It was narrated that ‘Ali said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not tell lies about me; whoever tells lies about me, let him enter the Fire.”.

Commentary : In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) warns against telling lies about him, or attributing to him any words that he did not utter, or saying about him anything other than what really happened. So it should not be said that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said or did anything that he did not say or do, regardless of whether that is done with a bad intention or a good intention. This prohibition is general and applies to anyone who tells lies, because telling lies about him leads to introducing changes to Islamic teachings, and altering Islamic rulings. The punishment for the one who tells lies about him deliberately is admittance to Hell. Once a divine decree has been issued concerning something, it will inevitably happen and will definitely come to pass. This is a stern warning to anyone who tells lies about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It was said that there is no difference between telling lies against him or telling lies for him, because what is meant by telling lies about him is attributing something to him that is not true, whether it is done with the intention of undermining his message or of supporting his message. Telling lies against Allah comes under the same heading and is telling lies about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), because the aim of telling lies against Him is to tell lies with regard to the rulings of religion.
This hadith is indicative of the emphatic prohibition on telling lies about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It indicates that whoever narrates a hadith knowing or thinking that it is fabricated is included in this warning, unless he explains the status of the narrators and how weak they are. Similar to that is one who rejects a sahih (sound) hadith that was narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) without having any knowledge of the science of hadith, or his reason for rejecting the hadith is stubbornness towards the teachings and rulings of Islam..

111

It was narrated that Abu Juhayfah said: I said to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib: Do you have anything in writing? He said: No, except the Book of Allah, or understanding that may be granted to any Muslim man, or what is in this sheet. I said: What is in this sheet? He said: [Information about] blood money, the ransom of prisoners, and that no Muslim should be killed in retaliation for a disbeliever..

Commentary : Some of the people thought that before he died, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) left a will containing secret knowledge to his cousin ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). In this report, ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) clearly tells us that all of that is contrary to reality, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not leave anything behind except the Qur’an and his Sunnah, and the ability to understand the Qur’an that Allah may grant to an intelligent and knowledgeable Muslim. Thus intelligence and ability to understand is regarded as another level, after learning and memorizing the Book of Allah, because by understanding it, meanings and rulings become clear. Alongside the Qur’an, we may include understanding of the Sunnah and deriving rulings from it. The phrase “understanding that may be granted to any Muslim man” highlights the fact that this understanding is not something exclusive or a monopoly for any one person; rather this understanding is something that any Muslim may have, and it is something that is granted by Allah (may He be glorified and exalted), as He says: {And We gave understanding of the case to Solomon} [al-Anbiya’ 21:79]. Understanding is a blessing that Allah may bestow upon any of His slaves.
Then ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions some issues that were written on a sheet; the word refers to something on which words are written, no matter what it is made of, such as leather, palm leaves and the like. This document contained Islamic rulings that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had not given exclusively to him; rather others also knew about them. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would not have concealed anything of the religion of Allah from people and given it exclusively to some of his family. The issues mentioned on this sheet include ‘aql and diyah; these terms refer to blood money, which is a set amount of wealth, as stipulated in Islamic teachings, which is to be given by the relatives of the killer to the family of the one who was killed. It is called ‘aql because they used to hobble (ya‘qilun) the camels in the courtyard of the family who were entitled to the blood money [which was given in the form of camels]. What is meant is that the rulings on blood money, and the number, types and ages of camels to be given [were written in that document].
The document also contained information on the ransom of prisoners. What is referred to is Muslim prisoners, as it is obligatory to strive to ransom them and secure their release by all permissible means, whether by paying money or otherwise.
And the document stated that “no Muslim should be killed in retaliation for a disbeliever.” What is meant is that if a believer kills a disbeliever who is in a state of war against the Muslims, then there is no retaliatory punishment (qisas) in this case; this is different from the case of a disbeliever who has a covenant with the Muslims and is under Muslim protection. And in some reports, other issues and instructions are also mentioned.
This hadith demonstrates the falseness of the claims invented by the Rafidis and Shia who said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) bequeathed to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) the secrets and foundations of knowledge, and knowledge of the unseen, that he did not tell to anyone else.
It indicates that the Book of Allah is the source of knowledge, and that understanding of knowledge should only be based on the Qur’an and on the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which explain it.
It indicates that the knowledgeable person may derive from the Qur’an, on the basis of his own understanding, something that was not referred to in the books of tafsir. But that is on condition that it is in accordance with the basic principles of Islam..

112

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that [the tribe of] Khuza‘ah killed a man from [the tribe of] Banu Layth – during the year of the conquest of Makkah – in revenge for one of their own whom Banu Layth had killed. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was told about that, so he sat on his camel and addressed the people, saying: “Allah held back killing or the elephant from Makkah – Abu ‘Abdillah [one of the narrators] said it like that; Abu Nu‘aym said: you may take it as being either the elephant or killing; others said that the word is the elephant – and He sent against them the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the believers. O people, it was not permissible for anyone [to fight in Makkah] before me, and it will not be permissible for anyone after me. O people, it was only permitted to me for part of the day, and undoubtedly at this very moment it is sacred; its thorny shrubs are not to be uprooted and its trees are not to be cut down; lost property that has been dropped in it is not to be picked up except by one who will announce it. If someone is killed, there are two options: either to give blood money or the family of the victim may be given the power to kill him. A Yemeni man came and said: Write it down for me, O Messenger of Allah. So he said: Write it down for Abu Fulan (Father of So-and-so). A man of Quraysh said: Except idhkhir, O Messenger of Allah, for we use it in our houses and our graves. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Except idhkhir, except idhkhir.”.

