Allāhumma rabba hādhihi 'd-da'wati 't-tāmmah waṣ-ṣalāti 'l-qā'imah, 'āti Muhammadani 'l-wasīlata walfaḍīlata, wab 'ath-hu maqāma 'm-mahmūdani 'l-ladhī wa`adtahu, ['innaka lā tukhliful-mī'ād] O Allah , Lord of this perfect call and established prayer. Grant Muhammad the intercession and favor, and raise him to the honored station You have promised him, [verily You do not neglect promises]. Reference: Al-Bukhari 1/152, and the addition between brackets is from Al-Bayhaqi 1/410 with a good (Hasan) chain of narration. See 'Abdul-Azlz bin Baz's Tuhfatul-'Akhyar, pg. 38.

'Ali ibn Talib reported that when the illness of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, deepened, he said, "'Ali! Bring me a page on which I can write something for my community after which they will not go astray." 'Ali said, "I feared that he would die before I could do that, so I said, 'I will remember better than the paper.' His head was between my forearm and my leg. He recommended the prayer, zakat and kind treatment of slaves. he spoke like that until he died." He commanded him to testify, "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Anyone who testifies to that is saved from the Fire."

I went on an expedition with Allah's Messenger (SAW) to Najd, and when we came in front of the enemy we lined up in ranks facing them. Allah's Messenger (SAW) then stood up and led us in prayer. One group stood up with him while the other faced the enemy. He prayed a Rak'ah with those who were with him and made two prostrations. Then, they changed places with those who had not prayed. When they came Allah's Messenger (SAW) prayed a Rak'ah with them and made two prostrations. He then uttered the Taslim (salutation) and each of them got up and prayed a Rak'ah alone and made two prostrations. [Agreed upon, and the wording if from al-Bukhari].

"While the Prophet was with his Companions a man from among the desert people came and said: 'Which of you is the son of 'Abdul-Muttalib?' They said: 'This Anghar man who is reclining on a pillow.' (One of the narrators) Hamzah said: "Amghar means white with a reddish complexion.'- The man said: 'I am going to ask you questions and I will be harsh in asking.' He said: 'ask whatever you like.' He said: 'I ask you by your Lord and the Lord of those who came before you, and the Lord of those who will come after you; has Allah sent you?' He said: 'By Allah, yes.' He said: 'I adjure you by Him, has Allah commanded you to offer five prayers each day and night?' He said: 'By Allah, yes.; He said: 'I adjure you by Him, has Allah commanded you to take from the wealth of our rich and give it to our poor?' he said: 'By Allah, yes He said: 'I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to fast this month out of the twelve months?' He said: 'By Allah, yes.' He said: 'I adjure you by Him, has Allah commanded you to go on pilgrimage to this House, where can afford it?' He said: 'By Allah yes.' He said: 'I belive, and I am Dimam bin Thalabah."'

Malik ibn Aws ibn al-Hadathan said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went out to open ground to answer a call of nature and did not find anyone to follow him. 'Umar went out and followed him with a clay pot or wudu' vessel. He found him prostrating in a river bed. He fell back and sat behind him until the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, lifted his head. He said, 'You have done well, 'Umar. When you found me prostrating, you went behind me. Jibril came to me and said, 'If someone says the prayer on you once, Allah will pray ten times on him and raise him ten degrees.'"

Allah's Messenger (SAW) said, "There are three to whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, not will He look at them, nor will He purify them, and they will have a painful punishment. (1) A man at a place with excess water in the desert and who withholds it from the travelers. (2) A man who sold a commodity to another person in the afternoon (or after the 'Asr prayer) and swore to him by Allah that he had bought it at such and such price and he (the buyer) believed him yet that was not the case. (3) And a man who pledged allegiance to an Imam only for the sake of the world (material gains). Hence, if the Imam bestowed on him something out of that (i.e. worldly riches) he stood by his pledge of allegiance, and if he did not give him, he did not fulfill the pledge of allegiance." [Agreed upon].

