The Guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Last Ten Days of Ramadan

The Shaykh:
May Allah greet you and bless you.

The questioner:
Our dear listeners, we conclude our discussion of Surat al-Qadr, this great surah, with a question about the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Honorable Shaykh, did you clarify this?

The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions. As for the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the last ten nights of Ramadan: he would single them out for increased effort compared to the beginning of the month. It is reported that when these ten nights entered, he would gird himself with determination, tighten his waistcloth, keep his night awake, and wake up his family.
This means that he would increase in righteous deeds during these ten nights, especially at night. He would keep the night awake with prayer and worship, and he would lengthen his prayers in these nights more than in others. He would also single out these blessed ten nights for i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque), which is staying in the mosque day and night, not leaving except for a necessity that cannot be avoided, then returning to his place of retreat. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would occupy himself with the remembrance of Allah, reciting the Qur'an, praying, and being in seclusion with his Lord (Mighty and Majestic).
Among the things he would single out for these last ten nights was that he would seek out Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree) in them more than in any other time, because it was made clear to him that it is to be expected in these last ten nights. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would increase his effort in these ten nights seeking Laylat al-Qadr. This is his guidance (peace and blessings be upon him) for the entire month, and specifically for the last ten nights.
All of his life, (peace and blessings be upon him), and all of his existence was worship of Allah. It was spent in working for Islam and calling people to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and in benefiting the Muslims by teaching them, in the expedition, and in jihad in the path of Allah. However, during these ten days, he would free himself from these activities and turn to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. This indicates the virtue of these blessed ten days, because they are the conclusion of the month, and because they are the nights in which the Night of Decree is hoped for, which is better than a thousand months. Thus, the Muslim should follow him, (peace and blessings be upon him), and increase his effort in these ten days, especially in night prayer, the late-night voluntary prayer, and standing in night prayer. The Salaf (the earliest generations) were upon this Prophetic Sunnah (recommended practice); they would lengthen their prayer in the last ten days until the end of the night, to the point where they feared they would miss the pre-dawn meal, following the Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him).
This is a refutation of those idle people who claim knowledge in our time, who say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not single out the last ten nights with additional prayer beyond the prayer of the beginning of the month. The hadiths are explicit that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not sleep during these nights, or did not sleep for most of these nights. What was he occupied with? Nothing but night prayer, supplication, and humbling himself before Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Also, the righteous Salaf are well known for their practice of keeping these nights awake and delaying their standing in prayer, meaning they would extend their standing and lengthen their prayers until they feared they would miss the suhur. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh,