65/3.18. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4570 — Watching the Prophet’s Night Prayer
"Those who remember Allāh (always and in prayers), standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides; and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth...." (V.3:191)
Hadith About Tahajjud: Ibn Abbas Watches the Prophet’s Night Prayer
Sahih Bukhari : 4570
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4570
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ، عَنْ مَخْرَمَةَ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ كُرَيْبٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ بِتُّ عِنْدَ خَالَتِي مَيْمُونَةَ فَقُلْتُ لأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَطُرِحَتْ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وِسَادَةٌ، فَنَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي طُولِهَا، فَجَعَلَ يَمْسَحُ النَّوْمَ عَنْ وَجْهِهِ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ الآيَاتِ الْعَشْرَ الأَوَاخِرَ مِنْ آلِ عِمْرَانَ حَتَّى خَتَمَ، ثُمَّ أَتَى شَنًّا مُعَلَّقًا، فَأَخَذَهُ فَتَوَضَّأَ، ثُمَّ قَامَ يُصَلِّي، فَقُمْتُ فَصَنَعْتُ مِثْلَ مَا صَنَعَ ثُمَّ جِئْتُ فَقُمْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ، فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى رَأْسِي، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِأُذُنِي، فَجَعَلَ يَفْتِلُهَا، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ أَوْتَرَ.
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
(One night) I stayed overnight in the house of my aunt Maimuna, and said to myself, "I will watch the prayer of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) " My aunt placed a cushion for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he slept on it in its length-wise direction and (woke-up) rubbing the traces of sleep off his face and then he recited the last ten Verses of Surat-al-`Imran till he finished it.Then he went to a hanging water skin and took it, performed the ablution and then stood up to offer the prayer. I got up and did the same as he had done, and stood beside him. He put his hand on my head and held me by the ear and twisted it. He offered two rak`at, then two rak`at, then two rak`at, then two rak`at, then two rak`at, then two rak`at, and finally the witr (i.e. one rak`a) prayer.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4570In-book reference : Book 65, Hadith 92USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 94
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4570
This Hadith about Tahajjud gives a close view of the Prophet’s night prayer. Ibn Abbas stayed at the house of his aunt Maimuna and wanted to watch how Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم slept, then woke while rubbing sleep from his face. He recited the last ten verses of Surah Ali Imran, performed ablution from a hanging water skin, and stood for prayer. Ibn Abbas copied what he did and stood beside him. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم placed his hand on Ibn Abbas’s head, held his ear, and then prayed in pairs of two rak'at, ending with Witr. The Hadith is valuable for people searching for the Prophet’s Tahajjud prayer because it shows the order, the recitation, and the pattern of two-by-two prayer before Witr.
What we learn from this hadith
- Ibn Abbas carefully observed the Prophet’s night prayer.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم recited the last ten verses of Surah Ali Imran after waking.
- He performed ablution before standing for prayer.
- His night prayer was offered in pairs and ended with Witr.
