The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) found some people absenting from certain prayers and he said: I intend that I order (a) person to lead people in prayer, and then go to the persons who do not join the (congregational prayer) and then order their houses to be burnt by the bundles of fuel. If one amongst them were to know that he would find a fat fleshy bone he would attend the night prayer.

The Prophet (saws) said: Seek it (laylat al-Qadr) in the last ten days of Ramadan. Seek it on the ninth, seventh and fifth night. I (AbuNadrah) said: You know counting better than us, AbuSa'id. He said: Yes. I asked: What do you mean by the ninth, seventh and fifth night? He said: When the twenty-first night passes, the night which follows it is the night; when the twenty-third night passes, the night which follows it is the seventh; when the twenty-fifth passes, the night which follows it is the fifth.

Abu Dawud said: I do not know whether anything remained hidden from me or not.

"I came to Al-Aswad bin Yazid, who was a close friend of mine and said: 'O Abu 'Amr, tell me what the Mother of the Believers told you about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (SAW).' He said: 'She said: "He used to sleep for the first part of the night and stay up for the latter part.'"

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. In it the gates of heavens are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and every devil is chained up. In it Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived."'

"I came to the Prophet in Jam (Al-Muzdalifah) and said: 'Is there Hajj for me?' He said: 'Whoever offers this prayer with us and observed this standing until he departed, and he departed before that from Arafat by night or by day, then his Hajj is complete. And he has completed the prescribed duties.'"

"Whoever guards Ribat (the frontier) for one day and one night, will be given a reward like that for fasting and praying Qiyam for a month, and whoever dies at Ribat (guarding the frontier) will be rewarded, and he will be given provision, and he will be kept safe from Al-Fattan." [1] [1] According to As-Sindi, the preferred pronunciation is Al-Fattan, plural of Fatan refering to Al-Munkar and An-Nakir, while Al-Fattan would refer to Ash-Shaitan or the like, among the punishment of the grave, or, the angels of chastisement.

He then recited the verse:" Those who do good will have the best reward and even more" (x. 26)

The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to recite in the morning prayer" Qaf. By the Glorious Quran." and his prayer afterward shortened.

(The Holy Prophet) was reciting Surat al-Fath as he was travelling on his mount.

The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) gave two sermons between which he sat, recited the Qur'an and exhorted the people.

" That he recited Surah Jumu'a (lxii.) in the first rak'ah and" The hypocrites came" in the second rak'ah.

" The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) recited four takbirs."

