Al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba said (may Allah be well pleased with him): "Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) performed the ritual prayer until his feet became swollen, so he was asked: 'Must you burden yourself with this, when Allah has already forgiven you your former and your latter sins?' He replied: 'Shall I not be a thankful servant?'”

Abu Huraira said (may Allah be well pleased with him): "Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to perform the ritual prayer until his feet had begun to swell, so he was asked: 'Must you do this, when it has come to you that Allah has already forgiven you your former and your latter sins?’ He replied: 'Shall I not be a thankful servant?'”

It is also reported from Abu Huraira, may Allah be well pleased with him that: Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to stand performing the ritual prayer until his feet had begun to swell, so he would be asked: “O Messenger of Allah, must you do this, when Allah has already forgiven you your former and your latter sins?” He replied: “Shall I not be a thankful servant?”

Al-Aswad ibn Yazid said: “I asked 'A'sha (may Allah be well pleased with her) about the nighttime ritual prayer of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), so she said: ‘He used to sleep at the beginning of the night. Then he would get up, and when it was the time before daybreak, he performed a witr . Then he came to his mattress, and if he had a need, he had sexual intercourse with his wife. When he heard the call to prayer, he sprang up, and if he was in a state of major ritual impurity, he poured water over himself, and if not, he performed the minor ritual ablution and went out to the ritual prayer.”

Ibn 'Abbas informed him that he spent the night in the home of Maimuna, his maternal aunt and he said: "I reclined across the cushion and Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) reclined lengthwise, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) slept until the middle of the night, or a little while before or after it. Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) then woke up, wiped the sleep off his face, and recited the final ten verses of the Sura of the Family of ‘Imran . Then he approached a suspended waterskin, performed the minor ritual ablution and performed it well, after which he performed the ritual prayer.” Abdullah ibn 'Abbas said: “I got up and stood by his side, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) placed his right hand on my head, gripped my right ear and twisted it. After this he performed two cycles of ritual prayer, then two more cycles, then two more cycles, then two more cycles, then two more cycles, then two more cycles..” He (Ma'an) said: “... six times, after which he performed an odd-numbered cycle. Then he reclined until the muezzin came to him, whereupon he got up and performed two abbreviated cycles. Then he went out and performed the early-morning ritual prayer".

Ibn 'Abbas said: "The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to perform thirteen cycles of ritual prayer during the night.”

A’isha said: "If the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not perform the ritual prayer during the night, because sleep had prevented him, or his eyes had been too weary, during the daytime, he would perform twelve cycles of ritual prayer during the daytime.”

Abu Huraira said: "The Prophet (ﷺ) said (Allah bless him and give him peace): 'If one of you gets up during the night, let him begin his ritual prayer with two abbreviated cycles.'”

Zaid ibn Khalid al-jahuhani said: “Determined to contemplate the ritual prayer of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) intently, for I laid my head on his doorstep or his hair tent. Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) then performed two brisk cycles of ritual prayer. After this he performed two long, long, long cycles. Then he performed two cycles that were shorter than the two before them. Then he performed two cycles that were shorter than the two that were before them. Then he performed two cycles that were shorter than the two that preceded them. Then he performed two cycles that were shorter than the two that were before them. Finally he performed a single-numbered cycle, which added up to a total of thirteen cycles.”

Abu Salama ibn 'Abd ar-Rahman asked 'A’isha (may Allah the Exalted be well pleased with her): “How was the ritual prayer of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) during Ramadan?” so she said: “Neither in Ramadan nor in any other month would Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) add to the total of eleven cycles of ritual prayer. He would perform four — do not ask about their excellence or their length — then he would perform four — do not ask about their excellence or their length — and then he would perform three.” ‘A'isha said (may Allah the Exalted be well pleased with her): “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, do you sleep before you perform the odd-numbered ritual prayer ?' He said: ‘O 'A'isha, my eyes may sleep, but my heart does not sleep!’”

'A’isha said (may Allah be well pleased with her): “Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to perform eleven cycles of ritual prayer during the night, making one of them odd-numbered , and when he had finished, he would recline on his right side.”