Commentary : During the Jahiliyyah, the people lived lives that were based on misguidance, and they prescribed different types of injustice and bloodshed. Then Islam came and forbade all types of injustice and wrongdoing, and emphatically forbade unlawful bloodshed.
In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the tribe of Khuza‘ah killed a man from the tribe of Banu Layth in revenge for one of their own whom Banu Layth had killed during the Jahiliyyah. That happened during the year of the conquest of Makkah, 8 AH. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came to know of that, so he addressed the people from atop his mount – his she-camel – and explained to them that Allah (may He be glorified in exalted) had held back killing or the elephant from Makkah on the day when Abrahah the Ethiopian had tried to destroy the Kaaba, forty years before the mission of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) began. This event is mentioned in the verse in which Allah (may He be exalted) says: {Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant} [al-Fil 105:1]. Allah (may He be exalted) sent against the companions of the elephant flocks of birds which struck them with stones of hard clay when they reached the bottom of the valley near Makkah, and destroyed them.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) only reminded his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) of the incident of the elephant in his speech to them in order to highlight the prohibition on killing in Makkah, because even though the people of Makkah were disbelievers at that time, Allah still defended the city, so the sanctity of its people after the advent of Islam is even greater.
But Allah sent against the people of Makkah the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and fighting was only permitted in Makkah at the time when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) entered the city as a conqueror, along with his companions. Then the prohibition on fighting was restored as it had been before. Fighting in Makkah was not permitted to anyone before him and will never be permitted to anyone after him, because the sanctity of Makkah is something ancient, something that was decreed in the distant past and is still ongoing; it is not something that was introduced by the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or that is unique to his law. It sanctity was restored after the conquest.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade cutting its vegetation, including large trees, small trees and shrubs, and small plants such as grasses, except the type of grass called idhkir, because the people needed it. It is a type of grass with broad leaves and a pleasant lemony fragrance, the flowers of which may be steeped like tea. It is a beneficial plant that may be burned instead of wood; they used to use it in the roofs of their houses and to cover their graves, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) exempted it from the prohibition on cutting vegetation.
The man from Quraysh who requested the exemption of idhkhir was al-‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), as is mentioned in as-Sahihayn. His request was a plea, and the Prophet’s granting of that concession was by way of conveying from Allah (may He be exalted) something that came either by way of inspiration or by way of revelation.
The phrase “its thorny shrubs are not to be uprooted” means that they are not to be taken or cut. The mention of thorns indicates that it is more appropriate that other shrubs or trees that are not harmful should be protected, but thorny bushes may be excluded from the prohibition because they are harmful, so it may be permissible to cut them down, by analogy with the permissibility of killing the five vermin in the Haram zone, because what they all have in common is the fact that they are harmful.
It is forbidden to pick up any lost property except by one who will announce it, so nothing that has been dropped by someone in Makkah should be picked up; rather it should be left where it is until its owner comes back and finds it. It should not be picked up except by someone who intends to announce it and keep it until its owner comes.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave the choice to the heirs of the one who has been killed between accepting the blood money (‘aql or diyah) and killing the killer in retaliation (qisas); this applies in the case of deliberate killing. In the case of accidental killing, however, there is no option except the blood money. The blood money (‘aql) is an amount of wealth to be given by the offender to the one who was harmed, commensurate with the degree of the offence. It is called ‘aql because they used to hobble (ya‘qilun) the camels in the courtyard of the family who were entitled to the blood money.
According to the report narrated by Ahmad from Shurayh (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave the diyah for the man of Banu Layth whom the tribe of Khuza‘ah had killed.
Whilst the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was saying that, a Yemeni man – whose name was Abu Shah, as narrated in as-Sahihayn – came and asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to write for him some advice that would benefit him. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Write for Abu Fulan.” This was a clear instruction to write, even though previously the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had forbidden writing down the Sunnah. Most of the scholars said that the hadiths which enjoin writing down the Sunnah abrogated the hadiths which forbid that. The prohibition was for a reason, which was that perhaps the hadiths of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would be mixed with the Qur’an. Once that reason was no longer applicable, permission was given to write hadiths, because the reason for this reservation was no longer applicable. This is supported by the fact that the instruction to write was general in wording and meaning, and it came at a later time. It was also said that the prohibition was on writing hadiths with Qur’an on the same sheet, because they used to listen to the explanation of verses, and perhaps they wrote the explanation with the verses. So they were forbidden to do that, lest they get confused, but they were given permission to write the Sunnah on separate sheets, or perhaps that was allowed for certain individuals in a few instances, such as one who needed it to be written for him, and so on. Once the revelation was completed, that reason was no longer applicable, and that was after the Sahabah’s knowledge of the Qur’an had become well-entrenched and there was no fear that they might mix it with the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). And it was said that the prohibition was for those who had reliable memories, for fear that they might begin to rely on writing. As for permission to write the hadith, it was given to those whose memories were not reliable. Some of the Sahabah continued to refrain from writing down hadith by way of being extra cautious and prudent, and because of individual concern lest they incur sin or mix Qur’an with Sunnah, or lest they be distracted from writing down the Qur’an.
In this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) reminds the people of the blessing of Allah in holding back the elephant from Makkah, which was a sign that was attested to by everyone, good and evil alike.
It indicates that if someone hears beneficial words that he will not be able to memorize properly, he should request that they be written down, as Abu Shah did.
It indicates that it is permissible to ask questions and discuss religious issues with a knowledgeable person or scholar, and to do that in gatherings.
We also see in this hadith the command to write down the hadith and Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). .

