Sahih Muslim — hadith #2651–#2675

'Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Seek the time of Lailat-ul-Qadr in the last (ten nights), or he said: in the last nine (nights).

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: I was shown Lailat-ul-Qadr; then some members of my family awoke me up, then I was caused to forget it. So seek it in the last week. Harmala said: (The Prophet did not say:" I was made to forget," but he stated):" But I forgot it."

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) spent in devotion (in i'tikaf) the middle ten nights of the month of Ramadan, and when twenty nights were over and it was the twenty-first night, he went back to his residence and those who were along with him also returned (to their respective residences). He spent one month in devotion. Then he addressed the people on the night he came back (to his residence) and commanded them as Allah desired (him to command) and then said: I used to devote myself (observe i'tikaf) during these ten (nights). Then I started devoting myself in the last ten (nights). And he who desires to observe i'tikaf along with me should spend the night) at his place of i'tikaf. And I saw this night (Lailat-ul-Qadr) but I forgot it (the exact night) ; so seek it;In the last ten nights on odd numbers. I saw (the glimpses of that dream) that I was prostrating in water and mud. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: It rained on the twenty-first night and the water dripped (from the roof) of the mosque at the place where the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed prayer. I looked at him and as he completed the dawn prayer, (I found) his face was wet with mud and water.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) devoted (himself to prayer) in the middle (ten nights) of Ramadan. The rest of the hadith is the same except for these words: " That he adhered to his place of i'tikaf and his forehead was besmeared with mud and water."

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed i'tikaf (confined himself for devotion and prayer) in the first ten (days) of Ramadan; he then observed i'tikaf in the middle ten (days) in a Turkish tent with a mat hanging at its door. He (the Holy Prophet) took hold of that mat and placed it in the nook of the tent. He then put his head out and talked with people and they came near him, and he (the Holy Prophet) said: I observed i'tikaf in the first ten (nights and days) in order to seek that night (Lailat-ul-Qadr). I then observed i'tikaf in the middle ten days. Then (an angel) was sent to me and I was told that this (night) is among the last ten (nights). He who among you likes to observe i'tikaf should do so; and the people observed it along with him, and he (the Holy Prophet) said: That (Lailat-ul-Qadr) was shown to me on an odd (night) and I (saw in the dream) that I was prostrating in the morning in clay and water. So in the morning of the twenty-first night when he (the Holy Prophet) got up for dawn (prayer). there was a rainfall and the mosque dripped, and I saw clay and water. When he came out after completing the morning prayer (I saw) that his forehead and the tip of his nose had (traces) of clay and water, and that was the twenty-first night among the last ten (nights).

Abu Salama reported: 'We discussed amongst ourselves Lailat-ul-Qadr. I came to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) who was a friend of mine and said to him: Would you not go with us to the garden of date trees? He went out with a cloak over him. I said to him: Did you hear the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) making mention of Lailat-ul-Qadr? He said: Yes, (and added) we were observing i'tikaf with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the middle ten days of Ramadan, and came out on the morning of the twentieth and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) addressed us and said: I was shown Lailat-ul-Qadr, but I forgot (the exact night) or I was caused to forget it, so seek it in the last ten odd (nights), and I was shown that I was prostrating in water and clay. So he who wanted to observe i'tikaf with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) should return (to the place of i'tikaf). He (Abu Sa'id al-Khudri) said: And we returned and did not find any patch of cloud in the sky. Then the cloud gathered and there was (so heavy) a downpour that the roof of the mosque which was made of the branches of date-palms began to drip. Then there was prayer and I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prostrating in water and clay till I saw the traces of clay on his forehead.

This hadith has been reported on the authority of Yahya b. Abu Kathir with the same chain of transmitters (with a slight variation of these words): I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) after he had completed (the prayer) and there was a trace of clay on his forehead and tip (of the nose).

