Sunan Ibn Majah

‘He used to elongate his voice.’”

“I came to ‘Aishah and asked: ‘Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recite Qur’an loudly or softly?’ She said: ‘Sometimes he would recite loud and sometimes softly.’ I said, ‘Allahu Akbar! Praise is to Allah Who has made this matter one of broad scope.’”

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Tahajjud at night, he would say: “Allahumma lakal-hamd, Anta nurus-samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna. Wa lakal-hamd, Anta qayyamus-samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna. Wa lakal-hamd, Anta malikus- samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna. Wa lakal-hamd, Antal-haqq, wa wa`duka haqq, wa liqa’uka haqq, wa qawluka haqq, wal-jannatu haqq, wan-naru haqq, was-sa`atu haqq, wan-nabiyyuna haqq, wa Muhammadun haqq. Allahumma laka aslamtu, wa bika amantu, wa `alaika tawakkaltu wa ilaika anabtu, wa bika khasamtu, wa ilaika hakamtu, faghfirli ma qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu, wa ma asrartu wa ma a`lantu. Antal-muqaddimu wa Antal-muakhkhiru. La ilaha illa anta wa la ilaha ghairuka, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa bika (O Allah, to you is praise, You are the Light of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Truth; Your promise is true, the meeting with You is true, Your saying is true, Paradise is true, the Fire is true, the Hour is true, the Prophets are true, and Muhammad (ﷺ) is true. O Allah, to You have I submitted, in You I believe, in You have I put my trust, to You I turn in repentance, by Your help I argue, to You I refer my case, so forgive me for my past and future sins, what I have done in secret and what I have done openly. You are the One Who brings forward and puts back. None has the right to be worshipped but You, and there is none who has the right to be worshipped other than You. And there is no power and no strength except with You.” Another chain that Ibn `Abbas narrated: “When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood during the night for Tahajjud,” and he mentioned something similar.

“I asked ‘Aishah: ‘With what did the Prophet (ﷺ) start voluntary prayers?’ She said: ‘You have asked me about something which no one has asked before. He used to say Allahu Akbar ten times, and Al-Hamdu Lillah ten times and Subhan Allah ten times, and he would say Allahumma aghfirli wahdini, warzuqni, wa ‘afini (O Allah, forgive me, guide me, grant me provision and give me good health),” and he would seek refuge from the difficulty of the standing on the Day of Resurrection.”

“I asked `Aishah: ‘With what did the Prophet (ﷺ) start his voluntary prayers?’ She said: ‘He would say: “Allahumma Rabba Jibra’il wa Mika’il wa Israfil, Fatiras-samawati wal-ard, `alimal-ghaybi wash- shahadah, Anta tahkumu baina `ibadika fima kanu fihi yakhtalifun, ihdini lima-khtulifa fihi minal-haqqi bi idhnika, innaka latahdi ila siratin mustaqim (O Allah, Lord of Jibra’il, Mika’il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning that wherein they differ. Guide me to the disputed matters of truth by Your Leave, for You are the One Who guides to the straight Path).” (One of the narrators) `Abdur-Rahman bin `Umar said: “Bear in mind the word Jibra’il with a Hamzah - this is how it was narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ).”

It was narrated that ‘Aishah said, and this is the Hadith of Abu Bakr. “During the period after he finished the ‘Isha’ prayer until the Fajr, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray eleven Rak’ah, saying the Salam after each two Rak’ah and praying Witr with one Rak’ah. He would prostrate for as long as it takes anyone of you to recite fifty Verses before he would raise his head. When the Mu’adh-dhin fell silent after the first Adhan for the Subh prayer, he would get up and pray two brief Rak’ah.”

“The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray thirteen Rak’ah at night.”

It was narrated from ‘Aishah that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray nine Rak’ah at night.

“I asked ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas and ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar about the Prophet’s prayer at night. They said: ‘(He prayed) thirteen Rak’ah, including eight, and three for Witr, and two Rak’ah after the Fajr.’”

“I said, I must observe how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prays tonight. So I lay down at his door. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up and prayed two brief Rak’ah, then two long ones, which were very, very long, then two Rak’ah which were shorter than the ones preceding them, then two Rak’ah which were shorter than the ones preceding them, then two Rak’ah which were shorter than the ones preceding them, then two Rak’ah, then Witr. That was thirteen Rak’ah.”

