I spent the night with Maymunah. The Prophet ﷺ got up and went to relieve himself; he washed his face and hands, then slept. Then he got up, went to the waterskin, untied its strap, and performed an ablution that was between two ablutions: he did not use much water, yet he did it thoroughly. Then he prayed. I got up and stretched, not wanting him to think that I had been watching him, then I performed ablution. He stood to pray, and I stood on his left, so he took me by my ear and turned me to his right. His prayer was completed as thirteen rakahs. Then he lay down and slept until he breathed audibly; when he slept, he would breathe audibly. Bilal then informed him of the prayer, so he prayed and did not perform ablution. In his dua he would say:

allāhumma ijʿal fī qalbī nūrā, wa-fī basarī nūrā, wa-fī samʿī nūrā, wa-ʿan yamīnī nūrā, wa-ʿan yasārī nūrā, wa-fawqī nūrā, wa-taḥtī nūrā, wa-amāmī nūrā, wa-khalfī nūrā, wa-ijʿal lī nūrā

(O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my sight, light in my hearing, light on my right, light on my left, light above me, light beneath me, light before me, light behind me, and grant me light.)

Kurayb said: And seven are in the chest. I then met a man from the descendants of al-Abbas, and he narrated them to me, mentioning my sinew, my flesh, my blood, my hair, and my skin, and he mentioned two qualities.

بِتُّ عِنْدَ مَيْمُونَةَ، فَقَامَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَأَتَى حَاجَتَهُ، غَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ وَيَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ نَامَ، ثُمَّ قَامَ فَأَتَى الْقِرْبَةَ فَأَطْلَقَ شِنَاقَهَا، ثُمَّ تَوَضَّأَ وُضُوءًا بَيْنَ وُضُوءَيْنِ، لَمْ يُكْثِرْ وَقَدْ أَبْلَغَ، فَصَلَّى، فَقُمْتُ فَتَمَطَّيْتُ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَرَى أَنِّي كُنْتُ أَتَّقِيهِ، فَتَوَضَّأْتُ، فَقَامَ يُصَلِّي، فَقُمْتُ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ، فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِي فَأَدَارَنِي عَنْ يَمِينِهِ، فَتَتَامَّتْ صَلاَتُهُ ثَلاَثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً، ثُمَّ اضْطَجَعَ فَنَامَ حَتَّى نَفَخَ، وَكَانَ إِذَا نَامَ نَفَخَ، فَآذَنَهُ بِلاَلٌ بِالصَّلاَةِ، فَصَلَّى وَلَمْ يَتَوَضَّأْ. وَكَانَ يَقُولُ فِي دُعَائِهِ:

«اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورًا، وَفِي بَصَرِي نُورًا، وَفِي سَمْعِي نُورًا، وَعَنْ يَمِينِي نُورًا، وَعَنْ يَسَارِي نُورًا، وَفَوْقِي نُورًا، وَتَحْتِي نُورًا، وَأَمَامِي نُورًا، وَخَلْفِي نُورًا، وَاجْعَلْ لِي نُورًا».

قَالَ كُرَيْبٌ: وَسَبْعٌ فِي التَّابُوتِ، فَلَقِيتُ رَجُلاً مِنْ وَلَدِ الْعَبَّاسِ فَحَدَّثَنِي بِهِنَّ، فَذَكَرَ عَصَبِي وَلَحْمِي وَدَمِي وَشَعَرِي وَبَشَرِي، وَذَكَرَ خَصْلَتَيْنِ.

I spent a night at my aunt Maymunah’s. The Prophet ﷺ got up during the night, relieved himself, then washed his face and hands, then went back to sleep. Then he got up, went to the water-skin, untied its mouthstring, then performed a wudu that was between the two wudus ˹light and heavy˺ without using much water, yet he did it thoroughly.

Then he stood and prayed. I got up and stretched, not wanting him to think I had been watching him, and I performed wudu. Then he stood to pray, and I stood on his left. He took my hand and turned me to his right. The night prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ amounted to thirteen rakahs. Then he lay down and slept until he began to breathe heavily (snore), and when he slept he would breathe heavily. Then Bilal came to him and informed him that it was time for prayer. So he got up and prayed, and he did not perform wudu ˹again before the prayer˺.

allāhumma ijʿal fī qalbī nūrā, wa-fī baṣarī nūrā, wa-fī samʿī nūrā, wa-ʿan yamīnī nūrā, wa-ʿan yasārī nūrā, wa-fawqī nūrā, wa-taḥtī nūrā, wa-amāmī nūrā, wa-khalfī nūrā, wa-ʿaẓẓim lī nūrā.

And among his supplications was: “O Allah, place light in my heart, and light in my sight, and light in my hearing; and light on my right, and light on my left; and light above me, and light beneath me; and light in front of me, and light behind me; and make for me a great light.”

