How should one day of a believer / Muslim be? How was one day of the Prophet (pbuh)?

- How should a believer spend a day (twenty-four hours? How should his daily plan be?

Dear Brother / Sister,

One Day in the Life of the Prophet

Daily life on earth starts before sunrise in the morning. Almost all beings, from the formation of dew to the opening of buds, from the singing of the birds to the blowing of the wind, join a circle of dhikr with tongues peculiar to them before the sun rises.

To describe a short twenty-four-hour period, that is, ‘one day’, from the life of any person who led a normal life, is insufficient in terms of describing that person. because almost none of the days experienced is the same as another, especially if that person is the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who

- was in constant contact with the realm beyond the heavens,
- constantly rose spiritually,
- received revelations each of which was exciting and life-rebuilding,
- was assigned with the task of being a cure for the problems of all humanity,
- was a head of a family full of wisdom in all aspects,
- had fierce enemies along with his good friends,
- turned his face more toward the hereafter,
- led a life of worship,
- was in peak among the people of the past and future in terms of all goodness
- and was an exceptional person.

It will very difficult to describe him in an article that is not very long.  If he is an exceptional person and the subject will be discussed within the framework of a short article, it will be even more difficult. However, since almost every day of the life of the Prophet was recorded, this difficulty is partially relieved. Since the reader knows his other days, he can easily combine them and obtain unity. By dividing the day into certain segments, we tried to deal with the issue by treating the deeds done in that time period, even if it was not on the same day, in the light of sound sources.

We divided a day into five according to the number of prayer times because the days of the Age of Bliss and the following periods were mostly around the mosque and centered on prayer. Since the night had a special importance in the lives of the Prophet (pbuh) and those who followed that line, we added it as a separate period.

MORNING

Daily life on earth starts before sunrise in the morning. Almost all beings, from the formation of dew to the opening of buds, from the singing of the birds to the blowing of the wind, join a circle of dhikr with tongues peculiar to them before the sun rises. Those hours resemble the beginning of spring, the period when man falls into the womb, and the first day of the six-day creation process of the heavens and earth, and remind us of them and the divine deeds in them. Man consciously participates in the dhikr circle that other beings form naturally and starts the day with various dhikrs and activities, primarily prayer (salah).

The Prophet (pbuh) started the day with the morning prayer (fajr). As it is known, his very simple and modest house in Madinah formed one part of the courtyard of the mosque.1 The time period for the morning prayer started with the adhan recited by Abdullah b. Umm Maktum, who was visually impaired.2 The Prophet (pbuh) would perform the sunnah in his room and come to the mosque to lead the fard prayer. All Muslims in Madinah except for those who had serious excuses to come to the mosque tried to perform every fard prayer behind the Prophet.

Every morning after the prayer, the Prophet (pbuh) would first utter tasbihat and his customary dhikr of that time until the sun rose to a certain height and then turn his face toward his Companions, sit cross-legged and talk with his Companions. Many issues, from daily affairs to historical memories, from dream interpretations to issues of service to belief, from answering questions to relieving the distress of those who had problems, were discussed during these talks. In other words, a full circle of knowledge and wisdom would be formed immediately after the circle of worship.3

It is understood from the following incident that this circle of knowledge and wisdom was formed every day:

As soon as the Prophet (pbuh) performed the morning prayer on the day when he decided not to talk to his wives for about a month in order to warn them and teach others a lesson, he immediately retired to the place called “Mashruba” without having his customary talk. All of the Companions, including Hz. Umar, understood that something important had happened. Indeed, the “Ila Incident”, which caused some verses to be revealed, had taken place. It is understood that the morning talks had never been abandoned before. What “the talk of the Prophet”, which lasted at least one hour at the most productive time of the day every morning, made a person gain could only be known by those who joined those talks.

