336 – Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them) reported: “I prayed one night with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I stood on his left, whereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took hold of the back of my head and placed me on his right.” Agreed upon. (1)

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• “His left” (yasārihi): the initial yāʾ may be read with either fatḥa or kasra. Ibn Durayd said, “They claim that pronouncing it with kasra is more eloquent.” The left hand is the opposite of the right.

Lessons derived from the ḥadith

1. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them) was among the young Companions who were eager for goodness and for acquiring knowledge. Such was his zeal that he spent the night in the house of his maternal aunt Maymūnah—one of the Prophet’s wives—in order to observe for himself how the Prophet ﷺ performed the night-vigil prayer. When the Prophet ﷺ rose to pray, Ibn ʿAbbās rose with him and stood at his left, so the Prophet ﷺ moved him to stand at his right. In another narration in the two Ṣaḥīḥs it is mentioned that his father al-ʿAbbās sent him to watch the Prophet’s night prayer.
2. The report shows that someone performing an obligatory prayer may lead a person who is praying voluntarily, because the night prayer was obligatory for the Prophet ﷺ.
3. It proves the validity of an adult leading a child in congregational prayer, even if no one else is present.
4. It establishes that a child may stand alone in the row alongside an adult.
5. When there is only one follower, it is preferable for him to stand on the imam’s right.