Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir
from Said ibn al-Jubayr that a man who has approval (as a
relater of hadith), told him that A'isha, the wife of the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"If a man prays in the night and sleep overcomes him
during it, Allah writes for him the reward of his prayer,
and his sleep is sadaqa for him."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'nNadr, the
mawla of Umar ibn 'Ubaydullah, from Abu Salama ibn Abd
ar-Rahman that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said, "I was sleeping in
front of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, and my feet were in his qibla. When he
prostrated, he nudged me and I pulled up my feet,and when
he stood up I spread them out." She added, "There were no
lamps in the house at that time."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa
from his father from A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, that the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If
you are drowsy in prayer, sleep until sleep leaves you,
because if you pray while you are drowsy, you do not know
whether you may intend to ask for forgiveness but (in
fact) ask for harm."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ismail from Ibn Abi
Hakim that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard a woman praying
at night. He said, "Who is that?" and someone said to
him,"It is al-Hawla bint Tuwayt, she does not sleep in the
night." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, disapproved of that and his disapproval
showed in his face. Then he said, "Allah, the Blessed and
Exalted, does not become weary, but you become weary. Take
on whatever is within your capability."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from
his father that Umar ibn al-Khattab used to pray as much
as Allah willed in the night until at the end of the night
he would wake his family for the prayer. He used to say to
them, "The prayer, the prayer." Then he would recite the
ayat, "Enjoin prayer on your family and be constant in it.
We do not ask you for your provision. We provide for you.
And the end result is for taqwa." (Sura 20 ayat 132)
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that
Said ibn al-Musayyab used to say, "Sleep is disapproved of
before isha and conversation after it."
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that
Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "(Voluntary) prayer in both
the day and night is two at a time with a taslim after
every raka.''
Malik said, "That is the custom among us. "
Section: How the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, Prayed the Witr
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from
Urwa ibn az-Zubayr from A'isha, the wife of the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, used to pray eleven rakas in the night, making them
odd by a single one, and when he had finished he lay down
on his right side.
Yahya related to me from Malik from Said ibn Abi Said
al-Maqburi from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf that
he asked A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, what the prayer of the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was
like during Ramadan. She said, "The Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not go above
eleven rakas in Ramadan or at any other time. He prayed
four - do not ask me about their beauty or length. Then he
prayed another four - do not ask me about their beauty and
length. Then he prayed three."
A'isha continued, "I said, 'Messenger of Allah, are you
sleeping before you do the witr?' He said, A'isha, my eyes
sleep but my heart does not sleep.' "
Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa
from his father that A'isha, umm al-muminin said, "The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, used to pray thirteen rakas in the night and then
would pray two rakas when he heard the adhan for the subh
prayer."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Makhrama ibn
Sulayman from Kurayb, the mawla of Ibn Abbas, that
Abdullah ibn Abbas told him that he had spent a night at
the house of Maimuna, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, who was also Ibn Abbas'
mother's sister. Ibn Abbas said, "I lay down with my head
on the breadth of the cushion, and the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his wife lay
down with their heads on its length. The Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, slept,
until, halfway through the night or a little before or
after it, he awoke and sat up and wiped the sleep away
from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last ten
ayats of sura Ali Imran (Sura3). Then he got up and went
over to a water-skin which was hanging up and did wudu
from it, doing his wudu thoroughly, and then he stood in
prayer."
Ibn Abbas continued, "I stood up and did the same and
then went and stood by his side. The Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, put his right
hand on my head and took my right ear and tweaked it. He
prayed two rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, then two
rakas, then two rakas, then two rakas, and then prayed an
odd raka. Then he lay down until the muadhdhin came to
him, and then prayed two quick rakas, and went out and
prayed subh ."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi
Bakr from his father that Abdullah ibn Qays ibn Makhrama
told him that Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani said one night
that he was going to observe the prayer of the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He
said, "I rested my head on his threshold. The Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, got up and
prayed two long, long, long rakas. Then he prayed two
rakas which were slightly less long than the two before
them. Then he prayed two rakas which were slightly less
long than the two before them. Then he prayed two rakas
which were slightly less long than the two before them.
Then he prayed two rakas which were slightly less long
than the two before them. Then he prayed two rakas which
were slightly less long than the two before them. Then he
prayed an odd raka, making thirteen rakas in all."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi and Abdullah
ibn Umar that a man asked the Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, about night prayers.
