She said that when the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed the two rak'as of the dawn prayer he lay down on his right side. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas said: I spent a night with my maternal aunt Maimuna when the Prophet (ﷺ) was with her. After talking to his family for a time he had a sleep, then when the last third of the night came, or a little later, he sat up, looked at the sky, and recited, “In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day there are indeed signs for people of understanding,"(Al-Qur’an; 3:190) to the end of the sura. Then getting up and going to the bucket, he loosened its cord and poured some water into a bowl, then performed a good ablution between the two extremes, not going to great length, and when he had done it fully he stood up and prayed. I got up, and when I had performed ablution I stood at his left side, whereupon he took me by the ear and made me go round to his right side. His prayer was altogether thirteen rak'as. Then he lay down and slept, and he snored as was his custom. When Bilal made the call to prayer for him he prayed without performing ablution, and his supplication included these words, “O God, place light in my heart, light in my eyesight, light in my hearing, light on my right hand, light on my left hand, light above me, light below me, light in front of me, light behind me, and grant me light." Some added, “and light in my tongue," and mentioned, “my joints, my flesh, my blood, my hair, my skin." (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by both of them he said, “Place light in my soul, and give me abundant light." In another by Muslim he said, “O God, give me light."

He said that once when he slept in the house of God’s Messenger, he awoke, cleaned his teeth and performed ablution, saying meanwhile, “In the creation of the heavens and the earth," to the end of the sura. He then stood up and prayed two rak'as, standing, bowing and prostrating himself at length in them. Then he finished, went to sleep and snored. He did that three times, six rak'as altogether, each time cleaning his teeth, performing ablution and reciting these verses. Then he performed a witr of three rak'as. Muslim transmitted it.

‘A’isha said, “When God’s Messenger grew old and was ill, he mostly prayed sitting.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abdallah b. Mas'ud said, “I know the comparable suras which the Prophet (ﷺ) used to join together; ” and he mentioned twenty suras at the beginning of al-Mufassal,1 according to Ibn Mas'ud’s arrangement, two in a rak'a, the last of them being H. M. ad-Dukhan,2 and “About what do they ask one another?”3 1. A title given to the suras from 49 to the end, but several other suras are also mentioned: 37, 45, 47, 48, 50, 61, 67, 87, and 93. The name is most appropriately explained ay meaning that this is the section of the Qur’an which contains many shorter suras. 2. Al-Qur’an; 94. As this is included as one of the suras in al Mufassal, it suggests that this section begins earlier than the first number mentioned in the note referred to above. 3. Al-Qur'an; 78. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Hudhaifa said he saw the Prophet (ﷺ) praying at night, and he was saying, “God is most great (three times), Possessor of the kingdom, might, pomp and greatness.” Thereafter he began and recited al-Baqara (Al-Qur’an; 2) then bowed, his bowing lasting about the same length of time as his standing, and he was saying while bowing, “Glory be to my mighty Lord.” He then raised his head after bowing and stood about the same length of time as he bad spent in bowing, saying, “To my Lord be the praise.” Then he prostrated himself for about the same length of time as he had stood, and he was saying while prostrating himself, “Glory be to my Lord most high.” He then raised his head after the prostration and sat between the two prostrations about the same length of time as he had spent in his prostration, and he was saying, “My Lord, forgive me; my Lord, forgive me.” He then prayed four rak'as in which he recited al-Baqara, Al 'Imran, an-Nisa’, and al-Ma'idaor al-An‘am (Al-Qur’an; 2, 3, 4 and 5 and 6) Shu‘ba was doubtful which it was. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Dharr said that God’s Messenger kept awake during the night till morning reciting one verse, which was, “If Thou punishest them they are Thy servants; and if Thou forgivest them Thou art the Mighty, the Wise”(Al-Qur’an; 5:118). Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Masruq said he asked ‘A’isha what action was most pleasing to God’s Messenger and she replied that it was what one keeps on doing. He asked at what time he got up at night and she said it was at cockcrow. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Humaid b. ‘Abd ar-Rahman b. ‘Auf said that one of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) told how he decided when he was on a journey along with God’s Messenger that he must watch his prayer to see how he conducted it. When he had prayed the evening prayer, which is the 'atama, he lay down for a long period during the night, then awoke, looked at the horizon and said, “Our Lord, Thou hast not created this in vain…verily Thou dost not break Thy promise” (Al-Qur’an; 3:191,194). Then God's Messenger went to his couch from which he took out a toothstick, then poured out some water into a bowl from a skin vessel beside him, cleaned his teeth, and stood up and prayed, till it appeared to me that he prayed as long as he had slept. Then he lay down till it appeared to me that he slept as long as he had prayed. Then awakening and doing as he did the first time, he said the same as he had said. He did that three times before the dawn. Nasa’i transmitted it.

