Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he states: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying in Ramadan, so I came and stood behind him. Another man came and stood by my side, then another man came, until we became a congregation. But when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sensed that we were behind him, he prayed a shortened prayer. Then he stood up and went home and prayed (a long) prayer there, which he had not prayed with us. Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When morning came, we said: O Messenger of Allah! Did you know about us during the night? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes, and that is what prompted me to do so. Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began to observe continuous fasting (wisal), and this was in the last days of the month. Some of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) also began to observe continuous fasting following him. (When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, learned of this) he said: What is the matter with these people that they are also observing continuous fasting? (Remember that) you are not like me. Beware! By Allah, if this month had been prolonged for me, I would have continued wisal, so that those who go to extremes in religion would desist from their extremism.

(Second chain) Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the Companions during Ramadan and led them in a light prayer, then left and stayed for a long time (i.e., performed a long prayer), then came out and led a light prayer and then went inside and stayed for a long time (i.e., performed a long prayer). When morning came, we said: O Messenger of Allah! We were sitting at night, then you came to us and led a light prayer and then entered your house and stayed for a long time? The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: All of this was because of you.

(Third chain) It is mentioned in this that the Companions said: O Messenger of Allah! You were praying and we wished that you would lead a long prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I was aware of you and I did so intentionally.

It is narrated from Urwah bin Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went out in the middle part of the night, and he prayed in the mosque. Then some people joined him and prayed with him. When morning came, the people talked about it, saying that indeed the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out (to the mosque) and prayed in the mosque in the middle part of the night. The next night, more people gathered than before. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and in the middle part of the night he performed ghusl, then he prayed and the people also prayed with him. Then when morning came, the people talked about what had happened at night. On the third night, even more people gathered, until the mosque was full. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out in the middle part of the night, then he prayed and the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) also prayed with him. When the fourth night came, the people gathered again until it was near that the mosque would not be able to accommodate them (because of the large number of people). So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat in his house and did not come out to the mosque. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says: Until I heard the voices of the people, they were saying, "Prayer, prayer!" But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not come out to them. When he had prayed the Fajr prayer, he turned and stood among the people, then he delivered a sermon and said: After praising and glorifying Allah, he said, "Indeed, your state at night was not hidden from me, but I feared that it might be made obligatory upon you, and if it were made obligatory upon you, you would not be able to do it." In another narration, it is added: And this was in Ramadan.

Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the wife of the Messenger, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who says: People used to pray in the nights of Ramadan in the Prophet’s Mosque in different groups; if a man had memorized some Qur’an, then five or six or less or more people would pray with him. Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me one night to spread a mat at the door of my chamber. So I did so. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out towards it after performing the Isha prayer (and began to pray the night prayer; those who were in the mosque gathered around him, and he led them in a long night prayer, then he returned home and left the mat as it was). When morning came, people talked about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions with him at night. (As a result of this,) in the evening the mosque was filled with people. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in the Isha prayer and, after finishing, went home, but the people remained there. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me: Aisha! What is the situation of the people? I said: O Messenger of Allah! These people, after hearing about your prayer with some companions at night, have now gathered so that you may lead them in prayer. Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Aisha! Roll up your mat. So I did so, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spent the night at home, but he did not neglect (prayer and worship), yet the people remained at that place until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out for the Fajr prayer and said: O people! Praise be to Allah, neither did I spend this night in heedlessness, nor was your condition hidden from me. In fact, the matter is that I fear that this night prayer may be made obligatory upon you, so be responsible for deeds according to your capacity, because Allah does not tire until you tire. Abu Salamah said that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to say: Indeed, the most beloved deed to Allah is that which is done consistently, even if it is little.

It is narrated from Shurayh bin Ubaid Hadrami that Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed i'tikaf in the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) offered the Asr prayer on the twenty-second day, he said: "Tonight, insha’Allah, we will stand (in prayer), so whoever among you wishes to stand, let him do so." This was the twenty-third night. Thus, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the ‘Isha prayer in congregation after darkness had fallen, until a third of the night had passed, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) went (to his tent). When the twenty-fourth night came, he (peace and blessings be upon him) neither stood (in prayer) nor said anything. But when the twenty-fifth night was to come, he (peace and blessings be upon him) stood after Asr on the twenty-fourth day of Ramadan and said: "Tonight, insha’Allah, we will stand (in prayer), so whoever among you wishes to stand, let him do so." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) stood in prayer that night until a third of the night had passed, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) went (to his tent). On the twenty-sixth night, he (peace and blessings be upon him) neither stood (in prayer) nor said anything. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) offered the Asr prayer on the twenty-sixth day, he (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and said: "Tonight, insha’Allah, we will stand (in prayer), so whoever wishes to stand, let him do so." Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) says: So we showed patience and steadfastness in standing (for prayer). The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in prayer until two-thirds of the night had passed, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) went to his chamber. I said: "O Messenger of Allah! We are eager that you lead us in prayer until morning." But he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Dharr! When you pray with the Imam and return at the time when the Imam returns, it will be written for you as if you stood (in prayer) for the whole night." Abu Abdur Rahman says: I found this hadith written in my father’s (Imam Ahmad’s) book in his own handwriting.

It is narrated from Jubair bin Nufair Hadhrami that Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) says: We fasted the month of Ramadan with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it happened that he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform Qiyam (night prayer) with us for the whole month, until seven nights remained. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Qiyam with us (on the twenty-third night) until one third of the night had passed. He (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform Qiyam on the twenty-fourth night. After that, on the twenty-fifth night, he (peace and blessings be upon him) led such a long Qiyam that nearly half the night had passed. Sayyiduna Abu Dharr Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the companions requested: O Messenger of Allah! If only you would lead us in prayer for the rest of the night as well. But he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When a person stands in prayer with the Imam until he leaves, the reward for standing (in prayer) for the rest of the night is written for him. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not lead us in Qiyam on the twenty-sixth night, but he did lead us in Qiyam on the twenty-seventh night. He (Abu Dharr) says that he (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to his family (to gather for Qiyam), and other people also gathered. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in such a long prayer that we began to fear that perhaps today we would miss Falah. Jubair bin Nufair says: I asked Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), what does Falah mean? He said: It means Suhoor (pre-dawn meal).

It is narrated from Naeem bin Ziyad Abi Talha Al-Anmari that he heard Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) saying while standing on the pulpit of Homs, that he performed Qiyam with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the month of Ramadan on the twenty-third night until one third of the night had passed, and on the twenty-fifth night until half the night had passed, and on the twenty-seventh night, the standing was so long that we began to think we would not be able to have suhoor. He says: We used to call suhoor“Falah.”We used to consider the seventh night to mean the twenty-seventh night, but you say that the twenty-third night is the seventh, so now I do not know who is more correct, us or you?