Subhānaka Allāhumma wa biḥamdik, ash-hadu an lā ilāha illā ant, astaghfiruka wa atību ilayk. Glory is to You, O Allah, and praise is to You. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You. Reference: Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i. See also Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmidhi 3/ 153. Aishah (RA) said: "Allah's Messenger (SAW) did not sit in a gathering, and did not recite the Qur'an, and did not perform any prayer without concluding by saying ... (then she quoted the above)." This was reported by An-Nasa'i in 'Amalul-Yawm wal-Laylah (no.308), and Dr. Farooq Hamadah graded it authentic in his checking of the same book, p. 273. See also Ahmad 6/77

“We went out on a rainy and extremely dark night, looking for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so that he could lead us in Salat.” He said: “So I met him and he (ﷺ) said: ‘Speak’ but I did not say anything. Then he (ﷺ) said: ‘Speak.’ But I did not say anything. He (ﷺ) said: ‘Speak.’ So I said: ‘What should I say?’ He (ﷺ) said: ‘Say: “Say: He is Allah, the One (Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ)” and Al-Mu`awwidhatayn (Al-Falaq, an-Nās), in the evening, and in the morning, three times, and they will suffice you against everything.’” Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3575.

"The idolaters kept Allah's Messenger distracted from four prayers on the Day of Al-Khandaq (the battle of the Trench) until as much as Allah willed of the night had passed. So he ordered Bilal to call the Adhan, then he called the Iqamah to Zuhr, then he called the Iqamah to pray Asr, then he called the Iqamah to pray Maghrib, then he called the Iqamah to pray Isha."

We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) when he looked at the full moon and observed, "You will see your Rubb in the Hereafter as you see this moon having no difficulty in seeing it. So try your best to perform the prayers before the rising of the sun and that before its setting."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

‘Uthman said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “Do you think if there was a river in the courtyard of one of you and he washed himself in it five times each day, would any dirt remain on him? They said: Nothing [would remain on him). He said: `The (five daily) prayers take away sins as water takes away dirt.`

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that he used to pray all five prayers in Mina, then he would tell them that the Messenger of Allah (saw) used to do that.

“The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to pray (voluntary prayers) at night two by two, and he would pray one Rak’ah of Witr.”

'Do not associate anything with Allah, even if you are cut to pieces or burned. Do not abandon a prescribed prayer deliberately. Anyone who abandons it will forfeit Allah's protection. Do not drink wine - it is the key to every evil. Obey your parents. If they command you to abandon your worldly possessions, then leave them for them. Do not contend with those in power, even if you think that you are in the right. Do not run away from the army when it advances, even if you are killed while your companions run away. Spend on your wife out of your means. Do not raise a stick against your wife. Cause your family to fear Allah, the Almighty and Exalted.'"

Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said: Truly of those devoted to Me the one I most favor is a believer who is of meager means and much given to prayer, who has been particular in the worship of his Lord and has obeyed Him inwardly¹, who was obscure among people and not pointed out, and whose sustenance was just sufficient to provide for him yet he bore this patiently. Then the Prophet (saws) shook his hand and said: Death will have come early to him, his mourners will have been few, his estate scant.

¹ i.e. he has not been ostentatious in his obedience. It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ibn Majah). Its chain of authorities is sound.

Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah said: I went to Ibn Abbas accompanying some youths of Banu Hashim. We said to one of them: Ask Ibn Abbas: Did the Messenger of Allah (saws) recite (the Qur'an) in the noon and afternoon prayers? He replied: No. People said to him: Perhaps he might recite the Qur'an quietly. He said: May your face be scratched (a kind of curse)! This (statement) is worse than the former.

He was only a servant (of Allah) receiving Commands from Him. He preached (the divine) message which he brought with him. He did not command anything to us (Banu Hashim) specially excluding other people except three points: he commanded us to perform ablution perfectly, and not to accept charity (sadaqah) and not to make pairing of donkey with horse.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) once delayed the congregational night prayer.

He came out and said: The talk of Tamim ad-Dari detained me. He transmitted it to me from a man who was on of of the islands of the sea. All of a sudden he found a woman who was trailing her hair. He asked: Who are you?

She said: I am the Jassasah. Go to that castle. So I came to it and found a man who was trailing his hair, chained in iron collars, and leaping between Heaven and Earth.

I asked: Who are you? He replied: I am the Dajjal (Antichrist). Has the Prophet of the unlettered people come forth now? I replied: Yes. He said: Have they obeyed him or disobeyed him? I said: No, they have obeyed him. He said: That is better for them.

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Dajjal (the Antichrist) will appear in my Ummah and he will stay in the world for forty. I do not know whether this will be forty days or forty months or forty years. Allah will then send (Prophet) 'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). 'Isa will pursue him and slaughter him. Then people will survive for seven years (i.e., after the demise of 'Isa) in the state that there will be no rancour between two persons. Then Allah will send a cool breeze from the side of Ash-Sham. None will remain upon the face of the earth having the smallest particle of good or Faith in him but he will die, so much so that even if someone amongst you will enter the innermost part of a mountain, this breeze will reach that place also and will cause him to die. Only the wicked people will survive and they will be as fast as birds (i.e., to commit evil) and as ferocious towards one another as wild beasts. They will never appreciate the good, nor condemn evil. Then Shaitan (Satan) will come to them in the garb of a man and will say: 'Will you not obey me?' They will say: 'What do you order us to do?' He will command them to worship idols. They will have abundance of sustenance and will lead comfortable lives. Then the Trumpet will be blown. Every one hearing it, will turn his neck towards it and will raise it. The first one to hear that Trumpet will be a man who will be busy repairing the basin for his camels. He will become unconscious. Allah will send, or will cause to send, rain which will be like dew and there will grow out of it (like wild growth) the bodies of the people. Then the second Trumpet will be blown and they will stand up and begin to look around. Then it will be said: 'O people! Go to your Rubb.' Then there will be a command: 'Make them stand there.' After it they will be called to account. Then it will be said: 'Separate from them the share of the Fire.' It will be asked: 'How much?' It will be said: 'Nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand.' That will be the Day which will make children hoary-headed men because of its terror and that will be the Day when the Shin will be uncovered."

[Muslim].

When God's messenger's death was near and some men among whom was `Umar b. al-Khattab were in the house the Prophet said, "Come, let me write for you a document after which you will never go astray." `Umar said, "The pain has got the mastery over him, and you have the Quran. God's Book is enough for you." But the people in the house disagreed and disputed, some saying, "Bring the materials and let God's messenger write for you," and other saying what `Umar had said. Then when they clamored and disagreed to a great extent God's messenger said, "Get up and leave me." `Ubaidallah[1] told that Ibn `Abbas used to say it was a terrible calamity which intervened to prevent God's messenger from writing that document for them owing to their disagreement and clamour. In the version of Sulaiman b. Abu Muslim al-Ahwal Ibn `Abbassaid, "Thursday, what a Thursday!'' and then wept till his tears wet the pebbles. Ibn `Abbas was asked what about Thursday and replied, "God's messenger's pain became severe and he said, 'If you bring me a shoulderblade I shall write you a document after which you will never go astray.' They quarrelled, a thing most unfitting in a prophet's presence, asked what was the matter with him, whether he was delirious, and said they should ask him for an explanation. They then kept at him, so he said, `Leave me alone and let me be, for what I am engaged in is better than what you are summoning me to.' He then gave them three commands. He told them to expel the polytheists from Arabia and to reward deputations as he had been accustomed to do, but he either did not mention the third, or he did so and I have forgotten it." Sufyan said this is from what Sulaiman said. 1. 'Ubaidallah b. 'Abdallah b. 'Utba b. Mas'ud (d. 96 A.H.), one of the seven famous jurisconsults of Medina. (Bukhari and Mislim.)

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an act which will take me into Paradise and will keep me away from the Hellfire.” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “You have asked me about a great matter, yet it is easy for him for whom Allah makes it easy: worship Allah, without associating any partners with Him; establish the prayer; pay the zakat; fast in Ramadhan; and make the pilgrimage to the House.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not guide you towards the means of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity wipes away sin as water extinguishes fire; and the praying of a man in the depths of the night.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited: “[Those] who forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (charity in Allah’s cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.” [as-Sajdah, 16-17] Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not inform you of the head of the matter, its pillar and its peak?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer and its peak is jihad.” Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that?” I said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I said, “O Prophet of Allah, will we be taken to account for what we say with it?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Muadh! Is there anything that throws people into the Hellfire upon their faces — or: on their noses — except the harvests of their tongues?” It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a good and sound hadeeth.