113

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that he said: There is no one among the companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) who narrated more hadiths from him than me, except ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, for he used to write down hadiths and I did not..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to preserve the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in various ways. Some of them committed it to memory, and others wrote it down on sheets and in books. Some of them did a great deal of that and some of them did a little.
In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that there was no one among the Sahabah who narrated more hadiths than him, except ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him); he had a unique advantage over Abu Hurayrah in that he used to write down the hadith; he would write down whatever he heard.
The words of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) imply that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) collected more hadiths than he did, even though what is narrated from him is less in number. That is for several reasons, the first of which is that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) lived in Egypt, and he used to travel between Egypt and al-Ta’if to reside for some time in each place. Seekers of knowledge did not travel to those two places as they would travel to Madinah, where Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) lived. Abu Hurayrah was also in a position to issue fatwas and teach hadith until he died, as can be seen from the large number of people who narrated from Abu Hurayrah. It was said that eight hundred of the Tabi‘in narrated from him, which did not happen in the case of anyone else. The second reason is that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) was more focused on worship than teaching, so fewer reports were narrated from him. The third reason is something that was unique to Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), which was that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed that he would not forget what he heard from him. The fourth reason was that in Syria, ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) had acquired a camel-load of books of the People of the Book, which he used to read and narrate from them, so many of the leading scholars among the Tabi‘in avoided learning from him.
The words of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) clearly state that they used to write down the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), even though he had previously forbidden them to write down the Sunnah and hadith, as Muslim narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not write down anything from me. Whoever has written down anything from me other than the Qur’an, let him erase it.” That was for fear that the Qur’an might become mixed with other things. But after the Qur’an had been memorized and become well entrenched in the hearts of the Sahabah, and there was no longer any fear of them mixing it with anything else, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave permission to some of the Sahabah to write down hadiths.
This hadith highlights the virtue of Abu Hurayrah and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with them both).
It also indicates that those of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) who were literate both memorized the hadiths and wrote them down as an extra precaution. If a narrator heard a hadith but did not write it down, he relied only on what he had memorized, so his accuracy was based on only one thing, whereas the accuracy of the literate person who also wrote it down was based on two things..

114

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: When the ailment of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) grew intense, he said: “Bring me something on which to write for you some words after which you will not go astray.” ‘Umar said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is gravely ill, and we have the Book of Allah; it is sufficient for us. But they disagreed, and a great clamour broke out, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Go away and leave me alone; no one should quarrel in my presence.” Ibn ‘Abbas went out, saying: What a great calamity it was that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was prevented from writing what he wanted to write..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was keen for his ummah to remain united and not differ both during his lifetime and after his death. Hence in his Sunnah he clarified all religious matters, highlighted which were most important, and explained in detail many issues concerning which disputes could potentially arise.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet’s pain grew intense during his final illness – and in Sahih al-Bukhari it says that that happened on a Thursday, four days before the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died – he asked the Sahabah to let him write for them something after which they would not go astray, and that would be a guide for them to the straight path, after which they would never drift away from the path of truth or deviate from the correct way. But ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke up and said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was overwhelmed with pain, so it was too difficult for him to dictate what he wanted to write, or to write it himself.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) feared for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and was worried that his concern about writing something might exacerbate his pain and sickness, especially as he was prone to fainting during this sickness, and so on. He thought that the Prophet’s command, “Bring me something on which to write,” was by way of guiding them to what would be better and more appropriate, and he said: The Book of Allah is sufficient for us, meaning: we have the Qur’an, and that is enough for us, for Allah (may He be exalted) says, {We have neglected nothing in the Book} [al-An‘am 6:38], and He says: {This day I have perfected for you your religion} [al-Ma’idah 5:3]. There is nothing that will happen until the Day of Resurrection except that there is a clear text concerning it in the Qur’an and Sunnah, or there is a reference to it. This is indicative of ‘Umar’s deep insight; it does not mean that the Qur’an is sufficient with no need for the explanation of the Sunnah. ‘Umar’s main concern was that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) should rest, because he was so ill and overwhelmed by pain, and it would be difficult for him to dictate what he wanted to write or to write it himself, until he recovered, at which time he would be able to dictate whatever he wanted. However, it is as if some of those present insisted on him writing these things. Hence the Sahabah began to argue and there were too many people speaking at once, which prompted the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to order them to go out and leave him alone, explaining that it was not appropriate for them to argue in his presence.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to warn them against dissent and disagreement, because that could lead to the loss of something good, as happened with regard to the definition of Laylat al-Qadr and other matters. The dispute and clamour that occurred in this instance were the reason why this writing did not occur; it was not what ‘Umar or anyone else said (may Allah be pleased with them all). At this point, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, when narrating this hadith: What a great calamity it was that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was prevented from writing what he wanted to write. The dispute is the reason why he did not write what he wanted to write.
There is a difference of scholarly opinion as to what he wanted to write. It was said that he wanted to write a document in which he stated some rulings, so as to leave no room for dispute. It was said that he wanted to write the names of the caliphs to come after him, so that there would be no dispute among them. This is supported by a report narrated by Muslim, which says that when his sickness began, when he was in ‘A’ishah’s house, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Call for me your father and your brother, so that I may write something down, for I fear that someone may raise his hopes (of becoming caliph), or someone may suggest (that So-and-so should be the caliph), when Allah and the believers will not accept anyone except Abu Bakr.” A similar report was narrated by al-Bukhari.
This hadith indicates that dispute and argument may be the cause of being deprived of some blessings and goodness.
It indicates that the Sahabah expressed their views on the basis of their individual understanding (ijtihad) in the presence of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with regard to a matter concerning which there was no revelation.
It indicates that proper etiquette when visiting the sick is not to stay with the sick person so long that it causes him annoyance, and not to speak in his presence of things that could upset him.
It indicates that if sickness and pain become too intense, it is permissible for the sick person to tell his visitors to leave.
It is indicative of the virtue of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and his understanding of religion.
It tells us that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not clearly state that any particular individual should be the caliph after he was gone..

