Sunan an-Nasa'i

It was narrated that Abu Dharr said:"We fasted with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Ramadan and he did not lead us in praying Qiyam until there were seven days left in the month, when he led us in praying Qiyam until one-third of the night had passed. Then he did not lead us in praying Qiyam when there were six days left. Then he led us praying Qiyam when there were five days left until one-half of the night had passed. I said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if we spend the rest of this night praying Nafl?" He said: "Whoever prays Qiyam with the Imam until he finishes, Allah (SWT) will record for him the Qiyam of a (whole) night." Then he did not lead us in prayer or pray Qiyam until there were three days of the month left. Then he led us in praying Qiyam when there were three days left. He gathered his family and wives (and led us in prayer) until we feared that we would miss Al-Falah. I (one of the narrators) said: "What is Al-Falah?" He said: "The suhur

Nu'aim bin Ziyad Abu Talhah said:"I heard An-Nu'man bin Bashir on the minbar in Hims saying: "We prayed Qiyam with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during Ramadan on the night of the twenty-third until one-third of the night had passed, then we prayed Qiyam with him on the night of the twenty-fifth until one-half of the night had passed, then we prayed Qiyam with him on the night of the twenty-seventh until we thought that we would miss Al-Falah- that is what they used to call suhur

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'When any one of you goes to sleep, the Shaitan ties three knots on his head, saying each time: "(Sleep) a long night." If he wakes up and remembers Allah (SWT), one knot is undone. If he performs wudu', another knot is undone. If he prays, all the knots are undone and he starts his day in a good mood and feeling energetic. Otherwise he starts his day in a bad mood and feeling lethargic

It was narrated that Abdullah said:"Mention was made in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about a man who slept all night until morning. He said: 'That is a man in whose ear the Shaitan has urinated

It was narrated that Abdullah said:"A man said: 'O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). So-and-so slept and missed the prayer yesterday until morning came.' He said: 'The Shaitan has urinated in that one's ears

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'May Allah (SWT) have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, then he wakes his wife and she prays, and if she refuses he sprinkles water in her face. And may Allah (SWT) have mercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays, then she wakes her husband and prays, and if he refuses she sprinkles water in his face

It was narrated from 'Ali bin Abi Talib that:The Prophet (ﷺ) came to him and Fatimah at night and said: "Won't you pray?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), our souls are in the hand of Allah and if He wants to make us get up, He will make us get up." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went away when I said that to him. Then as he was leaving I heard him striking his thigh and saying: But, man is ever more quarrelsome than anything

It was narrated from Ali bin Husain, from his father, that:Hs grandfather Ali bin Abi Talib said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came in to Fatimah and I, one night and woke us up to pray, then he went back to his house and prayed for part of the night, and he did not hear any movement from us. He came back to us and woke us up, and said: 'Get up and pray.' I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and said: 'By Allah, we will only pray that which has decreed for us; our souls are in the hand of Allah (SWT) and if He wants to make us get up, He will make us get up.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned away, striking his hand on his thigh, saying: 'We will only pray that which Allah (SWT) has decreed for us! But man is ever more quarrelsome than anything

It was narrated from Humaid bin 'Abdur-Rahman- that is Ibn 'Awf, that Abu Hurairah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The best fasting after the month of Ramadan is the month of Allah, Al-Muharram, and the best prayer is prayer at night

It was narrated from Abu Bishr Ja'far bin Abi Wahshiyyah that:He heard Humaid bin 'Abdur-Rahman say: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The best prayer after the obligatory (fard) prayers is prayer at night and the best fasting after the month of Ramadan is Al-Muharram.'" Shu'bah bin Al-Hajjaj narrated it in Mursal form

It was narrated from Zaid bin Zabyan who attributed it to Abu Dharr that:The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There are three whom Allah (SWT) loves: A man who comes to some people and asks (to be given something) for the sake of Allah and not for the sake of their relationship, but they do not give him, so a man stayed behind and gave it to him in secret, and no one knew of his giving except Allah (SWT) and the one to whom he gave it. People who travel all night until sleep becomes dearer to them than anything equated with it, so they lay down their heads (and slept), then a man among them got up and started praying to Me and beseeching Me, reciting My Verses. And a man who was on a campaign and met the enemy and they fled, but he went forward (pursuing them) until he was killed or victory was granted

