How would the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pray during the night ? He replied: I spent a night with him when he was with Maimunah. He slept and awoke when half the night or one-third of it had passed. He stood up and went to a leather bad containing water. He performed ablution and I also performed ablution with him. He then stood up and I also stood at his left side. He made me stand at his right side. He then put his hand upon my head, as he was touching my ear and awakening me. He then prayed two light rak'ahs and recited Surah al-Fatihah in each of them, and uttered the salutation. He then prayed eleven rak'ahs observing the witr and slept. Then Bilal came to him and said: Prayer, Messenger of Allah. He got up and prayed two rak'ahs, and then led the people in the prayer.  

أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ كَيْفَ كَانَتْ صَلاَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِاللَّيْلِ قَالَ بِتُّ عِنْدَهُ لَيْلَةً وَهُوَ عِنْدَ مَيْمُونَةَ فَنَامَ حَتَّى إِذَا ذَهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ أَوْ نِصْفُهُ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَقَامَ إِلَى شَنٍّ فِيهِ مَاءٌ فَتَوَضَّأَ وَتَوَضَّأْتُ مَعَهُ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَقُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ عَلَى يَسَارِهِ فَجَعَلَنِي عَلَى يَمِينِهِ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِي كَأَنَّهُ يَمَسُّ أُذُنِي كَأَنَّهُ يُوقِظُنِي فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَفِيفَتَيْنِ قُلْتُ فَقَرَأَ فِيهِمَا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ ثُمَّ صَلَّى حَتَّى صَلَّى إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً بِالْوِتْرِ ثُمَّ نَامَ فَأَتَاهُ بِلاَلٌ فَقَالَ الصَّلاَةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَقَامَ فَرَكَعَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى لِلنَّاسِ  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Makhrama ibn Sulayman from Kurayb, the mawla of Ibn Abbas, that Abdullah ibn Abbas told him that he had spent a night at the house of Maimuna, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ who was also Ibn Abbas' mother's sister. Ibn Abbas said, "I lay down with my head on the breadth of the cushion, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his wife lay down with their heads on its length. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ slept, until, halfway through the night or a little before or after it, he awoke and sat up and wiped the sleep away from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last ten ayats of sura Ali Imran (Sura3). Then he got up and went over to a water-skin which was hanging up and did wudu from it, doing his wudu thoroughly, and then he stood in prayer." Ibn Abbas continued, "I stood up and did the same and then went and stood by his side. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ put his right hand on my head and took my right ear and tweaked it. He prayed two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, and then prayed an odd raka. Then he lay down until the muadhdhin came to him, and then prayed two quick rakas, and went out and prayed subh ."  

أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ بَاتَ لَيْلَةً عِنْدَ مَيْمُونَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَهِيَ خَالَتُهُ قَالَ فَاضْطَجَعْتُ فِي عَرْضِ الْوِسَادَةِ وَاضْطَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَهْلُهُ فِي طُولِهَا فَنَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى إِذَا انْتَصَفَ اللَّيْلُ أَوْ قَبْلَهُ بِقَلِيلٍ أَوْ بَعْدَهُ بِقَلِيلٍ اسْتَيْقَظَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَجَلَسَ يَمْسَحُ النَّوْمَ عَنْ وَجْهِهِ بِيَدِهِ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ الْعَشْرَ الآيَاتِ الْخَوَاتِمَ مِنْ سُورَةِ آلِ عِمْرَانَ ثُمَّ قَامَ إِلَى شَنٍّ مُعَلَّقٍ فَتَوَضَّأَ مِنْهُ فَأَحْسَنَ وُضُوءَهُ ثُمَّ قَامَ يُصَلِّي قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ فَقُمْتُ فَصَنَعْتُ مِثْلَ مَا صَنَعَ ثُمَّ ذَهَبْتُ فَقُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ فَوَضَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى رَأْسِي وَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِي الْيُمْنَى يَفْتِلُهَا فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ أَوْتَرَ ثُمَّ اضْطَجَعَ حَتَّى أَتَاهُ الْمُؤَذِّنُ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَفِيفَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَصَلَّى الصُّبْحَ  

