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| 2 Hadiths

Hadith
1730
Narrated Mu’aawiyyah (may Allah be pleased with him): I cut short the hair of Allah's Messenger ﷺ with a sharp-edged arrow..

Commentary : The Messenger of Allah ﷺhas clarified the rituals of Hajj and ‘Umrah with his sayings and doings, and thereafter, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted them in full detail, to the point that people are clearly aware of their worship.
In this hadeeth, Mu’aawiyah ibn Aboo Sufyaan (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he shortened the hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.Perhaps, that may be during his exiting the Ihraam of the ‘Umrah of al-Ji’irraanah, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺperformed it when he conquered Makkah. It was called with that name because the Prophet ﷺentered Makkah at night and he performed the rites of ‘Umrah. Then, he left it at night and spent the night at al-Ji’irraanah, until he witnessed the morning there and until the sun of the next day inclined. Then, he ﷺheaded to Al-Madeenah. This happened in the eighth year of the Hijrah. He shortened his hair using Mishqas (sharp-edged arrow), which is the long and tall part of an arrow. This shows us that it is permissible to suffice with shortening the hair, even when shaving the head is better, which is applicable to both the Hajji and the ‘Umrah. Except that it is better for the one performing the Tamattu’-kind of Hajj to shorten the hair for the ‘Umrah and to shave it completely for the Hajj, so that shaving the head happens in the most perfect act of both acts of worship. 
Shaving the head is prescribed only for men while women are ordered to cut from their hair, so they exit their Ihraam. The acts of shaving and cutting the hair are from the rites of Hajj with which the pilgrim exits his Ihraam. It takes place after throwing the Jamrah of ‘Aqabah, after slaughtering his Hady, if he had it, and before the Tawaaf of Ifaadah. It takes place in ‘Umrah after completing the ritual walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah.
This hadeeth highlights the legality of shortening the hair when exiting from the rites of Hajj and ‘Umrah..

1731
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him): When the Prophet ﷺ came to Makkah, he ordered his Companions to perform Tawaaf around the Ka’bah and between Al-Safaa and Al-Marwah, to finish their Ihraam and get their hair shaved off or cut short.
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Commentary : The Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺexplained its rituals with his words and actions, and the honourable Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted them to us.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him)reports that when the Prophet ﷺarrived at Makkah with the intention to perform the Farewell Hajj in the tenth year of the Hijrah, he commanded his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) who did not bring the sacrificial animals with them to Makkah from outside the boundaries (Meeqaat) or from their own hometowns – just as what the Messenger of Allah ﷺdid – to perform the rites of ‘Umrah. He ﷺordered them to perform seven rounds of Tawaaf aaround the Ka’bah, do the ritual walking between the Safaa and Marwah, and then either get their heads shaved or shorten their hair. Thereby, they can exit from their Ihraam and wait until it is the time of Hajj [known as the Tamattu’-form of Hajj]. So, on the Day of Tarwiyah, they should assume the Ihraam for Hajj from their respective places and perform the rites of Hajj. The best option for one performing Tamattu’ is to shorten his hair to exit the Ihraam for ‘Umrah and to shave his head to exit his Ihraam for Hajj, in order to allow shaving the head to happen in the most complete act of the two acts of worship.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺdid not perform this kind of Hajj, rather he performed the Qiraan-kind of Hajj by inserting the ‘Umrah into the Hajj. This was by performing the Tawaaf of the House on his first arrival and performing the ritual walking between the Safaa and Marwah. He remained in his Ihraam until he slaughtered the sacrificial animals after completing his Hajj. That is because he took the sacrificial animals along with him from Thoo al-Hulayfah.
This hadeeth shows that pilgrims who do not bring along with them Hady are prescribed to perform Hajj al-Tamattu’..

1732
Narrated Nafi' that Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) performed only one Tawaaf. He would take an afternoon nap and then return to Mina. That was on the day of Nahr (slaughtering)..

