Prayer at Night (Tahajjud)

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Marthad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Yazani said: I went to ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir al-Juhani and said, ‘Isn’t it surprising that Abu Tamim prays two rak‘ahs before Maghrib?’ ‘Uqbah replied, ‘We used to do that during the Messenger of Allah’s lifetime.’ I asked, ‘What prevents you from doing it now?’ He replied, ‘Being occupied.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ishaq told me: Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim told us: My father told us, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Mahmud ibn al-Rabi‘ al-Ansari informed me that he remembered the Messenger of Allah, and remembered a mouthful of water he had sprayed onto his face from a well in their home. Mahmud said that he had heard ‘Itban ibn Malik al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), who had been present with the Messenger of Allah at Badr, say: I used to lead my people in prayer at Banu Salim. A valley lay between me and them; when it rained, crossing it to reach their mosque was difficult. I came to the Messenger of Allah and said: ‘My eyesight has grown poor, and the valley between me and my people flows when it rains, making it difficult for me to cross. I would like you to come and pray in a place in my house that I can make a place of prayer.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘I will do that.’ The Messenger of Allah and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came to me when the day had grown bright. The Messenger of Allah asked permission, and I let him in. He did not sit before asking, ‘Where in your house would you like me to pray?’ I showed him the place. He stood, said the opening takbir, and we lined up behind him. He prayed two rak‘ahs, said the salām, and we said it with him. I kept him for a dish of khazirah that was being prepared for him. The people of the house heard that the Messenger of Allah was at my home, and men gathered until there were many in the house. One man said, ‘What has happened to Malik? I do not see him.’ Another said, ‘He is a hypocrite who does not love Allah and His Messenger.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Do not say that. Do you not see that he has said, “There is no god but Allah,” seeking thereby the Face of Allah?’ The man replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best. But by Allah, we see his affection and his conversation only with the hypocrites.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Allah has indeed forbidden the Fire to whoever says, “There is no god but Allah,” seeking thereby the Face of Allah.’ Mahmud said: I related this to a group that included Abu Ayyub, a companion of the Messenger of Allah, during the campaign in which he died, with Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah commanding them in Roman territory. Abu Ayyub rejected what I related and said, ‘By Allah, I do not think the Messenger of Allah ever said what you have reported.’ This troubled me greatly, so I vowed to Allah that if I survived and returned from the campaign, I would ask ‘Itban ibn Malik about it, if I found him alive at his people’s mosque. I returned, entered the state of pilgrimage for Hajj or ‘Umrah, then travelled until I reached Madinah and went to Banu Salim. There I found ‘Itban, an old blind man, leading his people in prayer. When he said the salām at the end of the prayer, I greeted him, told him who I was, and asked about that report. He related it to me just as he had the first time.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Make some of your prayers in your homes, and do not make them like graves.’ ‘Abd al-Wahhab also transmitted it from Ayyub.