Sahih al-Bukhari #1095

Prayer at Night (Tahajjud)
Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ إِنْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَيَدَعُ الْعَمَلَ وَهْوَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ بِهِ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ بِهِ النَّاسُ فَيُفْرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَمَا سَبَّحَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سُبْحَةَ الضُّحَى قَطُّ، وَإِنِّي لأُسَبِّحُهَا‏.‏
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to give up a good deed, although he loved to do it, for fear that people might act on it and it might be made compulsory for them. The Prophet (ﷺ) never prayed the Duha prayer, but I offer it.
Narrated by Narrated `Aisha:

Context

In this hadith narrated by Aisha, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) demonstrated his humility and concern for his followers by refraining from performing certain good deeds, fearing that they might become obligatory for others. He specifically mentions not praying the Duha prayer, which Aisha practiced regularly. This illustrates the balance between personal devotion and communal responsibility.

Modern Application

Today, this principle can be seen in how individuals approach acts of worship and community practices. Many Muslims may choose to perform voluntary prayers or acts of kindness without imposing them on others, recognizing the importance of personal choice in faith.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Intentions and Prophetic Conduct because it emphasizes the importance of personal intentions behind actions and reflects the Prophet's (ﷺ) approach to guiding his community.

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وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُۥ بِٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَٱلزَّكَوٰةِ وَكَانَ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦ مَرْضِيًّۭا
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So he came out to his people from the prayer chamber and signaled to them to exalt [Allah] in the morning and afternoon.
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أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِدُلُوكِ ٱلشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَقُرْءَانَ ٱلْفَجْرِ ۖ إِنَّ قُرْءَانَ ٱلْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًۭا
Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur'an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.
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And he said, "Indeed, I gave preference to the love of good [things] over the remembrance of my Lord until the sun disappeared into the curtain [of darkness]."

Common Words

51 total49 unique2 repeated
وكان2x
ٱلفجر2x
يأمر1x
أهله1x
بٱلصلوة1x
وٱلزكوة1x
عند1x
ربه1x
مرضيا1x
بسم1x
ٱلله1x
ٱلرحمن1x
ٱلرحيم1x
عبس1x
وتولى1x
أقم1x
ٱلصلوة1x
لدلوك1x
ٱلشمس1x
إلى1x
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About Sahih al-Bukhari

This hadith is #1095 from Sahih al-Bukhari, in the Book of Prayer at Night (Tahajjud). It is graded Sahih and narrated by Narrated `Aisha:.

About This Hadith