115

It was narrated that Umm Salamah said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) woke up one night and said: “Subhan-Allah! How many fitnahs (tribulations and punishments) have been sent down this night, and how many stores have been opened! Wake up the ladies of the apartments, for she who is clothed in this world may be naked in the hereafter.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was kind and compassionate towards the believers. This hadith highlights one aspect of his compassion towards his ummah. The Mother of the Believers Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) woke up one night, when he was in her house, amazed at what Allah had sent down on that night of tribulations and punishments, and what He had opened of the stores of mercy and so on. He referred to punishment by using the word fitnah, because fitnah is a cause of punishment. He referred to mercy as stores, because Allah (may He be exalted) says: {Or do they have the depositories of the mercy of your Lord?} [Sad 38:9].
This was a dream that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw. What is meant is that that after he was gone, there would be fitnahs and troubles, and that the stores of divine mercy would be opened for his ummah. Fitnahs and troubles indeed happened, as is well known, and the stores were opened as the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) prevailed over the Persians, Byzantines and others.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) issued instructions to wake his wives to pray and seek refuge with Allah from what had come down, so that they would be the first to seek refuge from the fitnahs and tribulations of this world, for it was not appropriate for them to neglect worship and rely on their being wives of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It is said that this was addressed exclusively to them because they were the ones who were present at that time.
With regard to the phrase “for she who is clothed in this world may be naked in the hereafter”, the word translated as “may” here is sometimes used to indicate that the number referred to is small, or it may be used to indicate that it is great, as is the case here. What is meant is: she who is showered with the blessings of Allah but fails to give thanks, or she who is covered with clothes in this world because she is wealthy, may be naked in the hereafter because she is deprived of reward as she did not strive in the first world; or it may refer to one whose clothing covers part of her body, and exposes part of it, showing off her beauty. It was also said that it refers to one who wears a thin garment that shows the shape of her body, so even if she is covered with clothing, she is naked in reality; or she may be covered with clothing and jewellery, but she is devoid of the garment of piety; or she may be clothed because of the blessing of marriage to a righteous man, but she will be naked in the hereafter because she had no righteous deeds of her own to her credit and the righteousness of her husband will not benefit her.
This hadith indicates that a man may wake his family at night to pray and remember Allah (dhikr), especially when a sign [or natural phenomenon] appears, or following an alarming dream.
It indicates that it is prescribed to say “Subhan-Allah” when one is amazed.
This hadith is one of the signs of the Prophet’s prophethood.
It indicates that prayer protects against fitnahs and troubles, and also protects against calamities.
It also contains a warning against forgetting to give thanks to the Bestower of blessings, and that a woman should not rely on the noble status of her husband..

116

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that he said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led us in praying ‘Isha’ at the end of his life. When he said the salaam and stood up, he said: “Do you see this night of yours? One hundred years from now, there will be left no one who is alive on the face of the earth tonight.”.

Commentary : In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) spoke of a matter of the unseen of which Allah had informed him, as ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led them in praying ‘Isha’ one day at the end of his life. According to a report narrated by Muslim from Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him), that happened one month before he died. When he said the salaam and finished his prayer, he turned to them and exhorted them, and he told them that after one hundred years had passed, there would be no one left on the face of the earth who was alive on that night. And this is what happened. Even though some of those people lived to a great age, none of them were left alive one hundred years after that night on which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told them of that. That was a reminder to them that life is short. Thus he informed them that they would not live as long as the nations who came before them, so that they would strive hard.
This hadith is one of the signs of the prophethood of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)..

117

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: I stayed overnight in the house of my maternal aunt Maymunah bint al-Harith, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he was at her house, as it was her night. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed ‘Isha’ [in the mosque], then he came to his house and prayed four rak‘ahs, then he went to sleep. Then he got up, then he said: “Has the young lad gone to sleep?” or words to that effect. Then he got up, and I went and stood on his left. He made me stand on his right, then he prayed five rak‘ahs, then he prayed two rak‘ahs, then he went to sleep, until I heard his deep, rhythmic breathing. Then he went out to pray..