“I lay down across the pillow and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his wife were laying along it. The Prophet (ﷺ) slept until midnight, or a little before, or a little after. The Prophet (ﷺ) woke up and began to rub the sleep from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last ten Verses of Surah Al ‘Imran. Then he got up and went to a water skin that was hanging up and performed ablution from it, and he performed ablution well, then he stood up and prayed.” ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas said: “I stood up and did what he had done, then I went and stood beside him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) put his right hand on my head, took hold of my right ear and tweaked it. Then he prayed two Rak’ah, then two Rak’ah, then two Rak’ah, then two Rak’ah, then two Rak’ah, then two Rak’ah, then he prayed Witr. Then he lay down until the Mu’adh-dhin came to him and he prayed two brief Rak’ah, then he went out to pray.”

“I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, who became a Muslim with you?’ He said: ‘A free man and a slave.’ I said: ‘Is there any hour of the night that is closer to Allah than another?’ He said: ‘Yes, the last half of the night.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to sleep during the first part of the night and stay awake during the latter part.”

“Our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, descends when one third of the night remains, every night and He says: ‘Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’ until dawn comes.” Hence they used to prefer voluntary prayers at the end of the night rather than at the beginning.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Allah provides respite until, when half or two thirds of the night had passed, He says: “My slave does not ask of anyone other than Me. Whoever calls upon Me, I will answer him; whoever asks of Me, I will give him; whoever asks My forgiveness, I will forgive him,” until dawn comes.’”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever recites the last two Verses of Surat Al-Baqarah at night, that will be sufficient for him.” In his narration (one of the narrators) Hafs said: “`Abdur-Rahman said: ‘I met Abu Mas`ud when he was performing Tawaf, and he narrated this to me.’”

“Whoever recites the last two Verses of Surat Al-Baqarah at night, that will be sufficient for him.”

“The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone of you becomes drowsy, let him sleep until he feels refreshed, for he does not know, if he prays when he feels drowsy, he may want to say words seeking forgiveness but (instead) he ends up cursing himself.’”

“It belongs to Zainab. She prays here and when she gets tired she holds on to it.” He said: “Untie it, untie it; let any one of you pray when he has energy, if he gets tired let him sit down.”

“When anyone of you gets up to pray at night, and his tongue stumbles over the words of the Qur’an, and he does not know what he is saying, let him lie down.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever prays twenty Rak’ah between Maghrib and ‘Isha’, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever prays six Rak’ah after the Maghrib and does not speak evil between them, they will be made equivalent to twelve years’ worship.’”

“A group from the people of ‘Iraq came to ‘Umar and when they came to him, he said to them: ‘Where are you from?’ They said: ‘From the inhabitants of ‘Iraq.’ He said: ‘Have you come with permission?’ They said: ‘Yes.’ Then they asked him about a man’s prayer in his house. ‘Umar said: ‘I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: “As for a man’s prayer in his house, it is light, so illuminate your houses.’”” Another chain with similar wording.

“When anyone of you has finished his prayer, let him give his house a share of that, for Allah will put something good in his house because of that prayer.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Do not make your houses into graves.’”

“I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): ‘Which is better prayer in my house or prayer in the mosque?’ He said: ‘Do you not see how close my house is to the mosque?’ But praying in my house is dearer to me than praying in the mosque, apart from the prescribed prayers.’”

“During the caliphate of ‘Uthman, when the people were present in large numbers, I asked about Duha prayer, and I could not find anyone who could tell me that he, meaning the Prophet (ﷺ), had prayed it, apart from Umm Hani’. She told me that he had prayed it with eight Rak’ah.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever prays Duha with twelve Rak’ah, Allah will build for him a palace of gold in Paradise.’”

