Sunan Ibn Majah

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to teach us Istikharah, just as he used to teach us a Surah of the Qur’an. He said: ‘If anyone of you is deliberating about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two Rak’ah of non- obligatory prayer, then say: Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi ‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min fadlikal-‘azim, fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta’lamu wa la a’lam, wa Anta ‘allamul-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta’lamu hadhal-amra (then the matter should be mentioned by name) ma kan min shay’in khairan li fi dini wa ma’ashi wa ‘aqibati amri, aw khairanli fi ‘ajili amri wa ajilihi, faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li wa barik li fihi. Wa in kunta ta’lamu [O Allah, I seek Your guidance (in making a choice) by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, or both in this world and in the Hereafter then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge]. Then saying similar to what he said the first time, except: Wa in kana sharran li fasrifhu ‘anni wasrifni ‘anhu waqdur li al-khair haithuma kana thumma raddini bihi (If it is bad for me then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it).’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and said: ‘Whoever has some need from Allah or from any of His creation, let him perform ablution and pray two Rak’ah, then let him say: La ilaha illallahul-Halimul- Karim. Subhan-Allahi Rabbil-‘arshil-‘azim. Al-hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin. Allahumma inni as’aluka mujibat rahmatika, wa ‘aza’ima maghfiratika, wal-ghanimata min kulli birrin, was-salamata min kulli ithmnin. As’aluka alla tada’a li dhanban illa ghafartahu, wa la hamman illa farrajtahu, wa la hajah hiya laka ridan illa qadaitaha li (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Forbearing, the Most Generous. Glory is to Allah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise is to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. O Allah, I ask You for the means of Your mercy and forgiveness, the benefit of every good deed and safety from all sins. I ask You not to leave any sin of mine but You forgive it, or any distress but You relieve it, or any need that is pleasing to You but You meet it). Then he should ask Allah for whatever he wants in this world and in the Hereafter, for it is decreed.”

“Pray to Allah to heal me.” He said: “If you wish to store your reward for the Hereafter, that is better, or if you wish, I will supplicate for you.” He said: “Supplicate.” So he told him to perform ablution and do it well, and to pray two Rak’ah, and to say this supplication: “Allahumma inni as’aluka wa atawajjahu ilaika bimuhammadin nabiyyir-rahmah. Ya Muhammadu inni qad tawajjahtu bika ila rabbi fi hajati hadhihi lituqda. Allahumma fashaffi’hu fiya (O Allah, I ask of You and I turn my face towards You by virtue of the intercession of Muhammad the Prophet of mercy. O Muhammad, I have turned to my Lord by virtue of your intercession concerning this need of mine so that it may be met. O Allah, accept his intercession concerning me)”.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to ‘Abbas: ‘O uncle, shall I not give you a gift, shall I not benefit you, shall I not uphold my ties of kinship with you?’ He said: ‘Of course, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘Pray four Rak’ah, and recite in each Rak’ah the Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and a Surah. When you have finished reciting, say: Subhan-Allah wal-hamdu Lillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar (Glory is to Allah, praise is to Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Allah is the Most Great) fifteen times before you bow in Ruku’. Then bow and say it ten times; then raise your head and say it ten times; then prostrate and say it ten times; then raise your head and say it ten times; then prostrate and say it ten times; then raise your head and say it ten times before you stand up. That wil be seventy-five times in each Rak’ah and three hundred times in the four Rak’ah, and even if your sins are like the grains of sand, Allah will forgive you for them.’ He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what if someone cannot say it in one day?’ He said: ‘Then say it once in a week; if you cannot, then say it once in a month’ until he said: ‘Once in a year.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib: ‘O ‘Abbas, O my uncle, shall I not give you a gift, shall I not give you something, shall I not tell you of something which, if you do it, will expiate for ten types of sins? If you do them, Allah will forgive you your sins, the first and the last of them, the old and the new, the unintentional and the deliberate, the minor and the major, the secret and the open, ten types of sin. Pray four Rak’ah, and recite in each Rak’ah the Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and a Surah. When you have finished reciting in the first Rak’ah, while you are standing, say: Subhan-Allah wal- hamdu Lillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar (Glory if to Allah, praise is to Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Allah is the Most Great) fifteen times. Then bow and say it ten times while you are bowing. Then raise your head from Ruku’ and say it ten times. Then go into prostration and say it ten times while you are prostrating. Then raise your head from prostration and say it ten times. Then prostrate and say it ten times. Then raise your head from prostration and say it ten times. That will be seventy-five times in each Rak’ah. Do that in all four Rak’ah. If you can pray it once each day then do so. If you cannot, then once each week; if you cannot, then once each month. If you cannot, then once in your lifetime.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘When it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, spend its night in prayer and observe a fast on that day. For Allah descends at sunset on that night to the lowest heaven and says: ‘Is there no one who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him? Is there no one who will ask Me for provision, that I may provide for him? Is there no one who is afflicted by trouble, that I may relieve him?’ And so on, until dawn comes.’”

