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The question

Was the night vigil and sacrifice obligatory for the Prophet (peace be upon him) alone, to the exclusion of the Ummah, based on the imperative form in the noble verses?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The characteristics of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, are of two types: those that are established without dispute, and those that are disputed. Night prayer (Qiyam al-Layl) and animal sacrifice (Udhiyah) are among the disputed characteristics. Scholars have differed on whether night prayer was obligatory for him or not. Some held that it was obligatory, citing verses and hadiths as evidence, while others maintained that it was supererogatory, arguing that the verse is open to interpretation and the hadith is weak. As for the animal sacrifice, some scholars held that it was obligatory for him, citing the verse: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him]" (108:2). However, this argument was refuted on the grounds that most exegetes do not believe the verse refers to animal sacrifice. Even if it did, the command would be interpreted as recommendatory due to the presence of an indicator. Furthermore, the hadith "Three things are obligatory upon me and sunnah for you: sacrifice, witr prayer, and the two rak'ahs of Duha prayer" is not authentic.

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Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
5557
Imported
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Source text, unreviewed
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