Narrated ‘Amr: “We asked Ibn ‘Umar (ra), ‘What do you say concerning a man who has sexual intercourse with his wife in ‘Umrah before doing the rite of brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah?’” He replied, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺcame to perform ‘Umrah and performed the seven rounds of Tawaaf, thereafter, he performed two units of prayer behind the standing-place (Maqaam) of Ibraaheem (peace be upon him), and then he performed “Tawaaf” (i.e., Sa’ee) between al-Safaa and al-Marwah.” Thereafter, he (ra) said, “(Verily, you have an excellent example to follow in the Messenger of Allah).” ‘Amr says, “I asked Jaabir bin ‘Abdullah (ra) about this, he answered, ‘He may not approach his wife [for sexual intercourse] until he has completed “Tawaaf” (i.e., brisk walking) between al-Safaa and Marwah.’”
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Commentary : The Taabi’oon (the generation of Muslims who followed the Companions) used to inquire from the Companions (ras) about that which they did not understand from religion and acts of worship. They were the most eager among the people to know and learn the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee ‘Amr bin Deenaar reports that some people asked 'Abdullah bin Umar (ra) whether it is permissible for a man to have intercourse with his wife while performing ‘Umrah, before performing the rite of brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah? The basic principle states that sexual intercourse not only is among the prohibited actions during the state of Ihraam, but also among the severest of them. Only after completing all the rites of ‘Umrah and existing Ihraam, one can have intercourse with wife and enjoy all that was prohibited during Ihraam. Ibn ‘Umar (ra) mentioned that the Prophet ﷺcame to Makkah and performed the seven rounds of Tawaaf, then he ﷺoffered two units of prayer behind the Maqaam of Ibraheem, then he proceeded to perform the rite of brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah, and he further commented, “Verily, there is an excellent example for you in the Messenger of Allah,” [Al-Ahzaab: 21] - he meant thereby to inform that the Prophet ﷺnever did any of what the inquired asked about before completing the brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah.
The rationale of interpreting this hadeeth is that the Prophet ﷺmade the ‘Umrah a one act of worship that consists of different parts, namely the Tawaaf, praying behind the Maqaam and the brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah. These are the parts of ‘Umrah. With that said, it is not allowed for a man to have sexual intercourse with his wife during any of these parts.
‘Amr ibn Deenaar asked Jaabir bin ‘Abdullah (ra) concerning this and to which he replied: “A man should not approach his wife [for sexual intimacy] until he performs the brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah and completes his ‘Umrah, including all its rites and shaves his head or cuts from his hair. Thereafter it is permissible for him to exit from Ihraam and do whatever is permissible for him.
From the benefits that we can conclude from this hadeeth is learning the permissibility of using the word ‘Tawaaf’ [in Arabic] to denote the rite of brisk walking between the al-Safaa and al-Marwah..

1626

Narrated Umm Salamah (raa), the wife of the Prophet ﷺ: The Messenger of Allah ﷺtold her, while he was in Makkah and intended to exit, whereas Umm Salamah had not performed the Tawaaf of the House yet and she also intended to exit. The Messenger of Allah told her, “When the morning prayer is established, then you perform Tawaaf on your camel whilst people are praying.” She did that and she did not pray until she left..

Commentary : Islam is the religion of tolerance and alleviation from hardships, and the concessions given to the sick and those with excuses in the acts of Hajj and ‘Umrah are just a part of it.
In this hadeeth, Umm Salamah (raa) reports that she could not perform the farewell Tawaaf (Tawaaf al-Wadaa’) because she was ill, as the narration of al-Bukhaaree clarifies. When the Prophet ﷺintended to depart Makkah, she mentioned to him that she is ill and because of which she had not performed the Tawaaf yet. The Prophet ﷺcommanded her, once the Fajr prayer starts, to perform the Tawaaf on her camel behind the people who are offering the prayer. Hence, she did that.
Umm Salamah (raa) performed the two units’ prayer of Tawaaf only after she exited the Sacred Mosque or Makkah. However, offering the two units’ prayer behind the Maqaam of Ibraaheem is better.
From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is the permissibility of performing Tawaaf while mounting a ride if the person is unable to walk due to illness.
The hadeeth shows that women should perform Tawaaf behind the men so as they do not intermingle with them, as that is more concealing (private) for them.
It also shows that one who performs Tawaaf during the congregational prayers due to a valid excuse, then he should only perform Tawaaf behind the people so as to avoiding disturbing them..

1628

Narrated ‘Aaishah (raa): A group of people performed Tawaaf after the Fajr prayer, thereafter, they sat towards a preacher, until when the sun rose, they stood up for prayers. ‘Aaishah (raa) added: “They sat down until it was the time during which it is undesired to offer prayer, they stood up for prayers.”
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Commentary : The companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, may Allah be pleased with him would orient those who came after them to adopt the correct religion and the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, ‘Aaishah (raa) reports that a group of people performed Tawaaf after the morning prayers, thereafter, they sat towards the preacher, listening to his sermon and reminders. She meant thereby the place of sermon, which could have been the Hijr of Ismaa’eel or the Black Stone. She explained that they remained there until the sunrise time in which prayers are prohibited. Thereafter, they stood up to perform the Sunnah of the Tawaaf at the prohibited time for prayers.
‘Aaishah (raa) condemned their behaviour and found it strange that they delayed the prayer until the time was up for the prayers to be prohibited at the sunrise and before its ascent! It seems as if the mentioned people were intending that time, hence, they postponed the prayers until that time intentionally. For this reason, ‘Aaishah (raa) criticised them in the case where she perceived that the two units’ prayer of Tawaaf are not disliked at the prohibited times. There is a possibility that she understood the prohibition to pray at such time is applicable to all cases.
This hadeeth shows that we are not permitted to offer prayers at the time right after the sunrise..

1629

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (ra): “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibit the prayers at the sunrise and sunset.”
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Commentary : The Prophet ﷺwas eager in protecting the creed of the Muslims, hence, he ﷺprohibited prayers at specific times; to refrain from emulating the polytheists who prostrate to the sun.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (ra) reports that the Prophet ﷺprohibited from pursuing the prayers at the time of sunrise and sunset, especially the voluntary prayers. With that said, a person should not offer prayers at the time of sunrise until the sun rises to the length of a spear which is nearly equivalent to a quarter or one third of the full hour. Also, one should not perform prayers at the time of sunset until the sun is fully set, that is, ten minutes before maghrib until the time of the Maghrib prayers enters.
In general terms, the prohibition is at the sunrise and sunset and the times that are closer to them, because that is the time in which sun-worshippers prayed and because it is the time in which the Satan gets closer to the sun and thus it becomes between his two horns. This prohibition, however, is specific to the voluntary and supererogatory prayers and not the obligatory ones, such as one who delays his ‘Asr to that time. In that respect, he can pray at the time of prohibition. It is said that the prohibition of offering prayers at these specific times refers to postponing the obligatory prayers for no excuse, to the extent that it is prayed closer to the sunrise or sunset.
From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is learning about the forbidden prayer times..

1630

Narrated ‘Abdul ‘Azeez bin Rufay’: “I saw ‘Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (ra) performing Tawaaf after Fajr and offering a two-units-prayer.” ‘Abdul ‘Azeez mentions, “I saw ‘Abdullah bin al-Zubayr offering a two-units-prayer after ‘Asr.” He related that ‘Aaishah (raa) informed that that the Prophet (ﷺ) never entered her house but he offered them (the two units-prayer.) .

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺclarified the times during which praying is permissible and the times during which praying is prohibited.
In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee ‘Abdul ‘Azees bin Rufay’ reports that he saw ‘Abdullah bin al-Zubayr bin al-’Awwaam (ras) offering a two-units-prayer after he completed the Tawaaf after the Fajr prayer.
‘Abdul ‘Azees then reports that he again saw ‘Abdullah bin al-Zubair (ra) offering a two-units-prayer after the ‘Asr prayer. This is the time wherein it is disliked to offer prayers. However, ‘Abdullah used to inform the people that ‘Aaishah (raa) told him that whenever the Prophet ﷺentered her house, he used to offer a two-units prayer. It has been stated that the Prophet ﷺprayed it to make up for the two Sunnah prayers of Thuhr when he missed them, thereafter he remained persistent in this act. This is because whenever he ﷺdid an act, he would continue doing it and that it is a part of his unique characteristics, and they are not among the Sunnah prayers affixed to the daily obligatory prayers. ‘Aaishah (raa) narrated how the Prophet ﷺprayed it. It is reported on the authority of ‘Aaishah (raa) that the Prophet ﷺused to offer them and did not offer them in the mosque, fearing that he does not overburden his nation [thereby].” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree].
There are many other narrations wherein the Prophet ﷺprohibited offering [voluntary] prayers after ‘Asr. It is reported on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺprohibited offering prayers after ‘Asr until Maghrib.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim]. It is said that it only proves the prohibition being associated with being “after” and it does not prove its generality. Hence, the meaning is at the time of Maghrib and the time closer to it. It is said: The prohibition from praying at this time denotes the forbiddance of postponing the obligatory prayers without any excuse until it falls into the proximity of sunset. .

1634

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (ra): ‘Al-’Abbaas bin 'Abdul Muttalib asked permission from the Prophet (ﷺ) to stay at Makkah during the nights of Mina in order to provide drinking water (from Zamzam) to the pilgrims, and the Prophet (ﷺ) allowed him.’.

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺexplained to us the rulings pertaining to the Hajj and ‘Umrah and clarified what is allowed to do and what is not allowed.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (ra) reports that al-‘Abbaas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib (ra) sought permission from the Prophet ﷺto reside at night in Makkah during the nights of Mina, namely the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth nights of Dhu al-Hijjah. This is because the Sunnah is for the pilgrims to spend those nights in Mina, which is a valley surrounded by the mountains, situated towards the east of Makkah on the route between Makkah and the Mount of ‘Arafaat, and it is approximately six kilometers away from the Sacred Mosque, and it is the location of where the rite of throwing pebbles.
The reason for al-‘Abbaas staying at Makkah at night was to provide water for the pilgrims, because they would ask for water of Zamzam at night. They (the service providers) would draw the water out of the well and would pour it into the reservoir from which the pilgrims would drink it. The Prophet ﷺallowed him to stay. Al-‘Abbaas (ra) was responsible for providing water to pilgrims during the time of pre-Islam, and the Prophet ﷺaffirmed that for him. Hence, this service remains for the family of al-‘Abbaas forever.
It can be understood from this hadeeth that staying at night at Mina is forfeited for those providing water for the pilgrims and those who fall under the same rule among those having excuses. This exemption demonstrates the easement of the Islamic law. .