Anas said, "One day I visited the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and there was only myself, my mother and my aunt, Umm Hiram. When he came to us, he asked us, 'Shall I pray with you?' It was not the time of an obligatory prayer." One of those listening to the person relating this asked, "Where did he put in Anas in relation to him?" The reply was, "He put him to his right." The report from Anas continues, "Then he prayed with us and made supplication for us, the people of the house, that we would have the best of the blessings of this world and the Next. My mother said, 'Messenger of Allah, make supplication to Allah for your little servant,' and he asked Allah to grant me every blessing. At the end of his supplication, he said, 'O Allah, grant him a lot of money and many children and bless him!'"

Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, said, "Mu'awiya wrote to al-Mughira, saying, 'Write down for me what you heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say.' So he wrote to him, 'The Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say at the end of every prayer, "There is no god but Allah alone with no partner. His is the Kingdom and His is the praise and He has power over everything. O Allah, none can withhold what You give nor can anyone give what You withhold. Nor will the wealth of someone with wealth help him against You.' He also write to him, 'He forbade gossip, asking too many questions, and wasting money. He forbade disobeying mothers, burying daughters alive, and he forbade asking people (without real need).'"

Anas said, "No rain fell for a year and so one of the Muslims went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on Jumu'a (Friday). He said, 'Messenger of Allah, there has been no rain and the ground is dry and people's wealth has been destroyed.' He raised his hand when there was not a cloud to be seen in the sky. He stretched out his arms until I could see the whiteness of his armpits and asked Allah for rain. As soon as we finished the prayer, (the rain was such that) the youth whose house was near was afraid to return to his family. It last past Friday, The following Friday, they said, 'Messenger of Allah, the houses have fallen down and the paths are blocked.' He smiled and observed how quickly the son of Adam becomes discontented. He said while making a gesture with his hand, 'O Allah, around us and not on us.' And the rain cleared away from Madina."

"I witnessed Salat-al-Khauf with Allah's Messenger (SAW) and we lined up in two rows behind him with the enemy between us and the Qiblah. The Prophet (SAW) uttered the Takbir and we all uttered it; then he bowed and we all bowed; then he raised his head after bowing and we all raised ours; then he and the row immediately behind him went down in prostration while the rear row stood facing the enemy. Then, when Allah's Messenger (SAW) finished the prostration and the row immediately behind him stood up..." then he mentioned the Hadith.

And in a narration "Then he prostrated and the first row prostrated with him. So when they stood, the second row prostrated then the first row went back and the second row came forward..." then he mentioned a similar to it.

And at the end of it "Then the Prophet (SAW) uttered the Taslim (salutation) and we all did so." [Reported by Muslim].

He asked, "Muhammad, do you know what the angels near My presence dispute about?" I replied, "Yes, about expiations, and they are remaining in the mosques after the prayers are over, walking on foot to the congregational prayers, and performing elaborate ablution in unpleasant circumstances (Cf. p. 151). Whoever does that will live and die righteously, and as far as his sin is concerned, he will be as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him." He said, "Muhammad, when you pray say, ‘O God, I ask Thee to enable me to do good deeds, abandon objectionable things, and love the poor, and when Thou intendest to test Thy servants, take me to Thyself without being led astray.'" He said, "People are raised in degree by saluting all and sundry, providing food, and praying at night when people are asleep." The wording of this tradition is as it occurs in al-Masabih, but I found it traced to ‘Abd ar-Rahman only in Sharh as-sunna.

