The Book of Prayer - Travellers

"‏ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى فَإِذَا خَشِيتَ الصُّبْحَ فَصَلِّ رَكْعَةً وَاجْعَلْ آخِرَ صَلاَتِكَ وِتْرًا ‏"

A person asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as I stood between him (the Holy Prophet) and the inquirer and he said: Messenger of Allah, how is the night prayer? He (the Holy Prophet) said: It consists of pairs of rak'ahs, but if you apprehend morning, you should pray one rak'ah and make the end of your prayer as Witr. Then a person asked him (the Holy Prophet) at the end of the year and I was at that place near the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ; but I do not know whether he was the same person or another person, but he (the Holy Prophet) gave him the same reply.

وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو كَامِلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، وَبُدَيْلٌ، وَعِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُدَيْرٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ شَقِيقٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ الْغُبَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، وَالزُّبَيْرُ بْنُ الْخِرِّيتِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ شَقِيقٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ فَذَكَرَا بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَيْسَ فِي حَدِيثِهِمَا ثُمَّ سَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ عَلَى رَأْسِ الْحَوْلِ وَمَا بَعْدَهُ ‏.‏

" Then a person asked him at the end of the year," and what follows subsequently.

"‏ مَنْ صَلَّى فَلْيُصَلِّ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى فَإِنْ أَحَسَّ أَنْ يُصْبِحَ سَجَدَ سَجْدَةً فَأَوْتَرَتْ لَهُ مَا صَلَّى ‏"

A person called (the attention) of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as he was in the mosque, and said: Messenger of Allah, how should I make the rak'ahs of the night prayer an odd number? Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) said: He who prays (night prayer) he should observe it in pairs, but if he apprehends the rise of morning, he should observe one rak'ah; that would make the number odd (for the rak'ahs) observed by him. This was narrated by Abu Kuraib 'Ubaidullah b. 'Abdullah and Ibn 'Umar did not make mention of it.

حَدَّثَنَا خَلَفُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ، وَأَبُو كَامِلٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ قُلْتُ أَرَأَيْتَ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ صَلاَةِ الْغَدَاةِ أَأُطِيلُ فِيهِمَا الْقِرَاءَةَ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى وَيُوتِرُ بِرَكْعَةٍ - قَالَ - قُلْتُ إِنِّي لَسْتُ عَنْ هَذَا أَسْأَلُكَ ‏.‏ قَالَ إِنَّكَ لَضَخْمٌ أَلاَ تَدَعُنِي أَسْتَقْرِئُ لَكَ الْحَدِيثَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى وَيُوتِرُ بِرَكْعَةٍ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْغَدَاةِ كَأَنَّ الأَذَانَ بِأُذُنَيْهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ خَلَفٌ أَرَأَيْتَ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْغَدَاةِ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ صَلاَةِ ‏.‏

I asked Ibn 'Umar to tell me about the practice of the Prophet (ﷺ) in regard to two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer: Should I make lengthy recitation in them? He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe, the night prayer in pairs and then made the number odd by observing one rak'ah. I said: I am not asking you about it. He said: You are a bulky man, will you not show me the patience to narrate to you the hadith completely? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe the night prayer in pairs and then made the number odd by observing one rak'ah, and then he observed two rak'ahs before dawn quite close to the call for prayer (Khalaf said:" Did you see [yourself the Prophet observing] the two rak'ahs before the dawn?" and he made no mention of prayer.)

وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَابْنُ، بَشَّارٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ ‏.‏ بِمِثْلِهِ وَزَادَ وَيُوتِرُ بِرَكْعَةٍ مِنْ آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ ‏.‏ وَفِيهِ فَقَالَ بَهْ بَهْ إِنَّكَ لَضَخْمٌ ‏.‏

I asked Ibn 'Umar like this (as recorded in the previous hadith) and he made this addition:" And he (the Holy Prophet) made the end of the night prayer as odd number by one rak'ah." And there is also (this addition):" Stop, stop, you are bulky."

"‏ صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى فَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ أَنَّ الصُّبْحَ يُدْرِكُكَ فَأَوْتِرْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ ‏"

The night prayer consists of pairs and when you see the approach of dawn, make this number odd by one rak'ah. It was said to Ibn 'Umar: What does the (word) pair imply? He said: (It means) that salutation is uttered after every two rak'ahs.

"‏ بَادِرُوا الصُّبْحَ بِالْوِتْرِ ‏"

Hasten to pray Witr before morning.

وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ رُمْحٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، قَالَ مَنْ صَلَّى مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَلْيَجْعَلْ آخِرَ صَلاَتِهِ وِتْرًا فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَأْمُرُ بِذَلِكَ ‏.‏

He who prayed at night should make Witr the end of his prayer, for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered this.

"‏ اجْعَلُوا آخِرَ صَلاَتِكُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وِتْرًا ‏"

Make Witr the end of your night prayer.

وَحَدَّثَنِي هَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ أَخْبَرَنِي نَافِعٌ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، كَانَ يَقُولُ مَنْ صَلَّى مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَلْيَجْعَلْ آخِرَ صَلاَتِهِ وِتْرًا قَبْلَ الصُّبْحِ كَذَلِكَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْمُرُهُمْ ‏.‏

He who observed the night prayer should make Witr the end of his prayer before dawn. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to order them thus.