Commentary : Our Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the best of people in worshipping his Lord and standing before Him. The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to learn from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and to learn his Sunnah, act in accordance with it and convey it to those who came after them. From an early age, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was very keen to do that.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he stayed one night with his maternal aunt Maymunah bint al-Harith, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), when it was her night with him. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed ‘Isha’, he came to her house, then he prayed four rak‘ahs, then he went to sleep. Then he woke up and asked: Has the boy gone to sleep? – referring to Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). He called him al-ghulayyim (translated here as “the young lad”), which is a diminutive form, by way of showing compassion to the young child, and out of concern that he should get enough sleep .
Then when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) got up, Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) got up with him and stood on his left-hand side to pray with him, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) took hold of him and made him stand on his right. Then he prayed five rak‘ahs, then he prayed two rak‘ahs, then he went to sleep. The word thumma (translated here as “then”) suggests that some time passed in between, to indicate that his going to sleep did not come immediately after he had prayed; rather he stayed awake for some time after praying, then he went to sleep, until Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) could hear the deep, rhythmic breathing of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which indicates that the sleeper is sleeping deeply. He slept until he got up and went out for Fajr prayer without doing wudu’, as is mentioned in as-Sahihayn. This is something that was unique to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as falling asleep whilst lying down did not invalidate his wudu’, because although his eyes slept, his heart did not sleep.
The total number of rak‘ahs that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed in this report was 11: four, then five, then two. According to a report narrated by al-Bukhari, he prayed thirteen rak‘ahs. This is the most that is mentioned in any report. The two reports can be reconciled by noting that those who mentioned eleven did not count the first two rak‘ahs of Fajr; those who did mention the first two gave the total as thirteen.
This hadith highlights the virtue of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and his intelligence from an early age, and tells us that he was watching what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did all night.
It also highlights how the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed at night (qiyam al-layl) and strove hard in worship.
It also indicates that a small movement does not invalidate the prayer. .

118

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The people say that Abu Hurayrah narrates too much. Were it not for two verses in the Book of Allah, I would not have narrated any hadith. Then he recited: {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse, Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident [what they concealed]. Those - I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful} [al-Baqarah 2:159-160]. Our brothers among the Muhajirin were preoccupied with going to do business in the marketplaces, and our brothers among the Ansar were preoccupied with tending to their properties. But Abu Hurayrah used to stay with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and was content with just enough to eat. He was present when they were not present and he memorized what they did not memorize..

Commentary : The Sahabah narrated the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to others; some of them narrated a great deal and some of them narrated only a few reports. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the Sahabah who narrated the most, even though he was late in coming to Islam. Therefore some people said that Abu Hurayrah narrated the most hadith of all the Sahabah, but he was afraid that they might develop doubts about the soundness of his hadiths. Therefore he said: Were it not for these two verses – {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse, Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident [what they concealed]. Those - I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful} [al-Baqarah 2:159-160] – in which Allah (may He be exalted) warns the one who withholds knowledge of a curse, he would not have narrated a single hadith to them. But he was afraid that this curse might befall him if he withheld the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Then he explained the reason that helped him to memorize this great number of hadiths which no one else memorized. It was his staying close to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) more than anyone else among the Sahabah. That was because the Muhajirin were preoccupied with buying and selling in the marketplaces, which kept them from staying with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and regularly attending his gatherings. The Ansar were preoccupied with working for a living in their gardens and fields. As for Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he stayed close to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and was content with a little simple food every day. He attended most of the gatherings of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he memorized from him what the others did not memorize, because he was always with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
This hadith highlights the virtue of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
It also points to the importance of preserving knowledge and persisting in seeking it.
And it highlights the virtue of being content with little in this world, and giving precedence to seeking knowledge over seeking wealth..

119

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, I hear many hadiths from you that I forget. He said: “Spread out your cloak.” So I spread it out. Then he scooped with his hands, then he said: “Gather it up.” So I gathered it up, and I never forgot anything after that. .

Commentary : The Sahabah were keen to learn and memorize the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and convey it to the ummah who came after them. Abu Hurayrah was one of the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) who narrated the most reports, even though he was late in coming to Islam. In this hadith, he narrates that he complained to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he forgot too many hadiths that he had heard from him, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed him to spread out his garment, after which he made a scooping gesture with his hands. No mention is made of what was scooped, or of what he scooped, because that was simply a gesture. Then he instructed him to gather it up to his chest, so Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) did that, then he never forgot anything that he heard from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This was one of the miracles of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and that was the reason why Abu Hurayrah narrated so many reports, as he was in a position to issue fatwas and teach hadiths until he died. Hence many people narrated from him; it was said that eight hundred of the Tabi‘in narrated from him, which did not happen in the case of anyone else. Allah blessed him, and the number of his reports was greater than five thousand.
This hadith highlights one of the miracles of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and shows how the blessing (barakah) of his dua was manifested, as forgetfulness was taken away from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
It also highlights the virtue of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
It points to the importance of preserving knowledge and persisting in seeking it..

120

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I memorized two types of knowledge from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). As for the first type, I spread it; as for the second type, if I were to spread it, this throat would be cut..

