حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنْ يَحْيَی بْنِ أَبِي کَثِيرٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ حَدَّثَهُمْ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَمَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
صحیح مسلم · Hadith 1781
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) used to exhort (his Companions) to pray (at night) during Ramadan without commanding them to observe it as an obligatory act, and say: He who observed the night prayer in Ramadan because of faith and seeking his reward (from Allah), all his previous sins would be forgiven. When Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) died, this was the practice, and it continued thus during Abu Bakr's caliphate and the early part of 'Umar's caliphate.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020