1635

Narrated ibn ‘Abbaas (ra): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to the drinking place and asked for water. Al-Abbaas (ra) said, "O Fadl! Go to your mother and bring water from her for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Give me [from this] water to drink." Al-Abbaas (ra) said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! The people put their hands in it." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) again said, 'Give me water to drink. So, he drank from that water and then went to the Zamzam (well) and there the people were offering water to the others and working at it (drawing water from the well). The Prophet (ﷺ) then said to them, "Carry on! You are doing a good deed." Then he said, "Were I not afraid that other people would compete with you (in drawing water from Zamzam), I would certainly take the rope and put it over this (i.e., his shoulder) (to draw water)." On saying that the Prophet (ﷺ) pointed to his shoulder..

Commentary : The Messenger of Allah ﷺwas a great example in humbleness and engaging with people. He ﷺlived like them and refrained from distinguishing himself with anything that Allah has not distinguished him with.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas (ra) reports that in the Farewell Hajj, which was in the 10th year of Hijrah, and after having performed the Tawaaf of Ifaadah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺwent to the place where water is provided for pilgrims. This place serves pilgrims during the Hajj season and others throughout the year, and it is located close to the well of Zamzam. When he ﷺarrived there, he asked for water from his uncle, al-‘Abbaas(ra). However, as it was the habit of people to put their hands into the ponds of water provision, al-‘Abbaas asked his son, al-Fadl to go to his mother, Umm al-Fadl, whose full name is Lubaabah bint al-Haarith al-Hilaaliyyah, to bring clean water for the Messenger of Allah ﷺfrom her. The Prophet ﷺrepeated his request to drink from the present place of water from where people drink. Thus, he gave him the water and he drank it.
Thereafter, the Prophet ﷺproceeded to the well of Zamzam where the water was drawn from the well and then poured into the ponds so pilgrims and people can drink from it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺremarked to the people who were working in the site, “Carry on! You are doing a good deed,” – that is providing the pilgrim with water. To show the virtue of their work, he ﷺexplained that he would have participated in the work but if he did so then a great number of people will show up in drawing water with the intention to follow the Prophet ﷺ.
From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is one may refuse receiving better service and generosity when there is a higher interest that opposes it. just as what the Prophet ﷺdid due to the interest of humbleness that appeared on him.
It also encourages us to provide water to people, especially, the Zamzam water..

1636

Narrated Anas ibn Maalik (ra) from Aboo Tharr (ra): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The roof of my house was made open while I was at Makkah and Jibreel descended. He opened up my chest and washed it with the water of Zamzam. Then, he brought the golden tray full of wisdom and Imaan and poured it in my chest and then closed it. Then he took hold of my hand and ascended to the nearest heaven. Jibreel told the gatekeeper of the nearest heaven to open the gate. The gatekeeper asked, "Who is it?" Jibreel replied, "I am Jibreel.".

Commentary : Allah, Exalted be He, protected His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, purified him, and looked after him since he was born.
In this hadeeth, Aboo Tharr (ra) reports that Prophet ﷺrelated an incident that occurred to him before his emigration from Makkah. He ﷺ mentioned that while he was at his house, angel Jibreel descended from the sky and entered from the roof of his house after it split open. Then, Jibreel descended upon the Prophet ﷺand opened his noble chest. Thereafter, he washed it with the Zamzam water to comfort him due to the virtue of the water of Zamzam. It is said that the wisdom behind washing his noble heart with Zamzam water was to enable his heart to witness the dominions of heavens and earth, Paradise and Hellfire, because from the characteristics of the Zamzam water is that it fortifies the heart and calms the panic.
Then, angel Jibreel brought a tray of gold, a wide tray containing wisdom and Imaan, then he poured the contents into his noble chest and closed it as it was before. After that, he took hold of the Prophet’s hand and ascended with him to the lowest heaven during the trip of Mi’raaj. Upon reaching the lowest heaven, Jibreel requested the gatekeeper and the guard of the lowest heaven to open for him. However, the guard, before opening the gate, he asked who he was, so he informed him that he is Jibreel (peace be upon him) and so he opened
From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is learning about the virtue of the water of Zamzam.
It also shows one of the events that are from the unseen that the Prophet ﷺrelated, and that is among the signs of his Prophethood..

1637

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra): I gave Zamzam water to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he drank it while standing. `Aasim (a sub-narrator) said that `Ikrimah took the oath that on that day the Prophet (ﷺ) had not been standing but riding a camel..

Commentary : The Companions (ras) transmitted all what they saw of the actions and statements of the Prophet # during the Farewell Hajj.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas (ra) reports that he gave the Messenger of Allah Zamzam water, and that he ﷺdrank from that water standing.
‘Aasim, a sub-narrator of the hadeeth, mentions that ‘Ikrimah, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbaas, swore that the Prophet ﷺwas actually riding his camel when he drank the Zamzam water. It is said that the oath of ‘Ikrimah was based on what he learnt about the prohibition of the Prophet ﷺ of drinking water standing. The statement of ‘Ikrimah has also another dimension that aligns with the wording of the hadeeth i.e., the Arabs use the word standing to describe the one riding on a camel when he halts at a point, meaning, that he is riding on it and the camel is standing. On that ground, the hadeeth does not indicate that he ﷺdrank water standing on his feet, rather, it is possible that he was sitting on his camel.
However, it is reported that ‘Alee (ra) drank the Zamzam water standing and said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺdoing as what you saw me doing.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree] This is an explicit statement concerning the drinking of the Prophet ﷺstanding on his feet. It is possible though that this was to clarify the permissibility.
The hadeeth benefits the permissibility of drinking whilst standing..

1639

Narrated Naafi’: `Abdullah the son of Ibn `Umar (ra) entered the house of his father where he saw his camel being prepared for travelling. He said, "I fear that this year, a battle might take place between the people, and you might be prevented from going to the Ka`bah. I suggest that you should stay here." Ibn `Umar said, "Once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) set out for the pilgrimage, and the pagans of Quraysh intervened between him and the Ka`bah. So, if the people intervened between me and the Ka`bah, I would do the same as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had done . {Verily, in Allah's Messenger you have a good example.} [Quran 33:21]. Then he added, "I make you a witness that I have intended to perform Hajj along with `Umrah." After arriving at Makkah, Ibn `Umar (ra) performed one Tawaaf only.
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Commentary : Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and it is an act of worship reserved for those who have the means and capacity to perform it. All its rites and actions are learned from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, Naafi’, the freed slave of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (ra), reports that ‘Abdullah, the son of ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar, entered upon his father, ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (ra). He noticed that he had his camel which he rides in his travelling prepared. It was because Ibn ‘Umar (ra) intended to perform Hajj and prepared his camel to ride on it and set out to Makkah. However, ‘Abdullah, the son, was worried about the safety of his father and feared upon him lest a fight breaks out that year between the Muslims, that they may prevent him from visiting the Ka’bah. This event occurred in the year seventy-two of the Hijrah when al-Hajjaaj bin Yusuf al-Thaqafee came on the orders of ‘Abd al-Maalik ibn al-Marwaan to fight ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr in Makkah. So, Ibn ‘Umar (ra) answered his son saying that the Messenger of Allah ﷺdid once set out, and the disbelievers of Quraysh prevented him from reaching the Ka’bah. This happened in the sixth year of the Hijrah when he ﷺreturned from his ‘Umrah and he made the treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah. He ﷺexited his Ihraam by slaughtering the animal and shaving the head accompanied by making intention therein.
For this reason, Ibn ‘Umar (ra) informed his son that if he was denied access to Makkah, and it was impossible for him to reach it, then he will do exactly as what the Messenger of Allah ﷺdid when he ﷺwas prevented from reaching the Ka’bah i.e., he will exit his Ihraam at the place where the Prophet ﷺwas prevented. Then, he (ra) recited the ayah: {Certainly, there is an excellent example for you in the Messenger of Allah.} [Quran 33:21]. Then, he (ra) made them witnesses that he intended to perform Hajj along with ‘Umrah. He did not suffice doing this by just making intention, instead, he intended to announce for those who would like to follow him.
‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar continued to say that his father (Ibn ‘Umar) performed one set of Tawaaf for both the Hajj and ‘Umrah after standing at ‘Arafah. It is said that it the Tawaaf mentioned here refers to both the rites of Tawaaf and the brisk walking between al-Safaa and Marwah, which is known as the Tawaaf of Hajj al-Qiraan that only requires doing them for one time. The one who performs Hajj al-Qiraan confines to the rites of Hajj, as the acts and rites of ‘Umrah are incorporated into the rites of Hajj. As such, the one doing Hajj al-Qiraan can only exit from the Ihraam on the day of sacrifice, the tenth day of Thoo al-Hijjah.
From the benefits we learn from the hadeeth is the importance of leaving to perform the rites of Hajj despite suspecting fear on the way if one hopes to find safety.
The hadeeth shows the keen interest of Ibn ‘Umar (ra) to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺand his attempt to follow his example in all his actions. .

1640

Narrated Naafi’: Ibn `Umar (ra) intended to perform Hajj in the year when Al-Hajjaaj attacked Ibn Al-Zubayr. Somebody said to Ibn `Umar (ra), "There is a danger of an impending war between them." Ibn `Umar recited, {Verily, in Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) you have a good example.} If it happened as you say, then I would do the same as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had done. I make you witness that I have decided to perform `Umrah." Then he set out and when he reached Al-Baydaa', he said, "The rites and ceremonies of both Hajj and `Umrah are similar. I make you witness that I have made Hajj compulsory for me along with `Umrah." He drove (to Makkah) a Hady which he had bought from (a place called) Qudayd and did not do more than that. He did not slaughter the Hady or finish his Ihraam, or shave or cut his hair till the day of slaughtering the sacrifices (10th Dhu al-Hijjah). Then he slaughtered his Hady and shaved his head and considered the first Tawaaf (between al-Safaa and al-Marwah) as sufficient for Hajj and `Umrah. Ibn `Umar said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did the same.".

