#18 Prostration in mud

Book of Call to Prayers (Adhaan)

(135) Chapter: To prostrate on the nose and in the mud

Hadith 813

Narrated Abu Salama:

Once I went to Abu- Sa`id Al-Khudri and asked him, "Won't you come with us to the date-palm trees to have a talk?" So Abu Sa`id went out and I asked him, "Tell me what you heard from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) about the Night of Qadr." Abu Sa`id replied, "Once Allah's Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) performed I`tikaf (seclusion) on the first ten days of the month of Ramadan and we did the same with him. Gabriel came to him and said, 'The night you are looking for is ahead of you.' So the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) performed the I`tikaf in the middle (second) ten days of the month of Ramadan and we too performed I`tikaf with him. Gabriel came to him and said, 'The night which you are looking for is ahead of you.' In the morning of the 20th of Ramadan the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) delivered a sermon saying, 'Whoever has performed I`tikaf with me should continue it. I have been shown the Night of "Qadr", but have forgotten its date, but it is in the odd nights of the last ten nights. I saw in my dream that I was prostrating in mud and water.' In those days the roof of the mosque was made of branches of date-palm trees. At that time the sky was clear and no cloud was visible, but suddenly a cloud came and it rained. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) led us in the prayer and I saw the traces of mud on the forehead and on the nose of Allah's Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم). So it was the confirmation of that dream."