284 – On the authority of Rabīʿah b. Kaʿb al-Aslamī—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: “The Prophet ﷺ said to me, ‘Ask.’ I replied, ‘I ask you for your companionship in Paradise.’ He said, ‘Anything else?’ I said, ‘That is all.’ He then said, ‘So help me to secure that for you by engaging in frequent prostration.’ ” Narrated by Muslim (1).

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth

• sal (“Ask”): from suʾāl (requesting); the hamzah is lightened, and once the sīn is vocalised the connecting hamzah is no longer needed.
• aw ghayra dhālik (“or something else?”): the wāw may be read with sukūn or with fatḥ. With the first reading the sense is, “Ask for something other than that,” to which he replied, “That is what I want; nothing else.” With the second, the meaning is, “Do you ask for this—though it is weighty—and leave aside what is easier?” He answered, “That is my request; I will not go beyond it.”
• dhālik (“that”): a remote demonstrative the Prophet ﷺ used to bring the question to an end, as a form of testing.
• dhāk (“that”): employed by the questioner to show that his request is not far-fetched.
• aʿinnī ʿalā nafsik (“Help me against your own self”): i.e., help me to attain your goal.
• as-sujūd (prostration): here it stands for the entire prayer; the whole is referred to by one of its most important parts.

Lessons derived from the ḥadīth

1. Rabīʿah b. Kaʿb al-Aslamī was among those honored to serve the Prophet ﷺ. He would spend the night near him, bringing him water for ablution. The Prophet ﷺ wished to reward him for his service, so he said to him: