Hadithcore
Sahih Muslim, 740
sahih

'A'isha observed that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe prayer in the night and the last of his (night) prayer was Witr.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ آدَمَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمَّارُ بْنُ رُزَيْقٍ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ آخِرَ صَلاَتِهِ الْوِتْرُ ‏.‏

Isnad

7 transmitters
  1. 1Abu Bakr bin Abi ShaybaKufa · d. ~235 AH
  2. 2Abu Karayb, Muhammad bin al-'Ala'Hamadan,al-Kufa · d. 247 AH
  3. 3Yahya bin Aadm bin Sulaimanal-Kufa · d. 203 AH
  4. 4'Ammar bin Razayqal-Kufa · d. 159 AH
  5. 5Abu Ishaq al-Sabay'ai'Hamadan,Kufa · d. ~129 AH
  6. 6al-Aswad bin Yazidal-Kufa · d. ~75 AH
  7. 7'Aisha bint Abi BakrMakkah/Medina · d. 57 AH/678 CE (17 Ramadan)
References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 6, Hadith 158
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Book 4, Hadith 1613 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer Qiyām al-Layl in his house as much as Allah willed him to pray. The Companions were keen on knowing the details of his worship and would inquire about the acts of worship that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see. In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informs that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer Qiyām al-Layl for part of the night and would pray two Rak‘ahs at a time, and the last prayer he would perform was the Witr, whose time ends with the rise of dawn. When the dawn rose, there would be no Witr, even between the Adhān of Fajr and its Iqāmah. There are various forms and ways of the Prophet's performance of Witr, as well as the number of its Rak‘ahs. Based on all of them, it becomes apparent that Witr can be three, five, seven, nine, or eleven Rak‘ahs. If he observed Witr as three Rak‘ahs, this would have two legitimate ways: First: He would offer the three Rak‘ahs consecutively with one Tashahhud. Second: He would make Taslīm after two Rak‘ahs and then offer one Rak‘ah as Witr. But when he observed Witr as five or seven Rak‘ahs, he would offer them all together, with only one Tashahhud and Taslīm at the end. And when he observed Witr as nine Rak‘ahs, he would offer them all together and sit for Tashahhud at the eighth Rak‘ah and then stand up without Taslīm, and he would say Tashahhud in the ninth Rak‘ah and make Taslīm. When he observed Witr as eleven Rak‘ahs, he would make Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs and then conclude them with one Rak‘ah. The minimum of what is valid and sufficient in terms of Witr is to perform two Rak‘ahs and make Taslīm and then perform one Rak‘ah and make Taslīm; and it is permissible to make one Taslīm, but with one Tashahhud, not two. The Hadīth indicates that the last prayer at night should be Witr..
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