The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) came out to us
and said: Allah the Exalted has given you an extra prayer
which is better for you then the red camels (i.e. high
breed camels). This is the witr which Allah has appointed
for you between the night prayer and the daybreak.
I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say:
The witr is a duty, so he who does not observe it does not
belong to us; the witr is a duty, so he who does not
observe it does not belong to us; the witr is a duty, so
he who does not observe it does not belong to us.
Ibn Muhayriz said: A man from Banu Kinanah, named al-Makhdaji,
heard a person called AbuMuhammad in Syria, saying: The
witr is a duty (wajib).
Al-Makhdaji said: So I went to Ubadah ibn as-Samit and
informed him.
Ubadah said: AbuMuhammad told a lie. I heard the
Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: There are five
prayers which Allah has prescribed on His servants. If
anyone offers them, not losing any of them, and not
treating them lightly, Allah guarantees that He will admit
him to Paradise. If anyone does not offer them, Allah does
not take any responsibility for such a person. He may
either punish him or admit him to Paradise.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The witr is a
duty for every Muslim so if anyone wishes to observe it
with five rak'ahs, he may do so; if anyone wishes to
observe it with three, he may do so, and if anyone wishes
to observe it with one, he may do so.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) used to
observe witr with (reciting) "Glorify the name of thy
Lord, the most High" (Surah 87), "Say O disbelievers" (Surah
109), and "Say, He is Allah, the One, Allah, the eternally
besought of all" (112).
AbdulAziz ibn Jurayj said: I asked Aisha, mother of the
believers: With which (surah) the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
used to observe witr? (She reported same as in the Hadith
of Ubayy ibn Ka'b, No. 1418)
This version adds: In the third rak'ah he would recite:
"Say, He is Allah, the One" (Surah 112), and "Say, I seek
refuge in the Lord of daybreak" (Surah 113), and "Say, I
seek refuge in the Lord of mankind" (Surah 114).
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) taught me some
words that I say during the witr. (The version of Ibn
Jawwas has: I say them in the supplication of the witr.)
They were: "O Allah, guide me among those Thou hast
guided, grant me security among those Thou hast granted
security, take me into Thy charge among those Thou hast
taken into Thy charge, bless me in what Thou hast given,
guard me from the evil of what Thou hast decreed, for Thou
dost decree, and nothing is decreed for Thee. He whom Thou
befriendest is not humbled. Blessed and Exalted art Thou,
our Lord."
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) used to say at
the end of his witr: "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thy good
pleasure from Thy anger, and in Thy forgiveness from Thy
punishment, and I seek refuge in Thy mercy from Thy wrath.
I cannot reckon the praise due to Thee. Thou art as Thou
hast praised Thyself."
Al-Hasan reported: Umar ibn al-Khattab gathered the
people (in tarawih prayer) behind Ubayy ibn Ka'b (who led
them). He used to lead them for twenty days (during
Ramadan, and would not recite the supplication except in
the second half of it (i.e. Ramadan). When the last ten
days remained, he kept away from them, and prayed in his
house. They used to say: Ubayy ran away.
Qays ibn Talq said: Talq ibn Ali visited us on a
certain day during Ramadan. He remained with us till
evening and broke fast with us. He then stood up and led
us in the witr prayer.
He then went to his mosque and led them in prayer. When
the witr remained, he put forward another man and said:
Lead your companions in the witr prayer, for I heard the
Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: There are
no two witrs during one night.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) recited the
supplication (Qunut) daily for a month at the noon,
afternoon, sunset, night and morning prayers. When he
said: "Allah listens to him who praises Him" in the last
rak'ah, invoking a curse on some clans of Banu Sulaym,
Ri'l, Dhakwan and Usayyah, and those who were standing
behind him said: Amen.