Two other chains have narrations similar to the previous one.

'A’isha said: "Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to perform nine cycles of ritual prayer during the night.”

Hudhaifa ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be well pleased with him) performed the ritual prayer with the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) during the night, and he said: “When he entered into the ritual prayer, he said: ‘Allah is Supremely Great , the Lord of power , sovereignty , magnificence [kibriya’] and sublimity ['azama]! Then he recited the Sura of the Cow . Then he bowed down, and he bowed for approximately as long as he had stood erect, saying: ‘Glory be to my Lord, the Almighty! Glory be to my Lord, the Almighty!’ Then he raised his head, and he stood erect for approximately as long as he had bowed, saying: ‘To my Lord belongs the praise! To my Lord belongs the praise!’ Then he prostrated himself, and he prostrated for approximately as long as he had stood erect, saying: ‘Glory be to my Lord, the Most High! Glory be to my Lord, the Most High!’ Then he raised his head, and the pause between the two prostrations was approximately as long as the prostrations. During the pause he said: ‘My Lord, forgive me! My Lord, forgive me,’ until he recited the Suras of the Cow , the Family of Imran , Women [an-Nisa’] and the Table Spread , or Cattle [al-An'am].” According to Abu 'Isa: “Shu'ba is the one who entertained doubts about al-Ma'ida and al- Anam."

'A’isha said (may Allah be well pleased with her): "Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) spent one whole night reciting a verse from the Qur’an.” Commentary: The aayah is the last aayah of Surah Maa-idah: In tu-adh-dhib-hum fa-innahum 'ibaaduk. Wa in tagh-fir lahum fa-innaka antal azizul hakim. Translation: "If Thou punish them, lo! they are Thy slaves, and if Thou forgive them, (lo! the are Thy slaves).Lo! Thou, only Thou, art Mighty, the wise".Surah Maa-idah, 118. The Being that possesses great power, if He wills, He may forgive the criminal. The One that is all Wise, there is Wisdom and benefit in every act of His. The reason for Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam reciting this aayah while standing and also in the ruku and sajdah, and repeating it many times, is to bring to mind the two attributes of Allah, namely the attributes of justice and forgiveness. The whole scene on the day of qiyaamah will be of these two things. It is stated that Imaam Aa'zam Abu Hanifah RA. also recited the following aayah the whole night: Wamtaazul yauma ayyuhal mujrimun. Translation: "But avaunt ye, O ye guilty, this day!" Surah Yaseen, 58. In this aayah too the scene of qiyaamah is portrayed. That today the sinners should separate and distinguish themselves. What a severe and nerve-chilling command this is. Today they are together with the pious and holy people and benefiting from the barakaat (blessings) they receive, but at this moment the sinners will be separated from them. May the Most Merciful Allah with His Grace keep those pious souls under His shadow, otherwise it is really a time for great trials.

'Abdullah said: “I performed the ritual prayer one night with Allah’s Messenger (All^ bless him and give him peace), and he remained standing until I almost did something bad.” He was asked: “What did you almost do?” He replied: “I nearly sat down and left the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in the lurch!”

'A’isha said (may Allah be well pleased with her): “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to perform the ritual prayer sitting down, so he would also recite the Qur’an while he was seated. If the amount of his recitation remaining was thirty or forty verses, he would rise and recite standing up, and then he would bow and prostrate. Then he would do likewise in the second cycle.”

'Abdullah ibn Shaqiq said: “I asked 'A’isha (may Allah be well pleased with her) about the voluntary ritual prayers of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), and she said: ‘He used to spend a long night performing the ritual prayer while standing, and a long night while sitting, so if he recited the Qur’an while standing, he would bow and prostrate from a standing position, and if he recited while sitting, he would bow and prostrate from a sitting position.”

Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), said: “Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to perform voluntary ritual prayer sitting down , and he would recite the Sura and pronounce it slowly, so that it would seem to be longer than one that was actually longer than it.”

A’isha said (may Allah be well pleased with her): “By the time the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) died, he was performing most of his ritual prayers from a sitting position.”