The Book of Virtues

كتاب الفضائل

Chapter 22

Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

When we were in Al-Madinah, the moment the Mu'adhdhin finished the Adhan of the Maghrib prayer, the people hastened to the pillars of the mosque and performed two Rak'ah prayer behind them. A stranger coming into the mosque would think that the obligatory prayer had already been performed because of the number of people performing them.[Muslim].

Chapter 24: Desirability of offering Nawfil (Voluntary or Optional) Prayers at Home

Zaid bin Thabit (May Allah be pleased with him)reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O people! perform your (voluntary) Salat (prayers) in your homes because the best Salat of a man is the one he performs at home, except the obligatory Salat."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Observe part of the [Nawafil (voluntary)] Salat (prayers) in your homes. Do not turn your homes into graves."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Chapter 25: Witr Prayer, its Time and Ruling

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Make Witr prayer the last of your Salat at night."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Hasten to perform the Witr prayer before dawn."[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].

Chapter 26: Merit of the (Optional) Duha (Forenoon) Prayer

Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with her) reported

I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the day of the conquest of Makkah. He was taking a bath at that time. When he finished the bath, he performed eight Rak'ah (of optional) prayers. This was during the Duha (forenoon).[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Chapter 30: The Excellence of Friday Prayer

Ibn 'Umar and Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

We heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying (while delivering Khutbah on his wooden pulpit), "Either some people (i.e., hypocrites) stop neglecting the Friday prayers, or Allah will seal their hearts and they will be among the heedless."[Muslim].

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Taking a bath (before coming to Friday prayers) is obligatory on every adult."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Burdah bin Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said to me: "Did you hear your father narrating something from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the special moment during Friday?" I said: "Yes, I heard him report from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): 'It occurs between the time when the Imam sits down (on the pulpit after the first Khutbah) and the time Salat is over."'[Muslim].

Chapter 32: Excellence of Standing in Prayer at Night

'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) visited me and Fatimah (May Allah be pleased with her) one night and said, "Do you not observe prayer (at night)?"[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to perform eleven Rak'ah (of Tahajjud) prayers at night. He (ﷺ) would prostrate so long as one of you might recite fifty Ayat (of the Qur'an). Thereafter, he would perform two Rak'ah before Fajr prayers and would lie down on his right side till the Mu'adhdhin would come and inform him about the time of (Fajr) prayer.[Al-Bukhari].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not observe more than eleven Rak'ah (of Tahajjud prayers), be in Ramadan or any other month. First of all he would perform four Rak'ah. Ask not about their excellence and their length. He (ﷺ) would then perform four more Rak'ah; and do not ask about their excellence and their length. Then he would perform three Rak'ah (Witr prayer). ('Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) added) I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Do you sleep before performing the Witr prayer?" He (ﷺ) said, "O 'Aishah! My eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Hudhaifah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

I performed Salat with the Prophet (ﷺ) one night, and he started reciting Surat Al- Baqarah. I thought that he would go in Ruku' (bowing posture in Salat) at the end of one hundred Ayat, but he continued (reciting); and I thought that he would perhaps recite (this Surah) in the whole Rak'ah (prayer), but he continued the recitation; I thought he would perhaps bow on completing (this Surah). He (ﷺ) then started reciting Surat An-Nisa' which he followed with Surat Al-Imran. He recited leisurely. When he recited an Ayah which mentioned the tasbeeh, he would say Subhan Allah and when he recited the Ayah which tells how the Rubb is to be asked, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would then ask from Him; and when he (ﷺ) recited an Ayah asking one to seek Protection Allah, he would seek Protection of Allah. Then he bowed and said, "Subhana Rabbiyal-Azim (My Rubb the Great is free from imperfection)"; his bowing lasted about the same length of time as his standing, (and then on returning to the standing posture after Ruku') he would say, "Sami' Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana lakal-hamd (Allah listens to him who praises Him. Praise be to You, Our Rubb!)," and he would then stand about the same length of time as he had spent in bowing. He would then prostrate himself and say, "Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la (My Rubb the Supreme is free from imperfection)," and his prostration lasted nearly the same length of time as his standing (Qiyam).[Muslim].

Chapter 14: Strict Orders for Observance of Obligatory Salat

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Islam is based on five (pillars): testifying that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His slave and Messenger; performing of Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat); the payment of Zakat; performing Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House [of Allah (Ka'bah)]; and Saum (fasting) during the month of Ramadan."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Shaqiq bin 'Abdullah reported

The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not consider the abandonment of any action as disbelief except neglecting Salat.[At- Tirmidhi].

Chapter 15: The Excellence of Standing in the First Row (In Salat)

Jabir bin Samurah (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us (once) and said, "Why do you not stand in rows as the angels do before their Rubb?" We asked: "O Messenger of Allah! how do the angels stand in rows before their Rubb?" He (ﷺ) replied, "They complete each row beginning with the first and filling all the gaps."[Muslim].

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Keep your rows straight (during Salat in congregation), for keeping the rows straight is part of the perfection of Salat."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Stand close together in your rows, keep nearer to one another, and put your necks in line, for by Him in Whose Hands my soul is, I see the Satan entering through the opening in the row like Al- hadhaf (i.e., a type of small black sheep found in Yemen)."[Abu Dawud].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah and His angels invoke blessings upon those who are on the right side of the rows."[Abu Dawud].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)reported

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let the Imam stand in the middle (so that those praying behind him should be standing both on his right and his left) and close the gaps."[Abu Dawud].