It was narrated that Masruq said:"I said to 'Aishah: 'Which deed was most beloved to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?' She said: 'That which was done persistently.' I said: 'At what part of the night did he pray Qiyam?' She said: 'When he heard the rooster

It was narrated that 'Asim bin Humaid said:"I asked 'Aishah with what did he- meaning the Prophet (ﷺ)- start Qiyam Al-Lail? She said: 'You have asked me something which no one before you has asked. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say the takbir ten times, the tahmid ten times, the tasbih ten times, and the tahlil ten times, and pray for forgiveness ten times, and say: Allahummaghfirli, wahdini, warzuqni wa 'afini. A'udhu billahi min diqil-maqami yawmal-qiyamah (O Allah, forgive me, guide me, grant me provision and good health. I seek refuge with Allah from the difficulty of standing on the Day of Resurrection)

It was narrated that Rabi'ah bin Ka'b Al-Aslami said:"I used to stay overnight at the Prophet's (ﷺ) apartment and I used to hear him when he prayed Qiyam at night saying: 'Subhan Allahi Rabil-Alamin (Glory be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds)' for a long time, then he said: 'Subhan Allah wa bi hamdih (Glory and praise be to Allah) for a long time

It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said:"When the Prophet (ﷺ) got up at night to pray Tahajjud, he said: Allahumma, lakal-hamdu anta nurus-samawati wal-ardi wa man fihinna wa lakal-hamdu anta qayyamus-samawati wal ardi wa man fihinna wa lakal-hamdu, anta haqqun wa wa'duka haqqun wal jannatu haqqun wan-nuru haqqun wan-nabiyyuna haqqun wa Muhammadan haqqun, laka aslant wa 'alaika tawakkaltu wa bika amant. ( O Allah, to You be praise, You are the Light of the heavens and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Sustainer of the Heavens and the earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Sovereign of the heavens and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise; You are True, Your promise is true, Paradise is true, Hell is true, the Hour is true, the Prophets are true and Muhammad is true. To You have I submitted, in You I put my trust and in You I have believed.'" Then (one of the narrators) Qutaibah mentioned some words the meaning of which was: "Wa bika khasamtu wa ilaika hakamtu, ighfirli ma quadrate wa ma akhkhartu wa ma a'lantu antal-muqaddimu wa antal-mu'khkhir, la ilaha illa anta wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (And with Your help I argue [with my opponents, the non-believers], and I take You as a judge [to judge between us]. Forgive me my past and future sins and those that I commit openly. You are the One who puts [some people] back and bring [others] forward. There is no God but You and there is no power and no strength except with Allah

It was narrated from Kuraib that 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas told him:He slept at the house of Maimunah the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ), who was his maternal aunt. He said: "I laid down across the mattress an the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his wife lay along it. The Prophet (ﷺ) slept until midnight, or a little before or a little after. The Prophet (ﷺ) woke up and began to rub the sleep from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last ten verses of Surah Al Imran. Then he got up and went to a water skin that was hanging up and performed wudu from it, and he performed wudu well, then he stood up and prayed." Abdullah bin 'Abbas said: "I stood up and did what he had done, then I went and stood beside him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) put his right hand on my neck, and took old of my right hand and tweaked it. Then he prayed two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then he prayed witr.Then he lay down until the Mu'adhdhin came to him and he prayed two brief rak'ahs

It was narrated from Hudhaifah that:When the Prophet (ﷺ) got up to pray at night, he would brush his teeth with the siwak

It was narrated that Hudhaifah said:"When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up to pray tahajjud at night, he would brush his teeth with the siwak

It was narrated that Hudhaifah said:"We were commanded to use the siwak when we got up to pray at night

It was narrated that Shaqiq said:"We were commanded, when we got up to pray at night, to clean our mouths with the siwak

