Hadith 1141

وَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى : يَأَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ { 1 } قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلا قَلِيلا { 2 } نِصْفَهُ أَوِ انْقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلا { 3 } أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْءَانَ تَرْتِيلا { 4 } إِنَّا سَنُلْقِي عَلَيْكَ قَوْلا ثَقِيلا { 5 } إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ وَطْأً وَأَقْوَمُ قِيلا { 6 } إِنَّ لَكَ فِي النَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلا { 7 } سورة المزمل آية 1-7 وَقَوْلُهُ : عَلِمَ أَنْ لَنْ تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْءَانِ عَلِمَ أَنْ سَيَكُونُ مِنْكُمْ مَرْضَى وَآخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَآخَرُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا لأَنْفُسِكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ أَجْرًا سورة المزمل آية 20 , قَالَ أَبُو عَبْد اللَّهِ : قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا نَشَأَ قَامَ بِالْحَبَشِيَّةِ وِطَاءً , قَالَ : مُوَاطَأَةَ الْقُرْآنِ أَشَدُّ مُوَافَقَةً لِسَمْعِهِ وَبَصَرِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ لِيُوَاطِئُوا لِيُوَافِقُوا .
And Allah the Exalted has said in this chapter (in Surah Al-Muzzammil): "O you who wraps himself [in clothing]! Stand [to pray] all night, except a little—half of it, or a little less than that..." «سبحا طويلا‏» And He said: "Allah knows that you will not be able to keep it up, so He has pardoned you..." «واستغفروا الله ان الله غفور رحيم» And Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The word in the Qur'an «ناشئة الليل» means, in the Abyssinian language, 'to stand,' and «نشأ» means 'to be in agreement,' that is, the Qur'an of the night is recited by joining the ear, the eye, and the heart. «وطاء»
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ , قَالَ : حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ ، عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَسًا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ : " كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُفْطِرُ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ حَتَّى نَظُنَّ أَنْ لَا يَصُومَ مِنْهُ ، وَيَصُومُ حَتَّى نَظُنَّ أَنْ لَا يُفْطِرَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا ، وَكَانَ لَا تَشَاءُ أَنْ تَرَاهُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مُصَلِّيًا إِلَّا رَأَيْتَهُ ، وَلَا نَائِمًا إِلَّا رَأَيْتَهُ " تَابَعَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ ، وَأَبُو خَالِدٍ الْأَحْمَرُ ، عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ .
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Sometimes Allah's Apostle would not fast (for so many days) that we thought that he would not fast that month and he sometimes used to fast (for so many days) that we thought he would not leave fasting throughout that month and (as regards his prayer and sleep at night), if you wanted to see him praying at night, you could see him praying and if you wanted to see him sleeping, you could see him sleeping.
Hadith Reference صحيح البخاري / كتاب التهجد / 1141
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح البخاريّ كلّها صحيحة
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
Its meaning is that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not spend the entire night sleeping, nor did he spend the entire night awake and engaged in worship.
Every night, he would both sleep and worship, so whoever wished to see him in any particular state could see him as such.
Some people think that staying awake and worshipping the entire night, or always fasting, is greater than the worship of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
They do not realize that by staying awake all night or by always fasting, the soul (nafs) becomes accustomed to it, and then there remains no hardship in worship for it.
The real difficulty is that one maintains the habit of sleeping at night, as well as the habit of eating and drinking during the day, and then, by exerting effort over the soul, breaks its habit whenever one wishes.
To turn away from sweet sleep.
Thus, what the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did is what is superior, what is higher, and what is more difficult.
He had nine wives; the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) fulfilled their rights, fulfilled the rights of his own soul,
fulfilled the rights of his relatives and of the general Muslims as well.
Along with all this, he also worshipped Allah; tell me, how great a heart and courage is required for this!
To take a staff, tie up one's loincloth, and sit alone in seclusion, and to become carefree and detached—this is very easy for the soul.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 1141
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
From this narration, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established the non-obligation of the night prayer (tahajjud) upon the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, because it is proven from this that sometimes he would spend the entire night sleeping. If standing in prayer at night (qiyam al-layl) had been obligatory, he would certainly have adhered to it. (Fath al-Bari: 3/29)

(2)
The meaning of this hadith is that the nine voluntary prayers (nafl) of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam at night and his being engaged in rest occurred at different times of the night. Whoever wished to see him in any particular state could do so. This is the personal observation of Anas radi Allahu anhu, which does not contradict the statement of Aisha radi Allahu anha that he would wake up upon hearing the crowing of the rooster, because she described what she herself witnessed, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would generally perform the night prayer at home, whereas the hadith of Anas radi Allahu anhu is understood to refer to other circumstances. Both narrated their own observations regarding the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. (Fath al-Bari: 3/31)

(3)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah himself has narrated this corroboration (mutaba‘at) of Abu Khalid Ahmar with a connected chain. (Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Sawm, Hadith: 1973) From the narration of Sulayman, it is known that the narrator Humayd asked Anas radi Allahu anhu about the fasting of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so he narrated this hadith. (Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Sawm, Hadith: 1972)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 1141