"While we were sitting in the Masjid, a man came on a camel and made it keneel in the Masjid, then he hobbled it and said to them: 'Which of you is Muhammad?' The Messenger of Allah was reclining amid his Companions, and we said to him: This white man who is reclining.' The man said to him: 'O son of 'Abdul-Muttalib.' The Messenger of Allah said: ' I have answered you.' The man said; 'O Muhammad, I am going to ask you questions, and I will be harsh in asking; do not get upset.; The man said: 'I adjure you by your Lord and the Lord of those who cam before you, has Allah sent you to all the people?' The Messenger of Allah said: 'By Allah, yes.' He said; 'I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to offer five prayers each day and night?' The Messenger of Allah said: 'By Allah, yes.; He said: 'I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to fast this month each year? The Messenger of Allah 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 said. 'By Allah, yes.' The man said: 'I believe in that which you have brought, and I am the envoy of my people who are coming after me. I am Dimam bin Thalabah, the brother of Banu sad bin Bakr."' Yaqub bin Ibrahim contradicted him.

It was narrated from Muhammad bin ‘Ubaidullah bin Abu Rafi’, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) used to come to ‘Eid prayers walking.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that when the Prophet (saw) went out to ‘Eid (prayers), he would return via another route than the first one he took.

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that al-Qasim ibn Muhammad and Urwa ibn az-Zubayr and Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar Rahman used to pray nawafil when travelling.

Yahya said that Malik was asked about voluntary prayers when travelling and he said, "There is no harm in them, either at night or during the day. I have heard that some of the people of knowledge used to do that."

Verily Allah ta’ala has written down the good deeds and the evil deeds, and then explained it [by saying]: “Whosoever intended to perform a good deed, but did not do it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as a complete good deed. And if he intended to perform it and then did perform it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds up to seven hundred times, up to many times multiplied. And if he intended to perform an evil deed, but did not do it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as a complete good deed. And if he intended it [i.e., the evil deed] and then performed it, then Allah writes it down as one evil deed.” [Al-Bukhari] [Muslim].

Allah has written down the good deeds and the bad ones. Then He explained it [by saying that] he who has intended a good deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds to seven hundred times, or many times over. But if he has intended a bad deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down as one bad deed. It was related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

before the Dawn Prayer and when you have undressed at noon and after the Night Prayer - three times of nakedness for you.' (24:56) Ibn 'Abbas said, 'He did not command these individuals to ask permission other than at these three times of nakedness.' Then he went on to say, 'The verse in Surat an-Nur:57 is: 'Once your children have reached puberty, they should ask your permission to enter as those before them also asked permission.'"

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that he used to go out to the ‘Eid prayers via one route, and return via another, and he said that the Messenger of Allah (saw) used to do that.

“The Prophet (saw) was asked about the night prayer. He said: ‘Pray two by two, and if you fear that dawn is coming, then perform Witr with one Rak’ah.’”

"'A'isha was asked: 'How was the mattress of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) in your home?' She said: 'It consisted of tanned hides stuffed with fibers.' Hafsa was also asked: 'What was the mattress of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) in your home?' She said: 'Coarse woolen fabric that we folded in two for to sleep. Then one night I said: ‘If its two folds were four, it would be softer for him,’ so we folded it for him in four folds. Then, when he woke up in the morning, he said: ‘What did you spread out for me tonight?’ She said: 'We said: ‘It is your mattress, except that we folded it four times. We said it would be softer for you.’ He said: 'Restore it to its original condition, for its softness prevented me from performing my ritual prayer tonight!'"

There was an eclipse of the sun in the life-time of Allah's Messenger (SAW) and then he prayed and stood for a long time, about as long as it would take to recite Surat al-Baqarah. Then, he bowed for a long time, and then he raised his head and stood for a long time, which was less than the first standing. Then, he bowed again for a long time, which was less than the first bowing. Then, he prostrated (twice) and then he stood for a long time, which was less than the first time standing. Then, he bowed for a long time, which was less than the first bowing. Then, he raised his head and stood up for a long time, which was less than the first standing. Then, he bowed for a long time, which was less than the first bowing. Then he prostrated (twice), and then he finished (the prayer), and the sun had become bright. He then delivered a Khutbah (religious talk, sermon). [Agreed upon. And the wording is al-Bukhari's].

Yahya related to me from Malik from Damra ibn Said al-Mazini from Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud that Umar ibn al-Khattab asked Abu Waqid al-Laythi what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to recite in the prayers of Adha and Fitr. He said, "He used to recite Qaf (Sura 50) and al-lnshiqaq (Sura84)."