Some narrations indicate that the Prophet (pbuh) continued to sit in the mosque until duha (mid-morning) time and left after performing duha prayer. As a matter of fact, the following statement exists in a hadith recommending it:

“If a person stays in the place where he performs the morning prayer after performing it and speaks only good things until he performs the two-rak’ah duha prayer, he will be forgiven even if he has sins as much as the foam of the sea.” 4

We mentioned that sometimes the dreams of the Companions were also interpreted during those talks. After the prayer, the Prophet would ask the companions, “Did anyone see any dreams?” and they would tell him about their dreams. Abdullah b. Umar (r.a.) narrates:

“When one of the Companions saw a dream while the Prophet was alive, he would tell it to the Prophet. I wanted very much to see a dream and tell it to the Messenger of Allah. At that time, I was a young boy and I used to sleep in the mosque. One day, I had the following dream:

Two angels caught me and took me to Hell. Hell appeared to be built with stones like the walls of a well. It had two sides like two horns. There were also some people I knew very well there. At that moment, I started to say, ‘I seek refuge in Allah from Hell!’ Meanwhile, an angel came toward us and said to me, ‘Do not be afraid; you will not be thrown here. There is no sorrow and worry for you.’

The person who saw that dream was Hz. Umar’s son Abdullah. He was a person who resembled his father in all aspects. People wanted him to be the caliph after his father. If Hz. Umar had not intervened and said, “One sacrifice from one house is enough!”, perhaps the ummah would have chosen him as the caliph. He was both an ocean of knowledge and a person at the peak of piety and asceticism.

Abdullah continued as follows:

“I told this dream to my sister, Hafsa, who was the wife of the Prophet. When she told it to the Prophet, he said,

‘Abdullah is such a good person. I wish he would get up at some part of the night to pray!’

For, it was a picture of the torment of barzakh presented to him in the form of Hell. The only way to avoid the torment shown by that picture is to illuminate the night with worship. Abdullah’s slave, Salim, said, ‘After that incident, Abdullah did not sleep at night, except for a small part of it.’“5

If there was not a plan to go anywhere after duha prayer, the Prophet (pbuh) would return home and ask if there was anything to eat in the house. If there was something to eat, he would have breakfast; otherwise, he would say, “Then I will fast today.”6 And he would fast that day. When they said, “There is something to eat”, what was available at home was usually milk, dates, a few slices of dry barley bread, etc. In other words, he would eat whatever there was at home; he was not choosy in eating.

His wives and friends state the following about his food:

- The family of the Messenger of Allah did not eat wheat bread for three days in a row in the period from his migration to Madinah up to his death.
- Sometimes he tied a stone on his stomach due to hunger.
- There were two things that were consumed the most in his house: Dates and water
- He said, “I am a slave of Allah and I eat like a slave”; he ate by sitting on his knees.7
- He would not eat until he was hungry and would leave the dinner table before he was full.

We understand the following from the statements above and similar ones:

Unlike today, food was not at the center of life in the life of the Prophet; daily life was not shaped according to meals; a little time was spent eating; there was no problem when there was no meal; elaborate tables were not set for dinner; they did not mention types of food frequently in their talks; they did not travel a long distance for a better meal. Thus, more time and money were devoted to other important things, contrary to the present day.  

The Prophet (pbuh) had a rest for a while before noon. As it is known, man’s biological structure was created in a way that needs sleep. The body that works without stopping and resting loses its energy and wears out after a while and becomes exposed to various diseases. Therefore, it is an indispensable need for a person to sleep and rest at night. However, there is also a daytime sleep and rest because of not being able to rest enough due to worship and similar activities at night, distraction due to workload and stress, fatigue of the body and hot climatic conditions. That sleep is called “qaylula” in the Islamic literature. It is possible to call it a midday nap or siesta too.

Since the Prophet (pbuh) formed a habit of resting for a while at that time along with advising it, “qaylula” was accepted as a sunnah. In a hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“Help the day fast with suhoor meal, and the night worship with mid-noon nap (qaylula)!”8

It is reported in a hadith narrated by Anas b. Malik that Umm Sulaym, his mother, laid a mattress almost every day at home for the Prophet (pbuh) and that the Prophet took a nap (qaylula) there.9

The Companions, who made sure that they took mid-noon naps in their daily lives, emphasized that they rested after the Friday prayer on Fridays and before noon on other days.10 It is stated in another hadith that qaylula is a habit in accordance with human nature.11

NOON

Noon time resembles the middle of summer compared to a year, the perfection of youth compared to human life, and the period of the creation of man in the world compared to the life of the world and reminds us of the blessings of the manifestations of mercy in them.

