Sunan Abi Dawud

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray thirteen rak'ahs during the night. He would offer eight rak'ahs observing the witr with one rak'ah. Then he prayed (the narrator Muslim said) two rak'ahs after witr prayer in sitting position. When he wished to bow, he stood up and bowed. He used to pray two rak'ahs between the call to the dawn prayer and the iqamah.

How did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray during Ramadhan ? She said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not pray more than eleven rak'ahs during Ramadhan and other than Ramadhan. He would pray four rak'ahs. Do not ask about their elegance and length. He then would pray for rak'ahs. Do not ask about their alegance and length. Then he would pray three rak'ahs. 'Aishah said: I asked: Messenger of Allah, do you sleep before observing witr ? He replied: 'Aishah, my eyes sleep, but my heart does not sleep.

I divorced my wife. I then came to Medina to sell my land that was there so that I could buy arms and fight in battle. I met a group of the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ). They said: Six persons of us intended to do so (i.e. divorce their wives and purchase weapons), but the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited them. He said: For you in the Messenger of Allah there is an excellent model. I then came to Ibn 'Abbas and asked him about the witr observed by the Prophet (ﷺ). He said: I point to you a person who is most familiar with the witr observed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Go to 'Aishah. While going to her I asked Hakim b. Aflah to accompany me. He refused, but I adjured him. He, therefore, went along with me. We sought permission to enter upon 'Aishah. She said: Who is this ? He said: Hakim b. Aflah. She asked: Who is with you ? He replied: Sa'd b. Hisham. She said: Hisham son of 'Amir who was killed in the Battle of Uhud. I said: Yes. She said: What a good man 'Amir was! I said: Mother of faithful, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She asked: Do you not recite the Quran ? The character of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was the Qur'an. I asked: Tell me about his vigil and prayer at night. She replied: Do you not recite: "O thou folded in garments" (73:1). I said: Why not ? When the opening of this Surah was revealed, the Companions stood praying (most of the night) until their fett swelled, and the concluding verses were not revealed for twelve months from heaven. At last the concluding verses were revealed and the prayer at night became voluntary after it was obligatory. I said: Tell me about the witr of the Prophet (ﷺ). She replied: He used to pray eight rak'ahs, sitting only during the eighth of them. Then he would stand up and pray another rak'ahs. He would sit only after the eighth and the ninth rak'ahs. He would utter salutation only after the ninth rak'ah. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting and that made eleven rak'ahs, O my son. But when he grew old and became fleshy he observed a witr of seven, sitting only in sixth and seventh rak'ahs, and would utter salutation only after the seventh rak'ah. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting, and that made nine rak'ahs, O my son. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would not pray through a whole night, or recite the whole Qur'an in a night or fast a complete month except in Ramadan. When he offered prayer, he would do that regularly. When he was overtaken by sleep at night, he would pray twelve rak'ahs. The narrator said: I came to Ibn 'Abbas and narrated all this to him. By Allah, this is really a tradition. Has I been on speaking terms with her, I would have come to her and heard it from her mouth. I said: If I knew that you were not on speaking terms with her, I would have never narrated it to you.

He (the Prophet( used to pray eight rak'ahs during which he did not sit except the eight rak'ahs. He would sit, make mention of Allah, supplicate Him and then utter the salutation so loudly that we could hear it. He would then pray two rak'ahs sitting after he had uttered the salutation. Then he would pray one rak'ah, and that made eleven rak'ahs, O my son. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) grew old and became fleshy, he offered seven rak'ahs of witr, and then he would pray two rak'ahs sitting after he had uttered the salutation. The narrator narrated the tradition to the same effect till the end.

"He uttered the salutation so loudly that we could hear it."

He uttered the salutation in a way that we could hear it.

Zurarah ibn Awfa said that Aisha was asked about the midnight prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: He used to offer his night prayer in congregation and then return to his family (in his house) and pray four rak'ahs. Then he would go to his bed and sleep, but the water for his ablution was placed covered near his head and his tooth-stick was also kept there until Allah awakened him at night. He then used the tooth-stick, performed ablution perfectly then came to the place of prayer and would pray eight rak'ahs, in which he would recite Surah al-Fatihah, and a surah from the Qur'an as Allah willed. He would not sit during any of them but sit after the eighth rak'ah, and would not utter the salutation, but recite (the Qur'an) during the ninth rak'ah. Then he would sit and supplicate as long as Allah willed, and beg Him and devote his attention to Him; He would utter the salutation once in such a loud voice that the inmates of the house were almost awakened by his loud salutation. He would then recite Surah al-Fatihah while sitting, bow while sitting, and then recite the Qur'an during the second rak'ah, and would bow and prostrate while sitting. He would supplicate Allah as long as He willed, then utter the salutation and turn away. This amount of prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) continued till he put a weight. During that period he retrenched two rak'ahs from nine and began to pray six and seven rak'ahs standing and two rak'ahs sitting. This continued till he died.

