The Book of Prayer (Travellers)

'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger as saying: The two rak'ahs at dawn are better than this world and what it contains.

'A'isha reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said about the two (supererogatory) rak'ahs of the dawn: They are dearer to me than the whole world.

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) recited in the two (supererogatory) rak'ahs of the dawn (prayer): " Say: O unbelievers," (Qur'an, cix.) and" Say: Allah is one" (cxii.).

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to recite in first of the two (supererogatory) rak'ahs of the dawn: " Say: We believed in Allah and what was revealed to us..." verses 285-286 from Surah Baqara, and in the second of the two:" I believe in Allah and I bear testimony that we are Muslims" (iii. 51).

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to recite in the two (supererogatory) rak'ahs of the dawn prayer: " Say: We believed in Allah and what was revealed to us" and that which is found in Surah Al-i-'lmran:" Come to that word (creed) which is common between you and us" (iii. 64).

This hadith has been transmitted by another chain of narrators.

Umm Habiba (the wife of the Holy Prophet) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: A house will be built in Paradise, for anyone who prays in a day and a night twelve rak'ahs; and she added: I have never abandoned (observing them) since I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). Some of the other narrators said the same words: I have never abandoned (observing them) since I heard (from so and so).

Nu'man b. Salim reported with the same chain of transmitters: He who observed twelve voluntary rak'ahs, a house will be built for him in Paradise.

Umm Habiba, the wife of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: If any Muslim servant (of Allah) prays for the sake of Allah twelve rak'ahs (of Sun'an) every day, over and above the obligatory ones, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise, or a house will be built for him in Paradise; and I have not abandoned to observe the in after (hearing it from the Messenger of Allah). (So said also 'Amr and Nu'man.)

Umm Habiba reported the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) having said: If any Muslim servant (of Allah) performed ablution, and performed it well, and then observed every day, the rest of the hadith is the same.

Ibn 'Umar reported: I prayed along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) two rak'ahs before and two rak'ahs after the noon prayer, two rak'ahs after the sunset prayer and two rak'ahs after the 'Isha' prayer and two rak'ahs after the Friday prayer; and so far as the sunset, 'Isha' and Friday prayers are concerned, I observed (them) along with the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) in his house.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq said: I asked 'A'isha about the Messenger of Allah's (may peace be upon him) voluntary prayers, and she replied: Before the noon prayer, he used to pray four rak'abs in my house; then would go out and lead the people in prayer; then come in and pray two rak'ahs. He would then lead the people in the sunset prayer; then come in and pray two rak'abs. Then he would lead the people in the 'Isha' prayer, and enter my house and pray two rak'ahs. He would pray nine rak'ahs during the night, including Witr. At night he would pray for a long time standing and for a long time sitting, and when he recited the Holy Qur'an while standing, he would bow and prostrate himself from the standing position, and when he recited while sitting, he would bow and prostrate himself from the sitting position, and when it was dawn he would pray two rak'ahs.

'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) would pray in the night for a long time, and when he prayed standing be bowed in a standing posture, and when he prayed sitting, he bowed in a sitting posture.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq reported: I fell ill in Persia and therefore, prayed in a sitting posture, and I asked 'A'isha about it and she said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) prayed for a long time in the night sitting.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq al-'Uqaili reported: I asked 'A'isha about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) during the night (i. e. Tahajjud prayer) She replied: He used to pray for a long time standing and for a long time sitting in the night, and when he recited the Qur'an while standing, he would bow himself from the standing position, and when he recited while sitting, he would bow from the sitting position.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq al-'Uqaili reported: I asked 'A'isha about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). She said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) would observe prayer (Nafl) in a standing position as well as in a sitting position, and when he commenced the prayer in a standing position, he bowed in this very position, and when he commenced the prayer in a sitting position, he bowed in this very position.

'A'isha reported: I did not see the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) reciting (the Qur'an) in the night prayer in a sitting position, till he grew old and then he recited (it) in a sitting position, but when thirty or forty verses were left out of the Surah, he would then stand up, recite them and then bowed.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to pray while sitting (when he grew old) and he recited in this position and when the recitation equal to thirty or forty verses was left, he would then stand up and recite (for this duration) in a standing position and then bowed himself and then prostrated himself and did the same in the second rak'ah.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to recite in sitting position (while observing the Tahajjud prayer) and when he intended to bow, he would stand up and recite (for the duration in which) a man (ordinarily) recites forty verses.

Alqama b. Waqqas reported: I asked 'A'isha how the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did in the two rak'ahs as he (observed them) sitting. She said: He would recite (the Qur'an) in them, and when he intended to bow, he would stand up and then bowed.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq reported: I asked 'A'isha whether the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed (Nafl) sitting. She said: Yes, when the people had made him old.

'Abdullah b. Shaqiq reported: I said to 'A'isha and she made a mention of that (recorded above) about the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him).

'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) died (in this very state) that he observed most of his (Nafl) prayers in a sitting position.

'A'isha reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) grew bulky and heavy he would observe (most of his Nafl) prayers sitting.

Hafsa reported: Never did I see the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observing supererogatory prayer sitting till one year before his death when he would observe Nafl prayer in a sitting position, and he would recite the Surah (of the Qur'an) in such a slow-measured tone (that duration of its recital) became more lengthy than the one longer than this.

Zuhri reported this hadith with the same chain of transmitters, except this that he made a mention of one year or two years.

Jabir b. Samura reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed (Nafl) prayer sitting before his death.

'Abdullah b. 'Amr reported: It was narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) had said: The prayer observed by a person sitting is half of the prayer. I came to him (may peace be upon him) and found him praying in a sitting position. I placed my hand on his head. He said: O 'Abdullah b. 'Amr, what is the matter with you? I said: Messenger of Allah, it has been narrated to me that you said: The prayer of a man in a sitting position is half of the prayer, whereas you are observing prayer sitting. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Yes, it is so, but I am not like anyone amongst you.

A hadith like this has been narrated by Abu Yahya al-A'raj with the same chain of transmitters.