Noon is a time when the daytime matures and tends to decline, the daily work is brought to a certain level, a short rest is needed to get away from the workload, and the soul needs respite from the heedlessness and tiredness of the temporary and heavy work of the ephemeral world. The human soul feels a great desire and need to perform the noon prayer in order to get rid of this boring atmosphere, to enter into the presence of the Almighty Lord, to thank and praise Him for His blessings by waiting hand and foot, to ask for help, to show his weakness by bowing and prostrating before His majesty and grandeur, especially if this prayer is to be performed behind the Prophet.

Yes, the Prophet (pbuh) always led the noon prayer in the middle of the day for his Companions who came to the mosque with great enthusiasm. If that day was Friday, people would prepare for the prayer with a different enthusiasm, that is, in the mood of a feast. They trimmed their nails, had a bath, wore new clothes, put on perfume and went to mosque earlier than other days; they listened to the sermon of the Prophet and performed prayers. Children and women participated in this prayer more compared to other prayers.

There is no mention of regular lunch eaten at noon in our sources. When the amount of fitr alms (sadaqah) or some atonements (kaffarah) are determined, it is calculated based on two meals a day, which shows that there is no third meal in addition to the morning and evening meals (breakfast and dinner). Thus, it is understood better how easily a person who eats breakfast at suhoor time can fast during the day. In fact, being content with two meals is a sunnah that needs to be followed along with being recommended in terms of saving time, budget balance and health nowadays. Diabetes etc. are definitely excluded.

The Prophet (pbuh) visited his Companions from time to time, took care of their daily activities, dealt with public affairs as the head of state, had the revelation scribes write down the revealed verses, announced the orders to the public through a town crier and took care of the guests. For example, there were intense visits from delegations beginning from the eighth year of the Migration (Hijrah). The Prophet (pbuh) spent some part of the day welcoming and hosting those delegations, answering their questions and requests, and seeing them off.

The tribes living in various parts of Arabia sent delegations to the Prophet to become Muslims or to declare that they were Muslims and to learn the principles of the religion of Islam, which they accepted. Their number exceeded 70. The first delegation came from the Hawazin Tribe in the 8th year of the Migration. The last delegation was the delegation from the Nakha’ Tribe in Yemen, in the month of Shawwal in the 10th year of the Migration. Since most of the delegations in question arrived in the 9th year of the Migration, that year was called “sanatul-wufud” (the year of the delegations).

The Prophet (pbuh) personally took care of the delegations that came to him, entertained them and talked to them according to the status and customs of each tribe. When they left, he would give them appropriate gifts and send teachers and guides to teach them about Islam. He would advise those guides as follows:

“Make things easy; do not make things difficult; give glad tidings; do not make people hate by frightening them.”12

Najran Christians were among the delegations that visited him. The Prophet (pbuh) allowed them to worship in his mosque and sent them back by making an agreement with this delegation, who did not accept Islam.

AFTERNOON

Afternoon time resembles the autumn season in the year, the time of old age in a person’s life, and the age of bliss of the last Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the line of prophethood. It is the time when daily affairs begin to come to an end and the fruits of divine blessings such as health, peace and good service that we have during the day are received. As the sun begins to set, man realizes that he is a guest in the world and that everything is temporary. In this period of time, the human spirit, which wants eternity, which was created for eternity and which suffers from separation, prays to Allah by performing the afternoon prayer, seeks refuge in His unceasing and endless mercy, and thanks and praises Him for His numerous blessings.