Muhammad ibn Sirin said: Someone who prayed the morning
prayer along with the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) narrated
to me: When he raised his head after the second rak'ah, he
remained standing for a short while.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: May Allah show
mercy to a man who gets up during the night and prays, who
wakens his wife and she prays; if she refuses, he
sprinkles water on her face. May Allah show mercy to a
woman who gets up during the night and prays, who wakens
her husband and he prays; if he refuses she sprinkles
water on his face.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: When a man
himself wakes at night and wakens his wife and they pray
two rak'ahs together, they are recorded among the men and
women who make much mention of Allah.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone recites
the Qur'an and acts according to its contents, on the Day
of Judgment his parents will be given to wear a crown
whose light is better than the light of the sun in the
dwellings of this world if it were among you. So what do
you think of him who acts according to his.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was given
seven repeated long surahs, while Moses was given six,
When he threw the tablets, two of them were withdrawn and
four remained.
I was driving the she-camel of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
during a journey. He said to me: Uqbah, should I not teach
you two best surahs ever recited? He then taught me: "Say,
I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn," and "Say, I seek
refuge in the Lord of men." He did not see me much pleased
(by these two surahs).
When he alighted for prayer, he led the people in the
morning prayer and recited them in prayer. When the
Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) finished his prayer,
he turned to me and said: O Uqbah, how did you see.
White I was travelling with the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
between al-Juhfah and al-Abwa', a wind and intense
darkness enveloped us, whereupon the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
began to seek refuge in Allah, reciting: "I seek refuge in
the Lord of the dawn," and "I seek refuge in the Lord of
men."
He then said: Uqbah, use them when seeking refuge in
Allah, for no one can use anything to compare with them
for the purpose.
Uqbah added: I heard him reciting them when he led the
people in prayer.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: One who
was devoted to the Qur'an will be told to recite, ascend
and recite carefully as he recited carefully when he was
in the world, for he will reach his abode when he comes to
the last verse he recites.
Ya'la ibn Mumallak said that he asked Umm Salamah about
the recitation and prayer of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him).
She said: What have you to do with his prayer? He would
pray, then sleep as long as he had prayed, till morning.
She then described his recitation and did so with an
exposition word by word.
Ubaydullah ibn Yazid said: AbuLubabah passed by us and
we followed him till he entered his house, and we also
entered it.
There was a man in a rusty house and in shabby
condition. I heard him say: I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
say: He is not one of us who does not chant the Qur'an.
I (the narrator AbdulJabbar) said to Ibn AbuMulaykah:
AbuMuhammad, what do you think if a person does not have
pleasant voice? He said: He should recite with pleasant
voice as much as possible.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: No man recites
the Qur'an, then forgets it, but will meet Allah on the
Day of Judgment in a maimed condition (or empty-handed, or
with no excuse).
Ibn Sa'd said: My father (Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas) heard me
say: O Allah, I ask Thee for Paradise, its blessings, its
pleasure and such-and-such, and such-and-such; I seek
refuge in Thee from Hell, from its chains, from its
collars, and from such-and-such, and from such-and-such.
He said: I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
say: There will be people who will exaggerate in
supplication. You should not be one of them. If you are
granted Paradise, you will be granted all what is good
therein; if you are protected from Hell, you will be
protected from what is evil therein.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) heard a person
supplicating during prayer. He did not mention the
greatness of Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the
Prophet (peace_be_upon_him).
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: He made
haste.
He then called him and said either to him or to any
other person: If any of you prays, he should mention the
exaltation of his Lord in the beginning and praise Him; he
should then invoke blessings on the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him);
thereafter he should supplicate Allah for anything he
wishes.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Do not cover the
walls. He who sees the letter of his brother without his
permission, sees Hell-fire.
Supplicate Allah with the palms of your hands; do not
supplicate Him with their backs upwards. When you finish
supplication, wipe your faces with them.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Your Lord is
munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty
the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him.
Ikrimah quoted Ibn Abbas as saying: When asking for
something you should raise your hands opposite to your
shoulders; when asking for forgiveness you should point
with one finger; and when making an earnest supplication
you should spread out both your hands.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) heard a man
saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is
no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has
not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no
one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah
using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He
gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers.
I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication:
O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is
due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest
favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and
the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One,
O Eternal One.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) then said: He has
supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when
supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by
this name He gives.
