There was none more knowledgeable of the Sunnah in Iraq than Ibn ‘Own.
Category: Words of Wisdom
Discrete and humble
Daawood ibn Abee Hind fasted for forty years, and his family were not aware of it. He was very discrete, and would take his [packed] lunch with him, and then give it away [to someone needy] along the way.
My father
If you were not from my family I would not have told you this about my father; he was steadfast in fasting every other day for forty years, and he would [also] pray the fajr prayer with the ‘ishaa prayer.
The fast of Prophet Daawood ‘alayhis-salaam
Ibraaheem would fast every other day.
Fasting on a hot day
If we were with the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ on a journey, on a [particularly] hot day – none of us would be fasting except the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ and ‘Abdullaah ibn Rawaahah.
He would still pray every day and night
My father would pray 300 rak’ahs every day and night, and when he became ill from having been whipped, it weakened him. [Thereafter], he would [only be able to] pray 150 rak’ahs every day and night.
His daily portion of worship
The portion [of worship which] Abu Yoosuf al-Qaadhee had set himself every day was 200 rak’ahs.
Yearning to prolong the prayer
If Talq ibn Habeeb began [his prayer] with soorah al-Baqarah, he would not bow down in rukoo’ until he reached [soorah] al-’Ankaboot; and he would say: I yearn to [prolong my] stand[ing] [in prayer] until my spine aches.
Prolonging the prayer
‘Ubaydullaah ibn ‘Abdillaah ibn ‘Utbah would prolong his prayer, and would never hasten it for anyone!
I would sit there weeping at what I saw
[My husband], Masrooq would pray until his feet swelled, and sometimes I would sit there weeping at what I saw him doing.