Abu Salamah bin Abdur-Rahman asked Aishah, the wife of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم: How did the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم pray during Ramadhan ? She said: The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم did not pray more than eleven rak'ahs during Ramadhan and other than Ramadhan. He would pray four rak'ahs. Do not ask about their elegance and length. He then would pray for rak'ahs. Do not ask about their alegance and length. Then he would pray three rak'ahs. Aishah said: I asked: Messenger of Allah, do you sleep before observing witr ? He replied: Aishah, my eyes sleep, but my heart does not sleep.
Read More..Narrated Saad bin Hisham: I divorced my wife. I then came to Madina to sell my land that was there so that I could buy arms and fight in battle. I met a group of the Companions of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. They said: Six persons of us intended to do so (i. e. divorce their wives and purchase weapons), but the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم prohibited them. He said: For you in the Messenger of Allah there is an excellent model. I then came to Ibn Abbas and asked him about the witr observed by the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. He said: I point to you a person who is most familiar with the witr observed by the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. Go to Aishah. While going to her I asked Hakim bin Aflah to accompany me. He refused, but I adjured him. He, therefore, went along with me. We sought permission to enter upon Aishah. She said: Who is this ? He said: Hakim bin Aflah. She asked: Who is with you ? He replied: Saad bin Hisham. She said: Hisham son of Amir who was killed in the Battle of Uhud. I said: Yes. She said: What a good man Amir was! I said: Mother of faithful, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. She asked: Do you not recite the Quran ? The character of Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was the Quran. I asked: Tell me about his vigil and prayer at night. She replied: Do you not recite: O thou folded in garments (73: 1). I said: Why not ? When the opening of this Surah was revealed, the Companions stood praying (most of the night) until their fett swelled, and the concluding verses were not revealed for twelve months from heaven. At last the concluding verses were revealed and the prayer at night became voluntary after it was obligatory. I said: Tell me about the witr of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. She replied: He used to pray eight rak'ahs, sitting only during the eighth of them. Then he would stand up and pray another rak'ahs. He would sit only after the eighth and the ninth rak'ahs. He would utter salutation only after the ninth rak'ah. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting and that made eleven rak'ahs, O my son. But when he grew old and became fleshy he observed a witr of seven, sitting only in sixth and seventh rak'ahs, and would utter salutation only after the seventh rak'ah. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting, and that made nine rak'ahs, O my son. The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم would not pray through a whole night, or recite the whole Quran in a night or fast a complete month except in Ramadan. When he offered prayer, he would do that regularly. When he was overtaken by sleep at night, he would pray twelve rak'ahs. The narrator said: I came to Ibn Abbas and narrated all this to him. By Allah, this is really a tradition. Has I been on speaking terms with her, I would have come to her and heard it from her mouth. I said: If I knew that you were not on speaking terms with her, I would have never narrated it to you.
Read More..The above mentioned tradition has also been narrated by Qatadah through a different chain of narrators. This version adds: He (the Prophet ( used to pray eight rak'ahs during which he did not sit except the eight rak'ahs. He would sit, make mention of Allah, supplicate Him and then utter the salutation so loudly that we could hear it. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting after he had uttered the salutation. Then he would pray one rak'ah, and that made eleven rak'ahs, O my son. When the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم grew old and became fleshy, he offered seven rak'ahs of witr, and then he would pray two rak'ahs sitting after he had uttered the salutation. The narrator narrated the tradition to the same effect till the end.
Read More..The above tradition has also been transmitted by Yahya bin Saeed to the same effect. The version adds the words: He uttered the salutation so loudly that we could hear it.
Read More..This tradition has also been transmitted by Saeed through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. Ibn Bashshar narrated the tradition like that of Yahya bin Saeed. His version has: He uttered the salutation in a way that we could hear it.
Read More..Narrated Aishah, Ummul Muminin: Zurarah ibn Awfa said that Aishah was asked about the midnight prayer of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. She said: He used to offer his night prayer in congregation and then return to his family (in his house) and pray four rak'ahs. Then he would go to his bed and sleep, but the water for his ablution was placed covered near his head and his tooth-stick was also kept there until Allah awakened him at night. He then used the tooth-stick, performed ablution perfectly then came to the place of prayer and would pray eight rak'ahs, in which he would recite Surah al-Fatihah, and a surah from the Quran as Allah willed. He would not sit during any of them but sit after the eighth rak'ah, and would not utter the salutation, but recite (the Quran) during the ninth rak'ah. Then he would sit and supplicate as long as Allah willed, and beg Him and devote his attention to Him; He would utter the salutation once in such a loud voice that the inmates of the house were almost awakened by his loud salutation. He would then recite Surah al-Fatihah while sitting, bow while sitting, and then recite the Quran during the second rak'ah, and would bow and prostrate while sitting. He would supplicate Allah as long as He willed, then utter the salutation and turn away. This amount of prayer of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم continued till he put a weight. During that period he retrenched two rak'ahs from nine and began to pray six and seven rak'ahs standing and two rak'ahs sitting. This continued till he died.
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