Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Detailed Injunctions about Witr

حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَوْهَبٍ الرَّمْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ، عَنْ يَعْلَى بْنِ مَمْلَكٍ، أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ قِرَاءَةِ، رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَصَلاَتِهِ فَقَالَتْ وَمَا لَكُمْ وَصَلاَتَهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي وَيَنَامُ قَدْرَ مَا صَلَّى ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي قَدْرَ مَا نَامَ ثُمَّ يَنَامُ قَدْرَ مَا صَلَّى حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ وَنَعَتَتْ قِرَاءَتَهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَنْعَتُ قِرَاءَتَهُ حَرْفًا حَرْفًا ‏.‏

Ya'la ibn Mumallak said that he asked Umm Salamah about the recitation and prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). She said: What have you to do with his prayer? He would pray, then sleep as long as he had prayed, till morning. She then described his recitation and did so with an exposition word by word.

حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ قُرَّةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُغَفَّلٍ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمَ فَتْحِ مَكَّةَ وَهُوَ عَلَى نَاقَةٍ يَقْرَأُ بِسُورَةِ الْفَتْحِ وَهُوَ يُرَجِّعُ ‏.‏

On the day of the Conquest of Mecca I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) riding his she-camel reciting Surah al-Fath repeating each verse several times.

"‏ زَيِّنُوا الْقُرْآنَ بِأَصْوَاتِكُمْ ‏"

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Beautify the Qur'an with your voices.

"‏ لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَتَغَنَّ بِالْقُرْآنِ ‏"

(The narrator Qutaibah said: This tradition has been narrated by Sa'id b. Abu Sa'id in my collection): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who does not chant the Qur'an is not one of us.

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي نَهِيكٍ، عَنْ سَعْدٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَهُ ‏.‏

This tradition has also been transmitted by Sa'd (b. Abi Waqqas) from the Prophet (ﷺ) in a similar manner through a different chain of narrators.

"‏ لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَتَغَنَّ بِالْقُرْآنِ ‏"

Ubaydullah ibn Yazid said: AbuLubabah passed by us and we followed him till he entered his house, and we also entered it. There was a man in a rusty house and in shabby condition. I heard him say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: He is not one of us who does not chant the Qur'an. I (the narrator AbdulJabbar) said to Ibn AbuMulaykah: AbuMuhammad, what do you think if a person does not have pleasant voice? He said: He should recite with pleasant voice as much as possible.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ الأَنْبَارِيُّ، قَالَ قَالَ وَكِيعٌ وَابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ يَعْنِي يَسْتَغْنِي بِهِ ‏.‏

This means that the Qur'an makes a man neglect all other things, and be content with it.

"‏ مَا أَذِنَ اللَّهُ لِشَىْءٍ مَا أَذِنَ لِنَبِيٍّ حَسَنِ الصَّوْتِ يَتَغَنَّى بِالْقُرْآنِ يَجْهَرُ بِهِ ‏"

Allah has not listened to anything as He does to a Prophet chanting the Qur'an with a loud voice.

"‏ مَا مِنِ امْرِئٍ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ يَنْسَاهُ إِلاَّ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَجْذَمَ ‏"

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: No man recites the Qur'an, then forgets it, but will meet Allah on the Day of Judgment in a maimed condition (or empty-handed, or with no excuse).

حَدَّثَنَا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدٍ الْقَارِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ هِشَامَ بْنَ حَكِيمِ بْنِ حِزَامٍ، يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ الْفُرْقَانِ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَا أَقْرَؤُهَا وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَقْرَأَنِيهَا فَكِدْتُ أَنْ أَعْجَلَ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَمْهَلْتُهُ حَتَّى انْصَرَفَ ثُمَّ لَبَّبْتُهُ بِرِدَائِهِ فَجِئْتُ بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ هَذَا يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ الْفُرْقَانِ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَا أَقْرَأْتَنِيهَا ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ اقْرَأْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَرَأَ الْقِرَاءَةَ الَّتِي سَمِعْتُهُ يَقْرَأُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ هَكَذَا أُنْزِلَتْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي ‏"‏ اقْرَأْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَرَأْتُ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ هَكَذَا أُنْزِلَتْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ أُنْزِلَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

I heard Hisham b. Hakim (b. Hizam) reciting Surah al-Furqan in a different manner from my way of reciting, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had taught me to recite it. I nearly spoke sharply to him, but I delayed till he had finished. Then I caught his cloak at the neck, and I brought him to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I said: Messenger of Allah, I heard this man reciting Surah al-Furqan in a manner different from that in which you taught me to recite it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) the told him to recite it. He then recited in the manner I heard him recite. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Thus was it sent down. He then said to me: Recite, I recited (it). He then said: Thus was it sent down. He said: The Qur'an was sent down in seven modes of reading, so recite according to what comes most easily.