Al Minah Al `Aliyyah (5)

The Timed Sunnan

Timed Sunnan means those acts associated with specific times during the day and night. Thus, they are to be performed according to such specific times. I have divided them into seven categories: Before dawn, dawn, forenoon, noon, afternoon , sunset and evening .

Before Dawn

This is the time of the day when we wake up to perform the Fajr prayer. The texts have indicated that there are numerous Sunnan that the Prophet r used to perform during this time. Accordingly, the Sunnan pertaining to this time are further divided into two sections:

The first section:  Upon waking :

There are many things that the Prophet r used to do upon waking up from  sleep, including:

Rubbing his mouth with a tooth pick/brush. On the authority of Hudhaifah t it was reported, “When the Prophet got up at night, he used to clean his mouth with siwak”^[1] In another narration by Imam Muslim, “If the Prophet woke up at night, he would rub his mouth with siwak ”^[2]

He used to recite certain adhkar upon waking up. An example is which was reported in Al-Bukhari’s sahih hadith also by Hudhaifah t who said, “When the Prophet r would go to sleep at night he would say,

بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَ أَحْيَا

‘In the name of Allah we die and we live.’

When the Prophet woke up he would say,

« الْـحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَـيْهِ النُّشُورُ»

‘All praise is due to Allah who has given us life after our death and to Him is the resurrection.’”^[3]

It was also reported by Muslim through the hadith of Al-Baraa. ^[4]

He would wipe his face after waking.

He would look at the sky.

He would recite the last verses of the chapter of Al-’Imran, (i.e. chapter no. 3)

These are the first three Sunnan as they are reported in an agreed upon hadith related by Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “I spent the night with my aunt Maimoonah (may Allah be pleased with her) (who was the wife of the Prophet  r . During the night, the Prophet r got up to perform his night prayer (Tahajjud). I also got up and stood at his left side. He then caught hold of my head and made me stand on the right side.” (Note: At this time Abdullah bin ‘Abbas was very young and had not yet reached the age of puberty).^[5]

In another narration of Imam Muslim it was said, “The Prophet r woke up at the last part of the night, he went out and looked at the sky. Then, he recited,

 “Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding.” (3:190)

He would also rub his eyes just to expel sleep. In Muslim’s narration, we find the illustration of what should be recited to practice this Sunnah. Therefore, the person should recite these verses, 3:190-200, and the recitation of the Prophet of these verses before making ablution indicates that it is permissible to recite the Qur’an even while being in a state of minor impurity.

He would wash his hands three times. Abu Hurairah t, narrated that the Prophet r said,

“When anyone of you awakens from sleep, he should wash his hands three times before placing them in a basin of water, because he does not know where his hands had spent the night.” 

To sniff water up the nostrils thrice and to blow it out thrice. Abu Hurairah t reported that Allah’s Messenger r said,

“When any one of you awakes up from sleep and performs ablution, he must clean his nose three times, for the devil spends the night in the interior of his nose.” ^[6]

 In the narration of Bukhari it reads,

“If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs ablution, he should wash his nose by sniffing water into it and blowing it out thrice.” ^[7]

Advantage

As for the Prophet’s r saying

“…for the devil spends the night in the interior of his nose,”

scholars have differed about its meaning.  A group said that it is metaphorical and not real, while another group said that it is real as the nose is one of the ways that leads to the heart. All other ways are closed except the nose and ears, thus the devil would enter through them. ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud t narrated that it was mentioned before the Prophet r that there was a man who slept the night until the morning (after sunrise). The Prophet said,

“He is a man in whose ears (or ear) Satan has urinated.” ^[8] 

As for the mouth, it could be closed also. Hence, the Prophet r encouraged us to close it upon yawning as a means to prevent the devil from entering. Muslim reported in a sahih hadith through ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud t that the Prophet r said,

“When one of you yawns, he should try to restrain it with the help of his hand since it is the Satan that enters therein.”^[9]

In another narration it reads,

“Yawning in prayer is an act of Satan, so when one of you yawns he should restrain it as much as possible.”^[10] 

In an agreed upon hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah r , it reads,

 “Yawning in prayer is an act of Satan, so when one of you yawns he should restrain it as much as possible.”^[11]  

Nonetheless, every Muslim should believe and have faith, practice submission and have obedience towards the Sunnan, whether he knows the wisdom behind it or not. Hence, he should consider this as matters of the ghayb (unseen) of which only Allah knows its reality as His Knowledge encompasses all things.

Thereafter, he makes ablution, as mentioned in the previous hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), which says that he r brought a water skin and made ablution out of it.  As for the issue of ablution, we have to illustrate it in brief as it is known for all. I just want to remind you in order to practice the Sunnan in full.