Commentary : Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and it is an act of worship reserved for those who have the means and capacity to perform it. All its rites and actions are learned from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, Naafi’, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar, reports that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (ra) wanted to perform Hajj in the year when al-Hajjaaj marched on Ibn al-Zubayr. This happened in the year seventy-two of the Hijrah, when al-Hajjaaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafee marched on the orders of ‘Abdul Malik ibn Marwaan in order to fight ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr in Makkah. Ibn ‘Umar (ra) made a firm intention to perform Hajj in that year. It was feared on him that the fighters might prevent him and refuse him to visit the Sacred House. In response, he recited the ayah, {Certainly, there is an excellent example for you in the Messenger of Allah,} [Quran 33:21] and made clear that he would do exactly as the Messenger of Allah ﷺdid previously [during the treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah].
Then, he made them witnesses that he has imposed the rites of ‘Umrah upon himself initially, then he made Hajj and ‘Umrah obligatory upon himself at the outskirts of al-Baydaa’. Linguistically, al-Baydaa’ stands for a desert that is barren. However, here, it means a location above the two landmarks of Dhoo al-Hulayfah when it ascended from the valley. On the outskirts of al-Baydaa’ there is a water well, and the place is about 420 km away from Makkah. He drove with him a sacrificial animal which he bought on the way at Qudayd, a place close to al-Juhfah. It is a water area in al-Hijaaz, located between Makkah and al-Madeenah. It is a place outside the sanctuary of the Haram, though it is within the Meeqaat zone. It is 150 km away from Makkah in the north-eastern side of it.
Ibn ‘Umar (ra) did not slaughter his sacrificial animal [before its due time on the grounds of any emergency], nor did he undo part of his conditions of Ihraam, neither did he shave his head nor did he have a haircut until the day of sacrifice (Day of Nahr) approached, that is the tenth of Dhu al-Hijjah. He then sacrificed the animal and shaved his head. He viewed that he had accomplished both the Tawaaf of Hajj and ‘Umrah with his initial single Tawaaf, as the person who performs Hajj al-Qiraan confines on the rites of Hajj and the rites of ‘Umrah are incorporated into the rites of Hajj. The pilgrim in this case continues in Ihraam and he only exits it on the Day of Sacrifice.
From the benefits that can be concluded in this hadeeth is the permissibility of heading towards the rites of Hajj despite anticipating fear when safety is assured.
This hadeeth highlights the staunch following of Ibn ‘Umar (ra) of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and following his footsteps in all actions and deeds..

1641

Narrated Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Nawfal al-Qurashee: I asked `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (regarding the Hajj of the Prophet (ﷺ). `Urwah replied, "Aaishah (raa) informed me, 'When the Prophet (ﷺ) reached Makkah, the first thing he started with was the ablution, then he performed Tawaaf round the Ka`bah and his intention was not `Umrah alone (but Hajj and `Umrah together).' " Later Abu Bakr performed the Hajj and the first thing he started with was Tawaaf round the Ka`bah and it was not `Umrah alone (but Hajj and `Umrah together). And then `Umar (ra) did the same. Then `Uthman (ra) performed the Hajj and the first thing he started with was Tawaaf round the Ka`bah and it was not `Umrah alone. And then Mu’aawiyah and `Abdullah ibn `Umar (ras) did the same. Then, I performed Hajj with my father al-Zubayr and the first thing he started with was Tawaaf round the Ka`bah and it was not `Umrah alone. Then I saw the Emigrants and Ansaar doing the same and it was not `Umrah alone. And the last person I saw doing the same was Ibn `Umar (ra), and he did not do another `Umrah after finishing the first. Now here is Ibn `Umar present amongst the people! They neither ask him nor anyone of the previous ones. And all these people, on entering Makkah, would not start with anything unless they had performed Tawaaf round the Ka`bah, and would not finish their Ihraam. And no doubt, I saw my mother and my aunt, on entering Makkah doing nothing before performing Tawaaf round the Ka`bah, and they would not finish their lhraam. .

Commentary : Hajj is an act of worship that cannot be sanctioned except on the basis of textual evidence from the Quran or the Sunnah to that effect. The Companions (ras) transmitted the details of this worship as they saw it and performed it with the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, a Taabi’ee by the name of ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr reports that his maternal aunt ‘Aaishah (raa), the Mother of the Believers, informed him that during the Farewell Hajj which the Prophet ﷺin the tenth year of the Hijrah, the first thing when he came to Makkah was that he performed ablution, then, he did circumambulate seven times around the Ka’bah as part of Tawaaf al-Qudoom (Tawaaf of Arrival). Thereafter, there was not a standalone ‘Umrah after the Tawaaf. That is because the Prophet ﷺdid not interrupt his Hajj by having an independent ‘Umrah beforehand due to his driving of the sacrificial animal with him. As for the Companions who did not drive with them the sacrificial animals, he ﷺcommanded them to interrupt their Hajj by performing a standalone ‘Umrah and to perform Hajj at-Tamattu’. As for the ones who had driven their animals for sacrifice, they incorporated the ‘Umrah into the Hajj rites and performed Hajj al-Qiraan.
Thereafter, ‘Urwah bin al-Zubayr mentioned that he had performed Hajj with Aboo Bakr, ‘Umar and, Uthmaan (ras). The first thing that they started with was the Tawaaf around the Ka’bah, known as Tawaaf al-Qudoom. Thereafter, there was no standalone ‘Umrah, neither did they perform brisk walking between the Safaa and al-Marwah, nor did they benefit from the ‘Umrah [by exiting the Ihraam] whilst waiting for the Hajj. ‘Urwah goes on to add that after this, the Caliph Mu’aawiyah bin Aboo Sufyaan and ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (ras) as well as his father did the same.
‘Urwah states further that he also saw the Emigrants as well as the Ansaar doing the same, that is, commencing with Tawaaf. After this, he relates that the last person he saw doing this was ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (ra). He explained that the first thing that the latter started with during arrival was performing Tawaaf al-Quddom around the Ka’bah. And he did not interrupt his Hajj by sufficing first with a completed ‘Umrah.
Then, ‘Urawah revealed his shock that despite Ibn ‘Umar (ra) being alive amidst the people, yet they have failed to ask him about this issue, neither have they bothered to ask the previous pious predecessors regarding it who would inform them that they only commenced Tawaaf al-Quddom upon their arrival. And they did never exit from their state of Ihraam, rather they remained in the state of Ihraam until completing all the rites of Hajj. Furthermore, ‘Urwah mentioned that his mother, Asmaa’ bin Aboo Bakr and his maternal aunt ‘Aaisha (may Allah be pleased with them), both did the same like the Emigrants and the Ansaar. They would initiate with performing the Tawaaf of the Ka’bah and they would not interrupt the Hajj by initially completing the whole ‘Umrah.
From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is learning about the importance of performing Tawaaf al-Quddom and the fact that the Companions implemented it after seeing the Prophet ﷺdoing it.
This hadeeth shows that the actions of the righteous caliphs and the pious predecessors can be used as evidence.
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1643

Narrated ‘Urwah: I asked `Aaishah (raa): "How do you interpret the statement of Allah: {Verily! (the mountains) Al-Safaa and Al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah, and whoever performs the Hajj to the Ka`bah or performs `Umrah, it is not harmful for him to perform Tawaaf between them (Al-Safaa and al-Marwah.) (Quran 2:158). By Allah! (it is evident from this revelation) there is no harm if one does not perform Tawaaf between Al-Safaa and al-Marwah." `Aaisha said, "O, my nephew! Your interpretation is not true. Had this interpretation of yours been correct, the statement of Allah should have been, 'It is not harmful for him if he does not perform Tawaaf between them.' But in fact, this ayah was revealed concerning the Ansaar who used to assume lhraam for worshipping an idol called "Manaat" which they used to worship at a place called Al-Mushallal before they embraced Islam, and whoever assumed Ihraam (for the idol), would consider it not right to perform Tawaaf between al-Safaa and al-Marwah. When they embraced Islam, they asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) regarding it, saying, "O Allah's Messenger! We used to refrain from Tawaaf between al-Safaa and al-Marwah." So, Allah revealed: {Verily; (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah.} " ‘Aaishah (raa) added, "Surely, Allah's Messenger set the tradition of Tawaaf between al-Safaa and al-Marwah, so nobody is allowed to omit the Tawaaf between them."
I told Aboo Bakr ibn `Abd al-Rahmaan of `Aaishah's narration and he said, 'I have not heard of such knowledge, but I heard learned men saying that all the people, except those whom `Aaishah (raa) mentioned and who used to assume lhraam for the sake of Manaat, used to perform Tawaaf between al-Safaa and al-Marwah. When Allah referred to the Tawaaf of the Ka`bah and did not mention Al-Safaa and al-Marwah in the Quran, the people asked, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! We used to perform Tawaaf between Al-Safaa and al-Marwah and Allah has revealed (the ayaat concerning) Tawaaf of the Ka`bah and has not mentioned Al-Safaa and al-Marwah. Is there any harm if we perform Tawaaf between Al-Safaa and al-Marwah?' So, Allah revealed: {Verily As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.} Aboo Bakr said, "I heard that this ayah was revealed concerning the two groups, those who used to refrain from Tawaaf between Al-Safaa and al-Marwah in the Pre- Islamic Period and those who used to perform the Tawaaf then, and after embracing Islam, they refrained from the Tawaaf between them as Allah had enjoined Tawaaf of the Ka`bah and did not mention Tawaaf(of Al-Safaa and al-Marwah) till later, after mentioning the Tawaaf of the Ka`bah.'.