Commentary : Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺhas explained its rites by his statements and actions. His honourable Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted them to us just as they learned them directly from the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth Naafi’, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar reports that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to perform Tawaaf once, that is, Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. It is also known as Tawaaf al-Ziyaarah (Tawaaf of Visit) because the pilgrim comes from Minaa to visit the Sacred House and he does not reside in Makkah. Instead, he returns to spend the night at Minaa – on the Day of Sacrifice (Day of Nahr), the tenth day of Thoo al-Hijjah, then he has a siesta in Makkah. The siesta here means to have some rest during the midday, even if is not accompanied by sleep. Then, he again returns to Minaa at the time of Thuhr, because the daylight hours were long. Minaa is a valley near the Sanctuary of Makkah wherein the pilgrims halt to spend the night there on the Day of Tarwiyah and the days of Tashreeq and perform the rite of throwing the pebbles.
It is reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺleft [for Makkah] on the Day of Sacrifice and then he returned and performed Thuhr at Minaa. [Saheeh Muslim]. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would wait through having a siesta for the time in which the Prophet ﷺreturned to Minaa. That was because ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was very keen to follow the Prophet ﷺin all his actions both on journeys and at home.
This hadeeth highlights the legality of performing Tawaaf al-Ifaadah on the Day of Sacrifice during the daytime..

1733
Narrated ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her): We performed Hajj with the Prophet ﷺ and performed Tawaaf-al-Ifaadah on the Day of Nahr (slaughtering). Safiyyah got her menses and the Prophet ﷺdesired from her what a husband desires from his wife. I said to him, "O Allah's Messenger! She is having her menses." He said, " Is she going to stop us [from travelling]?" We informed him that she had performed Tawaaf-al-Ifaadah on the Day of Nahr. He said, "(Then you can) depart."
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Commentary : Tawaaf al-Ifaadah is a pillar among the pillars of Islam and being pure is a precondition for the validity of Tawaaf.  When a woman menstruates before performing Tawaaf al-Ifaadah, then she should not leave until she has attained purity, thereafter, she should perform Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. This is different from Tawaaf al-Widaa’ (the Farewell Tawaaf), which drops from her, just as this hadeeth clarifies.
In this hadeeth, the Mother of Believers ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that when the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) performed the Farewell Hajj with the Prophet ﷺ, they performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah on the Day of Sacrifice, that is on the tenth day of Thoo al-Hijjah. Then, the Mother of the Believers, Safiyyah bint Huyayy (may Allah be pleased with her) menstruated after performing Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. The Prophet ﷺdesired from her what a husband desires from his wife. This is an allusion to the intention of performing sexual intercourse. This happened when his wives sought permission from him concerning the performance of Tawaaf al-Ifaadah and he ﷺhad given them the permission. He thought that she had already performed the Tawaaf with them and had exited the second time, which makes it permissible thereafter for a man to come to his wife. When he was told that she was menstruating, he thought that she might have started menstruating before that to the extent that he refused her to perform Tawaaf al-Ifaadah in that account. Hence, the Prophet ﷺinquired concerning that saying, “Is she going to stop us [from travelling]?” Meaning: Are we going to be forced to stay behind until she attains the purity and performs Tawaaf al-Ifaadah? He was told, “Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) has already performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah,” or that ‘Aaishah notified him that she had already performed the Tawaaf with them. When he came to know about that, the concern that he had of staying behind and waiting until she attains purity and performs Tawaaf al-Ifaadah ceased to exist. He ﷺthen permitted them to travel and allowed Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) to forgo Tawaaf al-Wadaa’..