The Prophet (pbuh) virtually attached a special value to that prayer with the indication of the Quran (al-Baqara, 2/238), and he invited his Companions to the mosque with Bilal’s touching voice. Since it is known that afternoon time is one of the times of change of guard of the night and day angels, who are responsible for protecting the believer, tasbihat lasted longer after the afternoon prayer. As a matter of fact, the issue is described as follows in a hadith:

“A group of angels are with you at night and another group of angels during the day. They come together at the time of morning and afternoon prayers and change guard. Their Lord knows best the state of their servants who prayed but He asks those angels: ‘How did you leave my servants?’ ‘ They say, ‘When we left them, they were performing prayers and when we went to them, they were performing prayers.’”13

The Prophet (pbuh) led a very modest life. Since there were not servants in his house in general, he participated in almost all the work to be done as one of the members of the household and helped his wives. For example, while everyone was doing something, he tried to be with them and joined them; he repaired his shoes, mended his clothes, milked sheep, fed animals, swept, etc.14

The Prophet had a custom that he did not generally abandon: After every afternoon prayer, he would go around his wives, ask about their conditions and state, and determine their needs. In the evening, he would go to the room of his wife, whose turn it was that night; all of his other wives would gather in that room and chat. Then, everyone would go back to their own room. Each wife of the Prophet would offer some treats to the Prophet.15

EVENING

Evening warns that both human beings will die one day and that the world will be devastated at the beginning of the apocalypse similar to the death of many living things at the end of the autumn season. At that time, human spirit strongly desires to stand in the presence of the Being who does those important works, to praise Him, to glorify Him, and to declare His greatness once again by saying “Allahu Akbar”. With this desire, the Prophet (pbuh) would often start waiting for the evening prayer before the sun went down, and would start to perform the evening prayer as soon as the adhan was called. After the fard prayer, he would pray 2-6 rak’ahs of prayer known as “Awwabin” and would recommend it to be performed.16

As we have pointed out above, after the evening prayer, he would go to the room of his wife, whose turn it was that night, and all of his other wives would gather in that room and chat. The family home of the Prophet (pbuh) became a place where activities of knowledge continued without interruption, both during his health and after he passed away. After the death of the Prophet, his wives continued those activities of knowledge by making it available to more people. The family life of the Prophet played a major role in the learning, transferring and teaching some special decrees related to women in particular, as well as many decrees of the religion of Islam in general. The role of those ‘evening talks’, in particular, cannot be underestimated.

The evening talks that functioned virtually like a school paved the way for the education of several unique scholars, primarily Hz. Aisha. The topics of those talks were not religious knowledge only; thanks to those talks, a serious love formed among the members of the Prophet’s household who had different environments, cultures and characteristics; thus, they knew each other better and tried to reduce the burden of the prophethood together with the Prophet; they also joked from time to time; in short, they provided the medium that should exist in a happy family.

NIGHT

At night, darkness covers all sides; things that are visible during the day become almost nonexistent; it looks as if the remaining objects of the deceased person die after him and are forgotten. It is like an indication that the worldly life given for testing has come to an end. The majesty of Allah, who has absolute power, is virtually shown once again to human beings, who are often darkened by the veil of being accustomed because Allah easily alters, writes, disintegrates and changes night and day, winter and summer, the world and the hereafter, like the pages of a book. Thus, man, who is helpless, weak and needy and who sees the future as dark, performs the night prayer at that time, turns toward Allah, who has power over everything and who is a true friend, relies on Him and takes refuge in Him. Man forgets the world, which forgets him and becomes dark, and tells his problems to Allah, who is merciful.  In addition, he wants to perform his last prayer before falling into sleep, which is like death, and to close his daily book of deeds with goodness in case he dies.

