20. Night and Voluntary Prayers
٢٠۔ كتاب قيام الليل وتطوع النهار
"We used to prepare siwak and water for wudu for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Allah (SWT) would wake him when He willed to wake him at night, then he would clean his teeth and make wudu, and pray nine rak'ahs, not sitting until the eighth, when he would praise Allah (SWT) and send blessings upon His Prophet and supplicate between them, but he did not say the taslim. Then he prayed the ninth and sat, and said something similar, praising Allah (SWT) and sending blessings upon His Prophet ﷺ, then he said a taslim that we could hear, then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting down."
كُنَّا نُعِدُّ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ سِوَاكَهُ وَطَهُورَهُ فَيَبْعَثُهُ اللَّهُ ﷻ لِمَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَبْعَثَهُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَيَسْتَاكُ وَيَتَوَضَّأُ وَيُصَلِّي تِسْعَ رَكَعَاتٍ لاَ يَجْلِسُ فِيهِنَّ إِلاَّ عِنْدَ الثَّامِنَةِ وَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيُصَلِّي عَلَى نَبِيِّهِ ﷺ وَيَدْعُو بَيْنَهُنَّ وَلاَ يُسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيمًا ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي التَّاسِعَةَ وَيَقْعُدُ وَذَكَرَ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا وَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيُصَلِّي عَلَى نَبِيِّهِ ﷺ وَيَدْعُو ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيمًا يُسْمِعُنَا ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ
"When Sa'd bin Hisham bin Amir came to visit us, he told us that he came to Ibn Abbas and asked him about the witr of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said: 'Shall I not tell you of the most knowledgeable person on Earth about the witr of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?' I said: 'Who?' He said: 'Aishah.' So we went to her and greeted her with Salam and entered and asked her. I said: 'Tell me about the witr of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.' She said: 'We used to prepare for him his siwak and water for wudu, then Allah (SWT) would wake him when He willed to wake him at night. He would clean his teeth and perform wudu, then he would pray nine rak'ahs, during which he would not sit until the eighth. Then he would praise Allah (SWT) and remember Him and supplicate, then he would get up and not say the taslim. Then he would pray the ninth, then sit and praise Allah (SWT) and remember Him and supplicate, then he would say a taslim that we could hear. Then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting, and that was eleven rak'ahs, O my son. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ grew older and put on weight, he prayed witr with seven, then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting after saying the taslim, and that was nine, O my son. And when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered a prayer, he liked to persist in offering it.'"
عَنْ وَتْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ أَلاَ أَدُلُّكَ أَوْ أَلاَ أُنَبِّئُكَ بِأَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ بِوَتْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قُلْتُ مَنْ قَالَ عَائِشَةُ فَأَتَيْنَاهَا فَسَلَّمْنَا عَلَيْهَا وَدَخَلْنَا فَسَأَلْنَاهَا فَقُلْتُ أَنْبِئِينِي عَنْ وِتْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَتْ كُنَّا نُعِدُّ لَهُ سِوَاكَهُ وَطَهُورَهُ فَيَبْعَثُهُ اللَّهُ ﷻ مَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَبْعَثَهُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَيَتَسَوَّكُ وَيَتَوَضَّأُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي تِسْعَ رَكَعَاتٍ وَلاَ يَقْعُدُ فِيهِنَّ إِلاَّ فِي الثَّامِنَةِ فَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيَذْكُرُهُ وَيَدْعُو ثُمَّ يَنْهَضُ وَلاَ يُسَلِّمُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي التَّاسِعَةَ فَيَجْلِسُ فَيَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَيَذْكُرُهُ وَيَدْعُو ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمُ تَسْلِيمًا يُسْمِعُنَا ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فَتِلْكَ إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً يَا بُنَىَّ فَلَمَّا أَسَنَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَخَذَ اللَّحْمَ أَوْتَرَ بِسَبْعٍ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ بَعْدَ مَا يُسَلِّمُ فَتِلْكَ تِسْعًا أَىْ بُنَىَّ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلاَةً أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُدَاوِمَ عَلَيْهَا
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray witr with nine rak'ahs, then he would pray two rak'ahs sitting down. When he grew weaker he prayed witr with seven rak'ahs, then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting down."
أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهَا تَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يُوتِرُ بِتِسْعِ رَكَعَاتٍ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فَلَمَّا ضَعُفَ أَوْتَرَ بِسَبْعِ رَكَعَاتٍ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray witr with nine and pray two rak'ahs sitting down.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يُوتِرُ بِتِسْعٍ وَيَرْكَعُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ
That he came to the Mother of the Believers Aishah and asked her about the prayers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. She said: "He used to pray eight rak'ahs at night and pray witr with the ninth, then he would pray two rak'ahs sitting down."
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ يَعْنِي مَوْلَى بَنِي هَاشِمٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حُصَيْنُ بْنُ نَافِعٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ أَنَّهُ وَفَدَ عَلَى أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَائِشَةَ فَسَأَلَهَا عَنْ صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ كَانَ يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ ثَمَانَ رَكَعَاتٍ وَيُوتِرُ بِالتَّاسِعَةِ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ مُخْتَصَرٌ
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray nine rak'ahs at night."
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ تِسْعَ رَكَعَاتٍ