ﷺ)pray Duha?’ She said: ‘Yes; four (Rak’ah) and he would addwhateverAllah willed.’”

It wasnarrated that Abu Hurairah said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)said: ‘Whoever regularly prays two Rak’ah of Duha, his sins willbeforgiven even if they are like the foam of the sea.’”

It wasnarrated that Jabir bin ‘Abdullah said: “The Messenger ofAllah(ﷺ) used to teach us Istikharah, just as he used to teach us aSurah of the Qur’an. He said: ‘If anyone of you is deliberatingabouta decision he has to make, then let him pray two Rak’ah ofnon-obligatory prayer, then say: Allahumma inni astakhiruka bin‘ilmika waastaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka minfadlikal-‘azim, fa innakataqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta’lamu wa laa’lam, wa Anta ‘allamul-ghuyub.Allahumma in kunta ta’lamuhadhal-amra (then the matter should bementioned by name) ma kan minshay’in khairan li fi dini wa ma’ashi wa‘aqibati amri, awkhairanli fi ‘ajili amri wa ajilihi, faqdurhu li wayassirhu li wabarik li fihi. Wa in kunta ta’lamu [O Allah, I seekYour guidance(in making a choice) by virtue of Your knowledge, and Iseek abilityby virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your greatbounty. You havepower, I have none. And You know, I know not. You arethe Knower ofhidden things. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, thismatter (then itshould be mentioned by name) is good for me in myreligion, mylivelihood and my affairs, or both in this world and inthe Hereafterthen ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless itfor me. Andif in Your knowledge]. Then saying similar to what he saidthe firsttime, except: Wa in kana sharrun li fasrifhu ‘anni wasrifni‘anhuwaqdur li al-khair haithuma kana thumma raddini bihi (If it isbadfor me then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, andordainfor me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased withit).’”

It wasnarrated that ‘Abdullah bin Abi Awfa Al-Aslami said: “TheMessenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and said: ‘Whoever has someneed from Allah or from any of His creation, let him perform ablutionand pray two Rak’ah, then let him say: La ilahaillallahul-Halimul-Karim. Subhan-Allahi Rabbil-‘arshil-‘azim.Al-hamdu LillahiRabbil-‘Alamin. Allahumma inni as’aluka mujibatrahmatika, wa ‘aza’imamaghfiratika, wal-ghanimata min kullibarrin, was-salamata min kulliithmnin. As’aluka alla tada’a lidhanban illa ghafartahu, wa la hammanilla farrajtahu, wa la hajahhiya laka irdan illa qadaitaha li (Nonehas the right to beworshipped but Allah, the Forbearing, the MostGenerous. Glory is toAllah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise isto Allah, the Lord ofthe worlds. O Allah, I ask You for the means ofYour mercy andforgiveness, the benefit of every good deed and safetyfrom all sins.I ask You not to leave any sin of mine but You forgiveit, or anydistress but You relieve it, or any need that is pleasingto You butYou meet it). Then he should ask Allah for whatever hewants in thisworld and in the Hereafter, for it is decreed.”

It wasnarrated from ‘Uthman bin Hunaif that a blind man came to theProphet (ﷺ) and said: “Pray to Allah to heal me.” He said: “Ifyouwish to store your reward for the Hereafter, that is better, orif youwish, I will supplicate for you.” He said: “Supplicate.”So he toldhim to perform ablution and do it well, and to pray twoRak’ah, and tosay this supplication: “Allahumma inni as’alukawa atawajjahu ilaikabimuhammadin nabiyyir-rahman. Ya Muhammadu inniqad tawajjahtu bikaila rabbi fi hajati hadhihi lituqda. Allahummafashaffi’hu fiya (OAllah, I ask of You and I turn my face towardsYou by virtue of theintercession of Muhammad the Prophet of mercy. OMuhammad, I haveturned to my Lord by virtue of your intercessionconcerning this needof mine so that it may be met. O Allah, accepthis intercessionconcerning me)”.

It wasnarrated that Abu Rafi’ said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)saidto ‘Abbas: ‘O uncle, shall I not give you a gift, shall I notbenefit you, shall I not uphold my ties of kinship with you?’ Hesaid:‘Of course, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘Pray fourRak’ah, andrecite in each Rak’ah the Opening of the Book(Al-Fatihah) and aSurah. When you have finished reciting, say:Subhan-Allah wal-hamduLillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar(Glory is to Allah, praiseis to Allah, none has the right to beworshipped but Allah and Allahis the Most Great) fifteen timesbefore you bow in Ruku’. Then bow andsay it ten times; then raiseyour head and say it ten times; thenprostrate and say it ten times;then raise your head and say it tentimes; then prostrate and say itten times; then raise your head andsay it ten times before you standup. That wil be seventy-five timesin each Rak’ah and three hundredtimes in the four Rak’ah, and even ifyour sins are like the grainsof sand, Allah will forgive you forthem.’ He said: ‘O Messengerof Allah, what if someone cannot say itin one day?’ He said: ‘Thensay it once in a week; if you cannot, thensay it once in a month’until he said: ‘Once in a year.’”

It wasnarrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)saidto ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib: ‘O ‘Abbas, O my uncle, shall Inotgive you a gift, shall I not give you something, shall I not tellyouof something which, if you do it, will expiate for ten types ofsins?If you do them, Allah will forgive you your sins, the first andthelast of them, the old and the new, the unintentional and thedeliberate, the minor and the major, the secret and the open, tentypes of sin. Pray four Rak’ah, and recite in each Rak’ah theOpeningof the Book (Al-Fatihah) and a Surah. When you have finishedrecitingin the first Rak’ah, while you are standing, say:Subhan-Allah wal-hamdu Lillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar(Glory if to Allah,praise is to Allah, none has the right to beworshipped but Allah andAllah is the Most Great) fifteen times. Thenbow and say it ten timeswhile you are bowing. Then raise your headfrom Ruku’ and say it tentimes. Then go into prostration and sayit ten times while you areprostrating. Then raise your head fromprostration and say it tentimes. Then prostrate and say it tentimes. Then raise your head fromprostration and say it ten times.That will be seventy-five times ineach Rak’ah. Do that in all fourRak’ah. If you can pray it once eachday then do so. If you cannot,then once each week; if you cannot,then once each month. If youcannot, then once in your lifetime.’”

It wasnarrated that ‘Ali bin Abu Talib said: “The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: ‘When it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, spenditsnight in prayer and observe a fast on that day. For Allahdescends atsunset on that night to the lowest heaven and says: ‘Isthere no onewho will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him?Is there noone who will ask Me for provision, that I may provide forhim? Isthere no one who is afflicted by trouble, that I may relievehim?’ Andso on, until dawn comes.’”