Commentary : Hajj is an act of worship that cannot be sanctioned except on the basis of textual evidence from the Quran or the Sunnah to that effect. The Companions (ras) transmitted to us all the details of this worship as they saw it and performed it with the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr reports that he asked his maternal aunt, ‘Aaishah (raa), the Mother of the Believers, about the meaning of the ayah: {{Verily! (the mountains) Al-Safaa and Al-Marwah, are among the symbols of Allah, and whoever performs the Hajj to the Ka`bah or performs `Umrah, it is not harmful for him to perform Tawaaf between them (Al-Safaa and al-Marwah.) (Quran 2:158). He wanted to verify his interpretation of the ayah i.e., he understood it to mean that pilgrims are not obliged to perform the rite of brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah. She told him that he erred in his interpretation of the ayah and explained that it was revealed concerning the Ansaar because before entering Islam, they used to travel to worship an idol called "Manaat", located at Al-Mushallal, which is a mountain between Makkah and al-Madeenah and from which people would descend to Qudayd. They used to believe that brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah is a great sin because it contained two idols – Isaaf and Naa’ilah - that other people worshipped, and they despised those two idols. However, after embracing Islam, the Ansaar asked the Prophet ﷺabout it so Allah revealed the ayah to clarify that the brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah is not a sin as they used to think, because it is from the rites that Allah has dictated in Hajj and ‘Umrah.
Al-Zuhree said: I related the hadeeth of ‘Aaishah (raa) to Aboo Bakr ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan and he liked it. Then, he remarked that he was not aware of this knowledge before, but he heard some people of knowledge saying otherwise. He explained that they did not limit the cause of revelation to the Ansaar who used to refrain from performing the brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah, but that it was about those who used to assume lhraam for the sake of Manaat and would perform the brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah. However, as Allah, Exalted be He, mentioned the Tawaaf of the Ka`bah and did not mention Al-Safaa and al-Marwah in the Quran, the people went to the Prophet ﷺand mentioned that they used to perform the rite of walking between Al-Safaa and al-Marwah, but the ayah that Allah revealed only mentioned Tawaaf round the Ka`bah and did not mention the rite of brisk walking between Al-Safaa and al-Marwah. So, they were concerned if it is sinful to keep doing it. The reason they had such concern was because they presumed it was from the practices of people before Islam. Thereupon, Allah revealed: {Verily As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.}
Aboo Bakr then added that he heard that this ayah was about both groups, the Ansaar who used to refrain from doing it before Islam and the other group who used to practise it before Islam.
This hadeeth shows the importance of discussing and studying knowledge between scholars and their students to correct any misunderstanding.

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1648

Narrated ‘Aasim: I asked Anas bin Maalik (ra): "Did you use to dislike to perform Tawaaf between al-Safaa and al-Marwah?" He said, "Yes, as it was of the ceremonies of the days of the Pre-Islamic period of ignorance, till Allah revealed: {Verily! (The two mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who performs the pilgrimage to the Ka`bah, or performs `Umrah, to perform Tawaaf between them.} " (2.158).

Commentary : The Companions (ras) would teach the people the matters of their religion just like how they have learned it directly from the Prophet ﷺ. Hence, they would answer their questions and correct any misconception and misunderstanding.

In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee, ‘Aasim ibn Sulaymaan al-Ahwal reports that he asked Anas ibn Maalik (ra) whether the Companions used to dislike performing the rite of walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah? He answered that the Muslims disliked it at the beginning because it was one of the ritual ceremonies that disbelievers practiced before Islam to worship idols. However, after Allah revealed the ayah: {Verily! (The two mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who performs the pilgrimage to the Ka`bah, or performs `Umrah, to perform Tawaaf between them.} " (Quran 2:158), people stopped to dislike it as they came to know that it is not as they presumed, and that it is from the rites of Allah that He legislated to be part of the actions of Hajj and ‘Umrah. Not to mention, the Prophet ﷺlegislated that people perform it.
From the benefits of the hadeeth is learning about the importance of scholars and their students reviewing and studying knowledge. .

1649

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra): The Messenger of Allah ﷺperformed the Tawaaf round the Ka’bah and rite of walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah to display his strength to the disbelievers..

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺconcluded the treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah with Quraysh in the 6th year of Hijrah. One of the agreed-on conditions was that the Muslims would go back this year without entering Makkah, but next year they would be allowed to enter Makkah and spend three days to perform ‘Umrah.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (ra) reports that when the Prophet ﷺarrived at Makkah in the 7th year of Hijrah to perform ‘Umrah, he ﷺordered his Companions (ras) to perform the Tawaaf round the Ka’bah and between al-Safaa and al-Marwah with high pace to display the strength of Muslims to the disbelievers and show them that they can fight them. The order of the Prophet ﷺwas to perform Tawaaf with high pace in the first three rounds of Tawaaf round the Ka’bah, except between the two Corners, where he ﷺordered them to walk with a normal pace so they can rest. As for the last 4 rounds of Tawaaf, he ordered them to walk with a normal pace. Likewise, he ﷺordered them to perform brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah in the marked passage in the valley. All this happened while the disbelievers were watching from far.
From the other benefits we conclude from this hadeeth is that Muslims should display their strength and power with arms and weaponry in order to instill awe and fear in the hearts of disbelievers, and that is not included in the unpraiseworthy showing off.
It shows that indirect messages are not limited to words, but also include actions. Sometimes, sending indirect messages through actions is more effective and appropriate.
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739

Abu Is'hāq reported: I asked Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd about what ‘Ā’ishah narrated to him regarding the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said: He would sleep in the earlier part of the night and stay awake in the latter part. Then, when he needed intercourse with his wife, he would fulfill his need and then sleep. When the first call was pronounced, she said: He jumped - and no by Allah, she did not say: He stood up - and poured water over himself - and no by Allah, she did not say: He took a bath, and I know what she meant - and if he was not sexually impure, he would perform ablution like a man's ablution for prayer and then offer two Rak‘ahs..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would offer Qiyām al-Layl in his house as much as Allah willed him to pray. The Companions - and the Tābi‘is after them - were keen on knowing the details of his worship and would inquire about the acts of worship that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Abu Is'hāq as-Sabī‘i informs that he asked the Tābi‘i Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd about what ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had told him with regard to the voluntary prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) during the night. He told him that she had said: "He would sleep at the earlier part of the night" after the ‘Ishā’ prayer, in order to give his body its share of rest. And he would get up at the latter part of the night to fill it with prayer, Tahajjud, and Witr. This is the time in which Allah Almighty descends to the worldly heaven, as related in a Hadīth by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim, in which Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted, descends every night to the worldly heaven when the last third of the night remains and says: ‘Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give him? Who seeks forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?'"
Then, when he finished his prayer in the night, he would fulfill his need for his wives, in case he had a need for them. In the version by An-Nasā’i: "he would go to his wife", which indirectly refers to copulation; and then he would then sleep. Thereafter, when the time of Fajr came and he heard the Adhān - the first call - he would 'jump' i.e., he would get up in a quick and active manner, and he would pour water over himself, taking a ritual bath if he was sexually impure from the copulation with his wives. In case he was not sexually impure, he would only make ablution and then offer two Rak‘ahs as the Sunnah of Fajr.
By his words: "No by Allah, she did not say: He stood up" and "No by Allah, she did not say: He took a bath, and I know what she meant", the narrator means that he conveyed the very words said by ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), which are: "and he poured water over himself"; and she did not say: "He took a bath". And he knows that by "he poured water", she meant: He took a bath. This shows his care and meticulousness in conveying what he heard as he heard it, not by its meaning.
The Hadīth indicates that a sexually impure person may sleep without performing ablution.
It shows the interest in worship and the active engagement in it, as denoted by the words "he jumped"..

740

‘Ā’ishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray at night until his last prayer would be the Witr..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer Qiyām al-Layl in his house as much as Allah willed him to pray. The Companions were keen on knowing the details of his worship and would inquire about the acts of worship that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see.
In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informs that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer Qiyām al-Layl for part of the night and would pray two Rak‘ahs at a time, and the last prayer he would perform was the Witr, whose time ends with the rise of dawn. When the dawn rose, there would be no Witr, even between the Adhān of Fajr and its Iqāmah.
There are various forms and ways of the Prophet's performance of Witr, as well as the number of its Rak‘ahs. Based on all of them, it becomes apparent that Witr can be three, five, seven, nine, or eleven Rak‘ahs. If he observed Witr as three Rak‘ahs, this would have two legitimate ways: First: He would offer the three Rak‘ahs consecutively with one Tashahhud. Second: He would make Taslīm after two Rak‘ahs and then offer one Rak‘ah as Witr. But when he observed Witr as five or seven Rak‘ahs, he would offer them all together, with only one Tashahhud and Taslīm at the end. And when he observed Witr as nine Rak‘ahs, he would offer them all together and sit for Tashahhud at the eighth Rak‘ah and then stand up without Taslīm, and he would say Tashahhud in the ninth Rak‘ah and make Taslīm. When he observed Witr as eleven Rak‘ahs, he would make Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs and then conclude them with one Rak‘ah. The minimum of what is valid and sufficient in terms of Witr is to perform two Rak‘ahs and make Taslīm and then perform one Rak‘ah and make Taslīm; and it is permissible to make one Taslīm, but with one Tashahhud, not two.
The Hadīth indicates that the last prayer at night should be Witr..