My husband is a sort of the meat of a lean camel placed at the top of a hill, which it is difficult to climb up, nor (the meat) is good enough that one finds in oneself the urge to take it away (from the top of that mountain). The second one said: My husband (is so bad) that I am afraid I would not be able to describe his faults-both visible and invisible completely. The third one said: My husband is a long-statured fellow (i. e. he lacks intelligence). If I give vent to my feelings about him, he would divorce me, and if I keep quiet I would be made to live in a state of suspense (neither completely abandoned by him nor entertained as wife). The fourth one said: My husband is like the night of Tihama (the night of Hijaz and Mecca), neither too cold nor hot, neither there is any fear of him nor grief. The fifth one said: My husband is (like) a leopard as he enters the house, and behaves like a lion when he gets out, and he does not ask about that which he leaves in the house. The sixth one said: So far as my husband is concerned, he eats so much that nothing is left back and when he drinks he drinks that no drop is left behind. And when he lies down he wraps his body and does not touch me so that he may know my grief. The seventh one said: My husband is heavy in spirit, having no brightness in him, impotent, suffering from all kinds of conceivable diseases, heaving such rough manners that he may break my head or wound my body, or may do both. The eighth one said: My husband is as sweet as the sweet-smelling plant, and as soft as the softness of the hare. The ninth one said: My husband is the master of a lofty building, long-statured, having heaps of ashes (at his door) and his house is near the meeting place and the inn. The tenth one said: My husband is Malik, and how fine Malik is, much above appreciation and praise (of mine). He has many folds of his camel, more in number than the pastures for them. When they (the camels) hear the sound of music they become sure that they are going to be slaughtered. The eleventh one said: My husband is Abu Zara'. How fine Abu Zara' is! He has suspended in my ears heavy ornaments and (fed me liberally) that my sinews and bones are covered with fat. So he made me happy. He found me among the shepherds living in the side of the mountain, and he made me the owner of the horses, camels and lands and heaps of grain and he finds no fault with me. I sleep and get up in the morning (at my own sweet will) and drink to my heart's content. The mother of Abu Zara', how fine is the mother of Abu Zara'! Her bundles are heavily packed (or receptacles in her house are filled to the brim) and the house quite spacious. So far as the son of Abu Zara' is concerned, his bed is as soft as a green palm-stick drawn forth from its bark, or like a sword drawn forth from its scabbard, and whom just an arm of a lamb is enough to satiate. So far as the daughter of Abu Zara' is concerned, how fine is the daughter of Abu Zara', obedient to her father, obedient to her mother, wearing sufficient flesh and a source of jealousy for her co-wife. As for the slave-girl of Abu Zara', how fine is she; she does not disclose our affairs to others (outside the four walls of the house). She does not remove our wheat, or provision, or take it forth, or squander it, but she preserves it faithfully (as a sacred trust). And she does not let the house fill with rubbish. One day Abu Zara' went out (of his house) when the milk was churned in the vessels, that he met a woman, having two children like leopards playing with her pomegranates (chest) under her vest. He divorced me (Umm Zara') and married that woman (whom Abu Zara') met on the way. I (Umm Zara') later on married another person, a chief, who was an expert rider, and a fine archer: he bestowed upon me many gifts and gave me one pair of every kind of animal and said: Umm Zara', make use of everything (you need) and send forth to your parents (but the fact) is that even if I combine all the gifts that he bestowed upon me, they stand no comparison to the least gift of Abu Zara'. 'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to me: I am for you as Abu Zara' was for Umm Zara'.

I walked with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the stony ground of Medina in the afternoon and we were looking at Uhud. The Messenger of Allah (way peace by upon him) said: Abu Dharr! I said: Messenger of Allah, I am here at thy beck and call. He said: What I desire is that Uhud be gold with me and three nights should pass and there is left with me any dinar but one coin which I would keep to pay debt. (I love) to spend it among the servants of Allah like this and he pointed in front of him, and on his right side and on his left side. We then proceeded on and he said: Abu Dharr. I said: At thy beck and call, Messenger of Allah. He (the Holy Prophet) said: The rich would be poor on the Day of Resurrection, but he who spent like this and like this and like this, and he pointed as at the first time. We again went on when he said. Abu Dharr, stay where you are till I come back to you. He (the Holy Prophet) then moved on till he disappeared from my sight He (Abu Dharr) said: I heard a sound and I heard a noise. I said (to myself): The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) might have met (mishap or an enemy). I wished to follow him but I remembered his command for not departing till he would come back. So I waited for him, and when he came I made a mention of what I heard. He said: it was Gabriel, who came to me and said:" He who dies among your Ummah without associating Anything with Allah would enter Paradise. I said: Even if he committed fornication or theft? He said: Even if he committed fornication or theft.

"The Messenger of Allah said to me: 'O 'Abdullah bin 'Amr, you fast all the time and you do stand (in prayer) at night, but if you do that your eyes will become sunken and you will become exhausted. There is no fast for one who fasts every day of his life. Fasting a lifetime means fasting three days each month,

I entered the mosque and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was sitting there. When the sun disappeared (from the sight) he said: O Abu Dharr! Do you know where it goes? He (the narrator) said: Allah and His Apostle know best. He (the Holy Prophet) said. Verily it goes and begs permission, for prostration (to Allah) and the permission is granted to it. Once it would be said: Return to the place whence you came, and then it would rise from its setting place. Then he, after the recitation of 'Abdullah recited it: And that is its appointed term.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace beupon him) led us In Zuhr or 'Asr prayer (noon or the afternoon prayer). (On concluding it) he said: Who recited behind me (the verses): Sabbih Isma Rabbik al-a'la (Glorify the name of thy Lord, the Most High)? There upon a person said: It was I, but I in- tended nothing but goodness. I felt that some one of you was disputing with me in it (or he was taking out from my tongue what I was reciting), said the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him).

