Whenever you wished to see him standing in night-prayer you would find him standing, and whenever you wished to see him sleeping you would find him sleeping. (1)
ʿĀʾishah said, “In Ramadan and at other times the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never exceeded eleven rakʿahs. He would pray four—do not ask about their beauty and length—then he would pray another four—do not ask about their beauty and length—then he would conclude with three for witr.” (2)
(Hafṣah added) (3): “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite a sūrah, chanting it so deliberately that it would become longer than the longest of sūrahs. Indeed, he would stand so long that I felt pity for him because of the strain of his standing.”
Ibn Masʿūd related that he prayed with him one night, and in the first rakʿah he recited al-Baqarah, al-Nisāʾ, and Āl ʿImrān. He then bowed for nearly the same length, rose for nearly the same, and prostrated for nearly the same. (4)
Abū Dharr reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood in prayer through an entire night, repeating the verse: “If You punish them, they are Your servants; but if You forgive them, indeed You alone are the Almighty, the All-Wise” (al-Māʾidah 118). (5)
All of this is recorded in the two Ṣaḥīḥs and other sound collections, while a fuller treatment appears in al-Aḥkām al-Kabīr. (6)
It is likewise established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs—through Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, from Ziyād ibn ʿIlāqah, from al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah—that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would stand in prayer until his feet cracked. He was asked, “Has not Allah forgiven you your past and future sins?” He replied, “Should I not, then, be a grateful servant?” (7)
(1) Narrated by Ahmad (Musnad 6:285) and by Muslim in his Sahih no. 733 under “the prayer of travelers,” by Malik in al-Muwattaʾ (1:137) under “congregational prayer,” by al-Tirmidhi in al-Jamiʿ no. 373 under “prayer,” and by al-Nasaʾi in his Sunan (2:223) under “qiyam al-layl” (night vigil).
(2) Narrated by al-Bukhari in his Sahih no. 1147 under “tahajjud,” and by Muslim in his Sahih no. 738 under “the prayer of travelers.”
(3) The printed edition reads “she said,” which is incorrect, since this hadith is from the Mother of the Believers Ḥafṣa (may Allah be pleased with her), as will be shown in its authentication.
(4) Reported by Muslim in his Sahih no. 772 under “the prayer of travelers” from Ḥudhayfa (may Allah be pleased with him), by Abu Dawud in his Sunan nos. 871 and 874 under “prayer,” and by al-Nasaʾi in his Sunan (2:176–177) under “al-iftitāḥ” (opening) and (3:225–226) under “qiyam al-layl” (night vigil). As for the version from ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd: “I prayed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he prolonged it until I was about to commit something improper…” etc., which appears in both al-Bukhari and Muslim.
(5) In Musnad Ahmad (5:156, 170, 177); also in al-Nasaʾi (2:177) and Ibn Mājah no. 1350. See also Al-Musnad al-Jāmiʿ by Dr. Bashshār et al. (16:115), hadith no. 12273. It is classified as ḥasan (good).
(6) Kitab al-Aḥkām al-Kabīr: Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) frequently refers to it in Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihāya and in his Mukhtaṣar ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth (see Al-Bāʾith al-Ḥathīth, p. 108). Al-Dāwūdī writes in Ṭabaqāt al-Mufassirīn (1:111): “He composed numerous comprehensive works on legal rulings, filling several volumes on Ḥajj.” Al-Suyūṭī notes in the appendix to Tadhkirat al-Ḥuffāẓ (p. 361): “He began a large book on legal rulings but did not complete it.”
(7) Narrated by al-Bukhari in his Sahih no. 1130 under “tahajjud,” by Muslim in his Sahih no. 2819 in the section “Characteristics of the Hypocrites,” by al-Tirmidhi in al-Jamiʿ no. 412 under “prayer,” and by al-Nasaʾi in his Sunan (3:219) under “qiyam al-layl” (night vigil).