English translation
[1739] 139 - (746) It was narrated from Zurârah that Sa'd bin Hishâm bin 'Âmir wanted to go out on a campaign in the cause of Allâh, so he came to Al-Madinah, and he wanted to sell some property he had there and use the money to buy weapons and horses, and fight in Jihâd against the Romans until he died. When he came to Al-Madinah, he met some of the people of Al-Madinah who told him not to do that, and they told him that six people had wanted to do that during the lifetime of the Prophet of Allâh ﷺ, and the Prophet of Allâh ﷺ told him not to do that, and he said: "Do you not have an example in me?" When they told him that, he took back his wife whom he had divorced, and brought witnesses to attest that he had taken her back. Then he went to Ibn 'Abbâs and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ. Ibn 'Abbâs said: "Shall I not tell you who is the most knowledgeable of people on earth about the Witr of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ?" He said: "Who?" He said: "Aishah; go to her and ask her, then come and tell me what answer she gives to you." (He narrated) So I went to her. I went to Hakīm bin Aflah and asked him to go with me to her. He said: "I do not want to approach her, because I told her not to say anything about these two parties, but she insisted on that." I adjured him to come, so he came, and we went to Āishah. We asked permission to enter and she gave us permission and we entered upon her. She said: "Is it Hakīm?" And she recognized him. He said: "Yes." She said: "Who is with you?" He said: "Sa'd bin Hishām." She said: "Who is Hishām?" He said: "Ibn Āmir." She prayed for mercy for him and said good things." - Qatādah (one of the narrators) said: "He was martyred on the day of Uḥud." - I said: "O Mother of the believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ." She said: "Do you not read the Qur'ān?" I said: "Of course." She said: "The character of the Prophet of Allāh ﷺ was the Qur'ān." I wanted to get up and not ask anyone about anything else until I died. Then I decided to ask: "Tell me about the Qiyām (night prayer) of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ." She said: "Do you not read: 'O you wrapped in garments!'"[1] I said: "Of course." She said: "Allâh enjoined Qiyâm Al-Lail (the Night Prayers) at the beginning of this Sûrah, and the Prophet of Allâh ﷺ and his Companions prayed Qiyâm for a year. And Allâh withheld the latter part of this Sûrah for twelve months in heavens, until Allâh revealed, at the end of this Sûrah, the reduction of the burden, so Qiyâm Al-Lail became voluntary after it had been obligatory." I said: "O Mother of the believers, tell me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ." She said: "We used to prepare his Siwâk and water for purification for him, and Allâh would cause him to wake whenever He willed during the night. Then he would use the Siwâk and perform Wudû and pray nine Rak'ah, during which he did not sit except in the eighth Rak'ah; he would remember Allâh, praise Him and call upon Him. Then he would get up without saying the Taslîm, and he would stand and pray the ninth Rak'ah, then he would sit and remember Allâh, praise Him and call upon Him. Then he would say a Taslîm that we could hear. Then he prayed two Rak'ah after saying the Taslîm, while sitting, and that made eleven Rak'ah. O my son, when the Prophet of Allâh ﷺ grew old and gained weight, he prayed Witr with seven, and he did in the last two Rak'ah as he did in the first, and that made nine. O my son, when the Prophet of Allâh ﷺ offered a prayer, he liked to persist in offering it. If sleep or pain overtook him and kept him from praying Qiyâm at night, he would pray twelve Rak'ah during the day. I do not know that the Prophet of Allâh ﷺ recited the entire Qur'an in one night, or spent an entire night in prayer, or fasted an entire month except Ramaḍân." I went to Ibn 'Abbâs and told him what she had said. He said. "She has spoken the truth. If I were to approach her or enter upon her, I would go to her so that I could hear it from her own lips." I said: "If I had known that you do not enter upon her, I would not have told you what she said."