What is Sunan Ibn Majah 959 about?

This hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them), narrated by It was narrated that Umm Salamah said:, states: "‘By the One Who took his soul (i.e., the soul of the Prophet (ﷺ)), he did not die until he offered most of his prayers sitting down. And the dearest of the actions to him was the righteous action that…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Hasan. Hasan hadiths are considered good and acceptable in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Ibn Majah, which contains 4,345 hadiths across 38 books. It is hadith number 959 in the Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them.

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#958

#959

Sunan Ibn Majah

#960

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Sunan Ibn Majah #959

Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them

Hasan

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

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، قَالَتْ وَالَّذِي ذَهَبَ بِنَفْسِهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ مَا مَاتَ حَتَّى كَانَ أَكْثَرُ صَلاَتِهِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ وَكَانَ أَحَبُّ الأَعْمَالِ إِلَيْهِ الْعَمَلَ الصَّالِحَ الَّذِي يَدُومُ عَلَيْهِ الْعَبْدُ وَإِنْ كَانَ يَسِيرًا ‏.‏

‘By the One Who took his soul (i.e., the soul of the Prophet (ﷺ)), he did not die until he offered most of his prayers sitting down. And the dearest of the actions to him was the righteous action that the person does regularly, even if it were a little.”

Narrated by It was narrated that Umm Salamah said:

Context

Umm Salamah narrates that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, towards the end of his life, often prayed while sitting. He emphasized that the most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are consistent, even if they are small. This illustrates the value of regular, persistent good deeds over sporadic, larger acts.

Modern Application

In modern life, this hadith encourages individuals to engage in small acts of kindness and worship regularly. It highlights that consistency in good deeds can be more impactful than occasional grand gestures.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer because it highlights the importance of regularity in worship and good deeds, as emphasized by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Prayer