20. Night and Voluntary Prayers
٢٠۔ كتاب قيام الليل وتطوع النهار
"Aishah may Allah (SWT) be pleased with her, said: ' When the last ten nights of Ramadan began, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stayed up at night (for prayer) and he woke his family up and tightened his waist-wrap.'"
عَائِشَةُ ؓ كَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَتِ الْعَشْرُ أَحْيَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ اللَّيْلَ وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ وَشَدَّ الْمِئْزَرَ
"I came to Al-Aswad bin Yazid, who was a close friend of mine and said: 'O Abu 'Amr, tell me what the Mother of the Believers told you about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.' He said: 'She said: "He used to sleep for the first part of the night and stay up for the latter part.'"
عَنْ صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ قَالَتْ كَانَ يَنَامُ أَوَّلَ اللَّيْلِ وَيُحْيِي آخِرَهُ
"I do not know that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited the whole Qur'an in one night, or spent a whole night in worship until dawn, or that he ever fasted an entire month apart from Ramadan."
لاَ أَعْلَمُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ كُلَّهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ وَلاَ قَامَ لَيْلَةً حَتَّى الصَّبَاحِ وَلاَ صَامَ شَهْرًا كَامِلاً قَطُّ غَيْرَ رَمَضَانَ
The Prophet ﷺ came in to her and there was a woman with her. He said: "Who is this?" She said: "So-and-so, and she does not sleep." And she told him about how she prayed a great deal. He said: "Stop praising her. You should do what you can, for by Allah (SWT), Allah never gets tired (of giving reward) until you get tired. And the most beloved of religious actions to Him is that in which a person persists."
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا وَعِنْدَهَا امْرَأَةٌ فَقَالَ مَنْ هَذِهِ قَالَتْ فُلاَنَةُ لاَ تَنَامُ فَذَكَرَتْ مِنْ صَلاَتِهَا فَقَالَ مَهْ عَلَيْكُمْ بِمَا تُطِيقُونَ فَوَاللَّهِ لاَ يَمَلُّ اللَّهُ ﷻ حَتَّى تَمَلُّوا وَلَكِنَّ أَحَبَّ الدِّينِ إِلَيْهِ مَا دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهِ صَاحِبُهُ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered the masjid and saw a rope tied between two pillars. He said: "What is this?" They said: "It is for Zainab when she prays; if she gets tired she holds on to it." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Untie it. Let any one of you pray as long as he has energy, and if he gets tired let him sit down."
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ فَرَأَى حَبْلاً مَمْدُودًا بَيْنَ سَارِيَتَيْنِ فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا الْحَبْلُ فَقَالُوا لِزَيْنَبَ تُصَلِّي فَإِذَا فَتَرَتْ تَعَلَّقَتْ بِهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ حُلُّوهُ لِيُصَلِّ أَحَدُكُمْ نَشَاطَهُ فَإِذَا فَتَرَ فَلْيَقْعُدْ
"I heard Al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah say: 'The Prophet ﷺ stood (in prayer at night) until his feet swelled up, and it was said to him: Allah has forgiven your past and future sins. He said: "Should I not be a thankful slave?'"
سَمِعْتُ الْمُغِيرَةَ بْنَ شُعْبَةَ يَقُولُ قَامَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ حَتَّى تَوَرَّمَتْ قَدَمَاهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ قَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ قَالَ أَفَلاَ أَكُونُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray until he developed fissures in his feet."
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي حَتَّى تَزْلَعَ يَعْنِي تَشَقَّقُ قَدَمَاهُ