1737
Narrated ‘Issaa ibn Talhah: ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr in al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him that he witnessed the Prophet ﷺ when he was delivering the sermon on the Day of Nahr. He (may Allah be pleased with him) added: A man stood up and said, "I thought that such and such was to be done before such and such. I got my hair shaved before slaughtering." (Another said), "I slaughtered the Hady before throwing the pebbles." The people asked about many similar things, and the Prophet ﷺ responded to them by saying, "Do it (now) and there is no harm in all these cases." Whenever the Prophet ﷺ was asked about anything on that day, he replied, "Do it and there is no burden upon you."
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Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺin the Farewell Pilgrimage, and they learned the rituals of Hajj directly from him ﷺ, as prescribed by his words and actions. They ensured to ask him ﷺabout all that they did not know and request clarification on whatever they found problematic.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he was with the Prophet ﷺand saw him on the Farewell Hajj in the tenth year of the Hijrah. He explained that the Prophet ﷺstood delivering the sermon on his she-camel at Jamrah in Minaa after the midday of the Day of Sacrifice. So, the pilgrims approached him asking him about the rulings of certain things that they needed to know regarding the actions and rites of Hajj. Some people asked him about the ruling of bringing forward some of the acts of Hajj on this day before others. One man asked him about his situation where he was unmindful and forgot, hence, ended up going against the chronological order of the rites. So, he shaved his head, before slaughtering. Another person inquired about his case as he slaughtered the sacrificial animal before throwing the pebbles at Jamarah al-‘Aqabah. The Prophet ﷺresponded to both of them by saying, “Do it and there is no burden upon you,” meaning: there is no sin or penalty upon you. On that day, he ﷺwas not asked about anything that was brought forward whereas it should have been delayed or anything that was delayed while it should have been brought forward among the rites of that day, but he replied to the inquirer saying:  Do it and it is sufficient what you have already done and there is no problem for you in bringing it forward or delaying it.
This hadeeth shows that one should ask a scholar in all his conditions, even if he is busy, riding, walking, or standing.
It highlights the easement of Islamic law concerning the order and arrangement of the acts of Hajj on the Day of Sacrifice.
It teaches us that a Muslim should learn the rulings of his religion by asking the people of knowledge, and he should not do an action unless he is aware of its ruling..

1746
Narrated Wabarah: I asked Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), "When should I throw the pebbles?" He replied, "When your leader does that." I asked him again the same question. He replied, "We used to wait till the sun declined and then we would do the rite of throwing pebbles.
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Commentary : Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺhas explained its rites by his statements and actions. His honourable Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted them to us just as they learned them directly from the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, Wabarah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Misally reports that he asked ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) concerning the time for the stoning of the pebbles during the days of Tashreeq, namely the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth of Thoo al-Hijjah. The pilgrim should start with the First Jamrah, the Second Jamrah, and then the Jamrah of al-‘Aqabah. His answer was that one should do it when the leader of Hajj starts throwing the pebbles. That was because he feared that people would oppose him and that would lead to a fitnah, although the matter is open and flexible. It is possible that he feared upon him that if he opposed the leader, then he would be subjected to harm from him. When he repeated the inquiry upon him, then it was not possible for him to conceal, he informed him of what they used to do in the night of the Prophet ﷺ. He informed him that they would lie in wait and wait for the midday and start stoning after the midday, that is, when the sun inclines from the zenith, which is the time for the Thuhr prayer.
This hadeeth emphasises the obedience of the leaders in those matters that do not contain the disobedience of Allah.
It teaches us to repeat the question to the scholar when he has not addressed the question, and that doing so is not considered being impolite..

