Surah Al-Fajr, Ayah 2

Which was revealed in Makkah

Recitation of Surat Al-Fajr in the Prayer

An-Nasa'i recorded a narration from Jabir that Mu`adh prayed a prayer and a man came and joined him in the prayer. Mu`adh made the prayer long, so the man went and prayed (alone) at the side of the Masjid, and then left. When Mu`adh was informed of this he said, "(He is) a hypocrite." He (Mu`adh) then informed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ of what happened. The Prophet then asked the young man (about it) and he replied, "O Messenger of Allah! I came to pray with him, but he made the prayer too long for me. So I left him and prayed at the side of the Masjid. Then I went to feed my she-camel." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said,

Next, it says:

لَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ (and by the Ten Nights...89:2) According Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ Qatadah, Mujahid, Suddi, Dahhak, Kalbi and other leading commentators, the 'ten nights' refers to the [ first ] ten nights of Dhul Hijjah. It is recorded in Hadith that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that the first ten days of Dhil Hijjah are the most meritorious days for Allah's worship. Every fast of the day is equivalent to fasts of the whole year. Worshipping Allah every night during this period is equivalent to worshipping Him on the night of Qadr. [ Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah with a weak chain of authorities from Abu Hurairah Mazhari ]. Abu-z-Zubair narrated from Sayyidna Jabir ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: وَالْفَجْرِ وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ (I swear by the dawn and by the Ten Nights' refers to the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said that these are the ten nights that are mentioned in the story of Prophet Musa علیہ السلام ; وَ اَتمَمنٰھَا بِعَشرٍ... then We supplemented them with ten' [ 7:142]. Thus these are the ten nights in the whole year which are most meritorious. Imam Qurtubi says that the Hadith reported by Sayyidna Jabir ؓ indicates that the ten nights of Dhul Hijjah are most meritorious, and that the same ten nights of Dhul Hijjah were designated for Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) .