Part of Al-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah (the series is completed)
· Lesson 25 of 40
Al-Shamail Al-Muhammadiya | Episode (25) | Chapter on what was mentioned regarding the worship of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him -1
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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With the pens of longing,
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And the ink of love,
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We record lines more precious than gold,
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In describing the Master of all creation,
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Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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The Prophetic characteristics (Shama'il).
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Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the worship of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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The intended meaning of "worship" here
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Is that which exceeds the obligatory acts.
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The hadiths cited by the author, may Allah have mercy on him,
0:46
Are specific to the night prayer (qiyam al-layl).
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On the authority of al-Mughirah Ibn Shu'bah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
0:54
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would pray
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Until his feet became swollen.
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It was said to him,
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"Do you burden yourself with this, when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins?"
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He replied,
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"Shall I not be a thankful servant?"
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would pray until his feet became inflamed.
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He said,
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It was said to him,
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"Do you do this, when it has come to you that Allah has forgiven your past and future sins?"
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He replied,
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"Shall I not be a thankful servant?"
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In these two hadiths,
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It is mentioned that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed until his feet swelled,
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Meaning his feet became inflamed from the length of his standing.
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It was said to him,
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"Do you burden yourself with this, when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins?"
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Meaning: Why do you impose this hardship and difficulty upon yourself,
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Even though Allah has forgiven your past and future sins?
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As the Almighty said:
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“Lo! We have given thee (O Muhammad) a signal victory,” (48:1)
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“That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect His favour unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path,” (48:2)
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“That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect His favour unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path,” (48:2)
2:25
And his saying,
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"Shall I not be a thankful servant?"
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Meaning: If Allah has honored me with His forgiveness,
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Should I not be thankful for His grace upon me in forgiving my sins,
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And for all the other blessings He has bestowed upon me?
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He mentioned here two stations:
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The station of servitude and the station of gratitude.
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, fulfilled them in the most perfect manner and the best state.
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He was the most God-fearing of people and the greatest of them in worship.
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He is the leader of the thankful and the exemplar of those who praise Allah.
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Furthermore, a servant praying until his feet swell
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Is understood to apply only when the servant does not experience boredom or weariness.
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Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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This applies provided it does not lead to boredom.
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For the state of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was the most perfect of states,
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So he would not grow weary of worshipping his Lord, even if it harmed his body.
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Indeed, it is authentically narrated that he said:
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"And the coolness of my eyes has been placed in prayer."
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As recorded by al-Nasa'i from the hadith of Anas.
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As for anyone other than him, peace be upon him,
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If he fears boredom, he should not force himself.
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It is upon this that the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is understood:
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"Take upon yourselves such deeds as you are capable of,
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For Allah does not grow weary until you grow weary."
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On the authority of al-Aswad Ibn Yazid, who said:
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I asked 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, about the night prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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She said: He would sleep during the first part of the night,
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Then he would rise, and when it was the time of the dawn (sahar), he would perform the witr prayer.
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Then he would return to his bed.
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If he had a need, he would attend to his wife.
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When he heard the adhan, he would spring up.
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He would pour water over himself,
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Or else he would perform wudu and go out to prayer.
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In this hadith,
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Al-Aswad Ibn Yazid asks about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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This question
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Is based on the desire of the salaf to know the night prayer of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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Because following him depends on knowing his guidance, peace be upon him.
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Her reply to his question,
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"He would sleep during the first part of the night,"
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Means immediately after the 'Isha prayer,
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Because he disliked sleeping before it.
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And her saying, "Then he would rise,"
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Means he would rise after the middle of the night,
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And pray until the time of the dawn.
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Then he would perform the witr.
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And her saying, "Then he would return to his bed,"
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"If he had a need, he would attend to his wife,"
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Means if he had a need for his wife, he would have relations with her at that time.
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And her saying, "When he heard the adhan, he would spring up,"
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Means he would rise with strong energy and high resolve.
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"Springing up" is done by a person for a matter in which he has a strong desire.
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And her saying, "If he was in a state of major ritual impurity (junub), he would pour water over himself,"
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Meaning he would let it flow over his entire body.
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"Or else he would perform wudu and go out to prayer,"
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Meaning if he was not in a state of major impurity,
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He would perform wudu and then go out for the Fajr prayer in the mosque.
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On the authority of Kurayb, from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both,
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That he reported he spent the night at the house of Maymunah,
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Who was his maternal aunt.
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He said: I lay down across the width of the pillow,
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And the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, lay down along its length.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, slept
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Until the middle of the night,
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Or a little before it, or a little after it.
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Then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, woke up,
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And began to wipe the sleep from his face.
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Then he recited the last ten verses of Surah Al 'Imran.
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Then he went to a hanging water skin,
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And performed wudu from it,
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Performing the wudu well.
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Then he stood to pray.
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'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas said:
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I stood beside him.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, placed his right hand on my head,
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Then he took hold of my right ear and twisted it.
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He prayed two rak'ahs,
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Then two rak'ahs,
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Then two rak'ahs,
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Then two rak'ahs,
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Then two rak'ahs,
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Ma'n said: six times.
