Our Lord is pleased with two men. One is a man who gets up from his blanket and his covering from among his beloved and his family to engage in prayer. God says to His angels, “Look at my servant who has got up from his bedding and his blanket from among his beloved and his family to engage in his prayer out of desire for what is with me and fear of what is with me.” The other is a man who goes out on an expedition in God’s path and is routed along with his companions, but who, knowing what responsibility will rest upon him for being routed and what reward he will receive for going back, returns with the result that his blood is spilt. God says to His angels, “Look at my servant who returned out of desire for what is with me and fear of what is with me with the result that his blood was spilt.” [Baghawi] transmitted it in Sharh as-sunna.

I was told that God’s Messenger had said, “Prayer engaged in by a man while sitting counts as half the prayer,” so I went to him and I found him praying while sitting, and I put my hand on his head. He said, “What is the matter with you, ‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr? ’’ I replied, “I have been told, Messenger of God, that you said that prayer engaged in by a man while sitting counts as half the prayer, yet you yourself are praying while sitting.” He said, “Yes, but I am not like one of you.” Muslim transmitted it.

I went to ‘A’isha and said, “Mother of the faithful, tell me about the nature of God’s Messenger.” She asked, “Do you not recite the Qur’an?” On my replying that I certainly did, she said, “The Prophet’s nature was the Qur’an.”* I said, “Mother of the faithful, tell me about the witr of God’s Messenger.” She replied, “I used to prepare his toothstick and his water for ablution, and God would rouse him to the extent He wished during the night. He would use the toothstick, perform ablution, and pray nine rak'as, sitting only during the eighth of them, then he would make mention of God, praise and supplicate Him, then he would get up without uttering the salutation and pray the ninth. After that he would sit, make mention of God, praise and supplicate Him, then utter a salutation loud enough for me to hear. He would then pray two rak'as sitting after uttering the salutation, and that made eleven rak'as, sonny. But when God’s Messenger grew old and became fleshy he observed a witr of seven, doing in the two rak'as, as he had done formerly, and that made nine, sonny. When God’s prophet prayed a prayer he liked to keep on observing it, but when sleep or pain made it impossible for him to get up during the night; he prayed twelve rak'as during the day. I am not aware of God’s prophet having recited the whole Qur’an in a night, or praying through a whole night till morning, or fasting a complete month, except Ramadan.” *i.e. the good characteristics included in the Qur’an were shown by the Prophet in his own life.Muslim transmitted it.

‘A’isha said that during the whole night God’s Messenger observed, a witr at the beginning, middle and end, his witr finishing at dawn. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

In the first rak'a he recited, “Glorify the name of your most high Lord,”1 in the second, “Say, O infidels,”2 and in the third, “Say, He is God, One,”3 and al-Mu‘awwidhatan.4 1. Al-Qur’an; 87 2. Al-Qur’an; 109 3. Al-Qur’an; 112 4. Al-Qur’an; 113-114Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it. Nasa’i transmitted it from ‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Abza, Ahmad from Ubayy b. Ka‘b, and Darimi from Ibn ‘Abbas, but the last two did not mention al-Mu'awwidhatan.

Ibn ‘Abbas, on being asked whether he approved of the Commander of the Faithful, Mu'awiya, using only one rak'a in the witr, replied, “He is right; he is versed in the law.” In a version Ibn Abu Mulaika said that Mu'awiya observed a witr after the evening prayer with one rak'u when a client of Ibn ‘Abbas was with him. He went to Ibn ‘Abbas and told him, but he replied, “Leave him alone, for he was a companion of the Prophet.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone over-sleeps and misses the witr, or forgets it, he should pray when he remembers and when he awakes.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Umama said the Prophet used to pray the two of them after the witr seated, and recited in the course of them, “When the earth is shaken’’, 1 and "Say, O infidels."2 Al-Qur’an; 99Al-Qur’an; 109Ahmad transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that when God’s Messenger wished to invoke a curse or a blessing on someone he stood in supplication after bowing, and when he said, “God listens to him who praises Him,” he often said, “Praise be to Thee, our Lord! O God, rescue al-Walid b. al-Walid, Salama b. Hisham and ‘Ayyash b. Abu Rabi'a.1 O God, trample severely on Mudar and cause them a famine like that of Joseph,”2 saying that in a loud voice. And he would sometimes say in the course of his prayer, “O God, curse so and so and so and so of the tribes of the Arabs,” till God revealed, “You have nothing to do with the matter. . .”3 1. These were men who were persecuted for their faith and held prisoners. 2. The famine in the time of Joseph lasted seven years. 3. Al-Qur’an; 3:128.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