746

Zurārah reported: Sa‘d ibn Hishām ibn ‘Āmir wanted to fight for the sake of Allah. So, he came to Madīnah and wanted to sell some real estate that belonged to him there, allocate it for arms and horses, and conduct Jihad against the Romans until he dies. When he came to Madīnah, he met a group of people from Madīnah, who forbade him from doing so. They informed him that a group of six people wanted to do that during the lifetime of the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), yet the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them. He said: Is there not a role model for you in me?! When they narrated that to him, he took back his wife, whom he had divorced, and he brought witnesses to her return. He came to Ibn ‘Abbās and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Ibn ‘Abbās said: Shall I direct you to the most knowledgeable one among the people of the world about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Who? He said: ‘Ā’ishah. Go to her and ask her and then come to me and tell me about her response to you. So, I headed to her. I met Hakīm ibn Aflah and asked him to take me to her. He said: I would not come close to her, for I forbade her from saying anything about these two groups, but she refused and decided to engage in that. He said: I adjured him by Allah. As a result, he came, and we headed to ‘Ā’ishah. We asked her for permission to enter. She gave us permission, and we entered her place. She said: Are you Hakīm? She recognized him. He said: Yes. She said: Who is with you? He said: Sa‘d ibn Hishām. She said: Who is Hishām? He said: Ibn ‘Āmir. She invoked Allah's mercy upon him and spoke well of him. Qatādah said: He was wounded during the battle of ’Uhud. I said: O Mother of the Believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said: Do you not recite the Qur’an? I said: Yes. She said: Indeed, the character of the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the Qur’an. He said: I resolved to get up and not ask anyone about anything till I die; then a thought came to me, and I said: Tell me about the Qiyām (late-night prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said: Do you not recite: {O you the enwrapped one}? I said: Yes. She said: Indeed, Allah Almighty prescribed Qiyām al-Layl at the start of this Surah. So, the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions performed Qiyām for one year. And Allah held back its concluding portion for twelve months in heaven, till Allah sent down alleviation at the concluding verses of this Surah. Consequently, Qiyām al-Layl became optional after being obligatory. He said: I said: O Mother of the Believers, tell me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said: We used to prepare for him his tooth stick and water for his ablution, and Allah would resurrect him to the extent He wished during the night. He would use the tooth stick, perform ablution, and offer nine Rak‘ahs, without sitting in them except in the eighth one; he would remember Allah, praise Him, and supplicate Him, and then get up without making Taslīm and offer the ninth Rak‘ah. Then, he would sit, remember Allah, praise Him, supplicate Him, and then make Taslīm loud enough for us to hear. Then, he would offer two Rak‘ahs after Taslīm while he was sitting. These are eleven Rak‘ahs, O young son. When the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) grew old and put on weight, he would observe Witr with seven and do in the two Rak‘ahs as he had done formerly. These are nine, O young son. When the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered a prayer, he liked to offer it on a persistent basis. But if he missed Qiyām al-Layl due to sleep or illness, he would perform twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime. I am not aware that the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited the whole Qur’an in a night, prayed for a night till the morning, or fasted a whole month other than Ramadan. He said: Then I headed to Ibn ‘Abbās and told him her Hadīth. He said: She spoke the truth. If I could come close to her or visit her, I would certainly go to her so that she would verbally narrate it to me. He said: I said: If I had known you would not enter her place, I would not have narrated her Hadīth to you. [And in a version]: He divorced his wife and then headed to Madīnah to sell his real estate, and he related a similar Hadīth..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer Qiyām al-Layl in his house as much as Allah willed him to pray. The Companions - and the Tābi‘is after them - were keen on knowing the details of his worship and would inquire about the acts of worship that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Zurārah ibn Awfa al-Harashi al-Basri relates that the Tābi‘i Sa‘d ibn Hishām ibn ’Umayyah al-Ansāri wanted to completely devote himself to the campaign and Jihad in the cause of Allah. So, he divorced his wife and came to Madīnah, and he was then in Basrah, residing there along with his father, the Companion Hishām ibn ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him). He wanted to sell some real estate - and real estate is an immovable object, like a piece of land or a house. It may also refer to possessions - and purshase with their proceeds weapons, like a sword, spear, and bow, and horses, to engage in Jihad against the Romans till he would die in that state. Apparently, he sought celibacy and asceticism from worldly life.
When he came to Madīnah, he met a group from among the people of Madīnah. Having known what he intended to do, they forbade him from it, and told him that a group of six people had wanted to do the same as he intended - to divorce their wives and sell their possessions to engage in the campaign during the Prophet's lifetime - yet the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them and said: "Is there not a role model for you in me?!" i.e., a good example for you to follow?! Sa‘d ibn Hishām acted upon the advice given to him by those people. So, he took back his wife. A man can take back his wife if he divorced her for the first or second time and her waiting period is yet to end. He brought witnesses to her return as a wife to him, which he did in compliance with the verse that reads: {Then when they have approached the end of their waiting period, either retain them honorably or part with them honorably. Call two just men from among yourselves as witnesses.} [Surat at-Talāq: 2]
Thereafter, Sa‘d went to ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Witr is the last prayer a Muslim observes after performing the supererogatory Qiyām al-Layl, the best voluntary act of worship to be performed by a Muslim. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Shall I direct you to the most knowledgeable one among the people of the world about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?" Meaning, that the best one to tell you about it from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and who is more knowledgeable about it than others, though Witr is a famous act that is known to the knowledgeable and others. However, since Sa‘d particularly linked his question to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), it was more appropriate that specialists should provide the answer, as long as they were present. So, Sa‘d asked him about that person. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: ‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her). And he instructed him to go and pose his question to her and then return and tell him about her response and answer. Indeed, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was more knowledgeable about that because Witr is a night prayer that is performed at home. So, the Mothers of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them) had more knowledge about it, and the foremost among them was ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), given her great keenness to memorize the traditions of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
So, Sa‘d dashed off and went to her, as he was ordered by Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him). On his way, he passed by the Tābi‘i Hakīm ibn Aflah. He asked him to accompany him and go with him to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Ibn Aflah said: "I would not come close to her" i.e., I do not want to be near her and will not go with you to her. "for I forbade her from saying anything about these two groups" i.e., the two factions, which refers to the group of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and the group of Az-Zubayr ibn al-‘ِAwwām and Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullāh (may Allah be pleased with both of them). The meaning: I forbade her from getting in this occurring war; but she refused and did not comply, and she insisted on going ahead with what she wanted. She sided with the opponents of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in the battle of the Camel.
Sa‘d informed that he adjured him by Allah and appealed to him to go to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Hakīm agreed, and they went together to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). They asked her for permission to enter. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) gave them permission to enter. She asked the one who entered: Are you Hakīm? She recognized him, probably by his voice when he greeted her. In response, Hakīm said: Yes. She asked him about the one accompanying him. Hakīm told her that he was Sa‘d ibn Hishām. She asked about who Hishām was. Hakīm informed her that he was Hishām ibn ‘Āmir ibn ’Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him). Thereupon, she invoked Allah's mercy upon ‘Āmir and spoke well of him. In another version in the Sahīh Muslim Collection: "What an excellent man ‘Āmir was." ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of those who were martyred and killed in the battle of ’Uhud, in the third Hijri year.
Sa‘d asked her: O Mother of the Believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said to Sa‘d: "Do you not recite the Qur’an?" This is an affirmative question, for she knew he was one of those who recited the Qu’an. He replied: Yes. i.e., he was one of those who recited the Qur’an. So, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to him: "She said: Indeed, the character of the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the Qur’an," i.e., he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) assumed all the noble manners enjoined in the Qur’an and abided by them, and he avoided all that is prohibited therein. So, his character was to act upon it, stop at its limits, adopt its ethics, and take lessons from its examples and stories.
Then, Sa‘d informed that he thought to himself that he would leave her place and depart and never ask anyone about anything of the Prophet's character till he died, for she comprehensively described to him the Prophet's noble manners and good morals. She referred him to the noble Qur’an which comprises all excellent attributes. So, he could explore the Prophet's character from it, generally and specifically. Thus, nothing of his manners would remain for him to need to ask about.
After he resolved to leave the place of ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), he entertained the idea of asking her about the Qiyām al-Layl of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his supererogatory worship during the night. As he asked her to tell him about that, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him: "Do you not recite: {O you the enwrapped one}?" i.e., the whole Surah. He replied that he recited it. She said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty prescribed" i.e., He ordained the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions to perform "Qiyām al-Layl in the start of this Surah." This occurs in the verse that reads: {Stand up in prayer at night except a little.} [Surat al-Muzzammil: 2] As a result, the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions prayed during the night for a whole year. In the version by Abu Dāwūd: "till their feet became swollen." And Allah Almighty held back with Him the concluding portion of this Surah - which contains alleviation and facilitation by prescribing the recitation of as much of the Qur’an as is easy - for twelve months in the heaven, till Allah sent down alleviation at the end of this Surah, in the verse that reads: {Indeed, your Lord knows that you [O Prophet] stand up in prayer for nearly two-thirds of the night, or half of it, or one-third of it, as do others among your companions. Allah determines the night and the day; He knows that you [Muslims] cannot keep an accurate count of it, so He pardoned you. Recite then as much of the Qur’an as is easy for you [in the night prayers]. He knows that there are some among you who will be ill, and others traveling in the land, seeking the grace of Allah, and others fighting in Allah’s way. So recite as much of it as is easy for you; establish prayer and give Zakah; and lend to Allah a goodly loan. Whatever good you send forth for yourselves, you will find it with Allah, much better in condition and much greater in reward. And seek forgiveness of Allah, for indeed Allah is All-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.} [Surat al-Muzzammil: 20] Consequently, Qiyām al-Layl became optional after being obligatory.
She (may Allah be pleased with her) was disputed over the period between the revelation of the beginning of the verse and the revelation of its end. It is said: After ten years, which is apparently correct view, for the Surah is a Makkan one, and it was one of the first verses of the Qur’an to be revealed, except for the two concluding verses of it, which were revealed in Madīnah.
Then, Sa‘d ibn Hishām asked her about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), the manner of its performance, and the number of its Rak‘ahs. She (may Allah be pleased with her) told him that they used to prepare for him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) his tooth stick and the water for his ablution, so that he would perform ablution after getting up from sleep. This is because he used to sleep after the ‘Ishā’ prayer and then "Allah would resurrect him". She used the word 'resurrect' because sleep is similar to death. In other words, He would awaken him from sleep. So, he would use the tooth stick, make ablution, and offer nine connected Rak‘ahs without sitting or making Taslīm therein except in the eighth Rak‘ah, after which he would sit for Tashahhud, and "he would remember Allah" i.e., he would say Tashahhud, and praise Allah, ascribing to Him the attributes of perfection that befit Him, and supplicate Him and ask Him for the fulfillment of his needs. Then, he would rise from the eighth Rak‘ah, without making Taslīm thereafter, and offer the ninth Rak‘ah. Then, he would sit for Tashahhud and remember Allah and praise and supplicate Him in his Tashahhud. Then, he would make Taslīm after the ninth Rak‘ah in a way loud enough for them to hear. Then, he would offer two Rak‘ahs while sitting, before dawn. In Hadīths in the Two Sahīh Collections and numerous other well-known Hadīths, it is enjoined to make Witr the last prayer at night. An example is a Hadīth in which ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Make the last of your prayer at night the Witr." As for these two Rak‘ahs which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered after the Witr and before dawn, this was to demonstrate the permissibility of praying after the Witr, and they were not offered on a constant basis. Indeed, what he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did persistently was to observe the Witr.
Then, she (may Allah be pleased with her) informed Sa‘d that these mentioned Rak‘ahs, the nine and the two, amount to a total of eleven Rak‘ahs. She addressed him by "O young son" by way of compassion and gentleness. She also told him that when the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) grew old and put on weight more than he had in most of his life, he would observe Witr with seven Rak‘ahs and would do in the two Rak‘ahs as he had formerly done, i.e., he would offer them after making Taslīm from the seven Rak‘ahs while sitting. These seven Rak‘ahs along with the two Rak‘ahs are nine.
Then, she informed him that when the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered a prayer, he would like to offer it on a persistent basis. And if he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was prevented by sleep or illness from Qiyām al-Layl, he would perform twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime, in return for the Qiyām al-Layl he missed during the night. This points out that he used to perform it on a regular and persistent basis. The Hadīth does not explicitly indicate that he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) missed the Witr; rather, he apparently did not miss it. He missed Qiyām al-Layl only, apart from the Witr. It also apparently indicates that he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to observe the Witr by way of precaution if he thought that he would be unable to get up for the supererogatory prayer.
Thereafter, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informed that she was not aware that the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited the whole Qur’an in a night, prayed for a night till the morning, or fasted a whole month other than Ramadan. This all shows the Prophet's approach of facilitation and that he used to perform worship in accordance with his capacity and ability, by way of teaching his Ummah.
Sa‘d ibn Hishām said that he returned to Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) and narrated to him the Hadīth of ‘Ā’ishah. Thereupon, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) "spoke the truth" in what she narrated to you. He also informed him that if he could visit her and talk to her, he would certainly go to her so that she would narrate this Hadīth to him, directly. Sa‘d said to Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him): "If I had known that you would not visit her, I would not have narrated her Hadīth to you." He said that to rebuke him for refraining from visiting her and to recompense him for that by depriving him of the benefit, which would force him to visit her. The abandonment of talk with her was probably because of the dispute that took place between both of them over ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with them), or because of something else.
The Hadīth indicates that it was part of the Prophet's guidance to use the tooth stick upon getting up from sleep.
It points out the merit of ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and her knowledge of the Prophet's conditions.
It includes doing justice and acknowledging the merit of those who are meritorious, as well as modesty.
A Muslim may be honored by mentioning the merits of his father and invoking Allah's mercy upon him.
A person should be gentle with himself and engage in worship moderately and refrain from deep engrossment in it.
The Hadīth shows the Prophet's care about the Witr prayer.
When a knowledgeable person is asked about something and he knows that someone else has more knowledge about it, he is recommended to direct the questioner to him, for indeed religion is sincere advice..