Abu Salamah bin 'Abdur-Rahman said:"I asked 'Aishah: 'With what did the Prophet (ﷺ) start his prayer?' She said: 'When he got up to pray at night he would start his prayer with the words: Allahumma Rabba Jibril wa Maika'il wa Israfil; Fatirus-samawati wal-ard, 'alim al-ghaybi wash-shahadah, anta tahkumu bayna 'ibadika fima kanu fihi yakhtalifun, Allahumma ihdini limakktulifa fihi min al-haqq innaka tahdi man tasha'ila siratin mustaqim (O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning wherein they differ. O Allah, guide me to the disputed matters of truth for You are the One Who guides to the Straight Path)

It was narrated that Ibn Shihaab said:"Humaid bin Abdur-Rahman bin 'Awf told me that a man from among the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'I said, when I was on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): By Allah (SWT), I am going to watch the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and see what he does. When he prayed 'Isha, he lay down for a long time. Then he woke up and looked toward the horizon and said: "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose" until he reached: "for You never break (Your) Promise." Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reached across his bed and took a siwak from it, then he poured water from a vessel and cleaned his teeth. Then he stood and prayed until I said: He has prayed for as long as he has slept. Then he lay down until I said: He has slept as long as he prayed. Then he woke up and did the same as he had done the first time and said the same as he had said. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did that three times before Fajr

It was narrated that Anas said:"Every time we wanted to see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) praying at night we saw him, and every time we wanted to see him sleeping, we saw him

Ya'la bin Mamlak said that he asked Umm Salamah about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and she said:"He used to pray 'Isha, then he would recite tasbih, then after that he would pray whatever Allah (SWT) willed (he should pray) of night prayer. Then he would go and sleep for as long as he had prayed. Then he would get up from sleep and pray for as long as he had slept, and this last prayer of his would continue until dawn

It was narrated from Ya'la bin Mamlak that he asked Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) about the recitation and prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said:"What do you want to know about his prayer (I.e., you can never match it)? He used to pray, then sleep for as long as he had prayed, then he would pray as long as he had slept, then he would sleep as long as he had prayed, until dawn came." Then she described to him his recitation, and she described a clear recitation in which every letter was distinct

It was narrated from 'Amr bin Aws that he heard Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-'As say:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The most beloved of fasting to Allah is the fasting of Dawud, peace be upon him. He used to fast one day and not the next. And the most beloved of prayer to Allah (SWT) is the prayer of Dawud. He used to sleep half the night, spend one-third of the night in prayer and sleep for one-sixth of it

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "On the night on which I was taken on the Night Journey (Al-Isra') I came to Musa, peace be upon him, at the red dune, and he was standing, praying in his grave

It was narrated from Anas that :The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "I came to Musa at the red dune and he was standing and praying

It was narrated from Anas that:The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "I passed by the grave of Musa, peace be upon him, and he was praying in his grave

It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'On the night on which I was taken on the Night Journey, I passed by Musa, peace be upon him, and he was praying in his grave

It was narrated from Anas that:On the night on which he was taken on the Night Journey, the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by Musa, peace be upon him, and he was praying in his grave

Mu'tamir said:"I heard my father say: I heard Anas say: 'One of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) told me that on the Night Journey, the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by Musa, peace be upon him, and he was praying in his grave

It was narrated from Anas, from on of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), that:The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'On the night on which I was taken on the Night Journey, I passed by Musa and he was praying in his grave

It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin Khabbab bin Al-Aratt, from his father who had been present at Badr with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), that:He watched the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one night when he prayed all night until Fajr time. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said the taslim at the end of his prayer, Khabbab said to him: 'May my father and mother be ransomed for you O Messenger of Allah, last night you offered a prayer the like of which I have never seen you offer." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Yes indeed. This is a prayer of hope and fear in which I asked my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, for three things, of which He gave me two and did not grant me one. I asked my Lord not to destroy us with which he destroyed the nations before us, and He granted me that. And I asked my Lord not to let an enemy from without prevail over us, and He granted me that. And I asked my Lord not to divide us into warring factions and He did not grant me that

It was narrated that Masruq said:"Aishah may Allah (SWT) be pleased with her, said: ' When the last ten nights of Ramadan began, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stayed up at night (for prayer) and he woke his family up and tightened his waist-wrap

It was narrated that Abu Ishaq said:"I came to Al-Aswad bin Yazid, who was a close friend of mine and said: 'O Abu 'Amr, tell me what the Mother of the Believers told you about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' He said: 'She said: "He used to sleep for the first part of the night and stay up for the latter part