The Prophet (pbuh) would lead the night prayer in front of his Companions, and unless something important happened17, he would go to rest without talking to anyone. He would say prayers before going to sleep. As it is known, dua (prayer, supplication) had a great place in his life. Special books were written about his supplications uttered at various times of the day. As the Quran puts it, dua is the measure of the value of humanity. Hz. Aisha describes his supplication and practice before going to bed as follows:

“Whenever the Prophet (pbuh) went to bed every night, he would cup his hands together, blow over his hands and read the chapters of al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas and then he would rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head. He would do it three times.”18

There are also other recommendations and practices of the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the issue. For example, Hz. Ali reports the following:

“The Messenger of Allah gave me and Fatima the following advice:

When you go to bed, say ‘Allahu Akbar’ 33 times, ‘subhanallah’ 33 times and ‘alhamdulillah’ 33 (according to another narration 34) times.”

When Hz. Ali said that he never left it after that day, somebody asked, ‘Not even on the day of Siffin?’ He said, ‘No, not even on that day?’“19

The Prophet would not go out very much at night unless he had something important to do. However, there are narrations showing that he went out on some nights. We think one example will be enough regarding the issue:

One night, the Prophet (pbuh) visited Hz. Abu Bakr and Hz. Umar. He saw that Hz. Abu Bakr was reading the Quran very quietly and that Hz. Umar was reading the Quran aloud. When he met them in the morning, he told them about the night before; he told Hz. Abu Bakr to raise his voice a bit and Hz. Umar to lower his voice a bit.

In “Badhlul-Majhud”, one of the famous commentaries of Abu Dawud, the issue is explained in a mystical manner as follows:

Since the state of witnessing and beauty was dominant in Hz. Abu Bakr, he said, “The one whom I want to make hear (Allah) hears what I read.” Since the state of majesty and solemnity was dominant in Hz. Umar, he said, “I awaken those whose sleep has not deepened and I expel the devil with his delusion that brings heedlessness.” they answered.

The state of Abu Bakr was jam’ (combining) and the state of Hz. Umar was farq (separating). However, the most perfect state was jam’ul-jam’ (union of union). The Prophet, who was a very good doctor of spirit and heart, and the symbol of compassion and mercy that led people to higher levels, ordered Hz. Abu Bakr to raise his voice a bit. Thus, those who were near him would hear him and benefit; in addition, he would move from the state of tawhid (oneness), which was dominant in him and which destroyed anything other than Allah, to the state of jam’ and witnessing (shuhud); thus, oneness would not veil the multitude of things and creatures would not veil the creator. It is the level of the great saints, to which the Prophet is assigned to lead people.

He ordered Hz. Umar to lower his voice a bit. Thus, other people who were performing prayers and reading the Quran would not be distracted, and those who were sleeping due to their excuses would not be disturbed. In addition, with that statement, the Prophet ordered Umar to read a bit more quietly so as not to be deprived of invocation, which is the pleasure of worship and the essence of obedience according to saints, by reciting a little silently; thus, he corrected Hz. Umar’s temper.20

MIDNIGHT

Midnight reminds us of the winter, the grave and the realm of barzakh; it also reminds us how much human spirit is in need of Allah’s mercy. Therefore, tahajjud prayer to be performed at night will be our indispensable source of light that will illuminate in front of us and our house on the night of the grave and in the darkness of barzakh.

The Prophet would spend the late hours of the night, that is, the last part of the day, in deep worship. Referring the details to the relevant works, we would like to report the following observations of Hz Aisha, complementing each other:

“The Prophet (pbuh) performed prayers until his feet swelled at night. When it was said to him, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Allah forgave your faults of the past and the future (al-Fath, 48/2). Why do you force yourself so much related to worship?”, he answered as follows: ‘Shall I not be a grateful servant for this forgiveness of Allah?’“21

Once Ata b. Rabah, one of the notables of Tabi’un, asked Hz. Aisha, “Can you tell us about a state of the Messenger of Allah that astonished you?” Hz. Aisha said, “All states of him would astonish us. One night he came to my room. He entered my bed with me. Then he said, ‘If you allow me, I will serve my Lord...’ He got up, made wudu and started to perform a prayer. He wept so much while standing (in qiyam) that his tears fell on my chest. He also wept for a long time in ruku’. The same thing continued during prostration. His weeping continued until Bilal came to inform him about the morning prayer. I said,