746

‘Ā’ishah reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did some act, he would do it persistently, and when he slept at night or fell sick, he would offer twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime. She said: I did not see the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pray a whole night till the morning, nor did he observe fast for a whole month consecutively except that of Ramadan..

Commentary : The Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to observe the Prophet's conditions day and night, as an observer and questioner. So, she became well aware of his guidance and Sunnah and taught it to those who came after her and those who asked her about his conditions (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informs that when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) "did some act, he would do it persistently" i.e., he would perfect it and do it regularly. "and when he slept at night or fell sick", and there was a reason preventing him from performing Qiyām al-Layl, "he would offer twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime", i.e., he would make up for Qiyām al-Layl during the daytime, in return for the prayer he missed during the night. This points out that he used to perform it on a regular and persistent basis. She did not mention the Witr because he did not make up for it; it seems that he did not miss it. Perhaps if something arose and would prompt him to miss Qiyām al-Layl, he would hasten to observe Witr, performing it at the earlier part of the night, and delay the other prayer and make up for it during the daytime.
Then, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informed that it was not part of the Prophet's guidance to perform Qiyām al-Layl for the whole night; rather, he would sleep for part of the night and pray for some part of it; and that he did not fast a whole month other than the month of Ramadan, and this is because it is the month of obligatory fasting. Mentioning it is intended to negate other months, meaning that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would not fast a whole month on a voluntary basis; rather, he used to fast some days every month of the year and would not fast a whole month except for Ramadan; lest such a fast might be thought to be obligatory. This all shows the Prophet's approach of facilitation and that he used to perform worship in accordance with his capacity and ability, by way of teaching his Ummah.
The Hadīth indicates that one may make up for Qiyām al-Layl during the daytime.
It also mentions that Qiyām al-Layl performed during the daytime is Shaf‘ (even-numbered)..

747

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever sleeps and fails to recite his hizb (usual portion of the Qur'an, dhikr, or prayer), or part of it, and then recites it between the Fajr prayer and the Zhuhr prayer, it will be recorded for him as if he recited it during the night.".

Commentary : Out of Allah's grace towards His believing servants, He prescribed for them dispensations with which they can make up for the missed acts of worship - obligatory and voluntary.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out that "Whoever sleeps and fails to recite his hizb or part of it" at night, as established in another version narrated by An-Nasā’i: "Whoever sleeps and fails to recite his hizb at night" i.e., he is overcome by sleep or gets prevented from it by a valid reason, yet he had the intention to do it. Hizb: The portion to which a person commits himself as a habit that he engages in voluntarily, like recitation of the Qur'an, dhikr, and prayer. Allah, out of His grace, gives him plenty of time. So, if he "recites it between the Fajr prayer and the Zhuhr prayer" i.e., he makes up for it during this time, because this is a good length of time during which a person can compensate for what he has missed in the night. Also, this is probably intended to encourage him to do it, for this is a time connected to the latter part of the night without separation between them save for the Fajr prayer. As recompense, the full reward will be added to his record of deeds as if he has done it at its usual time. Here is a slight manifestation of Allah's gentleness towards His servant, who perpetuates a certain condition of goodness. If anything arises from him that changes this condition, Allah bestows His favor upon him and does not detract from his reward, as if he has done it by virtue of his good and sincere intention.
In the Hadīth: Urging people to make up for the missed supererogatory worship, lest they may get used to abandoning any of the act of worship altogether if they miss it
And in it: The legitimacy of adopting a regular portion of worship at night
And in it: The legitimacy of making up for the regular portion of worship at night if it is missed due to sleep or some other excuse.

748

Al-Qāsim ash-Shaybāni related that Zayd ibn Arqam reported that he saw some people pray in the forenoon and he said: "They definitely knew that praying at other than this hour is better, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prayer of the oft-returning to Allah is when weaned camels are bitten by excessive heat.'".

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the Tābi‘is (may Allah have mercy upon them) were the keenest among people seeking the Prophet's guidance. This was for them to learn his guidance and Sunnah and then teach it to those who came after them and to those who asked them about the Prophet's circumstances concerning his prayer, Qiyām al-Layl, voluntary worship, and so on.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Al-Qāsim ibn ‘Awf ash-Shaybāni relates that the Companion Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) saw some people praying in the forenoon. - And in a version by Ahmad: "He saw some people praying in the Qubā’ Mosque in the forenoon" [Duha prayer] - and they were praying it at the time of sunrise, as related in another version by Ahmad. So, Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "They definitely knew that praying at an hour other than this one is better." In other words, their performance of the Duha prayer at this time is not preferred, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer of the oft-returning to Allah," i.e., those who obey Allah, glorify Him, and often turn to Him in repentance and sincerity in worship. Their prayer "is when weaned camels are bitten by excessive heat" i.e., when the hooves of weaned camels burn due to the extreme heat of sand caused by exposure to the sun. Weaned camels are young camels, and he singled them out because their hooves burn before the end of extreme heat, given the tenderness of the skin of their hooves. They separate from their mothers at the beginning of extreme heat, and they let them go. This happens at the latter time. So, prayer at this time is better, for people's souls are inclined to rest and comfort during this time, and this is one of the prayers whose performance is recommended to be delayed.
In the Hadīth: The merit of performing the Duha prayer at the latter time.
And in it: Indicating to seize the opportunity to perform worship and engage in acts of obedience to Allah during the times of comfort, calm, and rest..

753

Abu Mijlaz reported: I asked Ibn ‘Abbās about Witr, and he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "One Rak‘ah at the end of the night.".

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the Tābi‘is (may Allah have mercy upon them) were the keenest among people on seeking the Prophet's guidance. This was for them to learn his guidance and Sunnah and then teach it to those who came after them and to those who asked them about the Prophet's circumstances concerning his prayer, Qiyām al-Layl, voluntary worship, and so on.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Abu Mijlaz Lāhiq ibn Humayd informs that he asked Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) about the Witr prayer, the number of its Rak‘ahs, and the best time for performing it. In response to him, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "One Rak‘ah at the end of the night", i.e., its minimum is one Rak‘ah at the end of the night. This one Rak‘ah which a person offers at the end turns all the prayers he has performed during the night into Witr (odd-numbered), after they were Shaf‘ (even-numbered). The last part of the night is the last time to pray Witr, which is shortly before dawn. It is related in another version by Muslim: "Indeed, prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels)"; as the angels of mercy witness it. This prayer occurs at the time of Sahar (shortly before dawn), when Allah descends to the worldly heaven in a way that befits His majesty; and that is better.
There are various forms and ways of the Prophet's performance of Witr, as well as the number of its Rak‘ahs. Based on all of them, it becomes apparent that Witr can be one, three, five, seven, nine, or eleven Rak‘ahs.
The Hadīth mentions that the minimum of Witr is one Rak‘ah.
It indicates that the last time for praying Witr is the latter part of the night.
It also demonstrates the facilitation with regard to this prayer, as it is sufficient to observe it as one Rak‘ah..

