—by the statement and practice of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, for he said:
“Allah has made the fasting of Ramadan obligatory for you, and I have prescribed its night prayer for you.”
Nor is performing it in congregation an innovation; rather, it is a Sunnah established in the Sacred Law. In fact, the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—led it in congregation during the first nights of Ramadan for two nights, indeed for three. He likewise led it several times in congregation during the last ten nights.
He also said, “When a man prays with the imam until the imam departs, it is recorded for him as though he has spent the whole night in prayer.” He stood with them so long that they feared missing al-falāḥ (the dawn prayer). This report is related by the compilers of the Sunan.
On the strength of this ḥadīth, Aḥmad and others argued that performing the prayer in congregation is superior to performing it individually, and his words clearly encourage that practice.
(1) Reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad; see al-Fath al-Rabbani 9:244. It is likewise transmitted by Ibn Majah in his Sunan, Book of the Establishment of Prayer, chapter “The Night Prayer of Ramadan,” no. 1328 (1:421), and by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Sahih, Book of Fasting, chapter 235, no. 2201 (3:335). The chain contains al-Nadr ibn Shayban, who is weak; cf. al-Fath al-Rabbani 9:244. Ibn Khuzaymah comments: “The wording itself is sound in meaning according to the Book of Allah and the sunnah of His Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—but not with this isnad. I fear the chain is faulty; I suspect Abu Salamah never heard anything from his father, and I know of no one who relates this report from Abu Salamah other than al-Nadr ibn Shayban.” Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 3:335.
(2) The phrase “rather, three [times]” is absent from MS T.
(3) From this point until the words “and the people used to pray it” (about four lines later) is missing from MS T.
(4) See Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Book of Fasting, chapter “The Night Prayer of Ramadan,” no. 806 (3:169), where al-Tirmidhi classifies it as hasan sahih. Also see Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of the Establishment of Prayer and its Sunnah, chapter “The Night Prayer of Ramadan,” no. 1327 (1:420), and Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, Book of Fasting, chapter 240, no. 2206 (3:337–38), whose wording is: “Whoever prays with the imam until he departs will be credited with having spent the whole night in prayer.” The commentators explained the word falaah (success) in the hadith as referring to the pre-dawn meal (suhur).
(5) Same as the previous note.
(6) The word hal is omitted in MS A.