That he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) recite in both rak'ahs of the dawn: "Say: We believe in Allah, and in the revelation given to us" (3:84). This is in the first rak'ah. In the second rak'ah he recited this verse: "Our Lord, we have believed in what You have sent down, and we follow the Messenger, so write us down among those who bear witness." or he recited: "Surely, we have sent you with the truth as a bringer of glad tidings, and a warner. And you will not be asked about the inhabitants of the Blazing Fire" (2:119). Al-Darawardi doubted (which of the verse he recited).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw a person praying after the congregational prayer at dawn was over. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: There are two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer (i.e. the prescribed rak'ahs). The man replied: I did not pray the two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer. Hence I offered them now. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) kept silent.

'Abd Rabbihi and Yahya b. Sa'id also narrated this tradition from the Prophet (ﷺ) omitting the name of the Companion (mursal). Their grandfather Zaid prayed along with the Prophet (ﷺ).

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: May Allah show mercy to a man who prays four rak'ahs before the afternoon prayer.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Between the two adhans there is a prayer, between the two adhans there is prayer for one who desires (to offer).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never offered prayer in the forenoon, but I offer it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would give up an action, though he liked it to do, lest the people should continue it and it is prescribed for them.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Prayer by night and day should consist of pairs of rak'ahs.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Prayer is to be offered in two rak'ahs; and you should recite the tashahhud at the end of two rak'ahs, and express your distress and humility and raise your hands and say praying: O Allah, O Allah. He who does not do so does not offer a perfect prayer.

Abu Dawud was asked about offering prayer at night in two rak'ahs. He said: They may be two if you like and four if you like.

That an al-Ansari narrated to him: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Ja'far. He then narrated the tradition in like manner. This version has the words: "In the second prostration of the first rak'ah" in addition to the words transmitted by Mahdi b. Maimun (in the previous tradition).

Do not give up prayer at night, for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would not leave it. Whenever he fell ill or lethargic, he would offer it sitting.

When one of you dozes in prayer he should sleep till his sleep is gone, for when one of you prays while he is dozing, perhaps he might curse himself if he begs pardon of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: When one of you gets up by night (to pray), and falters in reciting the Qur'an (due to sleep), and he does not understand what he utters, he should sleep.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered the mosque (and saw that) a rope tied between two pillars. He asked: What is this rope (for) ? The people told him: This is (for) Hamnah b. Jahsh who prays (here). When she is tired, she reclines on it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: She should pray as much as she has strength. When she is tired, she should sit down.

This version of Ziyad has: He said: What is this ? The people told him: This is for Zainab who prays. When she becomes lazy, or is tired, she holds it. He said: Undo it. One of you should pray in good spirits. When he is lazy or tired, he should sit down.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Any person who offers prayer at night regularly but (on a certain night) he is dominated by sleep will be given the reward of praying. His sleep will be almsgiving.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: When one of you gets up at night, he should begin the prayer with two short rak'ahs.

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the prayer at night. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one of you fears the morning is near he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) retired to the mosque. He heard them (the people) reciting the Qur'an in a loud voice. He removed the curtain and said: Lo! every one of you is calling his Lord quietly. One should not trouble the other and one should not raise the voice in recitation or in prayer over the voice of the other.

Between the time when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished the night prayer till the dawn broke, he used to pray eleven rak'ahs, uttering the salutation at the end of every two and observing the witr with a single one, and during that he would make a prostration about as long a one of you would take to recite fifty verses before raising his head. When the mu'adhdhin finished making the call for the dawn prayer, he stood up and prayed two short rak'ahs, then he lay down on his right side till the mu'adhdhin came to him

How did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray during Ramadhan ? She said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not pray more than eleven rak'ahs during Ramadhan and other than Ramadhan. He would pray four rak'ahs. Do not ask about their elegance and length. He then would pray for rak'ahs. Do not ask about their alegance and length. Then he would pray three rak'ahs. 'Aishah said: I asked: Messenger of Allah, do you sleep before observing witr ? He replied: 'Aishah, my eyes sleep, but my heart does not sleep.

I divorced my wife. I then came to Medina to sell my land that was there so that I could buy arms and fight in battle. I met a group of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ). They said: Six persons of us intended to do so (i.e. divorce their wives and purchase weapons), but the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited them. He said: For you in the Messenger of Allah there is an excellent model. I then came to Ibn 'Abbas and asked him about the witr observed by the Prophet (ﷺ). He said: I point to you a person who is most familiar with the witr observed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Go to 'Aishah. While going to her I asked Hakim b. Aflah to accompany me. He refused, but I adjured him. He, therefore, went along with me. We sought permission to enter upon 'Aishah. She said: Who is this ? He said: Hakim b. Aflah. She asked: Who is with you ? He replied: Sa'd b. Hisham. She said: Hisham son of 'Amir who was killed in the Battle of Uhud. I said: Yes. She said: What a good man 'Amir was! I said: Mother of faithful, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She asked: Do you not recite the Quran ? The character of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the Qur'an. I asked: Tell me about his vigil and prayer at night. She replied: Do you not recite: "O thou folded in garments" (73:1). I said: Why not ?

When the opening of this Surah was revealed, the Companions stood praying (most of the night) until their fett swelled, and the concluding verses were not revealed for twelve months from heaven. At last the concluding verses were revealed and the prayer at night became voluntary after it was obligatory. I said: Tell me about the witr of the Prophet (ﷺ). She replied: He used to pray eight rak'ahs, sitting only during the eighth of them. Then he would stand up and pray another rak'ahs. He would sit only after the eighth and the ninth rak'ahs. He would utter salutation only after the ninth rak'ah. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting and that made eleven rak'ahs, O my son. But when he grew old and became fleshy he observed a witr of seven, sitting only in sixth and seventh rak'ahs, and would utter salutation only after the seventh rak'ah. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting, and that made nine rak'ahs, O my son. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would not pray through a whole night, or recite the whole Qur'an in a night or fast a complete month except in Ramadan. When he offered prayer, he would do that regularly. When he was overtaken by sleep at night, he would pray twelve rak'ahs.

The narrator said: I came to Ibn 'Abbas and narrated all this to him. By Allah, this is really a tradition. Has I been on speaking terms with her, I would have come to her and heard it from her mouth. I said: If I knew that you were not on speaking terms with her, I would have never narrated it to you.