1750
Narrated al-A’mash: I heard Al-Hajjaaj saying on the pulpit, "The Surah in which Al-Baqarah (the cow) is mentioned and the Surah in which the family of `Imran is mentioned and the Sura in which the women (An-Nisaa) is mentioned." I mentioned this to Ibraaheem, and he said, `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Yazeed told me, 'I was with Ibn Mas`ood, when he did the throwing of Jamrah al-‘Aqabah. He went down the middle of the valley, and when he came near the tree (which was near the Jamrah) he stood opposite to it and threw seven small pebbles and said: 'Allahu-Akbar' on throwing every pebble.' Then he said, 'By Him, except Whom none has the right to be worshipped, here (at this place) stood the one on whom Sura al-Baqarah was revealed (i.e. Allah's Messenger ﷺ).'"
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Commentary : Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺhas explained its rites by his statements and actions. His honourable Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted them to us just as they learned them directly from the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, the Taab’iee al-A’mash, Sulaymaan ibn Mihraan reports that he heard al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf al-Thaqafee, the governor of Iraq during the Umayyad period, saying on the pulpit, “The Surah wherein al-Baqarah [the Cow] is mentioned, the Surah wherein Aal ‘Imraan is mentioned and the Surah in which an-Nisaa’ [the women] are mentioned.” He did not say Surah al-Baqarah [the Surah of the Cow], Surah Aaal ‘Imraan and Surah al-Nisaa’ [the Surah of the Women]. In a narration recorded by al-Nasaaee, it reads, “I heard al-Hajjaaj say, ‘Do not say Surah al-Baqarah, say instead, the Surah wherein al-Baqarah is mentioned.”
Al-A’mash mentioned what he had heard from al-Hajjaaj to Ibraaheem an-Nakha’i to clarify the correct. Al-A’mash did not mean to narrate from al-Hajjaaj.  He was not meant to do that, but he wanted to tell the story instead and to clarify the mistake of al-Hajjaaj concerning it with what is established from the person who is referred to regarding it. Ibraaheem narrated to him that ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Yazeed told him that he had performed Hajj with ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) and he was with him when he pelted Jamarah al-‘Aqabah on the Day of Sacrifice, which is on the tenth day of Thoo al-Hijjah. This is the biggest Jamarah and it is situated in the last part of Minaa in the direction of Makkah. It is not an integral part of Minaa, rather it is a borderline from the direction of Makkah. He said: “He went inside the valley” , i.e. he stood in the middle of it, until when he was beside the tree, and he faced it - and this tree does not exist now - he came to it from its width. He threw seven pebbles at the Jamrah, saying: “Allah is the Greatest” with every pebble he threw, and in the narration of Muslim: “I said: O Aboo ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, but the people are throwing it from above it?!” He replied, “From here” - and he pointed to the belly of the valley – “the one to whom Surah Al-Baqarah ﷺwas revealed stood here,” and Ibn Mas’ood swore to that by Allah, beside Whom there is no other god, confirming what he said and what he transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ.
The specification by ibn Mas’ood of Surah al-Baqarah in terms of mentioning it in his oath without mentioning the other Surahs was as it has been said: He was pointing to the fact that many rulings concerning the Hajj are mentioned therein. As if he was saying: This is the station wherein the rites of Hajj were revealed, notifying thereby that the actions of Hajj cannot be sanctioned except on the basis of textual evidence from the Quran and Sunnah to that effect. It was said:  He mentioned it [the Surah] because of its length and its merit and the abundant rulings it covers.
The reason Ibraaheem al-Nakh’ee mentioned this hadeeth was to highlight the explicit statement of Ibn Mas’ood concerning the use of: “Surah al-Baqarah,” and that he did not say, “The Surah in which al-Baqarah is mentioned” as al-Hajjaaj al-Thaqafee claimed. 
This hadeeth refutes the claim of al-Hajjaaj and debunks the statement of all those who said, “One should not say Surah al-Baqarah, instead, it should be said, “The Surah in which al-Baqarah is mentioned.”
This hadeeth shows that the pebbles are pelted from the belly of the valley and that Takbeer should be said with every pebble used [for pelting].
It highlights the legality of taking an oath in order to emphasise the statement.
It also shows that the people of knowledge should deny and refute the leaders in a way that is appropriate..

1751
Narrated Ibn `Umar that he used to do the al-Jamrah al-Dunya (the Jamra near to the Khayf Mosque) with seven small stones and used to recite Takbeer on throwing every pebble. He then would go ahead till he reached the level ground where he would stand facing the Qiblah for a long time to invoke (Allah) while raising his hands (while invoking). Then he would throw the Second Jamrah and then he would go to the left towards the middle ground, where he would stand facing the Qiblah. He would remain standing there for a long period to invoke (Allah) while raising his hands and would stand there for a long period. Then he would throw Jamrah al-‘Aqabah from the middle of the valley, but he would not stay by it, and then he would leave and say, "I saw the Prophet ﷺ doing like this."
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Commentary : Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺhas explained its rites by his statements and actions. His honourable Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted them to us just as they learned them directly from the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, Saalim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar reports that his father (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pelt the closest pillars on the days of Tashreeq using seven pebbles. In Arabic, this Jamrah is known as al-Dunyaa (closest) because it happens to be the closest of all the Jamarat to Minaa and the farthest from Makkah, and it is also known as as-Sughraa (the smallest). It is the first one after Masjid al-Khayf at Minaa. He explained that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pronounce Takbeer after pelting each pebble. After, he would go to a distance from it until he used to halt at the plain surface of the belly of the valley so as to be safe from the flying pebbles that are used to pelt, he would stand facing the Qiblah and his back facing the Jamrah. He would stand up for a long time supplicating to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, lifting his hands up in supplication. Then, he would pelt the middle Jamrah. Then, he would head towards its north and would descend to the plain surface of the belly of the valley, meaning: the middle of it as he did for the first Jamrah. He would stand for a long time, facing towards the Qiblah, at a place where pelting does not reach him, supplicating to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, lifting his hands up. After this, he would pelt Jamarah al-‘Aqabah away from the belly of the valley. It is also known as al-al-Jamarah al-Kubraa. It is situated at the last part of Minaa in the direction of Makkah. It is not inside [the boundaries of] Minaa. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would leave after pelting it and would not stand up to supplicate there unlike what he did at the two former Jamaraat. Then, he informed that he previously saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺdoing exactly what he did.
This hadeeth demonstrates the legality of pronouncing Takbeer during pelting the pebbles.
It also shows the permissibility of lifting the hands in prayer after pelting the two pillars, the small and the middle ones..