Commentary : In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he learned two different types of knowledge from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The first type was Islamic knowledge having to do with beliefs and rulings, which he spread and conveyed. As for the other type, if he had conveyed it and narrated it to the people, he would have been slaughtered like a sheep, with his throat cut. The word used in the original Arabic refers to cutting the oesophagus. Perhaps this knowledge had to do with bad rulers or tribulations, such as the murder of ‘Uthman and al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them both).
Someone may say: how could he regard it as permissible to withhold a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he said, “Convey from me”? And how could the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) have said something that, if it was mentioned, the one who narrated it would be killed? How could the Muslims, namely the Sahabah and Tabi‘in, regard it as permissible to kill someone who narrated from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)? The answer is that what he withheld did not have to do with Islamic teachings, which it is not permissible to withhold or conceal. Abu Hurayrah himself said – as was narrated from him by al-Bukhari –: Were it not for a verse in the Book of Allah, I would not have narrated to you. That verse is: {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse, Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident [what they concealed]. Those - I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful} [al-Baqarah 2:159-160].
So how can anyone think that he withheld anything having to do with the teachings of Islam after this verse, and after the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) issued instructions to convey from him, and he used to say to them: “Let those of you who are present convey to those who are absent”? Rather what was concealed was words such as: So-and-so is a hypocrite; or, You will kill ‘Uthman; or, “My ummah will be doomed at the hands of some young men of Quraysh,” the clan of So-and-so. If he had stated their names openly, they would have declared him to be a liar and killed him.
This hadith highlights the virtue of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
It also indicates that the one who seeks to enjoin what is right and proper may speak in ambiguous terms if he fears for his life were he to speak clearly. .

121

It was narrated from Jarir that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him during the Farewell Pilgrimage: “Tell the people to listen attentively.” Then he said: “Do not go back to being disbelievers after I am gone, striking one another’s necks.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to advise his ummah and guide them to that which was in their best interests, and he would forbid them to do that which would harm them in their religious and worldly affairs, in this world and the hereafter.
In this hadith, Jarir ibn ‘Abdillah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed him, during the Farewell Pilgrimage, to tell the people to be quiet and pay heed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and to listen attentively to what he was going to say to them. When they fell silent, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) addressed them and warned them not to go back to being disbelievers after he was gone, striking one another’s necks. That would be the case if they let enmity and hatred amongst themselves prompt them to regard it as permissible to shed one another’s blood. It was said: it may be that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) knew that this would not happen during his lifetime, so he forbade them to do that after he died. In other words, he was saying: when I depart this world, remain steadfast after I am gone in the faith and piety that you are currently adhering to; do not wage war against the Muslims, and do not take their wealth unlawfully. It was also said that what was meant was: Do not let your actions be like the actions of the disbelievers by striking the necks of the Muslims.
This hadith indicates that a person should listen attentively to his companion, so long as he is not speaking of anything haram.
This hadith is also one of the signs of the prophethood of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It also indicates that it is emphatically forbidden for the Muslims to fight one another and shed one another’s blood..

122

It was narrated that Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: I said to Ibn ‘Abbas: Nawf al-Bakali is claiming that Musa is not the Musa of the Children of Israel; rather he is some other Musa. He said: The enemy of Allah is lying. Ubayy ibn Ka‘b told us, narrating from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “Musa the Prophet stood up and addressed the Children of Israel. He was asked: ‘Which of the people is most knowledgeable?’ He said: ‘I am the most knowledgeable.’ Then Allah rebuked him for not referring the matter of knowledge to Him, and Allah revealed to him: ‘One of My slaves, at the junction of the two seas, is more knowledgeable than you.’ He said: ‘O Lord, how can I reach him?’ It was said to him: ‘Carry a fish in a basket, and when you lose it, he will be there.’ So he set out with his servant, Yusha‘ ibn Nun, and they carried a fish in a basket, until they reached the rock, where they lay down their heads and slept. The fish snuck out of the basket and took its course into the sea, slipping away, and Musa and his servant were amazed. They continued on their way for the rest of that night, and the following day, in the morning, Musa said to his servant: ‘Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, [much] fatigue.’ Musa did not feel any fatigue until he went beyond the place he had been instructed to seek. His servant said to him: ‘Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan.’ Musa said: ‘That is what we were seeking.’ So they returned, following their footprints. When they reached the rock, they saw a man covered with a garment, or covering himself with his own garment. Musa greeted him with salaam, and Khadir said: ‘Do people in your land greet one another with salaam?’ He said: ‘I am Musa.’ Khadir said: ‘The Musa of the Children of Israel?’ Musa said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘May I follow you so that you might teach me some of that knowledge which you have been taught?’ Khadir said: ‘You will never be able to remain patient with me, O Musa. I have some knowledge that Allah has taught me, which you do not know, and you have some knowledge that He taught you which I do not know.’ Musa said: ‘You will find me, if Allah wills, patient, and I will not disobey you in anything.’ So they set out, walking along the seashore, as they did not have a boat. Then a boat passed by them, so they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognized al-Khadir, so they took them on board without any fare. Then a sparrow came and alighted on the edge of the boat, and dipped its beak in the sea once or twice. Al-Khadir said: ‘O Musa, my knowledge and your knowledge has not detracted anything from the knowledge of Allah except as much as the beak of this sparrow has detracted from the water of the sea.’
Then al-Khadir went to one of the planks of the boat and pulled it out. Musa said: ‘These people took us on board without any fare, but you have scuttled their boat so as to drown its crew!’ Al-Khadir said: ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to remain patient with me?’ Musa said: ‘Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not make it too difficult for me to follow you.’ So in the first instance, Musa’s excuse was that he forgot.
Then they continued on their way, and saw a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khadir took hold of the top of the boy’s head and pulled it off with his hands. Musa said: ‘Have you killed an innocent soul who killed no one?’ Al-Khadir said: ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to remain patient with me?’ – Ibn ‘Uyaynah said: Here it became more certain [that Musa would not be able to remain patient with him] –
Then they continued on their way until they came to the people of a town, and asked its people for food, but they refused to show them any hospitality. In the town, they found a wall that was about to collapse, so al-Khadir gestured with his hands and repaired it. Musa said: ‘If you wish, you could have taken payment for it.’ Khadir said: ‘This is the parting of the ways between me and you.’”
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy on Musa. We wish that he had been patient so that we could have known more about his story with Khadir.”.