Ata' said: The quilt of Aisha was stolen. She began to
curse the person who had stolen it. The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him)
began to tell her: Do not lighten him.
I sought permission of the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him)
to perform umrah. He gave me permission and said: My
younger brother, do not forget me in your supplication.
He (Umar) said: He told me a word that pleased me so
much so that I would not have been pleased if I were given
the whole world.
The narrator Shu'bah said: I then met Asim at Medina.
He narrated to me this tradition and reported the
wordings: "My younger brother, share me in your
supplication."
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) passed by me while I
was supplicating by pointing with two fingers of mine. He
said: Point with one finger; point with one finger. He
then himself pointed with the forefinger.
Once Sa'd, with the Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him), visited a woman in front of whom were
some date-stones or pebbles which she was using as a
rosary to glorify Allah. He (the Prophet) said: I tell you
something which would be easier (or more excellent) for
you than that. He said (it consisted of saying): "Glory be
to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He has
created in Heaven; "Glory be to Allah" as many times as
the number of that which He has created on Earth; "Glory
be to Allah" as many times as the number of that which He
has created between them; "Glory be to Allah" as many
times as the number of that which He is creating; "Allah
is most great" a similar number of times; "Praise (be to
Allah)" a similar number of times; and "There is no god
but Allah" a similar number of times; "There is no might
and no power except in Allah" a similar number of times.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) commanded them (the
women emigrants) to be regular (in remembering Allah by
saying): "Allah is most great"; "Glory be to the King, the
Holy"; "there is no god but Allah"; and that they should
count them on fingers, for they (the fingers) will be
questioned and asked to speak.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) went out from
Juwayriyyah (wife of the Prophet). Earlier her name was
Barrah, and he changed it. When he went out she was in her
place of worship, and when he returned she was in her
place of worship.
He asked: Have you been in your place of worship
continuously? She said: Yes. He then said: Since leaving
you I have said three times four phrases which, if weighed
against all that you have said (during this period), would
prove to be heavier: "glory be to Allah", and I begin with
praise of Him to the number of His creatures, in
accordance with His good pleasure, to the weight of His
throne and to the ink (extent) of His words.
AbuDharr said: Prophet of Allah. The wealthy people
have all the rewards; they pray as we pray; they fast as
we fast; and they have surplus wealth which they give in
charity; but we have no wealth which we may give in
charity.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said:
AbuDharr, should I not teach you phrases by which you
acquire the rank of those who excel you? No one can
acquire your rank except one who acts like you.
He said: Why not, Apostle of Allah? He said: Exalt
Allah (say: Allah is Most Great) after each prayer
thirty-three times; and praise Him (say: Praise be to
Allah) thirty-three times; and glorify Him (say: Glory be
to Allah) thirty-three times, and end it by saying, "There
is no god but Allah alone, there is no partner, to Him
belongs the Kingdom, to Him praise is due and He has power
over everything". His sins will be forgiven, even if they
are like the foam of the sea.
I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) saying
(the version of Sulayman has: The Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) used to say) after his prayer:-
"O Allah, our Lord and Lord of everything, I bear
witness that Thou art the Lord alone Who hast no partner;
O Allah, Our Lord and Lord of everything, I bear witness
that Muhammad is Thy servant and Thy apostle ; O Allah,
our Lord and Lord of everything, I bear witness that all
the servants are brethren; O Allah, our Lord and Lord of
everything make me sincere to Thee, and my family too at
every moment, in this world and in the world hereafter, O
Possessor of glory and honour, listen to me and answer.
Allah is incomparably great. O Allah, Light of the heavens
and of the earth".
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) used to supplicate
Allah: "My Lord, help me and do not give help against me;
grant me victory, and do not grant victory over me; plan
on my behalf and do not plan against me; guide me, and
made my right guidance easy for me; grant me victory over
those who act wrongfully towards me; O Allah, make me
grateful to Thee, mindful of Thee, full of fear towards
Thee, devoted to Thy obedience, humble before Thee, or
penitent. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sin,
answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence,
guide my heart, make true my tongue and draw out malice in
my breast."