I heard Adi b. Hatim say-and he was our neighbour, and our partner and co worker at Nahrain-that he asked Allah's Apostle (may peace he upon him) saying: I let off my dog and find another dog along with my dog and that (any one of them) catches the (game), but I do not know which one had caught it, whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Then don't eat that, for you recited the name of Allah while letting off your dog and did not recite on the other.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: If the people were to know what excellence is there in the Adhan and in the first row, and they could not (get these opportunities) except by drawing lots, they would have definitely done that. And if they were to know what excellence lies in joining the prayer in the first takbir (prayer), they would have vied with one another. And if they were to know what excellence lies in the night prayer and morning prayer, they would have definitely come even if crawling (on their knees).

"A woman asked the Prophet (PBUH): 'I suffer from Istihadah and I never become pure; should I stop praying?' He said: 'No. Stop praying for the number of days and nights that you used to menstruate, then perform Ghusl, wrap a cloth around yourself, and pray.'"

"The Messenger of Allah heard that I was fasting continually and praying all night." Either he sent for him, or he happened to meet him and he said: "Have I not been told that you fast and never break your fast, and you pray all night? Do not do that, for do that, for your eyes should have a share, your self should have a share, and your family should have a share. Fast and break your fast; pray and sleep. Fast one day out of every ten, and your will have the reward of the other nine." He said: " I am able to do more than that, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "Observe the fast of Dawud then." " I said: 'How did Dawud fast, O Prophet of Allah? He said: 'He used to fast one day, and not the next, and he never fled if he met(the enemy in battle)."' He said: "How can I compare to him, O Prophet of Allah?"

The Prophet (SAW) prayed when there was an eclipse. He recited then he bowed, then he recited then he bowed, then he recited then he bowed, then he recited then he bowed, then he prostrated, and he did the second rak'ahs in same fashion.

The Prophet (saws) as saying: Seek laitat al-Qadr in the last ten night of Ramadan. When nine (nights) remain (i.e. on the twenty first) , when seven (night) remain (i.e. on the twenty third), and when five (nights) remain (i.e. on the twenty fifth).

He asked Aishah about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) at night. She said: "He used to pray thirteen rak'ahs. He would pray eight rak'ahs then pray witr, then pray two rak'ahs sitting down. When he wanted to bow he would stand and bow, and he prayed two rak'ahs between the adhan and iqamah of subh prayer.

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'The most beloved fasting to Allah, the mighty and sublime, is the fast of Dawud, peace be upon him. He used to fast one day and not the next. And the most beloved prayer to Allah, the mighty and sublime, is the prayer of Dawud, peace be upon him. He used to sleep half the night, stand for one-third of it (in prayer), and sleep for one-sixth of it."'

"I met 'Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, in Al-Khuraibah, and I asked her about the dregs and she forbade them to me and she said: 'Soak (the fruit) at night and drink it in the morning, and tie the vessel closed.' And she forbade me from using Ad-Dubba' (gourds), An-Naqir, Al-Muzaffat, and Al-Hantam."

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'There is no Arabian horse but it is allowed to offer two supplications every Sahar (end of the night): O Allah, You have caused me to be owned by whoever You wanted among the sons of Adam, and you have made me belong to him. Make me the dearest of his family and wealth to him, or among the dearest of his family and wealth to him.'"