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Then he performed the witr, then he lay down,
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Until the mu'adhdhin came to him.
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He stood up and prayed two light rak'ahs,
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Then he went out and prayed the morning prayer.
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In this hadith,
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Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both,
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Spent the night at the house of Maymunah, may Allah be pleased with her, his maternal aunt,
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Out of his keenness to see for himself the prayer of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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And his worship at night.
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And his saying,
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"I lay down across the width of the pillow,"
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Means he slept with the Prophet, peace be upon him, on his pillow,
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So he placed his head across the width of the pillow,
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And the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, lay down along its length.
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Meaning that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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And his wife Maymunah,
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Lay down along the length of the pillow.
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In this is an indication of the perfect humility of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
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And it is evidence for the permissibility of a man sleeping with his wife without intercourse
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In the presence of young mahram relatives, even if they are of the age of discernment.
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And his saying, "Until the middle of the night,
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Or a little before it, or a little after it,
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, woke up,
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And began to wipe the sleep from his face,"
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Meaning to invigorate himself to rise and stand,
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Because when a person moves his hand over his face after waking from sleep,
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He feels a sense of energy.
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And his saying, "Then he recited the last ten verses of Surah Al 'Imran,"
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Which are verses encompassing great meanings of the remembrance of Allah the Almighty,
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And reflection upon His creation, and the beauty of His supplication and intimate conversation.
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Reciting them upon waking from sleep is a Sunnah.
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And his saying, "Then he went to a hanging water skin,"
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Meaning he rose from the bed after reciting these verses,
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To a hanging water skin.
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The "shan" is a water skin made of worn leather in which water is kept.
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And his saying, "And performed wudu from it, performing the wudu well.
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Then he stood to pray.
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I stood beside him.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, placed his right hand on my head,
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Then he took hold of my right ear and twisted it,"
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Meaning he moved the hand on the ear with a slight motion.
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It is mentioned in some narrations from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that he said:
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"He only did that to comfort me with his hand in the darkness of the night."
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And his saying, "He prayed two rak'ahs," and he repeated it six times,
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Meaning he prayed twelve rak'ahs with six taslims.
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And the saying of Ma'n, "six times, then he performed the witr,"
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This is a confirmation from the narrator regarding the number.
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"Then he lay down," this lying down was in the last sixth of the night,
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To be more energetic for performing the Fajr prayer.
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"Until the mu'adhdhin came to him,"
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Meaning Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, calling him to prayer.
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He stood up and prayed two light rak'ahs,
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Which is the supererogatory prayer of Fajr that is performed after the adhan.
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The Sunnah regarding them is that they should be light.
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Then he went out and prayed the Fajr prayer in the mosque.
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On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, would pray thirteen rak'ahs at night.
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Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
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As for Ibn 'Abbas, there is a difference of opinion regarding his report.
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In the two Sahih collections, on the authority of Abu Jamrah from him:
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"The prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was thirteen rak'ahs,"
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Meaning at night.
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However, this has been narrated from him as being explained by the two rak'ahs of Fajr.
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Al-Sha'bi said:
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I asked 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas and 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,
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About the night prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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He said:
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"Thirteen rak'ahs,
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Of which eight are performed, and he performs witr with three, and two rak'ahs before the Fajr prayer."
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On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her:
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That the Prophet, peace be upon him, if he did not pray at night,
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Because sleep or his eyes overcoming him prevented him from doing so,
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He would pray twelve rak'ahs during the day.
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In this hadith,
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There is a clarification that the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not perform witr during the day.
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So if he slept through his night prayer,
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He would pray it during the forenoon (Duha) in even numbers.
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It is taken from this hadith
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That whoever sleeps through his portion of the night,
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He should pray it during the day between sunrise and Dhuhr,
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Which is the time for the Duha prayer.
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So if he used to perform witr with three rak'ahs,
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He would pray them as four.
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And if he were to perform the night prayer with eleven rak'ahs,
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he would pray them in the forenoon as twelve rak'ahs.
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Whoever does that,
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it is recorded for him as if he had performed them during the night.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
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from the Prophet, peace be upon him, who said:
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"When one of you rises at night,
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let him begin his prayer with two light rak'ahs."
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, encouraged
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whoever rises at night to pray
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to begin his prayer with two light rak'ahs,
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so that they may invigorate him for what follows them.
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This is how the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to act.
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On the authority of Zayd Ibn Khalid al-Juhani, may Allah be pleased with him,
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who said:
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"I will surely watch the prayer of the Prophet, peace be upon him."
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So I rested my head against his threshold or his tent.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, prayed
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two light rak'ahs,
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then he prayed two long, long, long rak'ahs,
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then he prayed two rak'ahs that were shorter than the two before them,
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then he prayed two rak'ahs that were shorter than the two before them,
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then he prayed two rak'ahs that were shorter than the two before them,
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then they performed the witr.
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That makes thirteen rak'ahs.