1754
Narrated ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her): 'I perfumed Allah's Messenger ﷺ with my own hands before finishing his Ihraam while yet he has not performed Tawaaf-al- Ifaadah.' She spread her hands (while saying so.)"
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Commentary : The Prophet ﷺexplained the rulings pertaining to Hajj and ‘Umrah and their recommended acts and etiquettes both verbally and practically. And the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted all that they heard and witnessed from him ﷺconcerning this. The Messenger ﷺloved perfume and used it excessively at all times, as it was from the things that was made beloved to him of the worldly matters.
In this hadeeth, ‘Aaishah, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that she applied the fragrance with her hands on the Prophet ﷺwhen he assumed the Ihraam, meaning she applied fragrance on him before entering the state of Ihraam and after exiting from his Ihraam in Hajj before performing Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. This refers to the first exit from one’s Ihraam after pelting Jamarah al-‘Aqabah and shaving the hair or shortening the hair.
The narrator of the hadeeth says – describing the act of ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her), “She spread her hands,” as if she was relating what she did by practically demonstrating it. It was said: she did that to exaggerate the happening as a refutation against those who negated that because Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to criticise the application of perfume before the Ihraam.
This hadeeth teaches us that wearing perfume is among the prohibited things of Ihraam. However, it is permitted to use it before entering into the state of Ihraam even if its effects remain after the entrance into the state of Ihraam..

1756
Narrated Qataadah: The Prophet ﷺ offered the Thuhr, `Asr, Maghrib, and the `Isha' prayers and slept for a while at a place called Al-Muhassab and then rode his mount and headed to the Ka’bah and performed Tawaaf around it.
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Commentary : Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺhas explained its rites by his statements and actions. His honourable Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted them to us just as they learned them directly from the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports a part of the guidance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺin the Farewell Hajj, which was in the tenth year of the Hijrah. He mentioned that the Prophet ﷺoffered the Thuhr and ‘Asr prayers and Maghrib and ‘Ishaa at al-Muhassab, which is an open and wide area between Makkah and Minaa and it is called Khayf Banee Kinaanah. It is now found in the outer boundaries of Makkah at a place as Qasr al-Saqqaaf.
After, the prophet ﷺslept for a short time after pelting the pebbles and moving out of Minaa. Then, he mounted his ride and headed from al-Muhassab towards the Ka’bah and performed the Farewell Tawaaf around it. This is the last Tawaaf that is performed by the pilgrim before his departure from Makkah.
There are different opinions conceding the halting of the Prophet ﷺat al-Muhassab. It was said: he halted there because it is an act connected to the rites of pilgrimage, and it is a Sunnah, which is the view of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Aboo Dawood recorded a hadeeth– whose original source is found in the two Saheeh Books – that ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺonly alighted at al-Muhassab so that it might be easier for him to proceed (to Medina). It is not a Sunnah. Anyone who desires may alight there, and anyone who does not want may not alight.”.