Ya'la b. Mamlak said he asked Umm Salama, the Prophet’s wife, about his recitation and prayer. She Said, “What have you to do with his prayer? He would pray, then sleep as long as he had prayed, then pray as long as he had slept, then sleep as long as he had prayed, till morning.” She then described his recitation and did so with an exposition word by word. Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas told how the Prophet (ﷺ) said when he got up during the night to pray, “O God, to Thee be the praise; Thou art supreme over the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the Light of the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the King of the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the Truth, Thy promise is truth, the meeting with Thee is true, Thy word is true, paradise is true, hell is true, the prophets are true, Muhammad is true, the last hour is true. O God, to Thee I submit, in Thee I believe upon Thee I trust, to Thee I repent, by Thy help I have disputed, and to Thee I have come for decision, so forgive me my former and my latter sins, my secret and my open sins, and what Thou knowest better than I. Thou art He who brings forward, and Thou art He who defers. There is no god but Thee, and there is no other god than Thee.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Ubada b. as-Samit reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone is disturbed during the night and says, ‘There is no god but God alone who has no partner; to Him belongs the kingdom, to Him praise is due, and He is omnipotent; glory be to God; praise be to God; there is no god but God: God is most great; there is no might and no power but in God,’ then says, ‘My Lord, forgive me’ (or he said, Then makes supplication), he will receive an answer; and if he performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When one of you goes to sleep the devil ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing every knot with, ‘You have a long night, so sleep’. So if one awakes and mentions God a knot will be loosened, if he performs ablution a knot will be loosened, and if he prays a knot will be loosened, and in the morning he will be active and in good spirits; otherwise he will be in bad spirits and sluggish in the morning.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Al-Mughira said that the Prophet (ﷺ) got up at night to such an extent that his feet became swollen. On being asked why he did this when his former and latter sins had been forgiven him, he replied, “Should I not be a grateful servant?” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn Mas'ud said that a man was mentioned in the Prophet’s presence, and he was told that he continued sleeping till morning, never having got up to pray. He said, “That is a man in whose ear (or, in whose ears) the devil has urinated.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Umm Salama said that God’s Messenger awoke one night with a start and said, “Glory be to God. What treasures have been sent down tonight, and what trials have been sent down! Who will waken those who are in the inner chambers (meaning his wives) in order that they may pray? Many a woman who is clothed in this world will be naked in the next.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying: Our Lord who is blessed and exalted descends every night to the lowest heaven when two-thirds of the night have passed and says, “Who supplicates me so that I may answer him? Who asks of me so that I may give to him? Who asks my forgiveness so that I may forgive him?” (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by Muslim it is said that He then spreads out His hands and says, “Who will lend to One who is neither indigent nor unjust?"* till the dawn breaks. *The lending mentioned here is presumably the doing of good works.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The prayer dearest to God is David’s and the fasting dearest to God is David’s. He would sleep half the night, get up to pray for a third of it, then sleep the remaining sixth; and he would fast on alternate days." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘A’isha said that he, meaning God’s Messenger, would sleep in the early part of the night and keep awake in the latter part. If he then wished intercourse with his wife he satisfied his desire, and then went to sleep. If he was sexually defiled when the first call to prayer was made, he would get up and pour water on it, but if not, he performed the ablution for the prayer and then prayed two rak'as. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As reported God’s Messenger as saying to him, “Don’t be like so and so, ‘Abdallah. He used to get up during the night, then abandoned the practice.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)