Tahajjud

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him): "When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the tahajjud prayer, he would prostrate between every two rak'ahs." It is also narrated from him (with another chain and wording): "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to use the miswak two or three times during the night. Then, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) woke at night and stood (for prayer), he would pray four rak'ahs (in such a way) that between them he would neither speak to anyone nor order anything, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) would give the salam after every two rak'ahs."
Its chain is da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "One night I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in order to pray behind him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer and recited in a way that was neither very short and quick nor very loud; rather, it was an excellent and beautiful recitation in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited slowly with tartil, pausing, and letting us hear. The narrator says: Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed for about the length of a long surah, then raised his blessed head and said these words: 'Sami'a Allahu liman hamidah, dhu al-jabaruti wa al-malakuti wa al-kibriya'i wa al-'azamah' (Allah has heard the one who praised Him; He is the Possessor of Jabarut (utmost dominance and power), the Possessor of Malakut (true sovereignty), and the Possessor of grandeur and majesty). The narrator relates that then his (peace and blessings be upon him) standing (after the bowing) was also about as long as a surah, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrated for a similar length, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) finished reciting the long surahs while part of the darkness of the night still remained."
Abd al-Malik says that this was the voluntary night prayer (tahajjud).

Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) relates: I and Ja'dah came to an Ansari Companion (may Allah be pleased with him), and he told us that people mentioned favourably before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) a freed slave-woman of Banu Abd al-Muttalib, saying that she (was very devoted to worship): she prayed the whole night and always fasted by day. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "But I sleep and (for part of the time) I also pray, and (on some days) I fast and (on some days) I also leave fasting." (That is, moderation instead of extremism in religion, and following my sunnah, is the true path.)
And Imam Musaddad (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated with his chain, through Mujahid, from Ja'dah (may Allah have mercy on him), that he related that it was mentioned before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and then he mentioned the complete incident like the previous hadith.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned qiyam al-layl (the night prayer), and his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed eyes filled with tears until his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed tears began to roll down (in a stream onto his radiant cheeks), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Their sides forsake their beds." [Surah al-Sajdah: 16]
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith in his Musnad. Its chain contains the narrator Abu Yahya (Bayya' al-Qatt), and other hadith scholars have transmitted this narration through various chains.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited Surah al-Baqarah [Surah al-Baqarah: 1], dividing it over two rak'ahs (of the prayer)."
The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic), and Imam Abu Ubayd al-Qasim bin Sallam recorded it in his book Fada'il al-Qur'an (hadith number: 581).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Uthman al-Taymi (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "One night I saw Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) near the Station of Ibrahim; he stepped forward for prayer and recited the entire Noble Qur'an in a single rak'ah, then he completed the prayer and went back."
Its chain is hasan (good).
Also, the narration of Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) concerning the night prayer (tahajjud) during the expedition of al-Hudaybiyah is found in the Book of Expeditions (Kitab al-Maghazi).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray the witr prayer at the time of the adhan."
Imam al-Tayalisi recorded it; and Imam Abu Bakr and Imam Musaddad narrated something similar from Imam Abu Ishaq through Abu al-Ahwas, except that in it there is the explicit statement that he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray witr at the time of "the first adhan".

