2. Book of Ṣalāh
٢۔ كِتَابُ الصَّلَاةِ
Between the time when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished the night prayer till the dawn broke, he used to pray eleven rak'ahs, uttering the salutation at the end of every two and observing the witr with a single one, and during that he would make a prostration about as long a one of you would take to recite fifty verses before raising his head. When the mu'adhdhin finished making the call for the dawn prayer, he stood up and prayed two short rak'ahs, then he lay down on his right side till the mu'adhdhin came to him (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 1336)
«كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي مَا بَيْنَ الْعِشَاءِ إِلَى الْفَجْرِ إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً يُسَلِّمُ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَيُوتِرُ بِوَاحِدَةٍ وَيَسْجُدُ فِي سُبْحَتِهِ بِقَدْرِ مَا يَقْرَأُ أَحَدُكُمْ خَمْسِينَ آيَةً قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَإِذَا سَكَتَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ مِنَ الْأَذَانِ الْأَوَّلِ رَكَعَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَفِيفَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ اضْطَجَعَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَهُ الْمُؤَذِّنُ فَيَخْرُجَ مَعَهُ»
He asked Aishah about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at night. She said: "He used to pray thirteen rak'ahs. He would pray eight rak'ahs then pray witr, then pray two rak'ahs sitting down. When he wanted to bow he would stand and bow, and he prayed two rak'ahs between the adhan and iqamah of subh prayer. (Using translation from Nasāʾī 1781)
عَنْ صَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِاللَّيْلِ فَقَالَتْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يُصَلِّي ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً يُصَلِّي ثَمَانَ رَكَعَاتٍ ثُمَّ يُوتِرُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ قَامَ فَرَكَعَ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ بَيْنَ النِّدَاءِ وَالْإِقَامَةِ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ
I divorced my wife. I then came to Medina 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 ﷺ. They said: Six persons of us intended to do so (i.e. divorce their wives and purchase weapons), but the Prophet ﷺ 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 ﷺ. He said: I point to you a person who is most familiar with the witr observed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Go to 'Aishah. While going to her I asked Hakim b. 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 b. Aflah. She asked: Who is with you ? He replied: Sa'd b. 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 ﷺ. She asked: Do you not recite the Quran ? The character of Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the Qur'an. 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 ﷺ. 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 ﷺ would not pray through a whole night, or recite the whole Qur'an 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. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 1342)
أَنَّهُ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ وَأَتَى الْمَدِينَةَ لِبَيْعِ عَقَارِهِ فَيَجْعَلَهُ فِي السِّلَاحِ وَالْكُرَاعِ فَلَقِيَ رَهْطًا مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَقَالُوا أَرَادَ ذَلِكَ سِتَّةٌ مِنَّا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَمَنَعَهُمْ وَقَالَ «أَمَا لَكُمْ فِيَّ أُسْوَةٌ؟» ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ قَدِمَ الْبَصْرَةَ فَحَدَّثَنَا أَنَّهُ لَقِيَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْوِتْرِ فَقَالَ أَلَا أُحَدِّثُكَ بِأَعْلَمِ النَّاسِ بِوِتْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ؟ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَ أُمُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَائِشَةُ فَأْتِهَا فَاسْأَلْهَا ثُمَّ ارْجِعْ إِلَيَّ فَحَدِّثْنِي بِمَا تُحَدِّثُكَ فَأَتَيْتُ حَكِيمَ بْنَ أَفْلَحَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ انْطَلِقْ مَعِي إِلَى أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَائِشَةَ قَالَ إِنِّي لَا آتِيهَا إِنِّي نَهَيْتُ عَنْ هَذِهِ الشِّيعَتَيْنِ فَأَبَتْ إِلَّا مُضِيًّا قُلْتُ أَقْسَمْتُ عَلَيْكَ لَمَا انْطَلَقْتَ فَانْطَلَقْنَا فَسَلَّمْنَا فَعَرَفَتْ صَوْتَ حَكِيمٍ فَقَالَتْ «مَنْ هَذَا؟» قُلْتُ سَعْدُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ قَالَتْ «مَنْ هِشَامٌ؟» قُلْتُ هِشَامُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ قَالَتْ «نِعْمَ الْمَرْءُ قُتِلَ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ» قُلْتُ أَخْبِرِينَا عَنْ خُلُقِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَتْ «أَلَسْتَ تَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ؟» قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَتْ «فَإِنَّهُ خُلُقُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ» فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَقُومَ وَلَا أَسْأَلَ أَحَدًا عَنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى أَلْحَقَ بِاللَّهِ فَعَرَضَ لِي الْقِيَامُ فَقُلْتُ أَخْبِرِينَا عَنْ قِيَامِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَتْ أَلَسْتَ تَقْرَأُ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ؟ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَتْ «فَإِنَّهَا كَانَتْ قِيَامَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أُنْزِلَ أَوَّلُ السُّورَةِ فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَصْحَابُهُ حَتَّى انْتَفَخَتْ أَقْدَامُهُمْ وَحُبِسَ آخِرُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا ثُمَّ أُنْزِلَ فَصَارَ قِيَامُ اللَّيْلِ تَطَوُّعًا بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانَ فَرِيضَةً» فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَقُومَ وَلَا أَسْأَلَ أَحَدًا عَنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى أَلْحَقَ بِاللَّهِ فَعَرَضَ لِي الْوِتْرُ فَقُلْتُ أَخْبِرِينَا عَنْ وِتْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ «كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا نَامَ وَضَعَ سِوَاكَهُ عِنْدِي فَيَبْعَثُهُ اللَّهُ لِمَا يَشَاءُ أَنْ يَبْعَثَهُ فَيُصَلِّي تِسْعَ رَكَعَاتٍ لَا يَجْلِسُ إِلَّا فِي الثَّامِنَةِ فَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيَدْعُو رَبَّهُ ثُمَّ يَقُومُ وَلَا يُسَلِّمُ حَتَّى يَجْلِسَ فِي التَّاسِعَةِ فَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيَدْعُو رَبَّهُ وَيُسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيمَةً يُسْمِعُنَا ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فَتِلْكَ إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً» يَا بُنَيَّ «فَلَمَّا أَسَنَّ وَحَمَلَ اللَّحْمَ صَلَّى سَبْعَ رَكَعَاتٍ لَا يَجْلِسُ إِلَّا فِي السَّادِسَةِ فَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيَدْعُو رَبَّهُ ثُمَّ يَقُومُ وَلَا يُسَلِّمُ ثُمَّ يَجْلِسُ فِي السَّابِعَةِ فَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيَدْعُو رَبَّهُ ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيمَةً ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فَتِلْكَ تِسْعٌ» يَا بُنَيَّ «وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا غَلَبَهُ نَوْمٌ أَوْ مَرَضٌ صَلَّى مِنَ النَّهَارِ ثِنْتَيْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا أَخَذَ خُلُقًا أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُدَاوِمَ عَلَيْهِ وَمَا قَامَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَيْلَةً حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ وَلَا قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ كُلَّهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ وَلَا صَامَ شَهْرًا كَامِلًا غَيْرَ رَمَضَانَ» فَأَتَيْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَحَدَّثْتُهُ فَقَالَ «صَدَقَتْكَ أَمَا إِنِّي لَوْ كُنْتُ أَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهَا لَشَافَهْتُهَا مُشَافَهَةً» قَالَ فَقُلْتُ أَمَا إِنِّي لَوْ شَعَرْتُ أَنَّكَ لَا تَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهَا مَا حَدَّثْتُكَ