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In this hadith, we see the eagerness of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, to know the guidance of the Prophet, peace be upon him, regarding his night prayer.
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Among this is what Zayd Ibn Khalid al-Juhani, may Allah be pleased with him, did when he said, "I will surely watch the prayer of the Prophet, peace be upon him."
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Meaning: I will look and contemplate it.
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And his saying, "I rested my head against his threshold or his tent."
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The *fustat* is a large tent.
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The meaning is that I drew near his door and made the threshold like a pillow by placing my head upon it.
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And his saying, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, prayed two light rak'ahs."
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These two rak'ahs are the ones referred to in the previous hadith.
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He would begin the night prayer with them.
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And his saying, "Then he prayed two long, long, long rak'ahs."
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He repeated it three times to emphasize their length.
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He only emphasized the length of these two rak'ahs
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because one's energy at the beginning of the prayer is stronger and the khushu' (devotion) is more complete.
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And his saying, "Then he prayed two rak'ahs that were shorter than the two before them."
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Meaning in length.
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He repeated that four times.
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This means that the length of the prayer began to decrease and shorten.
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Then he performed witr with one.
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That makes thirteen rak'ahs.
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The number is mentioned here for emphasis.
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On the authority of Abu Salamah Ibn 'Abd al-Rahman,
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that he asked 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
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"How was the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in Ramadan?"
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She said:
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"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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would not increase in Ramadan or at any other time
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beyond eleven rak'ahs.
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He would pray four;
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do not ask about their beauty and their length.
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Then he would pray four;
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do not ask about their beauty and their length.
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Then he would pray three."
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'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
16:49
"I said, 'O Messenger of Allah,
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do you sleep before you perform the witr?'"
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He replied:
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"'O 'A'ishah,
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my eyes sleep,
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but my heart does not sleep.'"
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In this hadith,
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Abu Salamah Ibn 'Abd al-Rahman asked
17:08
'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
17:10
who was his maternal aunt through breastfeeding,
17:13
"How was the prayer of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in Ramadan?"
17:18
She said:
17:20
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
17:23
would not increase in Ramadan or at any other time
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beyond eleven rak'ahs."
17:28
This does not contradict what was mentioned in the previous hadiths
17:32
that he used to pray thirteen rak'ahs.
17:36
Perhaps 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
17:39
did not count in this
17:41
the two light rak'ahs with which
17:43
he, peace be upon him,
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would begin the night prayer.
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Then she detailed it,
17:51
saying:
17:52
"He would pray four;
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do not ask about their beauty and their length."
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"Then he would pray four;
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do not ask about their beauty and their length."
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Meaning they were at the pinnacle of perfect beauty and length.
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They are self-evident in their beauty and length,
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needing no inquiry or description.
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These four rak'ahs,
18:15
he would separate them by saying the taslim after every two rak'ahs.
18:20
And her saying:
18:21
"I said, 'O Messenger of Allah,
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do you sleep before you perform the witr?'"
18:26
Meaning that he, peace be upon him,
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would sleep after the last four,
18:31
then rise to pray the three.
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'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, asked this
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because she knew that sleep invalidates wudu'.
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So he, peace be upon him, said:
18:44
"My eyes sleep, but my heart does not sleep."
18:48
This is one of his unique characteristics, peace be upon him,
18:52
because when the heart's vitality is strong,
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it does not sleep when the body sleeps.
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This is something that only happens to the Prophets.
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On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
19:06
that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
19:09
used to pray eleven rak'ahs at night,
19:13
performing witr with one of them.
19:16
When he finished them,
19:18
he would lie down on his right side.
19:23
In this hadith,
19:24
it is mentioned that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
19:27
used to pray eleven rak'ahs at night.
19:31
When he finished them,
19:33
he would lie down on his right side.
19:36
The wisdom behind this lying down
19:39
is to rest from the fatigue of the night prayer,
19:42
so that he might renew his energy for the dawn prayer.
19:45
It is a Sunnah for the one who performs the night prayer,
19:49
provided that this lying down does not lead
19:52
to falling into a deep sleep,
19:55
causing one to miss the dawn prayer.
19:57
Some scholars have pointed out a subtle point here:
20:01
that the number of rak'ahs of the Prophet's, peace be upon him,
20:06
night prayer,
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which is eleven rak'ahs,
20:10
is equal to the number of rak'ahs of the obligatory prayers during the day,
20:15
which are Dhuhr, 'Asr, and Maghrib.
20:19
On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
20:23
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
20:26
used to pray nine rak'ahs at night."
20:31
In this hadith,
20:33
'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, mentions
20:35
that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
20:38
used to pray nine rak'ahs at night.
20:42
This is something he, peace be upon him, did at certain times,
20:47
so there is no contradiction or conflict between the narrations.
20:51
Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
20:54
"The correct view is that each of these instances
20:57
is attributed to different times and varying circumstances,
21:02
according to one's energy,
21:04
and to demonstrate permissibility."
21:08
The hadith has more to follow, if Allah wills.
21:11
And Allah knows best.
21:12
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
21:16
and upon all his family and companions.