I missed God’s Messengerone night and found him at al-Baqi‘. He said, “Were you afraid that God and His Messenger would act wrongly towards you?" I replied, “Messenger of God, I thought you had gone to one of your wives." He said, “On the middle night of Sha'ban God most high descends to the lowest heaven and forgives more sins than the hairs of the goats of Kalb." Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Razin added, “for those who deserve hell."Tirmidhi said, “I heard Muhammad (i.e., Bukhari) declare that this tradition is weak."

‘A’isha reported the Prophet as saying, “Do you know what happens this night?” meaning the middle night of Sha‘ban. She asked, “What happens in it, Messenger of God?” He replied, “In it record is made of every human being who will be born and of every human being who will die this year; in it their actions are taken up to heaven and in it their provisions are sent down.” She asked, “Does one enter paradise only by the mercy of God most high?” He replied three times, “No one enters paradise but by the mercy of God most high.” She asked, “Not even you, Messenger of God?” He put his hand on the crown of his head and said, “Not even I, unless God enfolds me in His mercy,” saying it three times. Baihaqi transmitted it in [Kitab] ad-Da'awat al-kabir.

Abu Dharr reported God’s Messenger as saying, “In the morning alms are due from every bone in a man’s fingers and toes. Every utterance of ‘Glory be to God’ is alms; every utterance of ‘Praise be to God’ is alms; every utterance of ‘There is no god but God' is alms; every utterance of ‘God is most great’ is alms; enjoining good is alms; forbidding what is disreputable is alms; and two rak'as which one prays in the forenoon serve instead of that.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abud Darda' and Abu Dharr reported God’s Messenger as stating that God who is blessed and exalted said, “Son of Adam, if you perform four rak'as for me at the beginning of the day, I will supply what you need till the end of it.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it from Nu'aim b. Hammar al-Ghatafani, and Ahmad from them all.

Mu'adh b. Anas al-Juhani reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone sits in his place of prayer when he finishes the Morning Prayer till he prays the two rak'as of the forenoon, saying nothing but what is good, his sins will be forgiven him even if they are more than the foam of the sea.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone perseveres in praying the two rak'as of the forenoon, his sins will be forgiven him, even if they are like the foam of the sea.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Hudhaifa said that when anything distressed the Prophet he prayed. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Umama reported God’s Messenger as saying, “God does not listen to a servant of His engaged in anything more excellent than the two rak'as which he prays. Kindness is spread over the head of a servant as long as he is engaged in prayer; and men do not draw near to God with anything to be compared with what came forth from Him,” meaning the Qur’an. Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

We went out from Medina to Mecca with God’s Messenger and he prayed two rak'as at each time of prayer till we returned to Medina. On being asked whether they had stayed any length of time in Mecca, he replied that they had stayed ten days. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas said the Prophet made a journey during which he had a stop of nineteen days, and he prayed two rak'as at each time of prayer. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “So when we are stopping nineteen days between here and Mecca we pray two rak'as each time, but when we stop more than that we pray four.” Bukhari transmitted it.

‘A'isha said, “God’s Messenger has done all that; he both shortened the prayer and observed it completely.” [Baghawi] transmitted it in Sharh as-sunna.