20, chap.

20, chap. "The O9ud Campaign", p 102, 9ad:th 29. prayers saying: 'He would weep until his prayer mat became wet with tears for fear of God, but not because he had sinned for he was without sin.' On the subject of his great humility during prayer, MuUrif son of Abdull"h ibn al-Shukhayr relates of his father that he said: 'I saw the Prophet praying and his chest was humming as a boiler hums.'75 This is an indication of the reverberation in the Prophet's chest of the sound of his weeping.

In a tradition, the Prophet's wife speaks of the strength of his commitment to God saying: 'The Apostle of God used to speak with us and us with him.

When the time came for the prayer though, it was as if he did not recognise us nor we him.'76 Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali points out the importance of prayer to the Prophet and his commitment to it when he says in a tradition: 'The Apostle of God, may Allah bless him and his family, took great pains with his prayer even after he had been promised Paradise.

This was due to God's words: eAnd order your family to prayer and persevere in it f77 He used to order his family to prayer and make himself steadfast in it.'78 The Prophet due to a tremendous yearning to stand before God in prayer would await for the time of prayer to arrive with intense longing. He would say to Bilal the muezzin79 75 The Morals and Etiquettes of the Prophet (akhl"q al-nab: wa "d"buhu); p. 178 76 ibid; p 178 77 The Holy Qur'an; ?"h" (20): 132 78 The Path of Eloquence, Speech no.

199 79 More properly 'mu'adhdhin.' (Translator's note) who would give the call to prayer: 'Give us comfort O Bilal,'80 as he found his comfort in prayer and turning towards God. He persisted in worship for so long that his feet became raw, and in turning to God, and in his thankfulness for the great bounties he received from Him.

When he was asked about his relentless endeavour, he said: 'Am I not to be a grateful servant?'81 When Omm Salamah, the Prophet's wife, was asked about the Apostle of God's prayers at night she said: 'There is no comparison between your prayers and his. He would pray then he would sleep for the same amount of time as he had prayed. Then he would pray for the same amount of time that he had slept. Then he would sleep for the same amount of time that he had prayed.