"We came in Ihram with the Messenger of Allah for Hajj alone (Mufrad), and 'Aishah came in Ihram for 'Umrah. Then, whe we were in Sarif her menses started. When we came, we circumambulated the Ka'bah and (performed Sa'i) between As-safa and Al-Marwah. Then, the Messenger of Allah commanded those of us who did not have a Hadi to exit Ihram. We said: 'Exit Ihram to what degree?' He said" 'Completely.' So we had intercourse with out, wives put on perfume, and wore only four nights away from 'Arafat. The, we entered Ihram on the day of At-Tarwiyah. The Messenger of Allah entered upon 'Aishah and found here weeping. He said: 'What is the matter with you?' She said: 'I have got my menses and the people exited Ihram, but I did not exit Ihram or did I circumambulate the House, and the people are going for Hajj now.' He said: 'This is something that Allah ahs decreed for the daughters of Adam. Perform Ghusl, then begin the Talbiyah for Hajj.' So she did that and did all the rituals. Then, when she became pure, she circumambulated the House and (Performed Sa'i) between As-Safa and Al-Marwah. Then, he said: 'You have exited Ihram from your Hajj and your 'Umrah at the same time." She said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I feel upset because I only circumambulated the House during my Hajj.' He said: 'Take here, O 'Abdullah, to perform 'Umrah from At-Tan'im.' And that was on the night of Al-Hasbah (the twelfth night of Dhul-Hijjah)."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to us: Seek it (laylat al-Qadr) on the seventeenth night of Ramadan, and on the twenty first night, and on the twenty-third night. He then kept silence.

He who does not recite Fatihat al-Kitab is not credited with having observed the prayer.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: He who does not recite Umm al-Qur'an is not credited with having observed the prayer.

I heard the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) recite in the morning prayer" Wa'l-lail-i-idhd 'As'asa" (ixxxi. 17).

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) prostrated himself (while reciting these verses)." When the heaven burst asunder" ;" Read in the name of Thy Lord".

God has not listened to anything as He listens to a Prophet reciting the Qur'an in a sweet voice.

" The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was on the pulpit when he asked me to recite to him."

0 Malik."

"I came to At-Ta'if and entered upon Anbasah bin Abi Sufyan when he was dying. I saw that he was afraid so I said: 'You will be fine.' He said: 'My sister Umm Habibah told me that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: Whoever prays twelve rak'ahs by day or by night, Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, will build for him a house in Paradise.'"

"I came to the Prohet in Jam (Al-Muzdalifah) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I have come from the two mountains of Tai and I did not leave any mountain but I stood on it; is there Hajj for me?' The Messenger of Allah said: 'Whoever offers this prayer with us, and stood before that in Arafatat by night or by day, his Hajj is complete, and he has completed the prescribed duties.'"

"I asked 'Aishah about wiping over the Khuffs and she said: 'Go to 'Ali, for he knows more about that than I do.' So I went to 'Ali and asked him about wiping (over the Khuffs) and he said: 'The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to tell us to wipe (over the Khuffs) for one day and one night for the resident, and three for the traveler.'"

"The Messenger of Allah (SAW) finished a prayer in which he recited out loud, then he said: 'Did any one of you recite with me just now?' A man said: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'I was wondering what was distracting me in reciting Quran.'" So the people stopped reciting in prayers in which the Messenger of Allah (SAW) recited out loud when they heard that.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to spend the middle ten days of Ramadan in retirement and devotion (i'tikaf) in the mosque. One year he had retirement and devotion in the mosque (as usual); when the twenty-first night came, and this night when he used to come out his devotion in the mosque, he said: He who has engaged himself in devotion along with me should do so during the last ten days; I saw that night, that was caused to forget it, but I have seen myself prostrating in water and mud on the morning following (that night), so seek it in the last ten days and seek it every night with an odd number. Abu sa'id said: Rain fell that night, the mosque that was thatched building dripped, and my eyes saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) with the traces of water and mud, on his forehead on the morning following the twenty-first night.

"I asked Safwan bin 'Assal about wiping over the Khuffs, and he said: 'The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to tell us, when we were travelling, to wipe over our Khuffs and not take them off for three nights in the event of defecating, urinating or sleeping; only in the case of Janabah.'"