1758
Narrated ‘Ikrimah: The people of Al-Madeenah asked Ibn `Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) about a woman who got her menses after performing Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. He said, "She could depart (from Makkah)." They said, "We will not act on your verdict and ignore the verdict of Zayd." Ibn `Abbaas said, "When you reach Al-Madeenah, inquire about it." So, when they reached Al-Madeenah, they asked (about that). One of those whom they asked was Umm Sulaym. She told them the narration of Safiyyah.
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Commentary : Allah Almighty states, {Allah intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you.} [Al-Baqarah: 185]. And Allah also states, {He laid upon you no hardship in religion.}  [Al-Hajj: 78]. This was explicitly demonstrated in the rites of Hajj in terms of making their actions and rites easier upon the people and uplifting hardship from them.
In this hadeeth, ‘Ikrimah, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbaas, reports that some of the people of All-Madeenah asked ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) about a woman who has performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah on the Day of Sacrifice, and then she menstruated after that. What should she do?   He replied to them, “She could depart,” meaning, she can depart Makkah and return to her country without performing the Farewell Tawaaf. They informed him that they will not follow his statement and forgo the statement of Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allah be pleased with him) whose view was that she should not leave. Rather, she should wait until she is pure so that she can perform the Farewell Tawaaf.
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) responded to them, “When you return to Al-Madeenah, ask its citizens concerning this issue.”  When they returned, they asked them. Umm Sulaym bint Milhaan – she is the mother of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) - was amongst those who were asked. She mentioned to them the hadeeth of Safiyyah, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, when she also menstruated. This hadeeth is recorded in Saheeh  al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim – and the wordings here are of Muslim - wherein ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “Safiyyah bint Huyayy menstruated after performing Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. I made a mention of her menses to Allah's Messenger ﷺ, whereupon Allah's Messenger ﷺ remarked: Well, then she will detain us. I said: O Messenger of Allah! She has performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah and circumambulated the House, and it was after this that she entered the period of menses. Thereupon Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: (If it is so), then proceed forth.” So, the Prophet ﷺpermitted her to depart without performing the farewell Tawaaf.
It is reported on the authority of Taawoos that he said: I was in the company of Ibn Abbaas when Zayd ibn Thaabit said: Do you give the verdict that the woman who is in menses is allowed to go without performing the last circumambulation of the House? Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Ask so-and-so – who was a woman of the Ansaar - to see if Allah's Messenger ﷺ had commanded her to do it. Zayd ibn Thaabit (went to that woman and after getting this verdict attested by her) came back to Ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) laughing and said: I did not find you but telling the truth.” Thereupon, Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allah be pleased with him) retracted from his fatwa.
This hadeeth shows that some of the rulings may not be known to some of the scholars..

1760
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him): “A menstruating woman was allowed to leave Makkah if she had done Tawaaf-al-Ifaadah.”
Tawoos (a sub-narrator) said, "I heard Ibn `Umar saying that she should not depart. Then later I heard him saying that the Prophet ﷺ had allowed them (menstruating women) to depart."
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Commentary : Allah Almighty states, {Allah intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you.}  [Al-Baqarah: 185].   And Allah also states, {He laid upon you no hardship in religion.}  [Al-Hajj: 78]. This was explicitly demonstrated in the rites of Hajj in terms of making their actions and rites easier upon the people and uplifting hardship from them.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that menstruating women who performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah to depart Makkah and return to their city without performing the Farewell Tawaaf. In a different version of the hadeeth, it reads: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺhas allowed…” [Sunan al-Nasaa’iee]
After relating this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee, Taawoos ibn Kaisaan related that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), in the beginning, opined that when a woman menstruates after she has performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah on the Day of Sacrifice, she is not allowed to return to her city until she attains the purity and then she performs the Farewell Tawaaf. However, afterwards, he retracted from that position after learning that the Prophet ﷺhad granted them the permission to travel without performing the Farewell Tawaaf. 
It is reported on the authority of Taawoos al-Yamaanee that he heard ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was being asked about not allowing the women to perform Tawaaf if they menstruate after they have already performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah on the Day of Sacrifice. He answered: ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to mention the permission given by the Messenger of Allah ﷺfor the women. And this incident happened a year before the demise of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).” [Sunan al-Nasaa’iee al-Kubraa and others]. This narration clarifies the retraction of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) from his previous fatwa.
This hadeeth shows that sometimes some rulings may not be known to some scholars.
It highlights the keenness of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to follow the Sunnah and to return to the truth..

