Sunan Abi Dawud

The Prophet (ﷺ) came to the mosque of Banu AbdulAshhal. He prayed the sunset prayer there. When they finished the prayer, he saw them praying the supererogatory prayer after it. He said: This is the prayer to be offered in the houses.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to prolong the recitation of the Qur'an in the two rak'ahs after the sunset prayer until the people praying in the mosque dispersed. Abu Dawud said: This has been reported by Nasr al-Mujaddir from Ya'qub al-Qummi with the same chain of narrators. Abu Dawud said: Muhammad b. 'Isa b. al-tabba' transmitted from Nasr al-Mujaddir from Ya'qub in like manner.

This tradition from the Prophet (ﷺ) without mentioning the name of the Companion in the chain (in the mursal form). Abu dawud said: I heard Muhammad b. Humaid say: I heard Ya'qub say: Anything I narrated to you from Ja'far on the authority of Sa'id b. Jubair from the Prophet (ﷺ) is directly coming from Ibn Abbas from the Prophet (ﷺ).

Shurayh ibn Hani said: I asked Aisha about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never offered the night prayer and thereafter came to me but he offered four or six rak'ahs of prayer. One night the rain fell, so we spread a piece of leather (for his prayer), and now I see as if there is a hole in it from which the water is flowing. I never saw him protecting his clothes from the earth (as he did on that occasion).

In Surat al-Muzzammil (73), the verse: "Keep vigil at night but a little, a half thereof" (2-3) has been abrogated by the following verse: "He knoweth that ye count it not, and turneth unto you in mercy. Recite then of the Qur'an that which is easy for you" (v.20). The phrase "the vigil of the night" (nashi'at al-layl) means the early hours of the night. They (the companions) would pray (the tahajjud prayer) in the early hours of the night. He (Ibn Abbas) says: It is advisable to offer the prayer at night (tahajjud), prescribed by Allah for you (in the early hours of the night). This is because when a person sleeps, he does not know when he will awake. The words "speech more certain" (aqwamu qilan) means that this time is more suitable for the understanding of the Qur'an. He says: The verse: "Lo, thou hast by day a chain of business" (v.7) means engagement for long periods (in the day's work).

When the opening verses of Surah Al-muzammil was revealed, the Companions would pray as long as they would pray during Ramadan until its last verses were revealed. The period between the revelation of its opening and the last verses was one year.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: When one you sleeps, the devil ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing every knot with, "You have a long night, so sleep." So if one awakes and mentions Allah, a knot will be loosened; if he performs ablution another knot will be loosened; and if he prays, the third knot will be loosened; and in the morning he will be active and in good spirits; otherwise he will be in bad spirits and sluggish.

Do not give up prayer at night, for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would not leave it. Whenever he fell ill or lethargic, he would offer it sitting.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: May Allah have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, and awakens his wife; if she refuses, he should sprinkle water on her face. May Allah have mercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays, and awakens her husband; if he refuses, she would sprinkle water on his face.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If a man awakens his wife at night, and then both pray or both offer two rak'ahs together, the (name of the )man will be recorded among those who mention the name of Allah, and the (name of the) woman will be recorded among those who mention the name of Allah. Ibn Kathir did not narrate this tradition as a statement of the Prophet (ﷺ), but he reported it as a statement of Abu Sa'id. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by Ibn Mahdi from Sufyan and I think he mentioned the name of Sufyan. He also said: The tradition transmitted by Sufyan is a statement of the Companion (and not that of the Prophet).

When one of you dozes in prayer he should sleep till his sleep is gone, for when one of you prays while he is dozing, perhaps he might curse himself if he begs pardon of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: When one of you gets up by night (to pray), and falters in reciting the Qur'an (due to sleep), and he does not understand what he utters, he should sleep.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered the mosque (and saw that) a rope tied between two pillars. He asked: What is this rope (for) ? The people told him: This is (for) Hamnah b. Jahsh who prays (here). When she is tired, she reclines on it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: She should pray as much as she has strength. When she is tired, she should sit down. This version of Ziyad has: He said: What is this ? The people told him: This is for Zainab who prays. When she becomes lazy, or is tired, she holds it. He said: Undo it. One of you should pray in good spirits. When he is lazy or tired, he should sit down.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: He who misses him daily round of recital or part of it due to sleep and he recites it between the dawn and the noon prayers, will be reckoned as if he recited it at night.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Any person who offers prayer at night regularly but (on a certain night) he is dominated by sleep will be given the reward of praying. His sleep will be almsgiving.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Our Lord who is blessed and exalted descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last one-third of the night remains, and says: Who supplicated Me so that I may answer him ? Who asks of Me so that I may give to him ? Who asks My forgiveness so that I may forgive him ?

Allah, the Exalted, would awaken the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at night. When the dawn came, he would his finish daily round of recital.

I asked 'Aishah about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and I said to her: At what time he prayed at night ? She said: When he heard the cock crow, he got up and prayed.

When he was with me he would sleep at dawn. By this she referred to the Prophet (ﷺ).

When anything distressed the Prophet (ﷺ), he prayed.