The excellence of the night prayer

Abu Salamah said: I said to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): Tell me about the night prayer (tahajjud) of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). She said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray thirteen rak'ahs at night, in Ramadan and outside Ramadan, and these included the two sunnah rak'ahs of Fajr.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray thirteen rak'ahs at night.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were returning with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from al-Hudaybiyah. When we reached al-Sahba', Sayyiduna Mu'adh said: Who will give us water? So I went out with some young men, and at al-Uthayah we drank water ourselves and also filled our water-skins. When the darkness of night had fallen, there was a man struggling with his camel over the water. I looked, and it was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I took hold of his mount and made it kneel. He went forward and led the Isha prayer, and I was on his right. Then he prayed thirteen rak'ahs.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Once I spent the night with my maternal aunt, the Mother of the Believers Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her). That night the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was also at her place. During the night I saw him get up, and he prayed eleven or thirteen rak'ahs.

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray nine rak'ahs at night.