Hazrat Fadr bin Shiban says that I said to Hazrat Abu Salamah, "Will you not narrate to us any hadith that you heard from your father and he heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?" So he replied, "Why not. When the blessed month of Ramadan came, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Indeed, in the month of Ramadan, Allah the Exalted has made its fasting obligatory, and I have established its night prayer for the Muslims. Therefore, whoever fasts during this month and stands (in prayer) with faith and seeking reward, he will be cleansed of sins just as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him.' Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that whoever fasted and stood (in prayer) during this month... (until the end of the narration). This narration is well-known from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the form of a narration from Sayyiduna Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him). This first part is undoubtedly established. But the part narrated by Nadr bin Shiban from Hazrat Abdur Rahman through the chain of Sayyiduna Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) is disliked. These words, in their meaning, are correct in the light of Allah's Book and the Sunnah of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him). But from this chain, it is not authentic because I fear that this chain is mistaken. I fear that Sayyiduna Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) did not hear anything from his noble father, and to my knowledge, only Nadr bin Shiban narrates this narration from Sayyiduna Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) (thus, due to these two reasons, this chain is weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to command standing (in prayer) during Ramadan without making it obligatory or binding. He used to say, "Whoever stands (in prayer) in Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, his past sins will be forgiven."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever stands (in prayer) during the nights of Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, his sins will be forgiven."

Hazrat Nu’aim bin Ziyad Abu Talhah Ansari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I heard Sayyiduna Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with both of them) saying from the pulpit of Hims that we performed Qiyam with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the twenty-third night of Ramadan until a third of the night had passed. Then on the twenty-fifth night, we offered voluntary prayers until half the night had passed. Then on the twenty-seventh night, we stood in prayer for so long that we thought we would not be able to eat suhoor. And we used to call suhoor“falah,”and you call the seventh night the twenty-third night, and we call the seventh night the twenty-seventh night. So are we more correct or are you?

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in voluntary prayers on the twenty-third night of Ramadan until the first third of the night. Then he said: "I think that what you are seeking is still ahead of you." Then on the twenty-fifth night, he led us in prayer until half the night had passed. Then he said: "I think that what you are seeking is still ahead of you." Then on the twenty-seventh night, we prayed voluntary prayers until morning." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the words "illa wara’akum" (behind you) in my view are from the chapter of Al-Mustadrak by Al-Hakim Didad, and what is meant by it is "ahead," because that which has passed is behind a person, and that which is to come is ahead of him. And the meaning intended by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that, in my opinion, what you are seeking, i.e., Laylat al-Qadr, is still ahead of you. It does not mean that it was in the past days. And this statement of his is like the statement of Allah the Exalted «‏‏‏‏وَكَانَ وَرَاءَهُم مَّلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًا» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة الكهف: 79 ] "There was before them a king who seized every ship by force." The word "wara’ahum" mentioned in the verse also means "ahead of them."

Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we fasted in Ramadan with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but he did not lead us in (night) prayer until seven days of Ramadan remained. Then he led us in prayer until one third of the night had passed. Then on the sixth night, he did not lead us in prayer, and on the fifth night, he led us in prayer until half the night had passed. So I said, "O Messenger of Allah, if only you would lead us in prayer for the rest of the night, it would be so good." He said: "Indeed, whoever stands (in prayer) with the Imam until the Imam finishes, it is written for him as if he spent the whole night in prayer." Then he did not lead us in prayer until three nights remained, then on the third night, he led us in prayer and gathered his family and womenfolk as well, and he led us in such a long prayer that we feared we would miss success. I asked, "What is success?" He replied, "The pre-dawn meal (suhoor)."

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went out of the house at midnight and performed voluntary prayers in the mosque. Some of the noble companions also prayed with him. In the morning, people kept discussing this matter among themselves. Then, when the third night came, the number of worshippers in the mosque increased. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came from his house to the mosque and performed the prayer, and the people also prayed with him. Then, when the fourth night came, the people did not come to the mosque in full, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not come to them. Some people started calling out, "Prayer, prayer," but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not come out; rather, he remained inside. Until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out for the Fajr prayer. When he had completed the Fajr prayer, he stood up, turned his blessed face towards the companions, recited the tashahhud, praised and glorified Allah, and then said: "To proceed: Indeed, your coming was not hidden from me, but I feared that the night prayer might be made obligatory upon you, and then you would be unable to perform it." And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would encourage and instill eagerness in them to perform voluntary prayers in Ramadan without making it obligatory. He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: "Whoever fasts in Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, and during the caliphate of our master Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the early years of the caliphate of our master Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the method of the night prayer remained the same. Until Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people behind Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) for prayer, so he led the people in prayer. In this way, for the first time, people gathered for Qiyam al-Layl in Ramadan.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and suddenly saw some people praying in a corner of the mosque during the blessed month of Ramadan. He (peace be upon him) inquired: "Who are these people?" It was submitted to him that these people do not have the Qur'an memorized and Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) is leading them in prayer and they are praying behind him. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "These people have done the right thing or they have chosen a very good way."