Bismillah,
Asalaamu alaikum,
We will continue our weekly posts of Mukthasar Saheeh Bukhari insha’Allah. I haven’t stayed consistent with these posts and that’s due to my own negligence and fault. I ask that you forgive me and make dua that Allah cures us from sick hearts, ameen. Without further ado, we will start with the Book of Tahajjud Prayers.
The Book of Tahajjud Prayers
The superiority of the Tahajjud Prayer (i.e the night prayer). Hadeeth 591:
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar radiAllahu ‘anhu: In the lifetime of the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam whosoever saw a dream would narrate it to Allah’s Messenger salAllahu alayhi wasalam. I had a wish of seeing a dream to narrate it to Allah’s Messenger salAllahu alayhi wasalam. I was a grown up boy and used to sleep in the mosque in the lifetime of the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam. I saw in the dream that two angels caught hold of me and took me to the fire which was built all round like a built well and had two poles in it and the people in it were known to me. I started saying, “I seek refuge with Allah from the fire.” Then I met another angel who told me not to be afraid. I narrated the dream to Hafsa who told it to Allah’s Messenger salAllahu alayhi wasalam. The Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam said, “Abdullah is a good man. I wish he prayed Tahajjud.” After that Abdullah (i.e Salim’s father) used to sleep but a little at night.
Here we see a few things:
1. The love the companions had for the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam. Ibn Umar wanted any excuse to get to talk to the Prophet! How about us, we don’t even want to talk to our Lord on time (prayers).
2. The Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam recommending that good people pray qiyamul layl.
Leaving the night prayer by a patient (sick person) Hadith 592:
Narrated Jundab bin Abdullah radiAllahu ‘anh “The Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam became sick and did not get up (for Tahajjud prayer) for a night or two.”
Here we see that the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam would get up to pray unless there was an excuse. Praying Tahajjud is not a fard, so some days the Prophet would leave it if he needed to rest from being ill.
The Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam exhorting (the people) to Tahajjud and Nawaafil without making them compulsory. Hadtih 593:
Narrated Ali bin Abi Talib radiAllahu ‘anh that one night Allah’s messenger salAllahu alayhi wasalam came to him and Fatima the daughter of the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam and said, “Don’t you (both) offer the (tahajjud) prayer (at night)?” Ali said, “Oh Allah’s Messenger, our souls are in the Hands of Allah and if He wants us to get up He will make us get up.” When I said that, he left us without saying anything and I heard that he was hitting his thigh and saying, “But man is ever more quarrelsome than anything.” (QS18. Al Kahf ayat 54)
Here we see that if the Tahajjud prayer was fardh than the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam would have made it obligatory.
I spent the first 10 days of this month with Sh. Muhammad AlShareef in Toronto, Canada learning from him some of the most exciting techniques about life coaching.
