Sahih Muslim

I have never seen the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) hastening as much in observing supererogatory as two rak'ahs before the (Fard) of the dawn prayer.

The two rak'ahs at dawn are better than this world and what it contains.

They are dearer to me than the whole world.

" Say: O unbelievers," (Qur'an, cix.) and" Say: Allah is one" (cxii.).

"Say: We believed in Allah and what was revealed to us..." verse 136 from Surah Baqara, and in the second of the two: "I believe in Allah and I bear testimony that we are Muslims" (iii. 52).

" Say: We believed in Allah and what was revealed to us" and that which is found in Surah Al-i-'lmran:" Come to that word (creed) which is common between you and us" (iii. 64).

This hadith has been transmitted by another chain of narrators.

A house will be built in Paradise, for anyone who prays in a day and a night twelve rak'ahs; and she added: I have never abandoned (observing them) since I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Some of the other narrators said the same words: I have never abandoned (observing them) since I heard (from so and so).

He who observed twelve voluntary rak'ahs, a house will be built for him in Paradise.

If any Muslim servant (of Allah) prays for the sake of Allah twelve rak'ahs (of Sunan) every day, over and above the obligatory ones, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise, or a house will be built for him in Paradise; and I have not abandoned observing them after (hearing it from the Messenger of Allah). (So said also 'Amr and Nu'man.)

If any Muslim servant (of Allah) performed ablution, and performed it well, and then observed every day, the rest of the hadith is the same.

I prayed along with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) two rak'ahs before and two rak'ahs after the noon prayer, two rak'ahs after the sunset prayer and two rak'ahs after the 'Isha' prayer and two rak'ahs after the Friday prayer; and so far as the sunset, 'Isha' and Friday prayers are concerned, I observed (them) along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in his house.

I asked 'A'isha about the Messenger of Allah's (ﷺ) voluntary prayers, and she replied: Before the noon prayer, he used to pray four rak'ahs in my house; then would go out and lead the people in prayer; then come in and pray two rak'ahs. He would then lead the people in the sunset prayer; then come in and pray two rak'ahs. Then he would lead the people in the 'Isha' prayer, and enter my house and pray two rak'ahs. He would pray nine rak'ahs during the night, including Witr. At night he would pray for a long time standing and for a long time sitting, and when he recited the Holy Qur'an while standing, he would bow and prostrate himself from the standing position, and when he recited while sitting, he would bow and prostrate himself from the sitting position, and when it was dawn he would pray two rak'ahs.

'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would pray in the night for a long time, and when he prayed standing be bowed in a standing posture, and when he prayed sitting, he bowed in a sitting posture.

I fell ill in Persia and therefore, prayed in a sitting posture, and I asked 'A'isha about it and she said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed for a long time in the night sitting.

I asked 'A'isha about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during the night (i. e. Tahajjud prayer) She replied: He used to pray for a long time standing and for a long time sitting in the night, and when he recited the Qur'an while standing, he would bow himself from the standing position, and when he recited while sitting, he would bow from the sitting position.

I asked 'A'isha about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would observe prayer (Nafl) in a standing position as well as in a sitting position, and when he commenced the prayer in a standing position, he bowed in this very position, and when he commenced the prayer in a sitting position, he bowed in this very position.

I did not see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reciting (the Qur'an) in the night prayer in a sitting position, till he grew old and then he recited (it) in a sitting position, but when thirty or forty verses were left out of the Surah, he would then stand up, recite them and then bowed.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray while sitting (when he grew old) and he recited in this position and when the recitation equal to thirty or forty verses was left, he would then stand up and recite (for this duration) in a standing position and then bowed himself and then prostrated himself and did the same in the second rak'ah.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite in sitting position (while observing the Tahajjud prayer) and when he intended to bow, he would stand up and recite (for the duration in which) a man (ordinarily) recites forty verses.