The Book of Prayer - Travellers

كتاب صلاة المسافرين وقصرها

Chapter 30: The virtue of a deed that is done persistently, whether it be Qiyam al-Lail or anything else. The command to be moderate in worship, which means adopting what one can persist in. The command to the one who gets tired or weary when praying to stop until that feeling passes

Alqama reported

I asked 'A'isha, the mother of the believers, saying O mother of the believers, how did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) act? Did he choose a particular act for a particular day? She said: No. He act was continuous, and who amongst you is capable of doing what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did?

Chapter 31: The command to one who becomes sleepy while praying, or who starts to falter in his recitation of the Qur’an or statements of remembrance, to lie down or sit down until that goes away

'A'isha said

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to me when a woman was sitting with me. He said: Who is she? I said: She is a woman who does not sleep but prays. He said: Do such acts which you are capable of doing. By Allah, Allah does not grow weary but you will grow weary. The religious act most pleasing to Him is one the doer of which does it continuously. (And in the hadith transmitted by Abu Usama [the words are]:" She was a woman from Banu Asad." )

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

When any one of you gets up at night (for prayer) and his tongue falters in (the recitation) of the Qar'an, and he does not know what he is reciting, he should go to sleep.

Chapter 33: The command to keep refreshing one’s knowledge of the Qur’an and that it is disliked to say I have forgotten such-and-such a verse, but it is permissible to say I have been caused to forget

'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a person reciting the Qur'an at night. Upon this he said

May Allah show mercy to him; he has reminded me of such and such a verse which I had missed in such and such a surah.

Chapter 34: It is recommended to make one’s voice beautiful when reciting Qur’an

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

Allah has not heard anything (more pleasing) than listening to the Prophet reciting the Qur'an in a sweet loud voice.

Chapter 35: Mentioning the recitation of the Prophet (saws) of Surat al-Fath on the day of the conquest of Makkah

This hadlth has been narrated by Khalid al-Harith with the same chain of transmitters (with these words)

(The Holy Prophet) was reciting Surat al-Fath as he was travelling on his mount.

Chapter 36: The descent of tranquility (sakinah) when the Qur’an is recited

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri told of Usaid b. Hudair saying that one night he recited the Qur'an in his enclosure, when the horse began to jump about. He again recited and (the horse) again jumped. He again recited and it jumped as before. Usaid said

I was afraid lest it should trample (his son) Yahya. I stood near it (the horse) and saw something like a canopy over my head with what seemed to be lamps in it, rising up in the sky till it disappeared. I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the next day and said: Messenger of Allah, I recited the Qur'an during the night in my enclosure and my horse began to jump. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: You should have kept on reciting, Ibn Hudair. He (Ibn Hudair) said: I recited. It jumped (as before). Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) again said: You should have kept on reciting, Ibn Hudair. He (Ibn Hudair) said: I recited and it again jumped (as before). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) again said: You should kave kept on reciting, Ibu Hudair. He (Ibn Hudair) said: (Messenger of Allah) I finished (the recitation) for Yahya was near (the horse) and I was afraid lest it should trample him. I saw something like a canopy with what seemed to be lamps in it rising up in the sky till it disappeared. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Those were the angels who listened to you; and if you had continued reciting, the people would have seen them in the morning and they would not have concealed themselves from them.

Chapter 37: The virtue of the one who memorizes the Qur’an

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

A believer who recites the Qur'an is like an orange whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is sweet; a believer who does not recite the Qur'an is like a date which has no fragrance but has a sweet taste; and the hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like a basil whose fragrance is sweet, but whose taste is bitter; and a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is like the colocynth which has no fragrance and has a bitter taste.

Chapter 39: It is recommended to recite the Qur’an to people of virtue who are skilled in its recitation, even if the reciter is better than the one to whom it is recited

Qatada said

I heard Anas saying that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Ubayy the same thing.

Chapter 40: The virtue of listening to the Qur’an, asking one who has memorized it to recite so that one may listen, weeping when reciting, and pondering the meanings

'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon (him) asked me to recite the Qur'an. He said: Messenger of Allah, (how) should I recite to you whereas it has been sent down to you? He (the Holy Prophet) said: I desire to hear it from someone else. So I recited Surat al-Nisa' till I reached the verse: How then shall it be when We shall bring from every people a witness and bring you against them as a witness?" (verse 41). I lifted my head or a person touched me in my side, and so I lifted my head and saw his tears falling (from the Holy Prophet's eyes).

Ibrahim reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud to recite to him (the Qur'an). He said

Should I recite it to you while it has been sent down or revealed to you? He (the Holy Prophet) said: I love to hear it from someone else. So he ('Abdullah b. Mas'ud) recited to him (from the beginning of Surat al Nisa' up to the verse:" How shall then it be when We bring from every people a witness and bring you as a witness against them?" He (the Holy Prophet) wept (on listening to it). It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud through another chain of transmitters that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) also said that he had been a witness to his people as long as (said he): I lived among them or I had been among them.

Chapter 28: Encouragement to pray at night even if it is little

'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported that a mention was made of a man who slept the whole night till morning. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked

That is a man in whose ears (or in whose ear) the devil urinated.

Chapter 31: The command to one who becomes sleepy while praying, or who starts to falter in his recitation of the Qur’an or statements of remembrance, to lie down or sit down until that goes away

A hadith like this has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the authority of Anas by another chain of transmitters.

'Urwa b. Zubair reported that 'A'isha, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), told him that (once) Haula' dint Tuwait b. Habib b. Asad b. 'Abd al-'Uzzi passed by her (at the time) when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was with her. I ('A'Isha) said

It Is Haula' bint Tuwait and they say that she does not sleep at night. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: (Oh) she does not sleep at night! Choose an act which you are capable of doing (continuously). By Allah, Allah would not grow weary, but you will grow weary.

Chapter 33: The command to keep refreshing one’s knowledge of the Qur’an and that it is disliked to say I have forgotten such-and-such a verse, but it is permissible to say I have been caused to forget

'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) listened to the recitation of the Qur'an by a man in the mosque. Thereupon he said

May Allah have mercy upon him; be reminded me of the verse which I had been made to forget.

'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

The example of a man who has memorised the Qur'an is like that of a hobbled camel. If he remained vigilant, he would be able to retain it (with him), and if he loosened the hobbled camel it would escape.

This hadith has been narrated by Ibn 'Umar from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), but in the hadith transmited by Musa b. 'Uqba, this addition is made

" When one who had committed the Qur'an to memory (or who is familiar with it) gets up (for night prayer) and recites it night and day, it remains fresh in his mind, but if he does not get up (for prayer and thus does not recite it) he forgets it."

'Abdullah is reported to have said

Keep refreshing your knowledge of the sacred books (or always renew your knowledge of these sacred books) and sometimes he would mention the Qur'an for it is more apt to escape from men's minds than animals which are hobbled, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: None of you should say: I forgot such and such a verse, but he has been made to forget.

Chapter 34: It is recommended to make one’s voice beautiful when reciting Qur’an

Abu Huraira is reported to have heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

Allah does not listen to anything, (more approvingly) as He listens to a Prophet reciting loudly the Qur'an in a sweet voice.

Chapter 36: The descent of tranquility (sakinah) when the Qur’an is recited

Al-Bara' reported that a person was reciting Surat al-Kahf and there was a horse tied with two ropes at his side, a cloud overshadowed him, and as it began to come nearer and nearer his horse began to take fright from it. He went and mentioned that to the Prophet (ﷺ) in the morning, and he (the Holy Prophet) said

That was tranquillity which came down at the recitation of the Qur'an.