Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/30)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and I break my fast; I stand in prayer and sleep; I eat meat; and I marry women. Whoever turns away from my sunnah is not of me.” (1)

It is also authentically established of him: “When he learned that Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As had said, ‘For as long as I live, I shall fast by day and stand in prayer by night,’ [the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—] (2) said to him, ‘Do not do so, for if you do, your eyes will grow sunken and your body weary. Your Lord has a right over you, your own self has a right over you, your guest has a right over you, and your wife has a right over you. So give everyone who has a right his due.’” (3)

Persistently spending the entire night in prayer (4) is not recommended. Rather, the established Sunnah (5) of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—shows it to be disliked. The same applies to continually fasting every day, for the best fast [is the fast of David—peace be upon him—] (6): fasting one day and not fasting the next.

(1) The hadith, with variations in wording, is narrated from Anas ibn Mālik—may Allah be pleased with him—in al-Bukhārī (Book of Marriage, chapter “Encouragement to Marry”); Muslim, 2/1020 (Book of Marriage, chapter “The Recommendation to Marry for One Who Longs for It…”); Sunan al-Nasāʾī, 6/4950 (Book of Marriage, chapter “The Prohibition of Celibacy”); and al-Musnad (Aleppo ed.), 3/241, 259, 258. (2) The text between square brackets is an addition in (S), (R), and (H). (3) The hadith, with variations in wording, is narrated from Abd Allāh ibn Amr ibn al-Ās—may Allah be pleased with them both—in al-Bukhārī, 2/54 (Book of Tahajjud, chapter “Alī ibn Abd Allāh Narrated to Us…”), 3/39 (Book of Fasting, chapter “The Body’s Right during Fasting”), and 4/160 (Book of the Prophets, chapter “The Statement of Allah Most High: ‘And We Gave David the Psalms’”); Muslim, 2/816 (Book of Fasting, chapter “The Prohibition of Perpetual Fasting…”); and Sunan al-Nasāʾī, 4/180 (Book of Fasting, chapter “Fasting One Day and Not Fasting the Next…”). (4) (S): “standing in prayer throughout the entire night”; (M): “standing in prayer the whole night.” (5) (A) and (B): “Rather, it is disliked; it is not part of the Sunnah of…” (6) The text between square brackets is an addition in (A) and (B).

وَأُفْطِرُ، وَأَقُومُ وَأَنَامُ، وَآكُلُ اللَّحْمَ، أَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ، فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي» " (١) . وَثَبَتَ عَنْهُ فِي الصَّحِيحِ «أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ لَمَّا بَلَغَهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَأَصُومَنَّ النَّهَارَ وَلَأَقُومَنَّ اللَّيْلَ مَا عِشْتُ. [فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -] (٢) : " لَا تَفْعَلْ، فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتْ لَهُ الْعَيْنُ، وَنَفَهَتْ لَهُ النَّفْسُ. إِنَّ لِرَبِّكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَلِنَفْسِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَلِزَوْرِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَلِزَوْجِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، فَآتِ كُلَّ ذِي حَقٍّ حَقَّهُ» " (٣) . فَالْمُدَاوَمَةُ عَلَى قِيَامِ جَمِيعِ اللَّيْلِ (٤) لَيْسَ بِمُسْتَحَبٍّ، بَلْ هُوَ مَكْرُوهٌ بِسُنَّةِ (٥) النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - الثَّابِتَةِ عَنْهُ. وَهَكَذَا مُدَاوَمَةُ صِيَامِ النَّهَارِ، فَإِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الصِّيَامِ [صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ - عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ -] (٦) : صِيَامُ يَوْمٍ وَفِطْرُ يَوْمٍ.

(١) الْحَدِيثُ مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي الْأَلْفَاظِ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ (كِتَابُ النِّكَاحِ، بَابُ التَّرْغِيبِ فِي النِّكَاحِ) ، مُسْلِمٍ ٢/١٠٢٠ (كِتَابُ النِّكَاحِ، بَابُ اسْتِحْبَابِ النِّكَاحِ لِمَنْ تَاقَتْ نَفْسُهُ إِلَيْهِ. .) ، سُنَنِ النَّسَائِيِّ ٦/٤٩٥٠ (كِتَابُ النِّكَاحِ، بَابُ النَّهْيِ عَنِ التَّبَتُّلِ) ، الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٣/٢٤١، ٢٥٩، ٢٥٨. (٢) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ص) ، (ر) ، (هـ) . (٣) الْحَدِيثُ مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي الْأَلْفَاظِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا - فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٢/٥٤ (كِتَابُ التَّهَجُّدِ، بَابُ: حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ. .) ، ٣/٣٩ (كِتَابُ الصَّوْمِ، بَابُ حَقِّ الْجِسْمِ فِي الصَّوْمِ) ، ٤/١٦٠ (كِتَابُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، بَابُ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُدَ زَبُورًا) ، مُسْلِمٍ ٢/٨١٦ (كِتَابُ الصِّيَامِ، بَابُ النَّهْيِ عَنْ صَوْمِ الدَّهْرِ. . .) ، سُنَنِ النَّسَائِيِّ ٤/١٨٠ (كِتَابُ الصِّيَامِ، بَابُ صَوْمِ يَوْمٍ وَإِفْطَارِ يَوْمٍ. . .) . (٤) ص: قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ جَمِيعِهِ، م: قِيَامِ كُلِّ اللَّيْلِ. (٥) أ، ب: بَلْ هُوَ مَكْرُوهٌ، لَيْسَ مِنْ سُنَّةِ. . . (٦) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) .