Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 5, Hadith 85
It was narrated from al-Khadir bin al-Qawwas from Abu Sukhailah who said: I asked `Ali (رضي الله عنه) about the nafl prayers of the Prophet (ﷺ) during the day. He said: You are not able for that. We said: Tell us and we will do as much of it as we can, He said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Fajr, he would wait until the sun would rise from there, meaning in the east, as high as it is at the time of `Asr there, meaning in the west. Then he would get up and pray two rak`ahs. Then he would wait until the sun rose as high there, meaning in the east, as it is at the time of Zuhr there, meaning in the west; then he would pray four rak`ahs, and four before Zuhr when the sun passed the meridian, and four afterwards, and four before ‘Asr, He would separate each two rak’ahs with salams upon the angels who are close to Allah, the Prophets, the believers and the Muslims who follow them. `Ali (رضي الله عنه) said: That is sixteen rak`ahs which the Prophet (ﷺ) offered as nafl prayers during the day, but there are very few who offer them regularly. Wakee’ narrated; my father said: Habeeb bin Abi Thabit said to Abu Ishaq when he narrated this to him: O Abu Ishaq, this hadeeth of yours is worth this mosque filled with gold.
حَدَّثَنَا مَرْوَانُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ الْفَزَارِيُّ، أَنْبَأَنَا الْأَزْهَرُ بْنُ رَاشِدٍ الْكَاهِلِيُّ، عَنْ الْخَضِرِ بْنِ الْقَوَّاسِ، عَنْ أَبِي سُخَيْلَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِأَفْضَلِ آيَةٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى حَدَّثَنَا بِهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ {مَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ} وَسَأُفَسِّرُهَا لَكَ يَا عَلِيُّ مَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مَرَضٍ أَوْ عُقُوبَةٍ أَوْ بَلَاءٍ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَكْرَمُ مِنْ أَنْ يُثَنِّيَ عَلَيْهِمْ الْعُقُوبَةَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَمَا عَفَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَحْلَمُ مِنْ أَنْ يَعُودَ بَعْدَ عَفْوِهِ.
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 5, Hadith 85
The above hadith is from the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal collection of hadiths. Compiled by the renowned Islamic scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the Musnad is a monumental hadith collection distinguished by its unique organizational structure. Unlike other major collections arranged by topic, the Musnad is organized according to the names of the Prophet Muhammad’s companions. This means each section is dedicated to a specific companion, grouping all the narrations they transmitted together. This method offers valuable insights into the Prophet’s teachings as passed down through his closest followers. While the collection is highly respected for its overall authenticity and vast scope, scholars note that it includes narrations of varying strength, and some feature weaker chains of transmission that require expert analysis.
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For more Hadith in Book 5: Musnad ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib