8. Witr (Night Prayer)
٨۔ كتاب الوتر
The Prophet ﷺ said: He who asks pardon is not a confirmed sinner, even if he returns to his sin seventy times a day.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا أَصَرَّ مَنِ اسْتَغْفَرَ وَإِنْ عَادَ فِي الْيَوْمِ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: My heart is invaded by unmindfulness, and I ask Allah's pardon a hundred times in the day.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّهُ لَيُغَانُ عَلَى قَلْبِي وَإِنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ
The Companions would count the Prophet ﷺ doing istighfār at least a hundred times
In one sitting we would count the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying a hundred times: "rabbi ighfir lī wa-tub ʿalayya, innaka anta al-ttawwābu al-raḥīmu (My Lord, forgive me and pardon me for You are the Most Accepting of Repentance and the Most Merciful.)"
إِنْ كُنَّا لَنَعُدُّ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ الْوَاحِدِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ: (رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَتُبْ عَلَىَّ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ۔)
The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone says: "I ask pardon of Allah than Whom there is no deity, the Living, the eternal, and I turn to Him in repentance," he will be pardoned, even if he has fled in time of battle.
أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: «مَنْ قَالَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ غُفِرَ لَهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ فَرَّ مِنَ الزَّحْفِ۔»
The habit of doing istighfār is a way out from all grief and is a means for increase in one's rizq (provisions)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "If anyone makes it a habit to seek forgiveness, Allah will make a way out for him from every constraint, and give him relief from every distress, and will provide rizq for him from where he does not expect."
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «مَنْ لَزِمَ الاِسْتِغْفَارَ، جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مِنْ كُلِّ ضِيقٍ مَخْرَجًا، وَمِنْ كُلِّ هَمٍّ فَرَجًا، وَرَزَقَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَحْتَسِبُ۔»
Which Supplication would the Prophet ﷺ often make ? He replied: The supplication he would usually recite was: "O Allah, give us in this world what is good and in the next what is good, and protect us from the punishment of Hell-fire". The version of Ziyad adds: When Anas wished to supplicate, he uttered this supplication. When he uttered some other supplication, he combined it with this supplication.
سَأَلَ قَتَادَةُ أَنَسًا أَىُّ دَعْوَةٍ كَانَ يَدْعُو بِهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَكْثَرَ قَالَ كَانَ أَكْثَرُ دَعْوَةٍ يَدْعُو بِهَا اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ وَزَادَ زِيَادٌ وَكَانَ أَنَسٌ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ بِدَعْوَةٍ دَعَا بِهَا وَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ بِدُعَاءٍ دَعَا بِهَا فِيهَا
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: If anyone asks Allah for martyrdom sincerely, Allah will make him reach the ranks of martyrs even if he died on his bed.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَنْ سَأَلَ اللَّهَ الشَّهَادَةَ صَادِقًا بَلَّغَهُ اللَّهُ مَنَازِلَ الشُّهَدَاءِ وَإِنْ مَاتَ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ
Asma' bint al-Hakam said: I heard Ali say: I was a man; when I heard a tradition from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Allah benefited me with it as much as He willed. But when some one of his companions narrated a tradition to me I adjured him. When he took an oath, I testified him. AbuBakr narrated to me a tradition, and AbuBakr narrated truthfully. He said: I heard the apostle of Allah ﷺ saying: When a servant (of Allah) commits a sin, and he performs ablution well, and then stands and prays two rak'ahs, and asks pardon of Allah, Allah pardons him. He then recited this verse: "And those who, when they commit indecency or wrong their souls, remember Allah" (Al-Qur'an 3:135).
سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا ؓ يَقُولُ كُنْتُ رَجُلاً إِذَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَدِيثًا نَفَعَنِي اللَّهُ مِنْهُ بِمَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَنْفَعَنِي وَإِذَا حَدَّثَنِي أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ اسْتَحْلَفْتُهُ فَإِذَا حَلَفَ لِي صَدَّقْتُهُ قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَصَدَقَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ ؓ أَنَّهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يُذْنِبُ ذَنْبًا فَيُحْسِنُ الطُّهُورَ ثُمَّ يَقُومُ فَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ إِلاَّ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ { وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ } إِلَى آخِرِ الآيَةِ
By Allah, I love you, Mu'adh. I give some instruction to you. Never leave to recite this supplication after every (prescribed) prayer: "O Allah, help me in remembering You, in giving You thanks, and worshipping You well." Mu'adh willed this supplication to the narrator al-Sunabihi and al-Sunabihi to 'Abu Abd al-Rahman.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَخَذَ بِيَدِهِ وَقَالَ يَا مُعَاذُ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأُحِبُّكَ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأُحِبُّكَ فَقَالَ أُوصِيكَ يَا مُعَاذُ لاَ تَدَعَنَّ فِي دُبُرِ كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ تَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ وَأَوْصَى بِذَلِكَ مُعَاذٌ الصُّنَابِحِيَّ وَأَوْصَى بِهِ الصُّنَابِحِيُّ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded me to recite Mu'awwidhatan (the last two surahs of the Qur'an) after every prayer.
أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِالْمُعَوِّذَاتِ دُبُرَ كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ liked to supplicate three times and to ask pardon (of Allah) three times.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يُعْجِبُهُ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ ثَلاَثًا وَيَسْتَغْفِرَ ثَلاَثًا
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: May I not teach you phrases which you utter in distress? (These are:) "Allah , Allah is my Lord, I do not associate anything as partner with Him."
لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَلاَ أُعَلِّمُكِ كَلِمَاتٍ تَقُولِينَهُنَّ عِنْدَ الْكَرْبِ أَوْ فِي الْكَرْبِ اللَّهُ اللَّهُ رَبِّي لاَ أُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا
Once we accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a journey. When we reached near Medina, the people began to say aloud: "Allah is most great," and they raised their voice. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: O people, you are not supplicating one who is deaf and absent, but you are supplicating One Who is nearer to you than the neck of your riding beast. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said: AbuMusa, should I not point out to you one of the treasures of Paradise? I asked: What is that? He replied: "There is no might and there is no power except in Allah"
كُنْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي سَفَرٍ فَلَمَّا دَنَوْا مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ كَبَّرَ النَّاسُ وَرَفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَهُمْ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّكُمْ لاَ تَدْعُونَ أَصَمَّ وَلاَ غَائِبًا إِنَّ الَّذِي تَدْعُونَهُ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَ أَعْنَاقِ رِكَابِكُمْ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَا أَبَا مُوسَى أَلاَ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى كَنْزٍ مِنْ كُنُوزِ الْجَنَّةِ فَقُلْتُ وَمَا هُوَ قَالَ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
They (the Companions) accompanied the Prophet ﷺ while they were climbing the turning of a hill. A man uttered loudly: "There is no god but Allah, and Allah is most great" when he ascended the hill. The Prophet of Allah ﷺ said: You are not supplicating one who is deaf or absent. He then said: 'Abd Allah b. Qais. The narrator then transmitted the tradition to the same effect.
عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيِّ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَهُمْ يَتَصَعَّدُونَ فِي ثَنِيَّةٍ فَجَعَلَ رَجُلٌ كُلَّمَا عَلاَ الثَّنِيَّةَ نَادَى لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ فَقَالَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّكُمْ لاَ تُنَادُونَ أَصَمَّ وَلاَ غَائِبًا ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ قَيْسٍ فَذَكَرَ مَعْنَاهُ
النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ارْبَعُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ
If anyone says "I am pleased with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion and with Muhammad ﷺ as Apostle" Paradise will be his due.
أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا عَلِيٍّ الْجَنْبِيَّ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيَّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ قَالَ رَضِيتُ بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِالإِسْلاَمِ دِينًا وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولاً وَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ
The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone invokes blessings on me once, Allah will bless him ten times.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَىَّ وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرًا
Among the most excellent of your days is Friday; so invoke many blessings on me on that day, for your blessing will be submitted to me. They (the Companions) asked: Messenger of Allah, how can our blessings be submitted to you, when your body has decayed? He ﷺ said: Allah has prohibited the earth from consuming the bodies of Prophets.
قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِنَّ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَيَّامِكُمْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَأَكْثِرُوا عَلَىَّ مِنَ الصَّلاَةِ فِيهِ فَإِنَّ صَلاَتَكُمْ مَعْرُوضَةٌ عَلَىَّ قَالَ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَكَيْفَ تُعْرَضُ صَلاَتُنَا عَلَيْكَ وَقَدْ أَرِمْتَ قَالَ يَقُولُونَ بَلِيتَ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى حَرَّمَ عَلَى الأَرْضِ أَجْسَادَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