It was narrated that 'Aishah, may Allah (SWT) be pleased with her, said:"I do not know that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited the whole Qur'an in one night, or spent a whole night in worship until dawn, or that he ever fasted an entire month apart from Ramadan

It was narrated from Aishah that:The Prophet (ﷺ) came in to her and there was a woman with her. He said: "Who is this?" She said: "So-and-so, and she does not sleep." And she told him about how she prayed a great deal. He said: "Stop praising her. You should do what you can, for by Allah (SWT), Allah never gets tired (of giving reward) until you get tired. And the most beloved of religious actions to Him is that in which a person persists

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered the masjid and saw a rope tied between two pillars. He said: "What is this?" They said: "It is for Zainab when she prays; if she gets tired she holds on to it." The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Untie it. Let any one of you pray as long as he has energy, and if he gets tired let him sit down

It was narrated that Ziyad bin Ilaqah said:"I heard Al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah say: 'The Prophet (ﷺ) stood (in prayer at night) until his feet swelled up, and it was said to him: Allah has forgiven your past and future sins. He said: "Should I not be a thankful slave?

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray until he developed fissures in his feet

It was narrated that 'Aishah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray for a long time at night. If he started to pray standing, he would bow standing and if he started to pray sitting, he would bow sitting

It was narrated hat Aishah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray standing and sitting. If he started to pray standing, he would bow standing and if he started to pray sitting, he would bow sitting

It was narrated from Aishah that :The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray when he was sitting. He would recite while sitting, then when there were thirty or forty verses left, he would stand up and recite while standing, then he bowed and prostrated, then he would do likewise in the second rak'ah

It was narrated that Aishah said:"I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray sitting down until he grew old. Then he would pray sitting down and when there were thirty or forty verses left, he would stand up and recite them, then bow

It was narrated that Aishah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite sitting, and when he wanted to bow he would stand up for as long as it takes a person to recite forty verses

It was narrated that Sa'd bin Hisham bin 'Amir said:" I came to Al-Madinah and entered upon Aishah, may Allah (SWT) be pleased with her. She said: 'Who are you?' I said: 'I am Sa'd bin Hisham bin 'Amir.' She said: 'May Allah have mercy on your father.' I said: 'Tell me about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' She said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did such and such.' I said: 'Yes indeed.' She said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray Isha' at night, then he would go to his bed and sleep. In the middle of the night, he would get up to relieve himself and go to his water for purification and perform wudu. Then he went into the Masjid and prayed eight rak'ahs. I think he made the recitation, bowing and prostration equal in length. Then he prayed one rak'ah of witr, then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting down. Then he lay down on his side. Sometimes Bilal would come and tell him that it was time to pray before he napped, and sometimes he napped. And sometimes I was not sure if he had napped or not before he told him that it was time to pray. This is how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray until he grew older and gained weight"- and she mentioned whatever Allah (SWT) willed about his gaining weight. She said: "And the Prophet (ﷺ) used to lead the people in praying witr, then he would go to his bed. In the middle of the night, he would get up and go to water for purification, and to relieve himself, then he would perform wudu. Then he would go into the masjid and pray six rak'ahs, and I think he made the recitation, bowing, and prostration equal in length. Then he prayed one rak'ah of witr, then he prayed two rak'ahs sitting down. Then he lay down on his side. Sometimes Bilal would come and tell him that it was time to pray before he napped, and sometimes he napped. And sometimes I was not sure if he had napped or not before he told him that it was time to pray." She said: "And this is how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) continued to pray

It was narrated that Aishah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not refrain from (kissing) my forehead when he was fasting, and he did not die until most of his prayers were offered sitting down." Then she said something to the effect that (referred to the prayers) other than the obligatory prayers. "And the dearest of actions to him was that in which a person persists, even if it is little

It was narrated from Al-Aswad, that Umm Salamah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not pass away until most of his prayers were offered sitting down, except for the obligatory prayers

It was narrated from Abu Salamah, that Umm Salamah said:"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not pass away until most of his prayers were offered sitting down, except for the obligatory prayers, and the dearest of actions to him were those which were done persistently, even if they were few