The Book of Qiyam Al-Lail (The Night Prayer) and Voluntary Prayers During the Day
كتاب قيام الليل وتطوع النهار
Chapter 9: With what Qiyam should begin
"I asked 'Aishah with what did he- meaning the Prophet (ﷺ)- start Qiyam Al-Lail? She said: 'You have asked me something which no one before you has asked. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say the takbir ten times, the tahmid ten times, the tasbih ten times, and the tahlil ten times, and pray for forgiveness ten times, and say: Allahummaghfirli, wahdini, warzuqni wa 'afini. A'udhu billahi min diqil-maqami yawmal-qiyamah (O Allah, forgive me, guide me, grant me provision and good health. I seek refuge with Allah from the difficulty of standing on the Day of Resurrection.)"
"I used to stay overnight at the Prophet's (ﷺ) apartment and I used to hear him when he prayed Qiyam at night saying: 'Subhan Allahi Rabil-Alamin (Glory be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds)' for a long time, then he said: 'Subhan Allah wa bi hamdih (Glory and praise be to Allah) for a long time."
"When the Prophet (ﷺ) got up at night to pray Tahajjud, he said: Allahumma, lakal-hamdu anta nurus-samawati wal-ardi wa man fihinna wa lakal-hamdu anta qayyamus-samawati wal ardi wa man fihinna wa lakal-hamdu, anta haqqun wa wa'duka haqqun wal jannatu haqqun wan-nuru haqqun wan-nabiyyuna haqqun wa Muhammadan haqqun, laka aslant wa 'alaika tawakkaltu wa bika amant. ( O Allah, to You be praise, You are the Light of the heavens and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Sustainer of the Heavens and the earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Sovereign of the heavens and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise; You are True, Your promise is true, Paradise is true, Hell is true, the Hour is true, the Prophets are true and Muhammad is true. To You have I submitted, in You I put my trust and in You I have believed.'" Then (one of the narrators) Qutaibah mentioned some words the meaning of which was: "Wa bika khasamtu wa ilaika hakamtu, ighfirli ma quadrate wa ma akhkhartu wa ma a'lantu antal-muqaddimu wa antal-mu'khkhir, la ilaha illa anta wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (And with Your help I argue [with my opponents, the non-believers], and I take You as a judge [to judge between us]. Forgive me my past and future sins and those that I commit openly. You are the One who puts [some people] back and bring [others] forward. There is no God but You and there is no power and no strength except with Allah).'"
He slept at the house of Maimunah the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ), who was his maternal aunt. He said: "I laid down across the mattress an the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his wife lay along it. The Prophet (ﷺ) slept until midnight, or a little before or a little after. The Prophet (ﷺ) woke up and began to rub the sleep from his face with his hand. Then he recited the last ten verses of Surah Al Imran. Then he got up and went to a water skin that was hanging up and performed wudu from it, and he performed wudu well, then he stood up and prayed." Abdullah bin 'Abbas said: "I stood up and did what he had done, then I went and stood beside him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) put his right hand on my neck, and took old of my right hand and tweaked it. Then he prayed two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then two rak'ahs, then he prayed witr.Then he lay down until the Mu'adhdhin came to him and he prayed two brief rak'ahs."
Chapter 10: Using siwak when getting up to pray at night
When the Prophet (ﷺ) got up to pray at night, he would brush his teeth with the siwak.
"When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up to pray tahajjud at night, he would brush his teeth with the siwak.
Chapter 11: Mentioning the discrepancies reported from Abu Hasin 'Uthman Bin 'Asim in this hadith
"We were commanded to use the siwak when we got up to pray at night."
"We were commanded, when we got up to pray at night, to clean our mouths with the siwak."
Chapter 12: With what should prayer at night begin?
"I asked 'Aishah: 'With what did the Prophet (ﷺ) start his prayer?' She said: 'When he got up to pray at night he would start his prayer with the words: Allahumma Rabba Jibril wa Maika'il wa Israfil; Fatirus-samawati wal-ard, 'alim al-ghaybi wash-shahadah, anta tahkumu bayna 'ibadika fima kanu fihi yakhtalifun, Allahumma ihdini limakktulifa fihi min al-haqq innaka tahdi man tasha'ila siratin mustaqim (O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning wherein they differ. O Allah, guide me to the disputed matters of truth for You are the One Who guides to the Straight Path)."
"Humaid bin Abdur-Rahman bin 'Awf told me that a man from among the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'I said, when I was on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): By Allah (SWT), I am going to watch the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and see what he does. When he prayed 'Isha, he lay down for a long time. Then he woke up and looked toward the horizon and said: "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose" until he reached: "for You never break (Your) Promise." Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reached across his bed and took a siwak from it, then he poured water from a vessel and cleaned his teeth. Then he stood and prayed until I said: He has prayed for as long as he has slept. Then he lay down until I said: He has slept as long as he prayed. Then he woke up and did the same as he had done the first time and said the same as he had said. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did that three times before Fajr.'"
Chapter 13: Mentioning the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) at night
"Every time we wanted to see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) praying at night we saw him, and every time we wanted to see him sleeping, we saw him."
"He used to pray 'Isha, then he would recite tasbih, then after that he would pray whatever Allah (SWT) willed (he should pray) of night prayer. Then he would go and sleep for as long as he had prayed. Then he would get up from sleep and pray for as long as he had slept, and this last prayer of his would continue until dawn."
"What do you want to know about his prayer (I.e., you can never match it)? He used to pray, then sleep for as long as he had prayed, then he would pray as long as he had slept, then he would sleep as long as he had prayed, until dawn came." Then she described to him his recitation, and she described a clear recitation in which every letter was distinct.
Chapter 14: Mentioning the prayer of Prophet Dawud, peace be upon him, at night
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The most beloved of fasting to Allah is the fasting of Dawud, peace be upon him. He used to fast one day and not the next. And the most beloved of prayer to Allah (SWT) is the prayer of Dawud. He used to sleep half the night, spend one-third of the night in prayer and sleep for one-sixth of it.'"
Chapter 15: Mentioning the prayer of Prophet Musa and the different reports from Sulaiman At-Taimi about it
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "On the night on which I was taken on the Night Journey (Al-Isra') I came to Musa, peace be upon him, at the red dune, and he was standing, praying in his grave."
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "I came to Musa at the red dune and he was standing and praying."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "I passed by the grave of Musa, peace be upon him, and he was praying in his grave."
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'On the night on which I was taken on the Night Journey, I passed by Musa, peace be upon him, and he was praying in his grave.'"
On the night on which he was taken on the Night Journey, the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by Musa, peace be upon him, and he was praying in his grave.
"I heard my father say: I heard Anas say: 'One of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) told me that on the Night Journey, the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by Musa, peace be upon him, and he was praying in his grave.'"