Commentary : In this hadith, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr narrates that he asked ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) about Musa, the one who met al-Khadir, because Nawf al-Bakali – who was a Tabi‘i from Damascus, a man of virtue and knowledge, especially with regard to the reports from Jewish sources (Isra’iliyyat), and he was the son of the wife of Ka‘b al-Ahbar – had claimed that he was not Musa, the Messenger who was sent to the Children of Israel. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he was lying, and Sa‘id responded that he was indeed Musa, the Prophet who was sent to the Children of Israel. Then he told him of a hadith narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him), that he heard from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the story of Musa (peace be upon him) and al-Khadir. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said that whilst Allah’s Prophet Musa was among a group of Israelites, a man came to him and asked him: Do you know of anyone more knowledgeable than you on earth? Musa (peace be upon him) said no, because he thought that there could not be anyone who was more knowledgeable than him, for he was a prophet who received revelation. But Allah rebuked him for not referring the matter of knowledge to Him. It was said that this was by way of alerting Musa (peace be upon him) and to serve as a lesson for those who came after him, lest anyone else follow his example in self-praise and self-admiration, and thus become doomed. So Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) revealed to him: there is indeed someone who is more knowledgeable than you, to whom Allah has granted knowledge from Himself other than what He has revealed to you. He is a slave of Allah whose name is Khadir, and he is at the junction of the two seas; the two seas were the sea of Persia which is in the east, and the sea of the Byzantines which is in the west. And it was said that the junction of the two seas was at Tangiers, in the furthest reaches of the Maghreb [modern-day Morocco].
So Musa asked: How can I reach him? Allah (may He be exalted) said: Look for him on the seashore, by the rock. He said: O Lord, how will I find the place? Allah said: Take a fish in a basket, and when you lose the fish, then go back to the place where you lost it, and you will meet him there. It was said that he took a salted fish and said to his servant: When you lose the fish, tell me. When they reached the rock by the sea, they lay down their heads and slept, and the fish came out of the basket when they were not looking, went into the sea and swam away. That was something amazing for Musa and his servant, as the fish came back to life, slipped out of the basket and went into the sea. Then the water was held in place with the fish, whilst they proceeded for the rest of that night and the following day. In the morning, Musa said to his servant Yusha‘ ibn Nun: Bring us our morning meal so we can eat. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, [much] fatigue. Musa did not experience any fatigue until he went beyond the place he had been instructed to go to in order to meet al-Khadir. The servant said to Musa: {Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan} [al-Kahf 18:62]. That was because, after resting by the sea, the servant forgot the fish, then they travelled on for a while. When the servant remembered that, he told Musa (peace be upon him) about that, so he said to him: {“That is what we were seeking.” So they returned, following their footprints} [al-Kahf 18:64]. So they went back, tracing their footsteps, until they reached the place where they had lost the fish. There they found al-Khadir, covered with his garment. Musa greeted him with salaam, and al-Khadir said: Do people in your land greet one another with salaam? This appeared in the form of a question, but what was meant was that it was thought unlikely, which indicates that the people of that land were not Muslims at that time. According to a report narrated by Muslim: Musa said to al-Khadir: Al-salaamu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you), so he uncovered his face and said: Wa ‘alaykum al-salaam. The two reports may be reconciled by noting that he asked this question after returning the greeting.
Musa asked him to allow him to follow him, so that he could learn from his knowledge, but al-Khadir explained to him that he would never be able to bear with patience what he would see, because of the difference in the types of knowledge that each of them had learned, even though all of that came from Allah. Musa (peace be upon him) promised him that he would show patience and would never comment on anything that al-Khadir did. So they travelled along the seashore, then a boat passed by them, so they asked the crew to let them on board. They recognized al-Khadir, so they took them on board without any fare, by way of honouring him.
Then a sparrow came and sat on the edge of the boat, and dipped its beak in the sea once or twice, picking up some of the seawater. This was a kind of parable which al-Khadir explained to Musa as meaning that the knowledge of each of them, in comparison to the knowledge of Allah, was like the drop of water that the bird took from the sea.
Then al-Khadir removed a plank from the boat, with the aim of making it appear defective. Musa (peace be upon him) was astounded at his action, especially after the crew of the boat had honoured them, and he asked al-Khadir why he had done that. Al-Khadir said to him: {Did I not say that with me you would never be able to have patience?} [al-Kahf 18:72], so Musa (peace be upon him) apologized. So in the first instance, Musa’s excuse was that he forgot.
Then they disembarked from the boat, and they found a small boy playing with other children. Al-Khadir grabbed the top of his head and separated his head from his body for no obvious reason, or for any offence on the child’s part. Once again, Musa was shocked, and he broke the condition of patience, and asked in amazement: Have you killed an innocent soul for no sin and for not having killed another? This was the second time that he did not show patience.
Then they continued on their way, and entered a town, where they asked its people for food and hospitality, but they refused. Despite that, when al-Khadir found a tumbledown wall that was about to collapse, he built it up and repaired it so that it would not collapse. Musa said to him: If you wish, you could charge a fee for rebuilding it. This was the third time that Musa (peace be upon him) did not show patience, and this was the parting of the ways between them, so they separated after al-Khadir explained to him the wisdom behind all of these things, as is mentioned in the verses in which Allah (may He be exalted) says:
{As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every [good] ship by force.
And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief,
So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy.
And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience}
[al-Kahf 18:79-82].
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy on Musa. We wish that he had been patient.” This was an expression of his wish that Musa (peace be upon him) had adhered to the condition of showing patience with al-Khadir, so that he could have told us of the wondrous and amazing things that would have occurred on their journey together.
After that, the extent of al-Khadir’s knowledge became clear to Musa (peace be upon him), which was based on what Allah had taught him of unseen matters and events that demonstrate the power of Allah, of which the Prophets had no knowledge except what they were told by the Creator (may He be glorified in exalted).
This hadith encourages people to put up with hardship for the sake of seeking knowledge.
It indicates that one should strive to increase in knowledge and seek more of it, and show due respect to one who has more knowledge. It also highlights the virtue of seeking knowledge and of showing the proper etiquette towards scholars and knowledgeable people.
It indicates that one should remain humble when seeking knowledge, and the seeker of knowledge should serve his teacher if he is younger than him.
It highlights an important basic principle of Islam, which is that one should not object on the basis of reason to what one may not understand of the teachings and rulings of Islam, and that nothing may be regarded as good or bad except on the basis of Islamic teachings and religious texts.
It indicates that a person should apologize if he goes against the rules to which he committed himself.
It also indicates that one should judge matters on the basis of what they appear to be, unless one learns otherwise.
It indicates that lying is saying something other than what in fact is the case, either deliberately or by mistake.
It indicates that when there are two evils, it is permissible to ward off the greater evil by committing the lesser evil..