I heard Humran bin Aban tell Abu Burdah in the mosque of Basrah, when I was standing next to him, that he heard `Uthman bin `Affan (رضي الله عنه) narrating from the Prophet (ﷺ) that he said: `Whoever does wudoo’ properly as enjoined by Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, the five prayers will be an expiation for whatever comes in between them.`

Angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn and the afternoon prayers. Those who spent the night among you then ascend, and their Lord asks them, yet He is best informed about them, “How did you leave My servants?” They reply, “We left them while they were praying, and we came to them while they were praying.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah (saws) there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by the Prophet (saws) rested his knees against the knees of the Prophet (saws) and placed his palms over his thighs, and said: "O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." The Messenger of Allah (saws) replied: "Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger (saws), that you should perform salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." He said: "You have spoken the truth." We were astonished at his thus questioning him (saws) and then telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about Iman (faith)." He (the Prophet) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken the truth." Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Prophet) answered, "It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about the Hour." He (the Prophet) said, "About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said, "Well, inform me about its signs." He said, "They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings." Thereupon the man went off. I waited a while, and then he (the Prophet) said, "O `Umar, do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion." [Muslim]

A prayer performed by someone who has not recited the Essence of the Quran (1) during it is deficient (and he repeated the word three times), incomplete. Someone said to Abu Hurayrah: [Even though] we are behind the imam? (2) He said: Recite it to yourself, for I have heard the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be up on him) say: Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin (3), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has praised Me. And when he says: Ar-rahmani r-rahim (4), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has extolled Me, and when he says: Maliki yawmi d-din (5), Allah says: My servant has glorified Me - and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. And when he says: Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in (6), He says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. And when he says: Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin (7), He says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. (1) Surat al-Fatihah, the first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an. (2) i.e. standing behind the imam (leader) listening to him reciting al-Fatihah. (3) "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds." (4) "The Merciful, the Compassionate". (5) "Master of the Day of Judgement". (6) "It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help". (7) "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favors, not of those against whom You are angry, nor of those who are astray". It was related by Muslim (also by Malik, at-Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).

Allāhumma aslamtu nafsī ilayk, wa fawwaḍtu amrī ilayk, wa wajjahtu wajhī ilayk, wa alja'tu ẓahrī ilayk, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilayk, lā malja'a wa la manjā minka illā ilayk, āmantu bikitābika ‘l-ladhī anzalt, wa bi-nabiyyika ‘l-ladhī arsalt. O Allah,1 I submit myself to You, entrust my affairs to You, turn my face to You, and lay myself down depending upon You, hoping in You and fearing You. There is no refuge, and no escape, except to You. I believe in Your Book (the Qur'an) that You revealed, and the Prophet whom You sent. Reference: 1 "Before you go to bed perform ablutions as you would for prayer, then lie down on your right side and say. . . " The Prophet (SAW) said: "Whoever says this and dies in his sleep, has died in a state of the natural monotheism (Fitrah)." Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 11/113, Muslim 4/2081.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Nafi said, "I was with Abdullah ibn Umar in Makka. The sky was clouded over and Abdullah feared that dawn was approaching so he prayed one raka for witr. Then the clouds cleared and he saw that it was still night, so he made his prayers even with one raka. Then he continued to pray two rakas at a time, until when he feared the approach of dawn, he prayed one raka for witr."

‘Ali reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When the middle night of Sha'ban comes, spend the night in prayer and fast during the day, for in it God most high comes down at sunset to the lowest heaven and says, ‘Is there no one who asks forgiveness so that I may forgive him ? Is there no one who asks provision so that I may provide him? Is there no one afflicted so that I may relieve him? Is there not such and such? Is there not such and such?’ till the dawn comes.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Ibn 'Abbas said, "I spent the night at the house of my aunt. Maymuna. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, got up to answer a call of nature and then washed his hands and face and slept. Then he got up and took the water-skin and loosened its strap and then did a medium sort of wudu' and no more but he did it adequately. Then he prayed. I stood up and went slowly, not wanting him to see that I was observing him. I did wudu'. Then he stood up to pray and I stood at his left. He took my hand and brought me around to his right. His complete night prayer consisted of twelve rak'ats. Then he lay down and went to sleep until he snored. When he slept, he would snore. Bilal gave the adhan for the morning prayer and he prayed without doing wudu'. One of his supplications was, 'O Allah, put light in my heart and light in my hearing and light on my right and light on my left and a light above me and a light behind me and a light in front of me and a light behind him and make my light great.'"