754

Abu Sa‘īd reported: They asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Witr (odd) prayer, and he said: "Perform the Witr prayer before the morning.".

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were the most keen among people to seek the Prophet's guidance and observe his circumstances, by watching and asking, so as to learn his guidance and Sunnah, including his prayer, Qiyām al-Layl, voluntary worship, and so on. And the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach them the obligatory and supererogatory prayers and their etiquettes and the best times for performing them. Also, he would guide them to the highest level of worship and the minimum amount of what is sufficient in it.
In this Hadīth, Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said that some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Witr prayer and its time, so he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Perform the Witr prayer before the morning." In other words, perform the Witr prayer before the coming of the time of the obligatory prayer of the morning. Morning here refers to the true dawn. This indicates that the Witr prayer is to be performed at the end of the night prayer, and its time extends until the rise of dawn. When the dawn rises, no Witr can be performed, even between the Adhān and iqāmah of the Fajr prayer.
In the Hadīth: The time for the Witr prayer ends before the Fajr prayer.
And in it: Indication that delaying the Witr prayer is better..

755

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If anyone fears that he will not wake up at the end of the night, let him offer the Witr prayer at its beginning, and if anyone expects to wake up at its end, let him offer the Witr prayer at the end of the night. Indeed, prayer at the end of the night is witnessed, and that is better." Abu Mu‘āwiyah said: "In a version: attended.".

Commentary : In this Hadīth, Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reports: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If anyone fears that he will not wake up at the end of the night, let him offer the Witr prayer at its beginning," i.e., whoever fears that he may not wake up at the latter part of the night to perform the Witr prayer should perform it before he sleeps." And if anyone expects to wake up at its end, let him offer the Witr prayer at the end of the night," i.e., whoever knows from his condition that he will be able to get up at the latter part of the night should perform the Witr at the end of the night. "Indeed, prayer at the end of the night is witnessed," i.e., prayer at the end of the night is witnessed by the angels of mercy, as this prayer is offered at the latter part of the night before dawn at the time when Allah descends in a way that befits His majesty and that is better," i.e., the time at the end of the night is better for him than its beginning. Abu Mu‘āwiyah - one of the narrators - said: 'attended' i.e., attended by the angels of the night and the day.
In the Hadīth: The preferability of Witr at the end of the night
And in it: Some times are more meritorious than others.
And in it: Prayer at the end of the night is attended and witnessed by the angels of mercy.

756

Jābir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best prayer is the prolonged qunūt (standing in prayer).".

Commentary : Prayer is the mainstay of religion, and it is the main pillar of Islam that every Muslim must fulfill without any excuse. The Prophet's comfort was provided through prayer. Therefore, he used to perform a lot of supererogatory prayers, to the extent that he would offer Qiyām al-Layl until his feet would swell due to his prolonged standing before Allah Almighty, reciting, supplicating, showing humility, and imploring Allah.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that the best thing regarding prayer, in general, is the long qunūt, which refers to the prolonged standing in prayer for recitation. It is explicitly mentioned in a Hadīth narrated by Abu Dāwūd, in which ‘Abdullāh ibn Habashi al-Khath‘ami (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Which deed is the best?" He said: "The prolonged standing." Qunūt may also refer to supplication, humility, and subservience before Allah Almighty. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to do that, especially during supererogatory prayers and Qiyām al-Layl. He would pause at every verse and would not go past any verse containing a supplication without supplication with it, or a punishment without seeking the refuge of Allah Almighty from it, and so on.
An obligatory prayer - even if it does not include prolonged standing, recitation, and supplication - is better than a supererogatory prayer that contains such prolongation. This is because Allah Almighty ordained the obligatory prayer and fixed a certain time and a number of Rak‘ahs for it, and He punishes those who abandon it. It is also because it was commanded that the obligatory prayer be offered in congregation and in a brief manner, in consideration of those who are sick, those who are in need, and so on. As for the supererogatory and voluntary prayer, a person can prolong it as much as he is able to. Thus, every prayer retains its advantage and merit.
In the Hadīth: The merit of prolonged qunūt and standing for recitation in prayer, along with humility and supplication.

757

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "There is an hour at night during which no Muslim man happens to be asking Allah for the goodness of this world or the Hereafter except that He will give it to him, and this occurs every night.".

Commentary : There are times in the night during which people's souls become peaceful, worship becomes more pleasant, and supplications are answered. Allah Almighty distinguished these times by bestowing greater bounty upon His servants during them and giving abundant goodness to those who ask for it.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says that "there is an hour at night", which is a specific time. The use of the indefinite article before it denotes its significance, that it should be looked out for, and that the opportunity should be seized to catch it. It is an obscure hour like the hour on Friday. It was said: It is most likely to occur at the last third of the night, in which Allah Almighty descends to the heaven of the world, in a way that befits His majesty and does not resemble the descent of the created beings, and says, as narrated in the Two Sahīh Collections: "Who supplicates to Me so that I may respond to him?" And it was said: The wisdom behind concealing it is to urge people to strive exceedingly to fulfill the objective all night long, not to limit the worship to a certain time to the exclusion of others, and not to lose hope for missing the advantage.
During this hour, no Muslim man happens to be - and the word 'man' includes males and females - supplicating to Allah and asking for the goodness of this world and the Hereafter except that He will respond to him and grant his request. Goodness refers to all that is beneficial, on a prompt or delayed basis and in terms of religious or worldly affairs, and for which a person will not be blamed in the Hereafter.
The existence of this hour is constant every night, all the time. This does not particularly apply to some nights. Rather, it exists in all of them—out of Allah's great bounty and abundant giving.
In the Hadīth: Urging supplication during the night, the pursuit of this hour therein, and working diligently in it.
And in it: Establishing the existence of the hour of answered supplications every night..

759

Abu Hurayrah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to encourage the performance of Qiyām in Ramadan, without vehemently enjoining them to do so. He would say: "Whoever performs Qiyām during Ramadan, out of faith and in pursuit of reward from Allah, will have his past sins forgiven." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed away while this was the case, and then it remained like that during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and the earlier part of the caliphate of ‘Umar..

Commentary : Ramadan is the best month, and performing Qiyām during its nights is a sublime act. So, whoever performs Qiyām during the entire Ramadan and stays awake in its nights for worship, out of desire for reward from Allah Almighty, without regarding it as burdensome or boring, will have his sins forgiven.
In this Hadīth, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to urge his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to perform Qiyām during the nights of Ramadan. Yet, he did not enjoin them to do so by way of obliging, and he did not impose it upon them. Vehemently: denotes resolve to make something happen. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: "Whoever performs Qiyām during Ramadan, out of faith and in pursuit of reward from Allah" i.e., out of belief in the merit of these nights and the virtue of the good deeds performed therein, and in pursuit of Allah's pleasure and out of desire for being rewarded by Him, Exalted be He. Whoever does that, it is hoped that Allah will forgive his past sins. The recompense is expressed in the past tense in Arabic, even though the forgiveness will happen in the future, to denote certainty and assurance about its occurrence, as a favor from Allah Almighty upon His servants. Thus, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged his Ummah to do good and righteous deeds, which lead to the expiation of sins and the increase of their rewards.
Then, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed away "while this was the case" i.e., the people refrained from praying behind one Imām in the Tarāwīh prayer. Rather, they would pray individually and separately; some would pray in the early part of the night, while others would pray in the latter part; and some would pray at home, while others would pray in the mosque, either because they were observing i‘tikāf (retirement in the mosque) or they belonged to the people of As-Suffah, or due to some other reason. This continued to be the case throughout the caliphate of Abu Bakr and during the early phase of the caliphate of ‘Umar. Then, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered them behind one Imām and appointed ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) as their Imām, and he led them in congregational prayer. It continued to be performed congregationally.
‘Umar's action follows the Prophet's action when he led people in this prayer once; yet he did not repeat that for fear that it might be made obligatory for them. Then, when this reason ceased to exist with the death of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the revelation stopped, ‘Umar held that it was more appropriate for them to offer it in a congregation as they had done during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
This falls under the legitimate Ijtihād (independent reasoning), for it has a basis in the religion upon which it relies and from which it stems. As for the illegitimate Bid‘ah (religious innovation), it has no basis in the religion or proof upon which it relies.
The Hadīth urges the performance of Qiyām during Ramadan and demonstrates its merit.
It shows the good understanding and judgment of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the religious interests of Muslims, as he also displayed good judgment regarding their worldly interests..

762

Zirr ibn Hubaysh reported: I asked ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, saying: "Your brother ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd says: 'Whoever performs Qiyām all the year long will reach Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree).' He said: "May Allah have mercy upon him. He wanted the people not to be passively reliant. Indeed, he knew that it occurs in Ramadan, that it occurs in the last ten days, and that it is the twenty-seventh night." Then, he swore - without exception - that it is the twenty-seventh night. I said: "Based on what do you say that, O Abu al-Mundhir?" He said: "On the sign - or the mark - which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed us about that it (the sun) rises on that day with no rays.".

