fast and pray more than the Companions of Muhammad, yet they were better than you.”

They asked, “Why, Abū ‘Abd al-Rahmān?”

He replied, “Because they were less attached to this world and more desirous of the Hereafter.”

As for fasting on consecutive days during part of the year, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do this. He would fast until one might say that he never stopped fasting, and refrain from fasting until one might say that he never fasted. Likewise, spending certain nights entirely in prayer—such as the last ten nights of Ramadan, or occasionally other nights—is established in the Sunnah. The Companions also used to do this. It is established in an authentic report:

“When the last ten nights of Ramadan began, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would tighten his waist-wrapper, awaken his family, and spend the whole night in worship.”

The Sunan collections also report that he spent a night in prayer, repeating a single verse until dawn:

“If You punish them, they are Your servants; and if You forgive them, You are indeed the Almighty, the All-Wise.”

Most of his night prayer, however, was in the middle of the night. He would lead whoever was with him in prayer, as he did one night with Ibn ‘Abbās, another with Ibn Mas‘ūd, and another with Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān:

“He would sometimes recite al-Baqarah, al-Nisā’, and Āl ‘Imrān in a single unit of prayer, then bow for about as long as he had stood, saying while bowing, ‘Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent; glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent,’ then rise and remain standing for about as long as he had bowed