“I missed the Prophet (ﷺ) one night, so I went out looking for him. I found him at Al-Baqi’, raising his head towards the sky. He said: ‘O ‘Aishah, were you afraid that Allah and His Messenger would wrong you?’” She said: “I said: ‘No, it is not that, but I thought that you had gone to one of your other wives.’ He said: ‘Allah descends on the night of the middle of Sha’ban to the lowest heaven, and He forgives more than the numbers of hairs on the sheep of Banu Kalb.’”

“Allah looks down on the night of the middle of Sha’ban and forgives all His creation, apart from the idolater and the Mushahin.” Another chain from Abu Musa, from the Prophet (ﷺ) with similar wording.

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Abu Awfa that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed two Rak’ah on the day when he was given the glad tidings of the head (death) of Abu Jahl.

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (ﷺ) was given glad tidings that a need of his had been met, and he fell down prostrate.

It was narrated from ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Ka’b bin Malik that his father said that when Allah accepted his repentance, he fell down prostrate.

It was narrated from Abu Bakrah that when the Prophet (ﷺ) heard news that made him happy, or for which one should be happy, he would fall down prostrate in gratitude to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.

“If I heard a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Allah benefitted me with it as much as He willed, and if I heard it from anyone else, I would ask him to swear me an oath, then if he swore an oath I would believe him. Abu Bakr told me and Abu Bakr spoke the truth that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘There is no man who commits a sin then he performs ablution and does it well, then he prays two Rak’ah,’ (one of the narrators) Mis’ar said: ‘then performs prayer and seeks the forgiveness of Allah, but Allah will forgive him.’

“O Abu Ayyub, we have missed out on Jihad this year, and we were told that whoever prays in the four mosques will be forgiven his sins.” He said: “O son of my brother, shall I not tell you of something easier than that? I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever performs ablution as he has been commanded, and prays as he has been commanded, will be forgiven his previous (bad) deeds.’” He said: “(Did he not say it) like that, O ‘Uqbah?” He said: “Yes.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Do you think that if there was a river in the courtyard of anyone of you, and he bathed in it five times each day, would there be any dirt left on him?’ They said: ‘(There would be) nothing.’ He said: ‘Prayer takes away sins like water takes away dirt.’”

“And perform the prayer, at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful.” He said: “O Messenger of Allah, is this only for me?” He said: “It is for everyone who acts upon it.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Allah enjoined fifty prayers upon my nation, and I came back with that until I came to Musa. Musa said: ‘What has your Lord enjoined upon your nation?’ I said: ‘He has enjoined fifty prayers on me.’ He said: ‘Go back to your Lord, for your nation will not be able to do that.’ So I went back to my Lord, and He reduced it by half. I went back to Musa and told him, and he said: ‘Go back to your Lord, for your nation will not be able to do that.’ So I went back to my Lord, and He said: ‘They are five and they are fifty; My Word does not change.’ So I went back to Musa and he said: ‘Go back to your Lord.’ I said: ‘I feel shy before my Lord.’”

“Your Prophet (ﷺ) was enjoined to do fifty prayers but he returned to your Lord to make (i.e., reduce) them to five prayers.”

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Five prayers that Allah has enjoined upon His slaves, so whoever does them, and does not omit anything out of negligence, on the Day of Resurrection Allah will make a covenant with him that He will admit him to Paradise. But whoever does them but omits something from them out of negligence, will not have such a covenant with Allah; if He wills He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him.’”

“While we were sitting in the mosque, a man entered riding a camel; he made it kneel in the mosque, then he hobbled it and said to them: ‘Which of you is Muhammad?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was reclining among them, so they said: ‘This fair- skinned man who is reclining.’ The man said to him: ‘O son of ‘Abdul- Muttalib!’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘I am listening to you.’ The man said: O Muhammad! I am asking you and will be stern in asking, so do not bear any ill-feelings towards me.’ He said: ‘Ask whatever you think.’ The man said: ‘I adjure you by your Lord and the Lord of those who came before you, has Allah sent you to all of mankind?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.; He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to pray the five prayers each day and night?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to fast this month of each year?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to take this charity from our rich and distribute it among our poor?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ The man said: ‘I believe in what you have brought, and I am the envoy of my people who are behind me. I am Dimam bin Tha’labah, the brother of Banu Sa’d bin Bakr.’”