English translation
1342. It was reported from Qatādah, from Zurārah bin Awfā, from Sa'd bin Hishām, who said: "I divorced my wife, and then came to Al-Madīnah in order to sell some property I had there, (all of this) so that I could buy some weapons and fight (in the Cause of Allāh). I met some Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, and they said: 'A group of six of us also intended to do this, but the Prophet of Allāh ﷺ forbade us, and said: "Indeed, you have in the conduct of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ a good example to follow.'"
So I went to Ibn 'Abbās, and asked him about the Witr of the Prophet ﷺ. He said: 'I will direct you to the one who is the most knowledgeable regarding the Witr of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ: Go to 'Aishah.' So I came to her, asking Hākīm bin Aflah to come with me, but he (initially) refused, so I pleaded with him, so he went with me. We both asked permission to visit her.
She said: 'Who is it?' He replied: 'Hākīm bin Aflah.' She asked: 'Who is with you?' He replied: 'Sa'd bin Hishām.' She asked, 'Hishām, the son of 'Āmir, who was killed (during the battle) on the Day of Uḥud?' I replied: 'Yes.' She said: 'What a great man 'Āmir was!'
I said: 'O Mother of the Believers!
Tell me about the manners of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ.' She said: 'Do you not read the Qur'ān? For the manners of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was the Qur'ān.'
So I said: 'Tell me about (his) praying at night.' She replied: 'Do you not recite: O you wrapped in a garment[1] ?' I said: 'Yes.' She said: 'When the first part of this Sūrah was revealed, the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ stood (in prayer) until their feet cracked, and its ending was delayed in the heavens for twelve months. Then its ending was revealed, and so the night prayer became voluntary after it had been obligatory.'
"I said: 'Tell me about the Witr of the Prophet ﷺ.' She replied: 'He would pray Witr with eight Rak'ahs, sitting down only in the last of them. Then he would stand and pray one Rak'ah. He would only sit in the eighth and ninth Rak'ah, and he would not say the Taslim except in the ninth. Then he would pray two Rak'ahs while he was sitting down. So this makes a total of eleven Rak'ahs, O my son.
"When he became old, and gained weight, he would pray Witr with seven Rak'ahs, sitting down only in the sixth and seventh Rak'ah, and he would not say the Taslim except in the seventh. Then he would pray two Rak'ahs while sitting down, thus making it nine Rak'ahs, O my son. And never did the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ stand the entire night
in prayer until the morning, and never did he recite the (entire) Qur'an in one night, and never did he fast an entire month except for Ramaḍān. And whenever he prayed any prayer, he would make a habit of it. And if sleep got the better of him at night, he would pray twelve Rak'ahs during the day.'
"I then returned to Ibn 'Abbās, and narrated to him (what she had told me). He said: 'By Allāh, this is the Hadīth (that I wanted to hear), and if I were only speaking with her, I would go to her so that I could hear it verbally from her.' So I said: 'If I knew that you were not speaking to her, I would not have narrated this to you!'" (Sahīh)
Arabic text
1342 - حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ زُرَارَةَ بْنِ أَوْفَى، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ، قَالَ: طَلَّقْتُ امْرَأَتِي، فَأَتَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ لِأَبِيعَ عَقَارًا كَانَ لِي بِهَا، فَأَشْتَرِيَ بِهِ السِّلَاحَ وَأَغْزُو، فَلَقِيتُ نَفَرًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالُوا: قَدْ أَرَادَ نَفَرٌ مِنَّا سِتَّةٌ أَنْ يَفْعَلُوا ذَلِكَ، فَنَهَاهُمُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَقَالَ: «لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ» فَأَتَيْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ وِتْرِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ: أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى أَعْلَمِ النَّاسِ بِوِتْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأْتِ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا، فَأَتَيْتُهَا، فَاسْتَتْبَعْتُ حَكِيمَ بْنَ أَفْلَحَ، فَأَبَى، فَنَاشَدْتُهُ فَانْطَلَقَ مَعِي، فَاسْتَأْذَنَّا عَلَى عَائِشَةَ، فَقَالَتْ: مَنْ هَذَا؟ قَالَ: حَكِيمُ بْنُ أَفْلَحَ، قَالَتْ: وَمَنْ مَعَكَ؟ قَالَ: سَعْدُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ، قَالَتْ: هِشَامُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ الَّذِي قُتِلَ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ؟ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ، قَالَتْ: نِعْمَ الْمَرْءُ كَانَ عَامِرٌ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، حَدِّثِينِي عَنْ خُلُقِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَتْ: «أَلَسْتَ تَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ؟ فَإِنَّ خُلُقَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ الْقُرْآنَ» قَالَ: قُلْتُ: حَدِّثِينِي عَنْ قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ، قَالَتْ: " أَلَسْتَ تَقْرَأُ: يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ؟ "، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: بَلَى، قَالَتْ: «فَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ نَزَلَتْ، فَقَامَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى انْتَفَخَتْ أَقْدَامُهُمْ، وَحُبِسَ خَاتِمَتُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا، ثُمَّ نَزَلَ آخِرُهَا، فَصَارَ قِيَامُ اللَّيْلِ تَطَوُّعًا بَعْدَ فَرِيضَةٍ» قَالَ: قُلْتُ: حَدِّثِينِي عَنْ وِتْرِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَتْ: «كَانَ يُوتِرُ بِثَمَانِ رَكَعَاتٍ لَا يَجْلِسُ إِلَّا فِي الثَّامِنَةِ، ثُمَّ يَقُومُ، فَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَةً أُخْرَى، لَا يَجْلِسُ إِلَّا فِي الثَّامِنَةِ وَالتَّاسِعَةِ، وَلَا يُسَلِّمُ إِلَّا فِي التَّاسِعَةِ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ، فَتِلْكَ إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً يَا بُنَيَّ، فَلَمَّا أَسَنَّ، وَأَخَذَ اللَّحْمَ، أَوْتَرَ بِسَبْعِ رَكَعَاتٍ، لَمْ يَجْلِسْ إِلَّا فِي السَّادِسَةِ وَالسَّابِعَةِ، وَلَمْ يُسَلِّمْ إِلَّا فِي السَّابِعَةِ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ، فَتِلْكَ هِيَ تِسْعُ رَكَعَاتٍ يَا بُنَيَّ، وَلَمْ يَقُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْلَةً يُتِمُّهَا إِلَى الصَّبَاحِ، وَلَمْ يَقْرَأِ الْقُرْآنَ فِي لَيْلَةٍ قَطُّ، وَلَمْ يَصُمْ شَهْرًا يُتِمُّهُ غَيْرَ رَمَضَانَ، وَكَانَ إِذَا صَلَّى صَلَاةً دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهَا، وَكَانَ إِذَا غَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ بِنَوْمٍ، صَلَّى مِنَ النَّهَارِ ثِنْتَيْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً» قَالَ: فَأَتَيْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، فَحَدَّثْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: «هَذَا وَاللَّهِ هُوَ الْحَدِيثُ، وَلَوْ كُنْتُ أُكَلِّمُهَا لَأَتَيْتُهَا حَتَّى أُشَافِهَهَا بِهِ مُشَافَهَةً» قَالَ: قُلْتُ: لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ لَا تُكَلِّمُهَا مَا حَدَّثْتُكَ ".