his bed.” In this narration: “I cannot enumerate Your praises, however hard I try.” It is also established that he said this while prostrating (1), so he may have said it both during and after prayer.
Al-Hākim cited in al-Mustadrak (2) a report from Ibn ‘Abbās concerning the Prophet’s prayer and witr, peace and blessings be upon him: Then he performed witr, and when he had finished his prayer, I heard him say:
“O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my sight, light in my hearing, light to my right, light to my left, light above me, light below me, light before me, and light behind me. And grant me light on the day I meet You.”
Kurayb said (3): And seven more in the chest (4). I then met a man descended from al-‘Abbās, who told me what they were. He mentioned: “My sinews, my flesh, my blood, my hair, and my skin,” and mentioned
(1) Muslim (486), from Abū Hurayrah, reporting from ‘Ā’ishah.
(2) (3/536). The Indian edition of al-Mustadrak contains an omission in the chain of transmission, restored in Muqbil al-Wādi‘ī’s edition and the editions published by Dār al-Ta’sīl and Dār al-Maymān.
(3) Al-Bukhārī (6316) and Muslim (736) also transmitted it following the hadith, as noted earlier.
(4) Al-tābūt means “chest”: that is, they were written down and kept in a chest in his possession. Ibn al-Jawzī gives this explanation in Kashf al-mushkil (2/345). Other explanations have also been offered; see Fath al-bārī (11/117). The Indian edition reads “and seven in qunūt (supplication),” and all editions followed it, including al-Fiqī’s edition and the al-Risālah edition. I do not know whether the publisher of the Indian edition altered the text or whether this was the reading in the copy on which he relied.