It is narrated from Muslim bin Mikhraq (may Allah have mercy on him): I said to the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "Among us there are some people who read the (entire) Noble Qur'an two and three times in a single night." She said: "These are people who read the Qur'an and (in reality) did not read it. Indeed, I have seen myself standing (in prayer) the whole night with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It was his (peace and blessings be upon him) practice that whenever he passed a verse in which Allah's mercy and hope were mentioned, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would ask his Lord for His bounty and supplicate, and whenever he reached a verse of warning and fear, he would implore his Lord and seek refuge from His punishment."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it with his chain from Ibn Lahi'ah, with the addition: "In the whole night's standing he (peace and blessings be upon him) would manage to recite (with this same reflection) only Surah al-Baqarah, Surah Al Imran and Surah al-Nisa'," and the meaning of the rest of the hadith is the same (as the previous text).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) after the Isha prayer and said: "O Messenger of Allah, grant me permission to worship (pray) together with you, following you." Then he mentioned the complete hadith, in which he related: "He (peace and blessings be upon him) faced the qiblah and began the prayer, and made me stand on his right side. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited Surah al-Fatihah, then began Surah al-Baqarah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) did not pass any verse of mercy without asking Allah concerning it, nor any verse of fear and punishment without seeking refuge with Allah, nor any parable without reflecting on it, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) completed that surah. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said the takbir, and I heard him (peace and blessings be upon him) say in the bowing: 'Subhana rabbiya al-'azim' (Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great), until I thought that he (peace and blessings be upon him) was also saying along with it 'wa bihamdih' (and I praise Him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) remained in his bowing for nearly as long as his standing, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head, said the takbir and prostrated, and I heard him (peace and blessings be upon him) say in the prostration: 'Subhana rabbiya al-a'la' (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), and I think that he (peace and blessings be upon him) also said 'wa bihamdih' (and I praise Him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) remained in his prostration for nearly as long as his bowing, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) finished both prostrations; then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited Surah al-Fatihah and after it began Surah Al Imran in the same (previous) manner, (and this prayer continued) until I heard the adhan for Fajr."
Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I have never performed any act of worship that was heavier and more strenuous for me than that (prayer)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "When a man prays at night and also wakes his wife, and then they both pray two rak'ahs, they are both written among the men who remember Allah much and the women who remember (Him) [Surah al-Ahzab: 35]."
The basis of this narration is found in Sunan Abi Dawud (1309) and Sunan Ibn Majah (1335), and its chain is jayyid (good).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he related: I mentioned qiyam al-layl (voluntary night worship), and some of those present said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) indeed said: "Half of it (the night), a quarter of it, or (at the least) the brief interval between two squeezes of a she-camel's udder (even if only that, but one should certainly stand in prayer)."
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith in his Musnad, and the narrators of its chain are thiqat (trustworthy); however, since Makhramah bin Bukayr's hearing from his father is not established, this narration is in the ruling of munqati' (broken) according to the hadith scholars, though other supporting reports concerning the encouragement of qiyam al-layl strengthen it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "When one of you is about to sleep (at night) and has the intention in his heart to rise at some hour of the night and perform the (tahajjud) prayer, he should keep a heap of earth or a handful of earth with him. Then, when he wakes up, he should take a handful with his right hand and then throw it to his left side."
The chain of this hadith contains a narrator named Ayyub bin Utbah al-Yamami, who is weak; that is why the hadith scholars declared this narration da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to pray at night (tahajjud and qiyam al-layl), whether it be little or much (in number of rak'ahs), and to make that (prayer) of ours witr (that is, odd).
The chain of this narration contains a narrator named Sallam bin Abi Khubzah, whom the imams of jarh wa ta'dil (narrator criticism) declared weak; however, other sahih (authentic) hadith are also narrated concerning the encouragement of the night prayer and ending it with witr.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Wathilah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Counting the number of verses (during recitation) is (permissible) in voluntary prayers, not in obligatory prayers."
Takhrij and grading: This narration is da'if (weak). Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (22/110). The narrator Abu Sa'id al-Shami (Ja'far bin al-Zubayr) in its chain is matruk al-hadith (abandoned in hadith) according to the hadith scholars.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to use the miswak (usually) two or three times during the night; whenever he (peace and blessings be upon him) rested (for a little while) and then woke up, he would (first) use the miswak, then perform ablution, and (after that) pray two rak'ahs or several (voluntary) rak'ahs."
Imam Abd bin Humayd recorded this hadith in his Musnad (591). The narrator Abu Bakr al-Madani in its chain is weak.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a man from raising his voice in recitation before the time of the Isha prayer or after it, because in this way he confuses his companions who are occupied in prayer.
And Imam Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah narrated the same through the chain of Malik bin Isma'il, by way of Khalid bin Abdullah.
Also, Imam Abu Ya'la transmitted this same hadith through the chain of Wahb bin Baqiyyah, by way of Khalid, except that he related these words: "He confuses his companions while the people are praying."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kept standing (in the tahajjud prayer) for so long that both his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed feet or his shins became swollen. So it was said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): Has Allah Almighty not forgiven, for your sake, all your past and future sins [Surah al-Fath: 2]? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Should I not be an extremely grateful servant (of my Lord)?"
And Imam al-Bazzar (may Allah have mercy on him) said that al-Hasan bin Muhammad al-Umawi narrated it to us, through Muhammad bin Bishr, by this same route of Mis'ar.
I (Ibn Hajar) say: This narration (with this chain) is ma'lul, that is, it has a technical hidden defect ('illah); and the well-known and famous narration on this topic is narrated through Ziyad bin Ilaqah from Sayyiduna al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some pain and illness (in his blessed body). So when morning came, it was said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, the effects of this pain are clearly visible on you!" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Despite the (painful) state in which you see me, I recited seven long surahs of the Noble Qur'an last night."
Imam Abu Ya'la transmitted this narration, which indicates the perfect steadfastness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his abundant worship even in a state of illness.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his blessed gaze towards the sky, then lowered it, so we said: "O Messenger of Allah! Why did you do this?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I was amazed at two angels from among the angels who came down to the earth to look for a (righteous) servant at his place of prayer, but they did not find him there. Then the two of them ascended to their Lord and submitted: 'O our Lord! We used to write for this believing servant of Yours such and such good deeds in his day and his night, but (this time) we found that You had confined him in Your grip (of illness and trial), so we did not write anything in his record of deeds.' Then Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, said: 'Write for My servant all the deeds of his day and his night that he used to do before, and do not reduce anything from them at all. His reward is upon Me, because it is I who have held him back (through illness), so he will have the reward of all the deeds he used to do continually (in the state of health).'"
Musnad Ahmad: 3821, Musnad Abi Ya'la: 5122, Majma' al-Zawa'id: 2/303. Allamah al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it sahih (authentic) in 'Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah' (2092).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), as a marfu' report, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever among you begins to doze in the mosque should go to his bed (to rest), until he becomes aware and understands what he is saying (in his supplication or recitation)."
The narrator of this hadith is Marwan bin Mu'awiyah al-Fazari, and its meaning is established by other sahih hadith: that when sleep overwhelms a person, rest should be preferred over worship, so that he does not unknowingly utter a wrong word with his tongue.