Commentary : Laylat al-Qadr occupies great status and significance. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) held it in high regard and commanded us to seek it and perform Qiyām al-Layl therein out of faith and in pursuit of reward from Allah. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) determined that it occurs on the odd-numbered nights within the last ten days of Ramadan and mentioned certain signs that point to it.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Zirr ibn Hubaysh relates that he asked ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) about the statement by ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) to the effect that whoever performs Qiyām all year long will certainly reach Laylat al-Qadr on one of its nights. He did not specify this night for them. It is understood from this statement that he thought it to be an obscure night that moves throughout the year and is not limited to Ramadan.
When 'Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) heard that, he supplicated so that Allah shows mercy to Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him), and that was the supplication of someone who knew the intent of the statement made by Ibn Mas‘ūd, and by way of presenting an excuse for him. Then, he explained that Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him), by his statement, intended to deter people from abandoning Qiyām al-Layl and instead waiting for Laylat al-Qadr; so, they would perform Qiyām al-Layl only on this night or neglect to perform Qiyām on the other nights of the year; and thus the wisdom behind obscurity, for which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was made to forget it, would be missed. So, he wanted to prompt the people to diligently seek this night by performing Qiyām al-Layl a lot.
Then, 'Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) was aware that it occurs in Ramadan, that it occurs within the last ten days, and that it is the twenty-seventh night. Then, ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) took a solemn oath, without saying thereafter: if Allah wills, "that it is the twenty-seventh night". ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) assured that Laylat al-Qadr is the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan and swore emphatically about that.
Thereupon, Zirr ibn Hubaysh: What is your proof for that, O Abu al-Mundhir? This is the surname of ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him). ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: The sign - or the mark - which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed us about, namely that the sun rises in the next morning of this night with no rays. Rather, it is pure and no extended rays are seen for it. So, its light spreads without rays, as the moon gives light without rays. The rays of the sun are what you see in sunlight that resembles ropes and rods coming towards you, when you look at it.
There is a difference of opinion over specifying Laylat al-Qadr. According to the opinion more likely to be correct, it occurs on the odd-numbered nights during the last ten days, as demonstrated by the pure Sunnah. Out of His wisdom, Allah Almighty kept it hidden from the people so that they diligently seek it within these nights, and engage in a lot of worship that brings them benefit.
The Hadīth points out that some of the Companions would adopt the approach of resolve to reach their objectives.
It informs that one of the signs of Laylat al-Qadr is that the sun rises in the next morning of this night with no rays..

763

Ibn ‘Abbās reported: I spent one night in the house of my maternal aunt Maymūnah bint al-Hārith. I said to her: "Awaken me when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stands up." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stood up, and I stood on his left side. He took hold of my hand and made me stand on his right side, and whenever I dozed off, he would take hold of my earlobe. He said: He offered eleven Rak‘ahs. Then, he sat with his legs drawn and wrapped in his garment and slept so that I could hear his breathing while asleep. And when the dawn became apparent to him, he offered two short Rak‘ahs..

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to know the Prophet's worship in detail and used to ask about the acts of worship the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see. Some of them would seek to learn about that by virtue of their bond and kinship with the noble Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him); one of those was ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās, the cousin of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the nephew of his wife Maymūnah (may Allah be pleased with them).
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he spent one night in the house of his maternal aunt, the Mother of the Believers Maymūnah bint al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with her). This night was her turn with the noble Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He said to his maternal aunt (may Allah be pleased with her): "Awaken me when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stands up" for prayer at night; out of his keenness to follow the Prophet's condition in Qiyām al-Layl. After a part of the night had passed, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for prayer. Thereupon, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and performed ablution like that of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), as related in the Two Sahīh Collections. Then, he stood on the left side of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of his hands from behind his back and made him stand on his right side. This demonstrates how the Imām and the one led in prayer should stand in a congregational prayer offered by two persons. Whenever Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) dozed off during the prayer, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would rub his earlobe to alert and awaken him in the prayer.
Then, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered eleven Rak‘ahs that night, two Rak‘ahs at a time, and then observed the Witr. "Then, he sat with his legs drawn and wrapped in his garment." This is when a person sits on his buttocks and keeps his legs upright and drags his legs towards his abdomen with a garment and gathers them with his back, and he pulls the garment over it while in this state, or he pulls it over his legs with his hand. His words "so that I could hear his breathing while asleep" mean that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sat for a little while in that state and then lay down, according to the versions in the Two Sahīh Collections, till Ibn ‘Abbās could hear the sound of the Prophet's breathing, which indicates deep sleep. When the time of dawn came, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and offered two short Rak‘ahs as the Sunnah of the Fajr prayer, without performing ablution, for the Prophet's eyes sleep but his heart does not; hence, his ablution was not invalidated, given the attentiveness of his heart. Then, he went out to the mosque and led the people in prayer, as related in the Two Sahīh Collections.
This version narrated by Muslim is the version of Ad-Dahhāk ibn ‘Uthmān, and it contradicts the version by most prolific Hadīth narrators. He said: "Then, he offered eleven Rak‘ahs." And it is reported in the version by most Hadīth narrators that he offered thirteen Rak‘ahs, and their version is the memorized one, for he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would first offer two short Rak‘ahs, then two long Rak‘ahs, then six Rak‘ahs, and then three Rak‘ahs thereafter. These amount to a total of thirteen Rak‘ahs.
The Hadīth indicates the permissibility of alerting a heedless person during the prayer by pulling his ear and the like.
It also indicates that a supererogatory prayer may be offered in the congregation.
The Hadīth points out that a boy may pass the night in the house of one of his mahrams (non-marriageable female relatives) in the presence of her husband..

763

Ibn ‘Abbās reported: that he spent a night in the house of his maternal aunt Maymūnah. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up at night and performed a short ablution from a water-skin hanging there. He said: He described his ablution. He kept it short and quick. Ibn ‘Abbās said: I got up and did the same as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had done. Then, I came and stood on his left side. He made me go around and stand on his right side. He offered prayer and then went to sleep till he began to snore. Thereafter, Bilāl came to him and notified him of the prayer. He went out and performed the Fajr prayer without performing ablution. Sufyān said: This is for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in particular, as it has been conveyed to us that the eyes of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sleep, but his heart does not sleep..

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to know the Prophet's worship in detail and used to ask about the acts of worship the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home and they could not see. Some of them would seek to learn about that by virtue of their bond and kinship with the noble Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him); one of them was ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās, the cousin of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the nephew of his wife Maymūnah (may Allah be pleased with them).
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he spent one night in the house of his maternal aunt Maymūnah, the wife of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). This was her night in which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would stay with her. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up after he had slept a part of the night. He performed ablution from a leather container that had water in it. The Prophet's ablution this time was a short one.
The words "He described his ablution. He kept it short and quick" were said by Sufyān ibn ‘Uyaynah, as narrated in Sahīh Al-Bukhāri Collection. He informs that his Shaykh ‘Amr ibn Dinār described the Prophet's ablution as short and quick. The meaning: By keeping it short, he refers to the complete washing of the body parts (without washing them more than once), which is the minimum valid ablution for prayer. In the Two Sahīh Collections: "Then, he performed a good ablution between the two ablutions" i.e., the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution between the short ablution and the complete one. It is more likely that he reduced the use of water while doing the washing three times. This is because he described it as good, and thus it would not be less than three times.
‘Abdullāh got up and did the same as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had done, performing a short ablution and getting prepared for prayer. Then, he came and joined the prayer with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and stood on his left side. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) held him by the hand from behind his back and made him stand on his right side in prayer. This demonstrates and affirms how the Imām and the one being led in prayer should stand in a congregational prayer offered by two persons, even if it is supererogatory.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prayed as much as Allah willed him to pray. It is narrated in the Two Sahīh Collections that he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered thirteen Rak‘ahs. "then he went to sleep till he began to snore" i.e., he plunged into sleep till the sound of his breathing could be heard, which indicates deep sleep. Thereafter, Bilāl ibn Rabāh (may Allah be pleased with him) - the Prophet's Muezzin - came and notified him that the time of Fajr was due. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up from sleep and went out for the Fajr prayer and performed it without renewing his ablution.
Clarifying the reason for this act by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), Sufyān said: "This is for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in particular, as it has been conveyed to us that the eyes of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sleep, but his heart does not sleep" i.e., this is a merit for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) which none among his Ummah shares with him: that his ablution does not get invalidated when he sleeps, for his heart does not sleep.
The Hadīth mentions some of the Prophet's peculiar characteristics.
It indicates that a boy may pass the night in the house of one of his Mahrams (female relatives who he is not allowed to marry) in the presence of her husband.
It also mentions that the Muezzin may come to the Imām so that he may go out for the prayer.
The Hadīth points out a supererogatory prayer may be offered in the congregation..

Book of Hadith

| Hadiths

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (ra): “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibit the prayers at the sunrise and sunset.”
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Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (ra): ‘Al-’Abbaas bin 'Abdul Muttalib asked permission from the Prophet (ﷺ) to stay at Makkah during the nights of Mina in order to provide drinking water (from Zamzam) to the pilgrims, and the Prophet (ﷺ) allowed him.’.

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra): I gave Zamzam water to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he drank it while standing. `Aasim (a sub-narrator) said that `Ikrimah took the oath that on that day the Prophet (ﷺ) had not been standing but riding a camel..

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra): The Messenger of Allah ﷺperformed the Tawaaf round the Ka’bah and rite of walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah to display his strength to the disbelievers..

‘Ā’ishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray at night until his last prayer would be the Witr..

Abu Mijlaz reported: I asked Ibn ‘Abbās about Witr, and he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "One Rak‘ah at the end of the night.".

Abu Sa‘īd reported: They asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Witr (odd) prayer, and he said: "Perform the Witr prayer before the morning.".

Jābir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best prayer is the prolonged qunūt (standing in prayer).".

Book of Hadith

| Hadiths

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (ra): “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibit the prayers at the sunrise and sunset.” .

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (ra): ‘Al-’Abbaas bin 'Abdul Muttalib asked permission from the Prophet (ﷺ) to stay at Makkah during the nights of Mina in order to provide drinking water (from Zamzam) to the pilgrims, and the Prophet (ﷺ) allowed him.’.

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra): I gave Zamzam water to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he drank it while standing. `Aasim (a sub-narrator) said that `Ikrimah took the oath that on that day the Prophet (ﷺ) had not been standing but riding a camel..

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra): The Messenger of Allah ﷺperformed the Tawaaf round the Ka’bah and rite of walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah to display his strength to the disbelievers..

‘Ā’ishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray at night until his last prayer would be the Witr..

Abu Mijlaz reported: I asked Ibn ‘Abbās about Witr, and he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "One Rak‘ah at the end of the night.".

Abu Sa‘īd reported: They asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Witr (odd) prayer, and he said: "Perform the Witr prayer before the morning.".

Jābir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best prayer is the prolonged qunūt (standing in prayer).".

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (ra): “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibit the prayers at the sunrise and sunset.”
.