123

It was narrated that Abu Musa said: A man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, what is fighting in Allah’s cause? For one of us may fight out of anger, or he may fight on the basis of tribal feelings. He lifted his head to him, and he only lifted his head to him because the man was standing, and said: “Whoever fights so that the word of Allah may be supreme is fighting in the cause of Allah.”.

Commentary : Having a good intention is a condition of deeds being acceptable to Allah (may He be exalted). Any deed in which this condition is not met will be as worthless as scattered dust, and will not bring any benefit to the doer, whether it is fighting in Allah’s cause or any other deed.
In this hadith, Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the true definition of fighting in Allah’s cause, and told him that a man may fight out of anger, meaning that he is seeking revenge and retaliating against an enemy, or he may fight out of tribal feeling, which is based on pride, in defence of his own people. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) responded by stating that the one who fights so that the word of Allah may be supreme, and his aim and intention in fighting is that the word of Tawhid should be the word that prevails in this land, the word that has power and authority that cannot be pushed back, and its dominion has no limits, is truly striving in Allah’s cause. This is the true mujahid who, if he is killed, will attain martyrdom, and if he returns, he will return with reward and booty.
In this hadith, we see that having a sound intention is a condition of deeds being acceptable to Allah (may He be glorified and exalted).
This hadith highlights what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was given of eloquence and concise speech.
It also mentions that the virtue that is ascribed to the mujahidin is only for those who fight so that the word of Allah (may He be exalted) may be supreme..

125

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah said: Whilst I was walking with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in a remote part of Madinah, and he was leaning on a stick made of palm leaves that he had with him, he passed by a group of Jews. They said to one another: Ask him about the soul. One of them said: Do not ask him, lest he say something about it that you dislike. Another of them said: No, let us ask him. One of them stood up and said: O Abul Qasim, what is the soul? He remained silent, so I thought: Revelation is coming to him. So I stood up. When the revelation had finished, he said: {And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little”} [al-Isra’ 17:85]. Al-A‘mash [one of the narrators] said: This is how it is in our recitation..

Commentary : In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he was walking with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in a remote part of Madinah, which was a sparsely populated area, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was leaning on a stick made of palm leaves. He passed by a group of Jews, some of whom wanted to ask the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the soul, thinking that by doing so, they would be asking him something that he could not answer, and thus they would stir up doubts about him. Some of them supported the idea, but others thought that they should not ask him this question, for fear that he might say something about it that they would dislike. Then they decided to go ahead and ask him. The kunyah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was Abul Qasim so they called out to him by this kunyah and asked him about the soul. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) remained silent, and the revelation came down to him, and he recited the verse: {And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little”} [al-Isra’ 17:85]. In other words, knowledge of the soul is a divine matter that Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) has kept to Himself, to the exclusion of all others, and the knowledge that you have is only a small part of knowledge, because no matter how great human knowledge may grow, it is still limited, and human reason is also limited; the secrets of this universe are too great to be comprehended by finite human reason.
In this hadith, we see that the soul is a matter of the unseen, and one of the secrets of divine knowledge.
It also indicates how very small human knowledge is, and that human reason cannot comprehend everything..

739

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

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

740

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

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

746

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

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

746

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

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

747

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

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

748

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

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

753

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

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

754

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

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

755

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

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

756

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

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

757

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

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

759

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

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

762

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

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

763

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

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

763

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

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

Book of Hadith

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