The Book of Prayer - Travellers

Ibn `Abbas reported that he spent a night in the house of his maternal aunt, Maimuna. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up at night and performed a short ablution (taking water) from the water-skin hanging there. (Giving a description of the ablution Ibn `Abbas said:

It was short and performed with a little water.) I also got up and did the same as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had done. I then came (to him) and stood on his left. He then made me go around to his right side. He then observed prayer and went to sleep till he began to snore. Bilal came to him and informed him about the prayer. He (the Prophet) then went out and observed the dawn prayer without performing ablution. Sufyan said: It was a special (prerogative of the) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for it has been conveyed to us that the eyes of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sleep, but his heart does not sleep.

Ibn `Abbas said:

I spent the night in the house of my mother's sister, Maimuna, and observed how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed (at night). He got up and relieved himself. He then washed his face and hands and then went to sleep. He again got up and went near the water-skin and loosened its straps and then poured some water in a bowl and inclined it with his hands (towards himself). He then performed a good ablution between the two extremes and then stood up to pray. I also came and stood by his left side. He took hold of me and made me stand on his right side. It was in thirteen rak`ahs that the (night) prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was completed. He then slept till he began to snore, and we knew that he had gone to sleep by his snoring. He then went out (for the dawn prayer), and said while praying or prostrating himself: "O Allah! place light in my heart, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light on my right, light on my left, light in front of me, light behind me, light above me, light below me, make light for me," or he said: "Make me light."

Salama said:

I met Kuraib and he reported Ibn `Abbas as saying: I was with my mother's sister Maimuna and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came there, and then he narrated the rest of the hadith as was narrated by Ghundar and said these words: "Make me light," beyond any doubt.

Ibn `Abbas reported:

I spent a night in the house of my mother's sister, Maimuna, and then narrated (the rest of the) hadith, but he made no mention of the washing of his face and two hands but he only said: He then came to the water-skin and loosened its straps and performed ablution between the two extremes, and then came to his bed and slept. He then got up for the second time and came to the water-skin and loosened its straps and then performed ablution which was in fact an ablution (it was performed well), and implored (the Lord) thus: "Give me abundant light," and he made no mention of: "Make me light."

Kuraib reported that Ibn `Abbas spent a night in the house of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood near the water-skin and poured water out of it and performed ablution in which he neither used excess of water nor too little of it, and the rest of the hadith is the same, and in this mention is also made (of the fact) that on that night the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made supplication before Allah in nineteen words. Kuraib reported: I remember twelve words out of these, but have forgotten the rest. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Place light in my heart, light in my tongue, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light above me, light below me, light on my right, light on my left, light in front of me, light behind me, place light in my soul, and make light abundant for me."

Ibn `Abbas reported:

I slept one night in the house of Maimuna when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was there, with a view to seeing the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at night. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered into conversation with his wife for a short while, and then went to sleep, and the rest of the hadith is the same and in it mention is made of: "He then got up, performed ablution and brushed his teeth."

`Abdullah b. `Abbas reported:

He spent (one night) in the house of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (the Prophet) got up, brushed his teeth and performed ablution and said: "In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, there are indeed signs for people of understanding" (al-Qur'an, iii. 190), to the end of the Surah. He then stood up and prayed two rak`ahs, standing, bowing and prostrating himself at length in them. Then he finished, went to sleep and snored. He did that three times, six rak`ahs altogether, each time cleaning his teeth, performing ablution, and reciting these verses. Then he observed three rak`ahs of Witr. The Mu'adhdhin then pronounced the Adhan and he went out for prayer and was saying: "O Allah! place light in my heart, light in my tongue, place light in my hearing, place light in my eyesight, place light behind me, and light in front of me, and place light above me, and light below me. O Allah! grant me light."

Ibn `Abbas reported:

I spent a night in the house of my mother's sister Maimuna. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up for observing voluntary prayer (Tahajjud) at night. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood by the water-skin and performed ablution and then stood up and prayed. I also got up when I saw him doing that. I also performed ablution from the water-skin and then stood at his left side. He took hold of my hand from behind his back and then turned me from his back to his right side. I (`Ata', one of the narrators) said: Did it concern the voluntary prayer (at night)? He (Ibn `Abbas) said: Yes.

Ibn `Abbas reported:

(My father) Al-`Abbas sent me to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he was in the house of my mother's sister Maimuna and I spent that night along with him. He (the Prophet) got up and prayed at night, and I stood up on his left side. He caught hold of me from behind his back and made me stand on his right side.