"When the Prophet (SAW) got up at night to pray Tahajjud, he said: Allahumma, lakal-hamdu anta nurus-samawati wal-ardi wa man fihinna wa lakal-hamdu anta qayyamus-samawati wal ardi wa man fihinna wa lakal-hamdu, anta haqqun wa wa'duka haqqun wal jannatu haqqun wan-nuru haqqun wan-nabiyyuna haqqun wa Muhammadan haqqun, laka aslant wa 'alaika tawakkaltu wa bika amant. ( O Allah, to You be praise, You are the Light of the heavens and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Sustainer of the Heavens and the earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Sovereign of the heavens and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise; You are True, Your promise is true, Paradise is true, Hell is true, the Hour is true, the Prophets are true and Muhammad is true. To You have I submitted, in You I put my trust and in You I have believed.'" Then (one of the narrators) Qutaibah mentioned some words the meaning of which was: "Wa bika khasamtu wa ilaika hakamtu, ighfirli ma quadrate wa ma akhkhartu wa ma a'lantu antal-muqaddimu wa antal-mu'khkhir, la ilaha illa anta wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (And with Your help I argue [with my opponents, the non-believers], and I take You as a judge [to judge between us]. Forgive me my past and future sins and those that I commit openly. You are the One who puts [some people] back and bring [others] forward. There is no God but You and there is no power and no strength except with Allah).'"

"Every body is given the prayer to arise healthy among his people, yet death is nearer to him than his shoe-laces." And whenever Bilal’s (ra) fever subsided, he would recite, "Would that I know that I will ever spend a night in a valley surrounded by Izkhir and Jaleel (two kinds of sweet smelling grass). And that I will arrive one day to the waters of Majannah and observe (the mountains) Shamah and Tafeel" Ayshah (ra) went to the Prophet M, and informed him of what transpired with these two men. Thereupon, he made this supplication: "O Allah, make us love Madinah as dearly as we love Makkah, or more than that. O Allah! Make it healthy for us and bless for us it sa' and mudd. And remove its fever putting it in al-Juhfah"

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If a Muslim man persists in two actions, he will enter the Garden. They are easy, but those who do them are few.' He was asked, 'What are they, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?' He said, 'That you say "Allahu akbar" ten times, "al-hamdu lillah" ten times, and "Subhana'llah" ten times after every prayer. That is 150 on the tongue and 1500 in the balance.' I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, counting them with his hand. Then he said, 'When you go to bed, you should say, "Subhana'llah", "al-hamdu lillah", and "Allahu akbar". That is 100 on the tongue and 1000 in the balance. Who among you can do 2500 bad actions morning and night?' He was asked, 'Messenger of Allah, how is it that they are not counted?' He said, 'Shaytan comes to one of you while he is praying and reminds him of something he has to do such-and-such and such-and-such, so he does not remember to do it.'"

The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led the morning prayer for us at al-Hudaybiyah following rainfall during the night. When the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished, he faced the people and said to them: Do you know what your Lord has said? They said: Allah and his Messenger know best. He said: This morning one of my servants became a believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him who said: We have been given rain by virtue of Allah and His mercy, that one is a believer in Me, a disbeliever in the stars (2); and as for him who said: We have been given rain by such-and-such a star, that one is a disbeliever in Me, a believer in the stars. (2) The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that rain was brought about by the movement of stars. This Hadith draws attention to the fact that whatever be the direct cause of such natural phenomena as rain, it is Allah the Almighty who is the Disposer of all things. It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Malik and an-Nasa'i).

“Whoever spends the nights of the two ‘Eid in praying voluntary prayers, seeking reward from Allah, his heart will not die on the Day when hearts will die.”