‘O Messenger of Allah!’ Why do you worship so much though Allah forgave your previous and future sins?’ He answered as follows: ‘Shall I not be a slave who thanks? How should I not weep? Allah has revealed to me the following verses tonight:

“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding,- Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought):

“Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire. Our Lord! any whom Thou dost admit to the Fire, Truly Thou coverest with shame, and never will wrong-doers Find any helpers! Our Lord! we have heard the call of one calling (Us) to Faith, ‘Believe ye in the Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Thyself our souls in the company of the righteous. Our Lord! Grant us what Thou didst promise unto us through Thine apostles, and save us from shame on the Day of Judgment: For Thou never breakest Thy promise.” (Aal-i Imran, 3/190-194)

Then, he said, ‘Woe on those who read these verses and do not meditate on them for a long time!’“22

The Messenger of Allah would rest for a while after tahajjud prayer and get up for the morning prayer when he heard the muezzin. Bilal would call adhan before imsak time, awakening people for both suhoor and tahajjud prayer.  Abdullah b. Umm Maktum would call adhan at imsak time, informing people that the time period for the morning prayer started.   

CONCLUSION

The daily life of the Prophet can be dealt with from many different aspects. However, no matter how it is dealt with, we will come across with practices, arrangements and words that will enlighten all humanity in all aspects. Happy are those who examine the daily life of the Prophet and learn lessons at a time when daily life has turned into a nightmare.

“There are two things that most people do not appreciate: Health and free time.” (Bukhari, Riqaq 1; Tirmidhi, Zuhd 1; Ibn Majah, Zuhd 15)

A person’s understanding of “time” is of great importance in his success in life. Sociologists doing research on time have observed that the concept of time is perceived differently by developed and underdeveloped countries. According to them, it is essential that the works be arranged according to time and that every work be done within the time allocated to it in developed countries. Acting according to schedule means the discipline of life and the maximum efficiency of human life.

One of the important purposes of fard prayers is to make a Muslim get the habit of scheduling the daily time. The Quran attaches importance to Qiyamul layl (getting up at night). Getting up at night has an important place in the lives of those who prepared the bright periods of the great Islamic civilizations. Qiyamul layl was fard for the Prophet (pbuh), but it is nafilah for his ummah. That sunnah is a command of the Quran.

“And part of the night, prostrate thyself to Him; and glorify Him a long night through.” (al-Insan, 76/26)

“Is one who worships devoutly during the hour of the night prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord - (like one who does not)?” (az-Zumar, 39/9)

However, later on - it is stated that they came after a period ranging from eight months to ten years - alleviations related to getting up at night were introduced in the Quran. Those who had excuses, such as patients and those who went to jihad, were exempted. The time to get up at night is specified as at least one quarter of the night, and at most three quarters of the night. This difference is due to the length of the night in the seasons.

Qiyamul layl is primarily for worship, that is, for prayer and reading the Quran. One can also be engaged in knowledge (learning). The fact that the word “night” is mentioned more than the word “day” in the Quran and that this command was given to Prophet (pbuh) in the first years of his prophethood make qiyamul-layl important.

VIEWS AND PRECAUTIONS RELATED TO TIME

Taking conscientious measures is defined as a “view”. A person should not spend all of his days in the same style in order to be conscious of his being alive. Some months, some hours should be different from the others. In our religion, holy months and days provide it. Thanks to these months and days of different values, the monotony that could happen for man is interrupted. An important view for a person who believes in the hereafter and who feels in depths of his conscience the anxiety of being called to account for every day and every hour is to regard his life as the day he is living currently. The desire for living long called tul al-amal is regarded as the source of many evils.

The religion of Islam orders us to program the day based on three main aims:

1. Worshipping,
2. Making one’s living,
3. Controlling and meditating on one’s life.

Everything is based on belief. Therefore, our religion does not attach importance to belief without deeds and knowledge without practice. It calls knowledge without practice or application “useless knowledge”.

