The Book of Prayer (Travellers)

Ibn 'Umar reported that a person asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) about the night prayer. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one of you fears morning is near, he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.

Salim reported on the authority of his father that a person asked the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) about the night prayer. He said: It consists of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one fears morning is near, he should make it an odd number by praying one rak'ah.

'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported: A man stood up and said. Messenger of Allah, how is the night prayer? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: The night prayer consists of pair, but if you apprehend the rise of dawn, make it odd number by observing one rak'ah.

'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported: A person asked the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as I stood between him (the Holy Prophet) and the inquirer and he said: Messenger of Allah, how is the night prayer? He (the Holy Prophet) said: It consists of pairs of rak'ahs, but if you apprehend morning, you should pray one rak'ah and make the end of your prayer as Witr. Then a person asked him (the Holy Prophet) at the end of the year and I was at that place near the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ; but I do not know whether he was the same person or another person, but he (the Holy Prophet) gave him the same reply.

This hadith his been narrated by Ibn 'Umar by another chain of trans- mitters but it does not have these words: " Then a person asked him at the end of the year," and what follows subsequently.

Ibn 'Umar reported the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as say- ing: Hasten to pray Witr before morning.

Ibn 'Umar said: He who prayed at night should make Witr the end of his prayer, for the Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) ordered this.

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Make Witr the end of your night prayer.

Nafi' reported Ibn 'Umar as saying: He who observed the night prayer should make Witr the end of his prayer before dawn. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to order them thus.

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) as saying: Witr is a rak'ah at the end of the prayer.

Ibn Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Witr is a rak'ah at the end of the night prayer.

Abu Mijlaz reported: I asked Ibn 'Abbas about the Witr prayer. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: It is a rak'ah at the end of the night prayer.

Ibn 'Umar reported: A person called (the attention) of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as he was in the mosque, and said: Messenger of Allah, how should I make the rak'ahs of the night prayer an odd number? Upon this the Messenger of Allah (way peace he upon him) said: He who prays (night prayer) he should observe it in pairs, but if he apprehends the rise of morning, he should observe one rak'ah; that would make the number odd (for the rak'ahs) observed by him. This was narrated by Abd Kuraib 'Ubaidullah b. 'Abdullah and Ibn 'Umar did not make mention of it.

Anas b. Sirin reported: I asked Ibn 'Umar to tell me about the practice of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) in regard to two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer: Should I make lengthy recitation in them? He said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe, the night prayer in pairs and then made the number odd by observing one rak'ah. I said: I am not asking you about it. He said: You are a bulky man, will you not show me the patience to narrate to you the hadith completely? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe the night prayer in pairs and then made the number odd by observing one rak'ah, and then he observed two rak'ahs before dawn quite close to the call for prayer (Khalaf said:" Did you see [yourself the Holy Prophet observing] the two rak'ahs before the dawn?" and he made no mention of prayer.)

Anas b. Sirin reported: I asked Ibn 'Umar like this (as recorded in the previous hadith) and he made this addition:" And he (the Holy Prophet) made the end of the night prayer as odd number by one rak'ah." And there is also (this addition):" Stop, stop, you are bulky."

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The night prayer consists of pairs and when you see the approach of dawn, make this number odd by one rak'ah. It was said to Ibn 'Umar: What does the (word) pair imply? He said: (It means) that salutation is uttered after every two rak'ahs.

Abu Sa'id (al Khudri) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: Observe Witr prayer before it is morning. Abu Sa'id reported that they (the Prophet's Companions) asked the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) about Witr (prayer). (In reply to their inquiry) he said: Observe Witr prayer before it is morning.

Abu Sa'id reported that they (some of the Companions) of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) asked the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) about Witr. He said: Observe Witr before morning.

Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: If anyone is afraid that he may not get up in the latter part of the night, he should observe Witr in the first part of it; and if anyone is eager to get up in the last part of it, he should observe Witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels) and that is preferable.

Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who amongst you is afraid that he may not be able to get up at the end of the night should observe Witr (in the first part) and then sleep, and he who is confident of getting up and praying at night (i. e. Tahajjud prayer) should observe it at the end of it, for the recitation at the end of the night to visited (by angels), and that is excellent.

Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The most excellent prayer is that in which the duration of standing is longer.

Jabir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was asked about the prayer which was most excellent. He said: That in which the standing is longer. (This hadith is narrated by another chain of transmitters too.)

Jabir said he heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say: There is an hour during the night in which no Muslim individual will ask Allah for good in this world and the next without His giving it to him; and that applies to every night.

Jabir reported: I heard the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: There is an hour during the night in which no Muslim bondman will ask Allah for good in this world and the next but He will grant it to him.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the latter part of the night is left, and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give to him? Who asks Me forgiveness so that I may forgive him?

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the first part of the night is over and says: I am the Lord; I am the Lord: who is there to supplicate Me so that I answer him? Who is there to beg of Me so that I grant him? Who is there to beg forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him? He continues like this till the day breaks.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When half of the night or two-third of it is over. Allah, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends to the lowest heaven and says: Is there any beggar, so that he be given? Is there any supplicator so that he be answered? Is there any beggar of forgiveness so that he be forgiven? (And Allah continues it saying) till it is daybreak.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah descends to the lowest heaven at half of the night or at one-third of the latter part and says: Who is there to supplicate Me so that I answer him? Who is there to ask Me so that I grant him? And then says: Who will lend to One Who is neither indigent nor tyrant? (This hadith has been narrated by Sa'd b. Sa'id with the same chain of transmitters with this addition:" Then the Blessed and the Exalted (Lord) stretches His Hands and says: Who will lend to One Who is neither indigent nor tyrant? )