He (the Prophet) would offer the night prayer and go to his bed. In this version there is no mention of praying four rak'ahs. The narrator then transmitted the rest of the tradition. This version further says: He would pray eight rak'ahs during which his recitation of the Qur'an, bowing and prostration were all equal. He would sit only after the eight rak'ah, and then stand up without uttering the salutation, and pray one rak'ah observing witr prayer and then give the salutation raising his voice so much so that we were about to awake. The narrator then transmitted the tradition to the same effect.

He used to lead the people in the 'Isha prayer and return to his family and pray four rak'ahs and go to his bed. The narrator then transmitted the tradition in full. This version does not mention the words: "During them (the rak'ahs) he equated all the recitation of the Qur'an, bowing and recitation." This also does not mention the words about the salutation: "Till he almost awakened us."

This tradition has also been transmitted by 'Aishah through a different chain of narrators. But the tradition narrated by Hammad b. Salamah is not equal to the tradition narrated by others.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray thirteen rak'ahs during the night, observing the witr prayer with nine (or as she said). He used to pray two rak'ahs while sitting and pray two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer between the adhan and the iqamah.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe the witr prayer with nine rak'ahs. Then he used to pray seven rak'ahs (of witr prayer). He would pray two rak'ahs sitting after the witr in which he would recite the Qur'an (sitting). When he wished to bow, he stood up and bowed and prostrated. Abu Dawud said: These two traditions have been transmitted by Khalid b. 'Abd Allah al-Wasiti. In his version he said: 'Alqamah b. Waqqas said: O mother, how did he pray the two rak'ahs ? He narrated the rest of the tradition to the same effect.

Sa'd ibn Hisham said: I came to Medina and called upon Aisha, and said to her: Tell me about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to lead the people in the night prayer, and then go to his bed and sleep. When midnight came he got up, went to answer the call of nature and to perform ablution with water. Having performed ablution, he entered the mosque and prayed eight rak'ahs. To my mind he performed the recitation of the Qur'an, bowing and prostrating equally. He then observed witr with one rak'ah and prayed two rak'ahs sitting. Then he lay down on the ground. Sometimes Bilal came to him and called him for prayer. He then dozed, and sometimes I doubted whether he dozed or not, till he (Bilal) called him for prayer. This is the prayer he offered till he grew old or put on weight. She then mentioned how he put on weight as Allah wished.

"In the creation of the heavens and earth" to the end of the surah. Then he stood up and prayed two rak'ahs in which he prolonged the standing, bowing, and prostrations. He then uttered turned away and slept till he bagan to snore. This he did three times. This made six rak'ahs in all. He would use tooth-stick, then perform ablution, and recite those verses. He then observed the witr prayer. The version of 'Uthman has: with three rak'ahs. The mu'adhdhin then came to him and he went out for prayer. The version of Ibn 'Isa adds: He then observed witr prayer ; then Bilal came to him and called him for prayer when the dawn broke. He then prayed the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer. He then went out for prayer. Then both the narrators were agreed: He beagan to supplicate saying: O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my tongue, light in my hearing, light in my eyesight, light on my right hand, light on my left hand, light in front of me, light behing me, light below me, O Allah, give me abundant light.

"And give me abundant light." Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Abu Khalid al-Dalani from Habib and Salamah b. Kuhail from Abu Rishdin from Ibn 'Abbas in a similar manner.

I spent a night with the Prophet (ﷺ) to see how he prayed. He got up, performed ablution and prayed two rak'ahs. His standing was like his bowing (i.e. equal in duration), and his bowing was like his prostration (equal in length). Then he slept. Afterwards he awoke, performed ablution, and used tooth-stick. He then recited five verses from Surah Al-'Imran : "In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day". He went on doing so till he prayed ten rak'ahs. He then stood up and prayed one rak'ah observing witr with it. In the meantime the mu'adhdhin called to prayer. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up after the mu'adhdhin had kept silent. He prayed two light rak'ahs and remained sitting till he offered the dawn prayer. Abu Dawud said: A part of the tradition transmitted by Ibn Bashshar remained hidden from me.

I spent a night with my maternal aunt Maimunah. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came after the evening has come. He asked: Did the boy pray ? She said: Yes. Then he lay down till a part of night had passed as much as Allah willed; he got up, performed ablution and prayed seven or five rak'ahs, observing witr with them. He uttered the salutation only in the last of them.

I spent a night in the house of my maternal aunt Maimunah, daughter of al-Harith. The Prophet (ﷺ) offered the night prayer. He then came and prayed four rak'ahs and slept. He then stood up and prayed. I stood at his left side. He made me go round and made me stand at his right side. He then prayed five rak'ahs and slept, and I heard his snoring. He then got up and prayed two rak'ahs. Afterwards he came out and offered the dawn prayer.

He (the Prophet) got up and prayed eight rak'ahs in pairs, and then observed witr with five rak'ahs and he did not sit between them.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray thirteen rak'ahs, observing six rak'ahs in pairs including the two rak'ahs of dawn prayer. He would observe witr and five rak'ahs. He sat only in the last of them.