Ibn `Abbas reported:

I spent a night in the house of my mother's sister Maimuna, and the rest of the hadith is the same as narrated above.

Abu Jamra reported:

I heard Ibn 'Abbas saying that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed thirteen rak'ahs at night.

Zaid b Khalid al-Juhani said:

I would definitely watch at night the prayer observed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He prayed two short rak'ahs, then two long, long, long rak'ahs, then he prayed two rak'ahs which were shorter than the two preceding rak'ahs, then he prayed two rak'ahs which were shorter than the two preceding, then he prayed two rak'ahs which were shorter than the two preceding, then observed a single one (Witr), making a total of thirteen rak'ahs

Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported:

I accompanied the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in a journey and we reached a watering place. He said: Jabir, are you going to enter it? I said: Yes. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then got down and I entered it. He (the Prophet) then went away to relieve himself and I placed for him water for ablution. He then came back and performed ablution, and then stood and prayed in one garment, having its ends tied from the opposite sides. I stood behind him and he caught hold of my ear and made me stand on his right side.

'A'isha reported that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up at night to pray, he began his prayer with two short rak'ahs.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying When any one of you gets up at night, he should begin the prayer with two short rak'ahs.

Ibn `Abbas reported that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up during the night to pray, he used to say:

O Allah, to You be the praise You are the light of the heavens and the earth. To You be the praise; You are the Supporter of the heavens and the earth. To You be the praise; You are the Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever is therein. You are the Truth; Your promise is True, the meeting with You is True. Paradise is true, Hell is true, the Hour is true. O Allah, I submit to You; affirm my faith in You; repose my trust in You, and I return to You for repentance; by Your help I have disputed; and to You I have come for decision, so forgive me my earlier and later sins, the sins that I committed in secret and openly. You are my God. There is no god but You.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas through another chain of transmitters and with slight alteration of two words. Instead of the word Qayyam (Supporter, as used in the above hadith here the word) Qayyim (the Custodian) has been used, and he (further said):

" What I did in secret." And in the hadith narrated by Ibn 'Uyaina there is some addition.

This hadith has been narrated by Ibn 'Abbas by another chain of transmitters and the words are nearly the same (as recorded in the above-mentioned hadith).

'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Auf reported:

I asked 'A'isha, the mother of the believers, (to tell me) the words with which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commenced the prayer when he got up at night. She said: When he got up at night he would commence his prayer with these words: O Allah, Lord of Gabriel, and Michael, and Israfil, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who knowest the unseen and the seen; You decidest amongst Your servants concerning their differences. Guide me with Your permission in the divergent views (which the people) hold about Truth, for it is You Who guidest whom You wilt to the Straight Path.

'Ali b. Abu Talib reported that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up at night for prayer he would say:

I turn my face in complete devotion to One Who is the Originator of the heaven and the earth and I am not of the polytheists. Verily my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds; There is no partner with Him and this is what I have been commanded (to profess and believe) and I am of the believers. O Allah, You are the King, there is no god but You, You are my Lord, and I am Your bondman. I wronged myself and make a confession of my Sin. Forgive all my sins, for no one forgives the sins but You, and guide me in the best of conduct for none but You guideth anyone (in) good conduct. Remove sins from me, for none else but You can remove sins from me. Here I am at Your service, and Grace is to You and the whole of good is in Your hand, and one cannot get nearneststo You through evil. My (power as well as existence) is due to You (Your grace) and I turn to You (for supplication). You are blessed and You are exalted. I seek forgiveness from You and turn to You in repentance: and when he would bow, he would say: O Allah, it is for You that I bowed. I affirm my faith in You and I submit to You, and submit humbly before You my hearing, my eyesight, my marrow, my bone, my sinew; and when he would raise his head, he would say: O Allah, our Lord, praise is due to You, (the praise) with which is filled the heavens and the earth, and with which is filled that (space) which exists between them, and filled with anything that You desireth afterward. And when he prostrated himself, he (the Prophet) would say: O Allah, it is to You that I prostrate myself and it is in You that I affirm my faith, and I submit to You. My face is submitted before One Who created it, and shaped it, and opened his faculties of hearing and seeing. Blessed is Allah, the best of Creators; and he would then say between Tashahhud and the pronouncing of salutation: Forgive me of the earlier and later open and secret (sins) and that where I made transgression and that You knowest better than I. You are the First and the Last. There is no god, but You.