1762
Narrated ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her): We set out with the Prophet ﷺ with the intention of performing Hajj only. The Prophet ﷺ reached Makkah and performed Tawaaf around the Ka’bah and between Al-Safaa and Al-Marwah and did not exit his Ihraam, because he had the Hady with him. His Companions and his wives performed Tawaaf (around the Ka’bah and between Al-Safaa and Al-Marwah), while those who had no Hady with them finished their Ihraam. I had my menses and performed all the rites of Hajj. On the Night of Hasba (night of departure), I said, "O Allah's Messenger! All your Companions are returning with Hajj and `Umrah except me." He asked me, "Didn't you perform Tawaaf around the Ka’bah (‘Umrah) when you reached Makkah?" I said, "No." He said, "Go to Tan`eem with your brother `Abd al-Rahmaan and assume Ihraam for `Umrah and I will wait for you at such and such a place." So, I went with `Abd al-Rahmaan to the Tan`eem and assumed Ihraam for `Umrah from there. Then Safiyyah bint Huyay got her menses. The Prophet ﷺ said, " 'Aqra Halqa! You will detain us! Did not you perform Tawaaf-al-Ifaadah on the Day of Nahr?" She said, "Yes, I did." He said, "Then there is no harm, you can depart." So, I met the Prophet ﷺ when he was ascending the heights towards Makkah and I was descending, or vice-versa.
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Commentary : Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺhas explained its rites by his statements and actions. His honourable Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) transmitted them to us just as they learned them directly from the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, the Mother of the Believers, ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) travelled with the Prophet ﷺto partake in the Farewell Hajj, which occurred in the tenth year of the Hijrah, and that they only intended to perform Hajj. The reason she did not mention the ‘Umrah is because of the common belief at that time that ‘Umrah may not be performed during the months of Hajj. When they reached Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ, his wives and Companions performed the Tawaaf of ‘Umrah and performed the ritual walking between the Safaa and Marwah. However, ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) did not perform the Tawaaf of ‘Umrah due to her menstruation. The Prophet ﷺordered those who had not brought the sacrificial animal from outside Makkah to exit their Ihraam after completing the rites of ‘Umrah and wait until the rites of Hajj start (i.e. Hajj al-Tamattu’). His wives had not driven the sacrificial animals with them; hence, they exited their Ihraam, and ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was among them. However, the fact that she menstruated on the night she entered Makkah prevented her from exiting the Ihraam. As she was in the state of Ihraam of the ‘Umrah, she added Hajj to it, thus, the type of Hajj she intended was Hajj al-Qiraan.
Her menstruation commenced at Sarif just before entering Makkah – Sarif is the name of a piece of land situated ten miles away from Makkah. As a result, she did not perform Tawaaf al-‘Umrah due to the impediment caused by the menstruation. As for Tawaaf al-Ifaadah, she had performed it on the Day of Sacrifice.  And they all performed the acts of Hajj completely.
The statement of ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her): “When it was the night of al-Hasbah” refers to the night when they halted at al-Muhassab, which is the place where they stopped at after departing from Minaa to the outside of Makkah. It is a wide area between Makkah and Al-Madeenah, between the two hills towards the cemetery.  It is known as al-Muhassab (plural of hasbah, which means pebble) due to the congregation of gravel caused by the floods that carry it there. It is also known as al-Abatah, and today, it is called al-Ja’fariyyah, which is part of the region of al-Jummayzah. She complained to the Prophet ﷺabout how people will return with an ‘Umrah completely independent from the Hajj, while she will return with a Hajj only without an ‘Umrah. This was because she was keen of doing it, to increase the good deeds like the rest of the mothers of the believers and the Companions who changed their Ihraam for Hajj to become for ‘Umrah and after completing the ‘Umrah exited their Ihraam on the Day of Tarwiyah. After, they assumed the Ihraam of Hajj on the Day of Tarwiyah from Makkah. They acquired thereby an independent Hajj as well as an independent ‘Umrah. As for ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her), she obtained an ‘Umrah inserted into Hajj , i.e. Hajj al-Qiraan, all the while, she desired to perform an independent ‘Umrah like the rest of people.
As a result, the Prophet ﷺ ordered ‘Aaishah to go with her brother ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abee Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them) to al-Tan’eem in order to enter the Ihraam of ‘Umrah, to comfort her. The Tan’eem is a place that is three or four miles away from Makkah, the closest outer boundary to the House. It is known as al-Tan’eem because to its right lies the mount of Nu’aym and to its left, Mount Naa’im, and the valley is known as Na’maan. He ﷺmade their return to al-Muhassab as the agreed place to meet after completing her ‘Umrah.
The Mother of the Believers, ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her), relates that Safiyyah bint Huyyay (may Allah be pleased with her) menstruated and that was after performing Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. However, the Prophet ﷺthought that she menstruated before Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. Thereupon, he ﷺsaid, “’Aqra Halqa.” The literal meaning of which is: May God infest her with a wound and may she have pain in her throat. However, it is used as an idiom that Arabs use without intending its literal meaning or intending it as a supplication. It is just a phrase concerning which the Arabs have been accommodative and they use it whilst not intending its real meaning. This is like their other statement, “Taribat Yadaah,” [may his hands become soiled] and so on. Whence the Prophet ﷺquestioned saying, “is she going to hold us?” Meaning: Are we going to be forced to stay until she has purified and performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah? He was told, “Safiyyah has already performed Tawaaf al-Ifaadah or ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) notified him that she had performed the Tawaaf with them. When he ﷺlearned about that, then what he was worried about concerning the stay until she purifies so as to perform Tawaaf al-Ifaadah was removed from him.  He permitted them to travel and granted permission to the mother of the believers, Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her), to forgo the Farewell Tawaaf. 
Then, ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) related that after she had completed the rites of ‘Umrah, the Prophet ﷺmet her at al-Muhassab while he had started walking from Makkah. At that point of time, she met him while she was descending to it or she was ascending, and he was descending to it.
This hadeeth shows that menstruating women are waived from the Farewell Tawaaf.
It shows the permissibility of performing ‘Umrah in the months of Hajj. 
It also infers to the precondition of being in the state of purity for the performance of Tawaaf. Hence, a menstruating woman is not permitted to perform the Tawaaf around the Ka’bah until she attains purity..

