Tahajjud

ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās (radiy Allāhu ʿanhumā) narrated that he stayed overnight in the house of Maymūnah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā) the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, who was his aunt. (He said): “I lay horizontally while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his wife lay in the lengthwise direction of the cushion. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ slept till the middle of the night, either a little before or a little after it and then woke up, rubbing the traces of sleep off his face with his hands. *He then, recited the last ten verses of Sūrah Āal-ʿImrān*. He then got up and went to a hanging water-skin, he performed wuḍū’ from it and he perfected his wuḍū’, and then stood up to offer the ṣalāh. I, too, got up and did as the Prophet ﷺ had done. Then I went and stood by his side. He placed his right hand on my head and held my right ear, pulling it (either to move him from the left side to the right side, or to help him feel less sleepy). He prayed two rakʿahs, then two rakʿahs, then two rakʿahs, then two rakʿahs, then two rakʿah, then two rakʿahs (i.e. 12 in total), and then one rakʿah (the witr). Then he lay down again until the mu’adhdhin came to him whereupon the Prophet ﷺ got up, offered two light rakʿahs and went out and performed the Morning prayer. (Bukhārī 183)

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever gets up at night and says [the above] and then says: ‘O Allah, forgive me’ or makes duʿā’, it will be accepted. If he performs wuḍū’ and prays, his prayer will be accepted.” (Bukhārī)

ʿAbdur Raḥmān b. ʿAwf (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated: I asked ‘A’isha (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā), the mother of the believers, (to tell me) the words with which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commenced the Ṣalāh when he got up at night. She said: “When he got up at night he would commence his Ṣalāh with [the above] words. (Muslim 770)

Ibn ʿAbbās (radiy Allāhū ‘anhumā) narrates: “When the Prophet ﷺ would stand for the night (tahajjud) prayer, he would say [the above].” (Bukhārī 6317, 7499)

Rabīʿah bin Kaʿb al-Aslamī (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) said: “I used to stay overnight at the home of the Prophet ﷺ and I used to hear him when he prayed at night saying: [the above] for a long time.” (Nasā’ī 1618)

ʿĀsim b. Ḥumayd said, “I asked ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) about what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to start his night prayer with. She said, “You have indeed asked me something which no one before you has asked me. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say [the above]” (Nasā’ī 1617).

Abū Sa’īd al-Khudrī (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ got up to pray at night (for tahajjud prayer) he uttered the takbīr and then said:

سُبْحَانَكَ اَللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ ، وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ ، وَتَعَالَىٰ جَدُّكَ ، وَلاَ إِلٰهَ غَيْرُكَ (How Perfect are You O Allah, and all praise is Yours. Your Name is most blessed, Your majesty is exalted and there is no god worthy of worship except You.).

He then said: لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ (There is no god but Allah) three times.

He then said: اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا (Allah is altogether great) three times. He then said [the above], after which, He began His recitation. (Abū Dāwūd 775)

ʿAwf b. Mālik (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates: “I stood with the Prophet ﷺ. He started by using the siwāk and performing wuḍū, then he stood and prayed. He started reciting al-Baqarah and he did not come to any verse that spoke of mercy but he paused and asked for mercy, and he did not come to any verse that spoke of punishment but he paused (and sought refuge with Allah from that). Then he bowed and he stayed bowing for as long as he had stood, and he said while bowing: [the above] Then he prostrated for as long as he had bowed, saying while prostrating: [the above]. Then he recited al ʿImrān, then another sūrah and another, doing that each time.” (Nasā’ī 1132, Abū Dāwūd 873)

‘Ā’isha (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) reported: “One night, I was unable to find the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (in his bed). I thought that he might have gone to one of his other wives. I searched for him and then came back and (found him) in a state of bowing, or prostration, saying: [the above]. I said: ‘May my father and mother be sacrificed for you. I was thinking of (another) affair, whereas you are (occupied) in a different one.’” (Muslim 485)

‘A’isha (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) reported: “One night, I was unable to find the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (in his bed). I thought that he might have gone to one of his other wives. I searched for him and then came back and (found him) in a state of bowing, or prostration, saying: [the above]. I said: ‘May my father and mother be sacrificed for you. I was thinking of (another) affair, whereas you are (occupied) in a different one.’” (Muslim 485)

ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) said, “One night, I noticed that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was missing. I found him (in the Masjid), in prostration with his feet upright; he was saying [the above]” (Nasā’ī 1100)

Ubayy b. Kaʿb (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to perform Witr with three rakʿahs. In the first he would recite [Sūrah al-Aʿlā]; in the second [Sūrah al-Kafirun]; and in the third [Sūrah al-Ikhlas]. And he would say the Qunūt before bowing. And when he finished he would say [the above] three times, and would elongate the words the last time (i.e. the third time). (Nasā’ī 1699)