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed i'tikaf in the middle ten days of Ramadan to seek Lailat-ul-Qadr before it was made manifest to him. When (these nights) were over, he commanded to strike the tent. Then it was made manifest to him that (Lailat-ul-Qadr) was in the last ten nights (of Ramadan), and commanded to pitch the tent (again). He then came to the people and said: O people, Lailat-ul-Qadr was made manifest to me and I came out to inform you about it that two persons came contending with each other and there was a devil along with them and I forgot it. So seek it in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Seek it on the ninth, on the seventh and on the fifth. I (one of the narrators) said: Abu Sa'id, you know more than us about numbers. He said: Yes, indeed we have better right than you. I said: What is this ninth, seventh, and fifth? He said: When twenty-one (nights are over) and the twenty-second begins, it is the ninth, and when twenty-three (nights) are over, that which follows (the last night) is the seventh, and when twenty-five nights are over, what follows it is fifth. Ibn Khallad said: Instead of the word Yahliqan (contending), he said Yakhtasiman, (they are disputing).

'Abdullah b. Unais reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: I was shown Lailat-ul-Qadr; then I was made to forget it, and saw that I was prostrating in water and clay in the morning of that (night). He (the narrator) said: There was a downpour on the twenty-third night and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in prayer, and as he went back, there was a trace of water and clay on his forehead and on his nose. He (the narrator) said: 'Abdullah b. Unais used to say that it was the twenty-third (night).

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and Ibn Numair reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Look for (and in the words of Waki, seek) Lailat-ul-Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.

Zirr b. Habaish reported: I thu asked Ubayy b. Ka'b (Allah be pleased with him): Your brother (in faith) Ibn Mas'ud says: He who stands (for the night prayer) throughout the year would find Lailat-ul-Qadr, whereupon he said: May Allah have mercy upon him; (he said these words) with the intention that people might not rely only (on one night), whereas he knew that it (Lailat-ul-Qadr) is in the month of Ramadan and it is the twenty-seventh night. He then took oath (without making any exception, i. e. without saying In sha Allah) that it was the twenty-seventh night. I said to him: Abu Mundhir, on what ground do you say that? Thereupon he said: By the indication or by the sign which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave us, and that is that on that day (the sun) would rise without having any ray in it.

Zirr b. Hubaish reported that Ubayy b. Ka'b (Allah be pleased with him) said about Lailat-ul-Qadr: By Allah, I know well about it. Shu'ba said: To the best of my knowledge it was the twenty-seventh night for which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to stand for prayer. Shu'ba doubted these words: That it was the night for which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to stand for prayer. And (he further) said: This was narrated to me by a friend of mine from him (the Holy Prophet).

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were talking about Lailat-ul-Qadr in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: He who amongst you remembers (the night) when the moon arose and it was like a piece of plate (at the fag end of the month in a state of waning).

Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan.

Abdullah b. Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan. Nafi' said: Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) showed me the place in the mosque where the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe i'tikaf.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan.

This hadith has been narrated by 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) through another chain of transmitters.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) used to observe i'tikif in the last ten days of Ramadan till Allah called him back (to his heavenly home). Then his wives observed i'tikaf after him.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) decided to observe i'tikaf, he prayed in the morning and then went to the place of his i'tikaf, and he commanded that a tent should be pitched for him, and it was pitched. He (once) decided to observe i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan. Zainab (the wife of the Holy Prophet) commanded that a tent should be pitched for her. It was pitched accordingly. And some other wives of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) commanded that tents should be pitched for them too. And they were pitched. When the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) offered the morning prayer, he looked and found (so many) tents. Thereupon he said: What is this virtue that these (ladies) have decided to acquire? He commanded his tent to be struck and abandoned i'tikaf in the month of Ramadan and postponed it to the first ten days of Shawwal.

This hadith has been reported through another chain of transmitters, and there it is mentioned that. 'A'isha, Hafsa and Zainab (Allah be pleased with them) pitched the tents for i'tikaf.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that when the last ten nights began Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) kept awake at night (for prayer and devotion), wakened his family, and prepared himself to observe prayer (with more vigour).

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fasting in the ten days of Dhu'I-Hijja.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) did not observe fast in the ten days of Dhul-Hijja.

Ibn 'Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported that a person asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) what a Muhrim should put on as dress. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do not put on a shirt or a turban, or trousers or a cap, or leather stockings except one who does not find shoes; he may put on stockings but he should trim them below the ankles. And do not wear clothes to which saffron or wars is applied.