1765
Narrated ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her): It (i.e. Al-Abtah) was a place where the Prophet ﷺ used to camp so that it might be easier for him to depart.
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Commentary : The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) have accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺin the journey to perform the Farewell Hajj back and forth, and they transmitted to us all his actions. They explained all that constituted as part of the rituals of Hajj and what did not constitute as thus.
In this hadeeth, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) reports the Prophet’s stay at al-Muhassab after his departure from Minaa on the thirteenth of Thoo al-Hijjah, the third day of the days of Tashreeq. Al-Muhassab or al-Abtah is a wide valley between Makkah and Minaa, between the two hills towards the cemeteries. It has been given that name due to the accumulation of gravel therein carried by the floodwater that flows towards it. In the current time, it is known as al-Ja’fariyyah, and it is part of the al-Jummayzah district. 
‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned that the stay at this valley was not part of the rites of Hajj. It was a halting-place where the Prophet ﷺstayed at because it would be easier for him to depart to Al-Madeenah, so that people can assemble therein and those who are of slow and moderate pace can be on the same level and spend the night there and wake up at early morning so they can all depart together to Al-Madeenah..

1766
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him): Staying at Al-Mahassab is not one of the rites of Hajj, but Al-Mahassab is a place where Allah's Messenger ﷺ camped.
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Commentary : The noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) have accompanied the Messenger of Allah ﷺin the journey to perform the Farewell Hajj back and forth, and they transmitted to us all his actions. They explained all that which constituted as part of the rituals of Hajj and what did not constitute as thus.
In this hadeeth, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that staying at night at al-Muhassab is not part of the rites of Hajj at all. Al-Muhassab is also known as al-Abtah, which is a spacious valley between Makkah and Minaa, between the two hills towards the cemeteries. It has been given that name due to the accumulation of gravel therein carried by the floodwater that flows towards it. Now, it is known as al-Ja’fariyyah and it is part of the al-Jummaizah district. The Prophet ﷺstayed there on the last day of leaving Minaa – that is the third day of the days of Tashreeq – in order to allow people to assemble therein and those who are of slow and moderate pace can be on the same level and spend the night there and wake up at early morning so they can all depart together to Al-Madeenah..

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..