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "Night prayers are two by two, and when you
are afraid that dawn is approaching, pray one raka to make
what you have prayed odd."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from
Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban from Ibn Muhayriz that a man
from the Kinana tribe called al-Mukhdaji heard a man in
Syria known as Abu Muhammad saying, "The witr is
obligatory (fard)." Al-Mukhdaji said, "I went to Ubada ibn
as-Samit and presented myself to him as he was going to
the mosque, and told him what Abu Muhammad had said. Ubada
said that Abu Muhammad had lied and that he had heard the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, say, 'Allah the Majestic and Mighty has written
five prayers for mankind, and whoever does them and does
not waste anything of them by making light of what is due
to them, there is a pact for him with Allah that He will
admit him into the Garden.Whoever does not do them, there
is no pact for him with Allah. If He wishes, He punishes
him, and if He wishes, He admits him into the Garden.' "
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Bakr ibn Umar
that Said ibn Yasar said, ''I was travelling with Abdullah
ibn Umar on the road to Makka, and fearing that it was
nearly dawn. I dismounted and prayed witr. Abdullah said,
'Is there not a model for you in the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace?' I said, 'Of
course, by Allah!' He said, 'The Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray witr on
his camel.' "
Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that
Said ibn al-Musayyab said, "Abu Bakr as-Siddiq used to
pray witr when he wished to go to bed, and Umar ibn al-Khattab
used to pray witr at the end of the night. As for me, I
pray witr when I go to bed."
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that a
man asked Abdullah ibn Umar whether the witr was
obligatory and Abdullah ibn Umar said, "The Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed
witr, and the muslims prayed witr." The man began
repeating his question, and Abdullah ibn Umar kept saying,
"The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, prayed witr, and the muslims prayed witr."
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that
A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, used to say, "If someone fears that he
will sleep through till the morning, let him pray the witr
before he sleeps, and if some one hopes to wake for the
last part of the night, let him delay his witr."
Yahya related to me from Malik that Nafi said, "I was
with Abdullah ibn Umar in Makka. The sky was clouded over
and Abdullah feared that dawn was approaching so he prayed
one raka for witr. Then the clouds cleared and he saw that
it was still night, so he made his prayers even with one
raka. Then he continued to pray two rakas at a time, until
when he feared the approach of dawn, he prayed one raka
for witr."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah
ibn Umar used to say the taslim between the two rakas and
the one raka of witr so that he could order something he
needed.
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Dinar
that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "The maghrib prayer is
the witr of the daytime prayers."
Malik said, "If someone prays witr at the beginning of
the night, and goes to sleep, and then wakes up and it
seems good to him to pray, let him pray, two rakas at a
time. That is what I like most of what I have heard."
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd al Karim ibn
Abi'l-Mukhariq al-Basri from Said ibn Jubayr that Abdullah
ibn Abbas slept, and when he woke up, he said to his
servant, "Go and see what the people have done," (by that
time his sight had gone.) The servant went out and
returned saying, "The people have left from subh," so
Abdullah ibn Abbas got up and prayed witr and then prayed
subh.
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that
Abdullah ibn Abbas and Ubada ibn as-Samit and al-Qasim ibn
Muhammad and Abdullah ibn Amir ibn Rabia had all prayed
witr after the break of dawn.
Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa
from his father that Abdullah ibn Masud said, "I do not
mind if the iqama for the subh prayer is called while I am
still praying witr."
Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said
said, ''Ubada ibn as-Samit used to lead the people in
prayer. One day he came out for subh and the muadhdhin
began to give the iqama for the subh prayer Ubada silenced
him, prayed witr and then led them in subh."
Yahya related to me from Malik that Abd ar-Rahman ibn
al-Qasim said, "I heard Abdullah ibn Amir ibn Rabia say,
'I sometimes pray witr while hearing the iqama, or after
the break of dawn.' " Abd ar-Rahman was not certain which
he said.
Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah
ibn Umar that Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, told him that the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to
pray two quick rakas when the muadhdhin had finished the
adhan for the subh prayer, before the iqama was said for
the prayer.
Malik related to me from Yahya ibn Said that A'isha,
the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, used to pray the two rakas of the
dawn (fajr) so quickly that I would say to myself 'Has he
recited the umm al-Qur'an or not?' "
Yahya related to me from Malik from Sharik ibn Abdullah
ibn Abi Namir that Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman said,
"Some people heard the iqama and started to pray. The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, came out and said, 'Are you doing two prayers at
the same time? Are you doing two prayers at the same
time?' That was about the subh prayer and the two rakas
before subh."