7,563 · Hadith
Compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Naysaburi · 815–875 CE
Compiled by Imam Muslim, a contemporary of al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim is the second of the two most authentic collections — together they are called the Sahihayn. Muslim gathered all the chains of a single narration in one place and is especially prized for the care and precision of its isnads.
This hadith has been narrated by Hisham with the same chain of transmitters
A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray thirteen rak'ahs during the night including the two rak'ahs (Sunan) of the dawn prayer
Abu Salama b. Abd al-Rahman asked 'A'isha about the (night) prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during the month of Ramadan. She said:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not observe either in Ramadan or in other months more than eleven rak'ahs (of the night prayer). He (in the first instance) observed four rak'ahs. Ask not about their excellence and their length (i. e. these were matchless in perfection and length). He again observed four rak'ahs, and ask not about their excellence and their length. He would then observe three rak'ahs (of the Witr prayer). 'A'isha again said: I said: Messenger of Allah, do you sleep before observing the Witr prayer? He said: O 'A'isha, my eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep
Abu Salama asked 'A'isha about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) She said:He observed thirteen rak'ahs (in the night prayer). He observed eight rak'ahs and would then observe Witr and then observe two rak'ahs sitting, and when he wanted to bow he stood up and then bowed down, and then observed two rak'ahs in between the Adhan and lqama of the dawn prayer
Abu Salama reported that he asked 'A'isha about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) (during the night). The rest of the hadith is the same but with this exception that he (the Holy Prophet) observed nine rak'ahs including Witr
Abu Salama is reported to have said. I came to 'A'isha. I said:O mother, inform me about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: His (night prayer) in Ramadan and (during other months) was thirteen rak'ahs at night including two rak'ahs of fajr
It is reported on the authority of 'A'isha that the prayer of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the night consisted of ten rak'ahs. He observed a Witr and two rak'ahs (of Sunan) of the dawn prayer, and thus the total comes to thirteen rak'ahs
A'isha thus reported about the (night prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ):He used to sleep in the early part of the night, and woke up in the latter part. If he then wished intercourse with his wife, he satisfied his desire, and then went to sleep; and when the first call to prayer was made he jumped up (by Allah, she, i. e. 'A'isha, did not say" he stood up" ), and poured water over him (by Allah she, i. e. 'A'isha, did not say that he took a bath but I know what she meant) and if he did not have an intercourse, he performed ablution, just as a man performs ablution for prayer and then observed two rak'ahs
A'isha observed that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe prayer in the night and the last of his (night) prayer was Witr
Masruq is reported to have asked 'A'isha about the action (most pleasing to) the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said:He (the Holy Prophet) loved (that action) which one keeps on doing regularly. I said (to 'A'isha): When did he pray (at night)? She replied: When he heard the cock crow, he got up and observed prayer
A'isha reported:Never did the earlier part of the dawn find the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) but sleeping in my house or near me
A'isha reported:When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had prayed the two rak'ahs (Sunan) of the dawn prayer, he would talk to me if I was awake, otherwise he would lie down
A hadith like this has been narrated by 'A'isha by another chain of transmitters
A'isha reported:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray in the night and when he observed Witr, he said to me: O 'A'isha, get up and observe Witr
A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to offer prayer at night while she lay in front of him, and when the Witr prayer was yet to be observed, he would awaken her and she observed Witr
A'isha reported:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed the Witr prayer every night and he completed Witr at the time of dawn
Masruq reported on the authority of 'A'isha that she said that the Messenger Of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe the Witr prayer every night, maybe in the early part of night, at midnight and in the latter part, finishing his Witr at dawn
A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe Witr every night, and he would (at times) complete his Witr at the end of the night
Sa'd b. Hisham b. 'Amir decided to participate in the expedition for the sake of Allah, so he came to Medina and he decided to dispose of his property there and buy arms and horses instead and fight against the Romans to the end of his life. When he came to Medina, he met the people of Medina. They dissuaded him to do such a thing, and informed him that a group of six men had decided to do so during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade them to do it, and said:Is there not for you a model pattern in me? And when they narrated this to him (Sa'd b. Hisham), he returned to his wife, though he had divorced her and made (people) witness to his reconciliation. He then came to Ibn 'Abbas and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Ibn 'Abbas said: Should I not lead you to one who knows best amongst the people of the world about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? He said: Who is it? He (Ibn 'Abbas) said: It is 'A'isha. So go to her and ask her (about Witr) and then come to me and inform me about her answer that she would give you. So I came to Hakim b. Aflah and requested him to take me to her. He said: I would not go to her, for I forbade her to speak anything (about the conflict) between the two groupS, but she refused (to accept my advice) and went (to participate in that corflict). I (requested) him (Hakim) with an oath to lead me to her. So we went to 'A'isha and we begged permission to meet her. She granted us permission and we went in. She said: Are you Hakim? (She recognised him.) He replied: Yes. She said: Who is there with you? He said: He is Sa'd b. Hisham. She said: Which Hisham? He said: He is Hisham b. 'Amir. She blessed him ('Amir) with mercy from Allah and spoke good of him (Qatada said that he died as a martyr in Uhud). I said: Mother of the Faithful, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: Don't you read the Qur'an? I said: Yes. Upon this she said: The character of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the Qur'an. He said: I felt inclined to get up and not ask anything (further) till death. But then I changed my mind and said: Inform me about the observance (of the night prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: Did you not recite:" O thou wrapped up"? He said: Yes. She said: Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious, made the observance of the night prayer at the beginning of this Surah obligatory. So the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him and his Companions around him observed this (night prayer) for one year. Allah held back the concluding portion of this Surah for twelve months in the Heaven till (at the end of this period) Allah revealed the concluding verses of this Surah which lightened (the burden of this prayer), and the night prayer became a supererogatory prayer after being an obligatory one. I said: Mother of the Faithful, inform me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: I used to prepare tooth stick for him and water for his ablution, and Allah would rouse him to the extent He wished during the night. He would use the tooth stick, and perform ablution, and would offer nine rak'ahs, and would not sit but in the eighth one and would remember Allah, and praise Him and supplicate Him, then he would get up without uttering the salutation and pray the ninth rak'ah. He would then sit, remember, praise Him and supplicate Him and then utter a salutation loud enough for us to hear. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting after uttering the salutation, and that made eleven rak'ahs. O my son, but when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) grew old and put on flesh, he observed Witr of seven, doing in the two rak'ahs as he had done formerly, and that made nine. O my son, and when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed prayer, he liked to keep on observing it, and when sleep or pain overpowered him and made it impossible (for him) to observe prayer in the night, he prayed twelve rak'ahs daring the day. I am not aware of Allah's Prophet (ﷺ) having recited the whole Qur'an during one single night, or praying through the night till morning, or fasting a complete month, except Ramadan. He (the narrator) said: I then went to Ibn 'Abbas and narrated to him the hadith (transmitted from her), and he said: She says the truth If I went to her and got into her presence, I would have listened to it orally from her. He said: If I were to know that you do not go to her. I would not have transmitted this hadith to you narrated by her
Zurara b. Aufa said that Sa'd b. Hisham divorced his wife, and then proceeded to Medina to sell his property, and the rest of the hadith is the same