“I asked ‘Aishah: ‘Did the Prophet (ﷺ) pray Duha?’ She said: ‘Yes; four (Rak’ah) and he would add whatever Allah willed.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever regularly prays two Rak’ah of Duha, his sins will be forgiven even if they are like the foam of the sea.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to teach us Istikharah, just as he used to teach us a Surah of the Qur’an. He said: ‘If anyone of you is deliberating about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two Rak’ah of non- obligatory prayer, then say: Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi ‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min fadlikal-‘azim, fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta’lamu wa la a’lam, wa Anta ‘allamul-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta’lamu hadhal-amra (then the matter should be mentioned by name) ma kan min shay’in khairan li fi dini wa ma’ashi wa ‘aqibati amri, aw khairanli fi ‘ajili amri wa ajilihi, faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li wa barik li fihi. Wa in kunta ta’lamu [O Allah, I seek Your guidance (in making a choice) by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, or both in this world and in the Hereafter then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge]. Then saying similar to what he said the first time, except: Wa in kana sharran li fasrifhu ‘anni wasrifni ‘anhu waqdur li al-khair haithuma kana thumma raddini bihi (If it is bad for me then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it).’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and said: ‘Whoever has some need from Allah or from any of His creation, let him perform ablution and pray two Rak’ah, then let him say: La ilaha illallahul-Halimul- Karim. Subhan-Allahi Rabbil-‘arshil-‘azim. Al-hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin. Allahumma inni as’aluka mujibat rahmatika, wa ‘aza’ima maghfiratika, wal-ghanimata min kulli birrin, was-salamata min kulli ithmnin. As’aluka alla tada’a li dhanban illa ghafartahu, wa la hamman illa farrajtahu, wa la hajah hiya laka ridan illa qadaitaha li (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Forbearing, the Most Generous. Glory is to Allah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise is to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. O Allah, I ask You for the means of Your mercy and forgiveness, the benefit of every good deed and safety from all sins. I ask You not to leave any sin of mine but You forgive it, or any distress but You relieve it, or any need that is pleasing to You but You meet it). Then he should ask Allah for whatever he wants in this world and in the Hereafter, for it is decreed.”

“Pray to Allah to heal me.” He said: “If you wish to store your reward for the Hereafter, that is better, or if you wish, I will supplicate for you.” He said: “Supplicate.” So he told him to perform ablution and do it well, and to pray two Rak’ah, and to say this supplication: “Allahumma inni as’aluka wa atawajjahu ilaika bimuhammadin nabiyyir-rahmah. Ya Muhammadu inni qad tawajjahtu bika ila rabbi fi hajati hadhihi lituqda. Allahumma fashaffi’hu fiya (O Allah, I ask of You and I turn my face towards You by virtue of the intercession of Muhammad the Prophet of mercy. O Muhammad, I have turned to my Lord by virtue of your intercession concerning this need of mine so that it may be met. O Allah, accept his intercession concerning me)”.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to ‘Abbas: ‘O uncle, shall I not give you a gift, shall I not benefit you, shall I not uphold my ties of kinship with you?’ He said: ‘Of course, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘Pray four Rak’ah, and recite in each Rak’ah the Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and a Surah. When you have finished reciting, say: Subhan-Allah wal-hamdu Lillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar (Glory is to Allah, praise is to Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Allah is the Most Great) fifteen times before you bow in Ruku’. Then bow and say it ten times; then raise your head and say it ten times; then prostrate and say it ten times; then raise your head and say it ten times; then prostrate and say it ten times; then raise your head and say it ten times before you stand up. That wil be seventy-five times in each Rak’ah and three hundred times in the four Rak’ah, and even if your sins are like the grains of sand, Allah will forgive you for them.’ He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what if someone cannot say it in one day?’ He said: ‘Then say it once in a week; if you cannot, then say it once in a month’ until he said: ‘Once in a year.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib: ‘O ‘Abbas, O my uncle, shall I not give you a gift, shall I not give you something, shall I not tell you of something which, if you do it, will expiate for ten types of sins? If you do them, Allah will forgive you your sins, the first and the last of them, the old and the new, the unintentional and the deliberate, the minor and the major, the secret and the open, ten types of sin. Pray four Rak’ah, and recite in each Rak’ah the Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and a Surah. When you have finished reciting in the first Rak’ah, while you are standing, say: Subhan-Allah wal- hamdu Lillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar (Glory if to Allah, praise is to Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Allah is the Most Great) fifteen times. Then bow and say it ten times while you are bowing. Then raise your head from Ruku’ and say it ten times. Then go into prostration and say it ten times while you are prostrating. Then raise your head from prostration and say it ten times. Then prostrate and say it ten times. Then raise your head from prostration and say it ten times. That will be seventy-five times in each Rak’ah. Do that in all four Rak’ah. If you can pray it once each day then do so. If you cannot, then once each week; if you cannot, then once each month. If you cannot, then once in your lifetime.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘When it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, spend its night in prayer and observe a fast on that day. For Allah descends at sunset on that night to the lowest heaven and says: ‘Is there no one who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him? Is there no one who will ask Me for provision, that I may provide for him? Is there no one who is afflicted by trouble, that I may relieve him?’ And so on, until dawn comes.’”

