Tahajjud
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15 April 2010
From the morals and manners of the Salaf would be their persistent practice of the Night-prayer whether in summer or winter. They would act by the advise of the Messenger of Allah :
"Observe the Night-prayer because it was the habit of the righteous people before you, and it is something that draws you near to your Lord. It wipes away sins, prevents one from sinning and expels sicknesses from the body".
(Collected by at-Tirmidhi through Bilal and Abu Umaah in ad-du'aa)
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood (radiallahu 'anhu) use to stand up for the Night-prayer when everyone had settles down to sleep. A humming could be heard from him like the droning of bees until dawn.
'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Abu Dawud (rahimahallah) would spread out his bed and pout his hand in its saying, "How soft you are! But the bed of Paradise is softer than you!". Then he would stand to pray until Fajr.
The Messenger of Allah used to pray until his feet would crack and his shins would swell. So it would be said to him, "You are doing this while your past and future sins have been forgiven? So the Messenger of Allah replied, "Should I not then be a grateful slave?" Reported by al-Bukhari
Hasan al-Basri (rahimahallah) said "Whoever left the Night-prayer, it was because of a sin he previously did." He also use to repeat "The Night-prayer is only heavy upon him whose sins have burdened him". He also said, "A person does a sin by which he is prevented from praying the Night-prayer". Lastly, "if you are unable to fast the day and pray the night, then know that you have forbidden - your sins and mistakes have chained you down!".
'Abdullah ibn al-Mubaarak (rahimahallah) mentioned in "az-Zuhd" on the authority of the wife of Masrooq (rahimahallah) that she said, "Masrooq never lived without his lower legs swelling up from the length of his prayers (salaat). I used to sit behind him weeping our of mercy for him".