Book 8: The Book of Virtues

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Arrange the rows in order, stand shoulder to shoulder, close the gaps, be accommodating to your brothers, and do not leave gaps for Satan. Whoever joins up a row, he will be joined to Allah (i.e., to the Mercy of Allah); and whoever cuts off a row, he will be cut off from Allah (i.e., from His Mercy)."

[Abu Dawud].

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Stand close together in your rows, keep nearer to one another, and put your necks in line, for by Him in Whose Hands my soul is, I see the Satan entering through the opening in the row like Al- hadhaf (i.e., a type of small black sheep found in Yemen)."

[Abu Dawud].

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Fill (complete) the first row, then the one next to it; and if there is any deficiency (incompleteness), it should be in the last row."

[Abu Dawud].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah and His angels invoke blessings upon those who are on the right side of the rows."

[Abu Dawud].

Al-Bara' (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever we performed Salat behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we liked to be on his right side so that his face might turn towards us (at the end of the Salat). One day, I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicating, "O my Rubb! Shield me from Your Torment on the Day when You will gather (or said, 'resurrect') Your slaves."

[Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Let the Imam stand in the middle (so that those praying behind him should be standing both on his right and his left) and close the gaps."

[Abu Dawud].

Umm Habibah (May Allah be pleased with her) the Mother of the Believers reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "A house will be built in Jannah for every Muslim who offers twelve Rak'ah of optional Salat other than the obligatory Salat in a day and a night (to seek the Pleasure of Allah)."

[Muslim].

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: I performed along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) two Rak'ah of optional prayers before Zuhr and two after the Zuhr (noon prayer), and two after the Friday prayer, and two after the Maghrib (evening) prayer, and two after the 'Isha' (night) prayer."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Abdullah bin Mughaffal (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There is a Salat (prayer) between every Adhan and Iqamah; there is a Salat between every Adhan and Iqamah." (While saying the same for the) third time (he (ﷺ) added), "It is for him who desires (to perform it)."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) never omitted four Rak'ah prayer before the Zuhr prayer and two Rak'ah prayers before dawn (Fajr) prayer.

[Al- Bukhari].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) did not attach more importance to any Nawafil prayer than the two Rak'ah of prayer before dawn (Fajr) prayer.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The two Rak'ah before the dawn (Fajr) prayer are better than this world and all it contains."

[Muslim]

Another narration goes: "The two Rak'ah before the dawn (Fajr) prayer are dearer to me than the whole world."

Abu 'Abdullah Bilal bin Rabah (May Allah be pleased with him) the Mu'adhdhin of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reported: I went to inform the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the time of the dawn (Fajr) prayer, and 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) kept me busy and began to ask me about something till the day grew bright. Then I got up and informed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) of the time of Salat. I informed him again but he did not came out immediately to lead As- Salat. When he came out, he led As-Salat. I said to him: 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) kept me busy and thus diverted my attention by asking about something and the morning grew bright. You also came out late. Upon that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I was engaged in performing two Rak'ah of Fajr prayer." Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him)said: "O Messenger of Allah! You delayed As-Salat so long as the morning grew bright." He (ﷺ) replied, "Even if the morning had become brighter than it had, I would have performed two Rak'ah of prayer in an excellent manner."

[Abu Dawud].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to perform two Rak'ah short prayer between the Adhan (call to prayer) and the Iqamah of the dawn (Fajr) prayers.

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim]

In another narration, 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to perform two supererogatory Rak'ah prayer of Fajr and make them so short in duration that I used to think whether he (ﷺ) had recited Surat Al-Fatihah (in it) or not.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

In the narration of Muslim, 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to hear the Adhan (of Fajr prayer) he would perform two supererogatory Rak'ah prayer and would make them short.

Hafsah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to perform two short Rak'ah prayer when it was dawn and the Mu'adhdhin had called Adhan (for the Fajr prayer).

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to perform his optional night prayers at night, two Rak'ah followed by two Rak'ah, and at the end he would conclude with an odd Rak'ah (Witr). Then he would perform two Rak'ah prayer before the dawn (Fajr) prayer after hearing the Adhan, and he would make them so brief as if he could hear the Iqamah being called.

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite during the two Rak'ah of Fajr prayer: "Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us..." (2:136) which is in Surat Al-Baqarah in the first Rak'ah and the Verse: "We believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e., we submit to Allah." (3:52) in the second Rak'ah.

According to another narration, he (ﷺ) recited from Surat Al-'Imran the Verses: "Come to a word which is just between us and you..." (3:64).

[Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited in the two supererogatory Rak'ah of the Fajr prayer Surat Al-Kafirun (No. 109) [in the first Rak'ah], and Surat Al-Ikhlas (No. 112) [in the second Rak'ah].

[Muslim].

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: I observed the Prophet (ﷺ) for one month reciting in the two supererogatory Rak'ah of the Fajr prayer Surat Al-Kafirun (No. 109) [in the first Rak'ah], and Surat Al-Ikhlas (No. 112) [in the second Rak'ah].

[At-Tirmidhi].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: When the Prophet (ﷺ) had performed two Rak'ah before the Fajr prayer, he would lie down on his right side.

[Al-Bukhari].