Muhammad (saw) – The Perfect Man — Page 74
CHAPTER 4 A perfect servant of the Almighty God who discharged his obligations 74 obligatory prayers were relatively short, so that the weak, ill, old people, children and the travellers were not burdened. The Nafal prayers offered in solitude had a totally different quality. He said that a man attains nearness to God gradually through Naw a fil , to such an extent that God becomes his eyes and his limbs. Without doubt he attained this status and demonstrated the example of his love of God and his ownself totally lost in God. Tahajjud prayer was the sustenance of his soul. He said that God had put a deep wish in every Prophet's heart, "And mine is to worship during the night. " 25 In the beginning he used to offer eleven or thirteen Rak‘ a ts (including Witr ). In his old age due to weakness he offered nine Rak‘ a ts. If he did not wake up during the night, he used to offer twelve Rak‘ a ts during the day as a recompense. Hadrat Ubayy bin Ka‘b ra relates that when two thirds of the night would pass, the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa would say in a loud voice, "O people, remember All a h, the upheaval of Doomsday is neigh. The moment succeeding it is eminent. Death is approaching with its burdens. " 26 His nightly prayers were very long. He liked to recite relatively long S u rahs. On enquiry Hadrat ‘ A ’ishah ra described the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa 's Tahajjud S al a t, " H u du r sa did not offer more than eleven Rak‘ a ts except in