Kurayb said: and seven ˹more˺ in the chest. I met one of al-Abbas’s sons, and he related them to me: he mentioned my spine, my flesh, my blood, my hair, and my skin, and he mentioned two additional qualities.

بِتُّ لَيْلَةً عِنْدَ خَالَتِي مَيْمُونَةَ، فَقَامَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، فَأَتَى حَاجَتَهُ، ثُمَّ غَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ وَيَدَيْهِ، ثُمَّ نَامَ. ثُمَّ قَامَ فَأَتَى الْقِرْبَةَ، فَأَطْلَقَ شِنَاقَهَا، ثُمَّ تَوَضَّأَ وُضُوءًا بَيْنَ الْوُضُوءَيْنِ، وَلَمْ يُكْثِرْ، وَقَدْ أَبْلَغَ.

ثُمَّ قَامَ فَصَلَّى، فَقُمْتُ فَتَمَطَّيْتُ، كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَرَى أَنِّي كُنْتُ أَنْتَبِهُ لَهُ، فَتَوَضَّأْتُ. فَقَامَ فَصَلَّى، فَقُمْتُ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ، فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِي، فَأَدَارَنِي عَنْ يَمِينِهِ، فَتَتَامَّتْ صَلَاةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً. ثُمَّ اضْطَجَعَ فَنَامَ حَتَّى نَفَخَ، وَكَانَ إِذَا نَامَ نَفَخَ. فَأَتَاهُ بِلَالٌ، فَآذَنَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ، فَقَامَ فَصَلَّى، وَلَمْ يَتَوَضَّأْ.

وَكَانَ فِي دُعَائِهِ: «اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورًا، وَفِي بَصَرِي نُورًا، وَفِي سَمْعِي نُورًا، وَعَنْ يَمِينِي نُورًا، وَعَنْ يَسَارِي نُورًا، وَفَوْقِي نُورًا، وَتَحْتِي نُورًا، وَأَمَامِي نُورًا، وَخَلْفِي نُورًا، وَعَظِّمْ لِي نُورًا».

قَالَ كُرَيْبٌ: وَسَبْعًا فِي التَّابُوتِ. فَلَقِيتُ بَعْضَ وَلَدِ الْعَبَّاسِ، فَحَدَّثَنِي بِهِنَّ، فَذَكَرَ عَصَبِي، وَلَحْمِي، وَدَمِي، وَشَعَرِي، وَبَشَرِي، وَذَكَرَ خَصْلَتَيْنِ.

I spent the night in the house of my mother's sister, Maimuna, and observed how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed (at night). He got up and relieved himself. He then washed his face and hands and then went to sleep. He again got up and went near the water-skin and loosened its straps and then poured some water in a bowl and inclined it with his hands (towards himself). He then performed a good ablution between the two extremes and then stood up to pray. I also came and stood by his left side. He took hold of me and made me stand on his right side. It was in thirteen rakʿahs that the (night) prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was completed. He then slept till he began to snore, and we knew that he had gone to sleep by his snoring. He then went out (for the dawn prayer), and said while praying or prostrating himself: "O Allah! place light in my heart, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light on my right, light on my left, light in front of me, light behind me, light above me, light below me, make light for me," or he said: "Make me light."

بِتُّ فِي بَيْتِ خَالَتِي مَيْمُونَةَ فَبَقَيْتُ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَقَامَ فَبَالَ ثُمَّ غَسَلَ وَجْهَهُ وَكَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ نَامَ ثُمَّ قَامَ إِلَى الْقِرْبَةِ فَأَطْلَقَ شِنَاقَهَا ثُمَّ صَبَّ فِي الْجَفْنَةِ أَوِ الْقَصْعَةِ فَأَكَبَّهُ بِيَدِهِ عَلَيْهَا ثُمَّ تَوَضَّأَ وُضُوءًا حَسَنًا بَيْنَ الْوُضُوءَيْنِ ثُمَّ قَامَ يُصَلِّي فَجِئْتُ فَقُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ فَقُمْتُ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ قَالَ فَأَخَذَنِي فَأَقَامَنِي عَنْ يَمِينِهِ فَتَكَامَلَتْ صَلاَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَلاَثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً ثُمَّ نَامَ حَتَّى نَفَخَ وَكُنَّا نَعْرِفُهُ إِذَا نَامَ بِنَفْخِهِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ فَصَلَّى فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ فِي صَلاَتِهِ أَوْ فِي سُجُودِهِ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورًا وَفِي سَمْعِي نُورًا وَفِي بَصَرِي نُورًا وَعَنْ يَمِينِي نُورًا وَعَنْ شِمَالِي نُورًا وَأَمَامِي نُورًا وَخَلْفِي نُورًا وَفَوْقِي نُورًا وَتَحْتِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ لِي نُورًا أَوْ قَالَ وَاجْعَلْنِي نُورًا