Some principles related to time to make youth healthier and more productive are as follows:

1. Young people should be taught the consciousness of time.

2. Making annual, monthly, weekly, daily plans and complying with these plans.

3. Making use of the night should be handled as a separate issue, and the amount of sleep should be taught thoroughly.

4. The state should determine the views and habits that should be gained according to the age stages.

5. The state and parents should pay attention to the youth period, identify the problems and deal with them persistently.

Footnotes:

1. The Prophet (pbuh) lived in a plain, simple house made of bricks and covered with palm leaves. Hasan Basri (110/728), one of the notables of Tabi’un, said, “The house of the Messenger of Allah was demolished upon the order of Abdulmalik’s son Walid, one of the Umayyad caliphs, and was added to the mosque. The people who saw it started to weep.” Said b. Musayyab (94/713), one of the great scholars of Tabi’un, stated the following on that day: “By Allah, I wish they had left the house of the Messenger of Allah as it was so that the people of Madinah would be happy and those who came from other cities would learn lessons from it by seeing with what the Messenger of Allah was content in his life.” See Elmalılı, VI, 4453.
2. Bukhari, Azan, 11, 13, Shahadat, 11, Sawm, 17; Muslim, Siyam, 36?39; Nasai, Adhan, 9, 10.
3. Muslim, Masajid, 286; Abu Dawud, Salah, 301.
4. Tirmidhi, Witr, 15.
5. Bukhari, Tahajjud, 2, Fadailus-Sahaba, 19; Ibn Majah, Ru’ya, 10.
6. Muslim, Siyam, 169.
7. The following incident is narrated regarding the issue: “In Madinah, there was a woman who spoke recklessly, cursed and damned people and criticized them. Once, while the Prophet (pbuh) was sitting on the pavement and eating boiled meat, that woman passed by. The woman said, “Look at this man. He is sitting on the ground like a slave and eating like a slave.” The Prophet said, “Is there a slave more enslaved than me?” The woman said, “He is eating but he does not give me any.” The Prophet said, “Come and eat.” The woman said, “I will not eat unless you give me with your own hands.” Thereupon, the Prophet gave her a morsel but this time the woman said, “I will not eat unless you give me the morsel in your mouth.” The Prophet took the morsel out of his mouth and gave it to the woman. The woman put it in her mouth at once. After eating that morsel, the woman became a modest and shy woman. She did not say any bad words to anybody after that. She became one of the chaste and good women of Madinah.” Tabarani, Mu’jamul-Kabir, 8 / 200, 231.
8. Ibn Majah, Siyam, 22.
9. Bukhari, Isti’dhan, 41.
10. Bukhari, Isti’dhan, 16; Muslim, Jumua, 30.
11. Mawardi, Adabud-Dunya wad-Din, 343.
12. Bukhari, Ilm, 12.
13. Bukhari, Mawaqitus-Salah, 555.
14. Bukhari, Isti’dhan, 15; Muslim, Salam, 15; Musnad, VI, 256; Qadi Iyad, Shifa, I, 131.
15. Muslim, Rada, 46; Ayni, Umdatul-Qari, 20/244. It is known that one of those treats caused the famous Incident of Ila.
16. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir; V, 64, 65; ash-Shurunbulali, Maraqil-Falah, p. 74.
17. One of those important incidents is narrated as follows: According to what Aws b. Hudhayfa states, the Prophet would talk to a delegation that came to Madinah after the night (isha) prayer every night. However, he was late one night. When he was asked about the reason he said, “Today, I had not read the part of the Quran I read every day. I did not want to come before finishing it.” Abu Dawud, Ramadan, 9; Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 178; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, W, 32.
18. Bukhari, Fadailul-Quran, 14, Tirmidhi, Dua, 21.
19. Muslim, Dhikr, 80.
20. Saharanfuri, Badhlul-Majhud, WII, 89.
21. Bukhari, Tahajjud, 6; Muslim, Munafiqin, 78?79; Tirmidhi, Salah, 187.
22. Quoting from Ibn Hibban’s Sahih, Laknawi, Iqamatul- Hujja, 112.

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