We counted that the Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) would say a hundred times during a
meeting: "My Lord, forgive me and pardon me; Thou art the
Pardoning and forgiving One".
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone says:
"I ask pardon of Allah than Whom there is no deity, the
Living, the eternal, and I turn to Him in repentance," he
will be pardoned, even if he has fled in time of battle.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone
continually asks pardon, Allah will appoint for him a way
out of every distress, and a relief from every anxiety,
and will provide for him from where he did not reckon.
Asma' bint al-Hakam said: I heard Ali say: I was a man;
when I heard a tradition from the Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him), Allah benefited me with it as much as
He willed. But when some one of his companions narrated a
tradition to me I adjured him. When he took an oath, I
testified him.
AbuBakr narrated to me a tradition, and AbuBakr
narrated truthfully. He said: I heard the apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) saying: When a servant (of Allah)
commits a sin, and he performs ablution well, and then
stands and prays two rak'ahs, and asks pardon of Allah,
Allah pardons him. He then recited this verse: "And those
who, when they commit indecency or wrong their souls,
remember Allah" (iii.134).
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said to me:
May I not teach you phrases which you utter in distress?
(These are:) "Allah , Allah is my Lord, I do not associate
anything as partner with Him."
Once we accompanied the Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) on a journey. When we reached near
Medina, the people began to say aloud: "Allah is most
great," and they raised their voice.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: O
people, you are not supplicating one who is deaf and
absent, but you are supplicating One Who is nearer to you
than the neck of your riding beast.
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) then said:
AbuMusa, should I not point out to you one of the
treasures of Paradise?
I asked: What is that?
He replied: "There is no might and there is no power
except in Allah"
A woman said to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him): Invoke
blessing on me as well as on my husband. The Prophet
(peace_be_upon_him) said: May Allah send blessing on you
and your husband.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Three
supplications are answered, there being no doubt about
them; that of a father, that of a traveller and that of
one who has been wronged.
When the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) feared a (group
of) people, he would say: "O Allah, we make Thee our
shield against them, and take refuge in Thee from their
evils."
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) used to seek refuge in
Allah from five things; cowardliness, niggardliness, the
evils of old age, evil thoughts, and punishment in the
grave.
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) used to say: "O Allah,
I seek refuge in Thee from poverty", lack and abasement,
and I seek refuge in Thee lest I cause or suffer wrong."
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) used to
supplicate by saying: "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from
divisiveness, hypocrisy, and evil character."
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) used to say:
"O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from hunger, for it is an
evil bed-fellow; and I seek refuge in Thee from treachery,
for it is an evil hidden trait."
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) used to say:
"O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from four things:
Knowledge which does not profit, a heart which is not
submissive, a soul which has an insatiable appetite, and a
supplication which is not heard."
I said: Apostle of Allah, teach me a supplication.
He said: Say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the
evil of what I hear, from the evil of what I see, from the
evil of what I speak, from the evil of what I think, and
from the evil of my semen" (i.e. sexual passion).
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) used to
supplicate: "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from my house
falling on me, I seek refuge in Thee from falling into an
abyss, I seek refuge in Thee from drowning burning and
decrepitude. I seek refuge in Thee from the devil harming
me at the time of my death, I seek refuge in Thee from
dying in Thy path while retreating, and I seek refuge in
Thee from dying of the sting of a poisonous creature."
One day the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
entered the mosque. He saw there a man from the Ansar
called AbuUmamah.
He said: What is the matter that I am seeing you
sitting in the mosque when there is no time of prayer?
He said: I am entangled in cares and debts, Apostle of
Allah.
He replied: Shall I not teach you words by which, when
you say them, Allah will remove your care, and settle your
debt?
He said: Why not, Apostle of Allah?
He said: Say in the morning and evening: "O Allah, I
seek refuge in Thee from care and grief, I seek refuge in
Thee from incapacity and slackness, I seek refuge in Thee
from cowardice and niggardliness, and I seek in Thee from
being overcome by debt and being put in subjection by
men."
He said: When I did that Allah removed my care and
settled my debt.