“I missed the Prophet (ﷺ) one night, so I went out looking for him. I found him at Al-Baqi’, raising his head towards the sky. He said: ‘O ‘Aishah, were you afraid that Allah and His Messenger would wrong you?’” She said: “I said: ‘No, it is not that, but I thought that you had gone to one of your other wives.’ He said: ‘Allah descends on the night of the middle of Sha’ban to the lowest heaven, and He forgives more than the numbers of hairs on the sheep of Banu Kalb.’”

“Allah looks down on the night of the middle of Sha’ban and forgives all His creation, apart from the idolater and the Mushahin.” Another chain from Abu Musa, from the Prophet (ﷺ) with similar wording.

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Abu Awfa that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed two Rak’ah on the day when he was given the glad tidings of the head (death) of Abu Jahl.

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (ﷺ) was given glad tidings that a need of his had been met, and he fell down prostrate.

It was narrated from ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Ka’b bin Malik that his father said that when Allah accepted his repentance, he fell down prostrate.

It was narrated from Abu Bakrah that when the Prophet (ﷺ) heard news that made him happy, or for which one should be happy, he would fall down prostrate in gratitude to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.

“If I heard a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Allah benefitted me with it as much as He willed, and if I heard it from anyone else, I would ask him to swear me an oath, then if he swore an oath I would believe him. Abu Bakr told me and Abu Bakr spoke the truth that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘There is no man who commits a sin then he performs ablution and does it well, then he prays two Rak’ah,’ (one of the narrators) Mis’ar said: ‘then performs prayer and seeks the forgiveness of Allah, but Allah will forgive him.’

“O Abu Ayyub, we have missed out on Jihad this year, and we were told that whoever prays in the four mosques will be forgiven his sins.” He said: “O son of my brother, shall I not tell you of something easier than that? I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever performs ablution as he has been commanded, and prays as he has been commanded, will be forgiven his previous (bad) deeds.’” He said: “(Did he not say it) like that, O ‘Uqbah?” He said: “Yes.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Do you think that if there was a river in the courtyard of anyone of you, and he bathed in it five times each day, would there be any dirt left on him?’ They said: ‘(There would be) nothing.’ He said: ‘Prayer takes away sins like water takes away dirt.’”

“And perform the prayer, at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful.” He said: “O Messenger of Allah, is this only for me?” He said: “It is for everyone who acts upon it.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Allah enjoined fifty prayers upon my nation, and I came back with that until I came to Musa. Musa said: ‘What has your Lord enjoined upon your nation?’ I said: ‘He has enjoined fifty prayers on me.’ He said: ‘Go back to your Lord, for your nation will not be able to do that.’ So I went back to my Lord, and He reduced it by half. I went back to Musa and told him, and he said: ‘Go back to your Lord, for your nation will not be able to do that.’ So I went back to my Lord, and He said: ‘They are five and they are fifty; My Word does not change.’ So I went back to Musa and he said: ‘Go back to your Lord.’ I said: ‘I feel shy before my Lord.’”

“Your Prophet (ﷺ) was enjoined to do fifty prayers but he returned to your Lord to make (i.e., reduce) them to five prayers.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Five prayers that Allah has enjoined upon His slaves, so whoever does them, and does not omit anything out of negligence, on the Day of Resurrection Allah will make a covenant with him that He will admit him to Paradise. But whoever does them but omits something from them out of negligence, will not have such a covenant with Allah; if He wills He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him.’”

“While we were sitting in the mosque, a man entered riding a camel; he made it kneel in the mosque, then he hobbled it and said to them: ‘Which of you is Muhammad?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was reclining among them, so they said: ‘This fair- skinned man who is reclining.’ The man said to him: ‘O son of ‘Abdul- Muttalib!’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘I am listening to you.’ The man said: O Muhammad! I am asking you and will be stern in asking, so do not bear any ill-feelings towards me.’ He said: ‘Ask whatever you think.’ The man said: ‘I adjure you by your Lord and the Lord of those who came before you, has Allah sent you to all of mankind?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.; He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to pray the five prayers each day and night?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to fast this month of each year?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to take this charity from our rich and distribute it among our poor?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ The man said: ‘I believe in what you have brought, and I am the envoy of my people who are behind me. I am Dimam bin Tha’labah, the brother of Banu Sa’d bin Bakr.’”