How would the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pray during the night ? He replied: I spent a night with him when he was with Maimunah. He slept and awoke when half the night or one-third of it had passed. He stood up and went to a leather bad containing water. He performed ablution and I also performed ablution with him. He then stood up and I also stood at his left side. He made me stand at his right side. He then put his hand upon my head, as he was touching my ear and awakening me. He then prayed two light rak'ahs and recited Surah al-Fatihah in each of them, and uttered the salutation. He then prayed eleven rak'ahs observing the witr and slept. Then Bilal came to him and said: Prayer, Messenger of Allah. He got up and prayed two rak'ahs, and then led the people in the prayer. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 1364)   

أَخْبَرَهُ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ كَانَتْ صَلَاةُ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ بِاللَّيْلِ؟ قَالَ كَانَ يُقْرَأُ فِي حُجَرِهِ فَيَسْمَعُ قِرَاءَتَهُ مَنْ كَانَ خَلْفَهُ وَقَالَ بِتُّ عِنْدَهُ لَيْلَةً وَهُوَ عِنْدَ مَيْمُونَةَ بِنْتِ الْحَارِثِ فَاضْطَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَمَيْمُونَةُ عَلَى وِسَادَةٍ مِنْ أَدَمٍ مَحْشُوَّةٍ لِيفًا فَاضَّطَجَعَا عَلَى طُولِهَا وَاضْطَجَعْتُ عَلَى عَرْضِهَا فَنَامَا حَتَّى إِذَا ذَهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ أَوْ نِصْفَهُ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَقَامَ إِلَى شَنٍّ فِيهِ مَاءٌ فَتَوَضَّأَ وَتَوَضَّأَتُ مَعَهُ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَقُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ عَلَى يَسَارِهِ فَجَعَلَنِي عَلَى يَمِينِهِ وَوُضِعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِي فَجَعَلَ يَمْسَحُ أُذُنَيَّ كَأَنَّهُ يُوقِظُنِي فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَفِيفَتَيْنِ قُلْتُ قَرَأَ فِيهِمَا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ ثُمَّ سَلِمَ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ سَلِمَ حَتَّى صَلَّى إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً بِالْوِتْرِ ثُمَّ نَامَ حَتَّى اسْتَثْقَلَ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يَنْفُخُ فَأَتَاهُ بِلَالٌ فَقَالَ الصَّلَاةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ فَقَامَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَصَلَّى لِلنَّاسِ وَلَمْ يَتَوَضَّأْ  

[Machine] About the night prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , he mentioned in a narration: "Then he stood up and I stood on his left side, and he placed me on his right side. He then placed his hands on my head and touched my ears as if he was waking me up. He then performed two light rak'ahs (units of prayer). I said, 'In each of them, he recited Surah Al-Qasas (Chapter 28) from the beginning to the end.' Then he said the tasleem (ending of the prayer) and performed two more rak'ahs. He repeated this until he prayed eleven rak'ahs of Witr prayer. Then he went to sleep until the time for Fajr (dawn) prayer came. I saw him blowing and Bilal came to him, saying, 'O Messenger of Allah, it is time for prayer.' So he stood up and performed two rak'ahs and prayed for the people without performing ablution." Aisha said: "There is no prophet whose eyes sleep but his heart is awake, and if his heart sleeps, his eyes awaken."  

عَنْ صَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ بِاللَّيْلِ فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ قَالَ فِيهِ ثُمَّ قَامَ وَقُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ فَجَعَلَنِي عَنْ يَمِينِهِ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رَأْسِي فَجَعَلَ يَمَسُّ أُذُنِي كَأَنَّهُ يُوقِظُنِي فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَفِيفَتَيْنِ قُلْتُ قَرَأَ فِيهِمَا بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ حَتَّى صَلَّى إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً بِالْوِتْرِ ثُمَّ نَامَ حَتَّى اسْتَقْبَلَ وَرَأَيْتُهُ يَنْفُخُ فَأَتَاهُ بِلَالٌ فَقَالَ الصَّلَاةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ فَقَامَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَصَلَّى لِلنَّاسِ وَلَمْ يَتَوَضَّأْ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ لَيْسَ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ نَامَ عَيْنُهُ إِلَّا اسْتَنْبَهَ قَلْبُهُ وَإِنْ نَامَ قَلْبُهُ اسْتَيْقَظَتْ عَيْنَاهُ