Muwatta Malik: Chapter 6

كتاب الصلاة فى رمضان

Prayer in Ramadan

Muwatta 6.1
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-
Zubayr from A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, prayed in the mosque one night and people prayed
behind him. Then he prayed the next night and there were more people.
Then they gathered on the third or fourth night and the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not come out to
them. In the morning, he said, "I saw what you were doing and the only
thing that prevented me from coming out to you was that I feared that
it would become obligatory (fard) for you." This happened in Ramadan.

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلَّى فِي الْمَسْجِدِ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ فَصَلَّى بِصَلاَتِهِ نَاسٌ ثُمَّ صَلَّى اللَّيْلَةَ الْقَابِلَةَ فَكَثُرَ النَّاسُ ثُمَّ اجْتَمَعُوا مِنَ اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ أَوِ الرَّابِعَةِ فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ قَالَ ‏
"‏ قَدْ رَأَيْتُ الَّذِي صَنَعْتُمْ وَلَمْ يَمْنَعْنِي مِنَ الْخُرُوجِ إِلَيْكُمْ إِلاَّ أَنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ تُفْرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ ‏"

‏ ‏.‏ وَذَلِكَ فِي رَمَضَانَ ‏.‏

Muwatta 6.2
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Salama
ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to exhort people
to watch the night in prayer in Ramadan but never ordered it
definitely. He used to say, "Whoever watches the night in prayer in
Ramadan with trust and expectancy, will be forgiven all his previous
wrong actions."


Ibn Shihab said, "The Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, died while that wasstill the
custom, and it continued to be the custom in the khalifate of Abu Bakr
and at the beginning of the khalifate of Umar ibn al-Khattab."

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يُرَغِّبُ فِي قِيَامِ رَمَضَانَ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَأْمُرَ بِعَزِيمَةٍ فَيَقُولُ ‏
"‏ مَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ ‏"

‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ فَتُوُفِّيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَالأَمْرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ كَانَ الأَمْرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فِي خِلاَفَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَصَدْرًا مِنْ خِلاَفَةِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ‏.‏

Muwatta 6.3
Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-Zubayr that
Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abd al-Qari said, "I went out with Umar ibn
alKhattab in Ramadan to the mosque and the people there were spread
out in groups. Some men were praying by themselves, whilst others were
praying in small groups. Umar said, 'By Allah! It would be better in
my opinion if these people gathered behind one reciter.' So he
gathered them behind Ubayy ibn Kab. Then I went out with him another
night and the people were praying behind their Qur'an reciter. Umar
said, 'How excellent this new way is, but what you miss while you are
asleep is better than what you watch in prayer.' He meant the end of
the night, and people used to watch the beginning of the night in
prayer."

حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدٍ الْقَارِيِّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ خَرَجْتُ مَعَ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ فِي رَمَضَانَ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ فَإِذَا النَّاسُ أَوْزَاعٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ يُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَيُصَلِّي الرَّجُلُ فَيُصَلِّي بِصَلاَتِهِ الرَّهْطُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَرَانِي لَوْ جَمَعْتُ هَؤُلاَءِ عَلَى قَارِئٍ وَاحِدٍ لَكَانَ أَمْثَلَ ‏.‏ فَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ - قَالَ - ثُمَّ خَرَجْتُ مَعَهُ لَيْلَةً أُخْرَى وَالنَّاسُ يُصَلُّونَ بِصَلاَةِ قَارِئِهِمْ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ نِعْمَتِ الْبِدْعَةُ هَذِهِ وَالَّتِي تَنَامُونَ عَنْهَا أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الَّتِي تَقُومُونَ ‏.‏ يَعْنِي آخِرَ اللَّيْلِ وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقُومُونَ أَوَّلَهُ ‏.‏

Muwatta 6.4
Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Yusuf that as-
Sa'ib ibn Yazid said, "Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered Ubayy ibn Kab and
Tamim ad-Dari to watch the night in prayer with the people for eleven
rakas.The reciterof the Qur'an would recite the Mi'in (a group of
medium-sized suras) until we would be leaning on our staffs from
having stood so long in prayer. And we would not leave until the
approach of dawn."

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يُوسُفَ، عَنِ السَّائِبِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَمَرَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ أُبَىَّ بْنَ كَعْبٍ وَتَمِيمًا الدَّارِيَّ أَنْ يَقُومَا، لِلنَّاسِ بِإِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً قَالَ وَقَدْ كَانَ الْقَارِئُ يَقْرَأُ بِالْمِئِينَ حَتَّى كُنَّا نَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى الْعِصِيِّ مِنْ طُولِ الْقِيَامِ وَمَا كُنَّا نَنْصَرِفُ إِلاَّ فِي فُرُوعِ الْفَجْرِ ‏.‏

Muwatta 6.5
Yahya related to me from Malik that Yazid ibn Ruman said, "The
people used to watch the night in prayer during Ramadan for twenty-
three rakas in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab."

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ رُومَانَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ النَّاسُ يَقُومُونَ فِي زَمَانِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ فِي رَمَضَانَ بِثَلاَثٍ وَعِشْرِينَ رَكْعَةً ‏.‏

Muwatta 6.6
Yahya related to me from Malik from Da'ud ibn al-Husayn that he
heard al-Araj say, "I never saw the people in Ramadan, but that they
were cursing the disbelievers." He added, "The reciter of Qur'an used
to recite surat al-Baqara in eight rakas and if he did it in twelve
rakas the people would think that he had made it easy."

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ الْحُصَيْنِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ الأَعْرَجَ، يَقُولُ مَا أَدْرَكْتُ النَّاسَ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ يَلْعَنُونَ الْكَفَرَةَ فِي رَمَضَانَ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَكَانَ الْقَارِئُ يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ الْبَقَرَةِ فِي ثَمَانِ رَكَعَاتٍ فَإِذَا قَامَ بِهَا فِي اثْنَتَىْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً رَأَى النَّاسُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ خَفَّفَ ‏.‏

Muwatta 6.7
Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr said,
"I heard my father say, 'We finished praying in Ramadan and the
servants hurried with the food, fearing the approach of dawn.' "

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ، كُنَّا نَنْصَرِفُ فِي رَمَضَانَ فَنَسْتَعْجِلُ الْخَدَمَ بِالطَّعَامِ مَخَافَةَ الْفَجْرِ ‏.‏

Muwatta 6.8
Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his
father that Dhakwan Abu Amr (a slave belonging to A'isha, the wife of
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who was freed by
her after her death) used tostand in prayer and recite for her in
Ramadan.

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ ذَكْوَانَ أَبَا عَمْرٍو، - وَكَانَ عَبْدًا لِعَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَعْتَقَتْهُ عَنْ دُبُرٍ مِنْهَا - كَانَ يَقُومُ يَقْرَأُ لَهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ ‏.‏