The Virtue of Tahajjud:
❀ The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
أفضل الصلاة بعد الفريضة صلاة الليل
“The most virtuous prayer after the obligatory prayers is the Tahajjud prayer.”
❀ And the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
ألا أدلك على أبواب الخير ؟ الصوم جنة ، والصدقة تطفئ الخطيئة كما يطفئ الماء النار ، وصلاة الرجل من جوف الليل
“Shall I not guide you to the doors of goodness? Fasting is a shield from sins, charity erases sins just as water extinguishes fire, and a man’s prayer at night (Tahajjud).”
❀ And he, peace be upon him, said:
ينزل ربنا تبارك وتعالى كل ليلة إلى سماء الدنيا حين يبقى ثلث الليل الآخر يقول من يدعوني فأستجيب له ؟ من يسألني فأعطيه ؟ من يستغفرني فأغفر له ؟
“Every night, when the last third of the night remains, Allah descends to the lowest heaven and says: Is there anyone who calls upon Me so that I may answer him? Is there anyone who asks Me so that I may grant him? Is there anyone who seeks My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?”
❀ Sayyiduna Mughirah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to pray such a long Tahajjud prayer that his feet would swell. He was asked why he endured such hardship when all his sins had been forgiven. He said: ‘Should I not be a grateful servant to my Lord?'”
Husband and Wife Waking Each Other for Tahajjud:
❀ The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
“May Allah have mercy on the person who wakes up at night, then prays (Tahajjud), and wakes his wife for prayer. If the woman does not wake up (due to deep sleep), the husband splashes water on her face. And may Allah have mercy on the woman who wakes up at night, then prays (Tahajjud), and wakes her husband for prayer. If the husband does not wake up (due to deep sleep), the wife splashes water on his face.”
Time for Tahajjud:
❀The time for Tahajjud prayer is from after Isha until the Fajr Adhan. Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي فيما بين أن يفرغ من صلاة العشاء ….. إلى الفجر
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to perform Tahajjud prayer between after Isha and before the Fajr Adhan.”
❀The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
أحب الصلاة إلى الله صلاة داود عليه السلام …. وكان ينام نصف الليل ، ويقوم ثلثه ، وينام سدسه
“Allah loves the prayer of Dawud (peace be upon him) the most… He would rest for half the night, then pray Tahajjud for one-third of the night, and when one-sixth of the night remained, he would sleep.”
❀The last part of the night is the most virtuous.
❀Tahajjud can also be performed in the first part of the night.
❀Sleeping before Tahajjud is not a condition. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
من خاف أن لا يقوم من آخر الليل فليوتر أوله ، ومن طمع أن يقوم آخره فليوتر آخر الليل ، فإن صلاة آخر الليل مشهودة ، وذلك أفضل
“Whoever fears that he will not be able to get up in the last part of the night should pray Witr in the first part of the night, and whoever hopes to get up in the last part should pray Witr then. Indeed, angels are present at the last night prayer, and it is the most virtuous.”
Before Tahajjud:
❀ When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would get up for Tahajjud, he would recite the following words:
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ، سُبْحَانَ الْمَلِكِ الْقُدُّوسِ، أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، اللَّهُمَّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ ضِيقِ الدُّنْيَا وَضِيقِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would recite all these words ten times each, and according to a narration from Nasai, he (peace be upon him) would recite this supplication once:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَعَافِنِي
❀ The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever gets up at night and recites these words and makes this supplication, it will be fulfilled; if he prays, it will be accepted:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would get up for Tahajjud, he used to recite the last ten verses of Surah Al-Imran.
Opening Supplication of Tahajjud:
❀ The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to recite this supplication instead of praise in the Tahajjud prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ قَيِّمُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، لَكَ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ مَلِكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ، وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ، وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ، وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ، وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّبِيُّونَ حَقٌّ، وَمُحَمَّدٌ حَقٌّ، وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ، اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ، وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ، وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ، وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ حَاكَمْتُ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ، وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ، أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
“O Allah! All praise is for You alone, the Sustainer of the earth and the heavens and all that is within them. All praise is for You alone; the sovereignty of the earth and the heavens and all that is within them belongs to You. All praise is for You alone; You are the Light of the earth and the heavens. All praise is for You alone; You are the King of the earth and the heavens. All praise is for You alone; You are the Truth, and Your promise is true, Your meeting is true, Paradise is true, Hellfire is true, all the Prophets are true, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is true, and the Day of Judgment is true. O Allah! I have bowed before You, I have believed only in You, I have relied only on You, I have turned only to You, with Your help alone I fight (against enemies), I have accepted only You as my Sovereign, so forgive all my past and future sins, both apparent and hidden. You are the One who causes to advance and to delay; there is no true deity except You.”
Issues of Recitation in Tahajjud:
❀ For issues related to recitation, please refer to the chapter on the Sunnah method of prayer under the heading of recitation issues. The rest are as follows:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
«أفضل الصلاة طول القنوت»
“The best prayer is the one in which the standing (Qiyam) is prolonged.”
❀ It is not permissible to recite the entire Quran in one night. Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
لا أعلم نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قرأ القرآن كله فى ليلة
“I do not know that the Prophet, peace be upon him, ever recited the entire Quran in one night.”
❀ The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:
اقرأ القرآن فى كل شهر قال إني أطيق أكثر فما زال حتى قال فى ثلاث
“Finish one Quran in a month.” He said: “I have the strength to recite more than that.” So the Prophet, peace be upon him, kept reducing it until finally he permitted finishing the Quran in three days.
❀ And the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
لم يفقه من قرأ القرآن فى أقل من ثلاث
“Whoever finishes the Quran in less than three days has not understood it.”
Individual Tahajjud prayer may be performed with silent recitation or audible recitation. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
ربما أسر بالقراءة وربما جهر
“The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sometimes recited silently in Tahajjud and sometimes audibly.”
❀ In congregational Tahajjud prayer, recitation should be audible, as Sayyiduna Hudhaifah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: One night I prayed with the Prophet, peace be upon him, he started Surah Al-Baqarah, I thought he would bow after one hundred verses, but he kept reciting. I thought he would divide Surah Al-Baqarah into two units of prayer, but he continued reciting, so I thought he would complete the entire Surah in one unit.
Number of Rak’ahs of Tahajjud and the Method of Performing:
❀ When Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها was asked about the Tahajjud prayer of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, she said:
“The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم sometimes prayed seven, sometimes nine, and sometimes eleven rak’ahs of Tahajjud.”
❀ And Umm Aisha Siddiqah رضي الله عنها says:
ما كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يزيد فى رمضان ولا فى غيره على إحدى عشرة ركعة
“The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم never prayed more than eleven rak’ahs in Ramadan or outside Ramadan.”
❀ The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم sometimes prayed two rak’ahs after Witr as well.
❀ The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
“When you start praying Tahajjud, begin with two light rak’ahs.”
Praying Tahajjud all night is not permissible; rather, some time should be spent sleeping. Abdullah bin Amr رضي الله عنهما says that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم asked me:
يا عبد الله ! ألم أخبر أنك تصوم النهار وتقوم الليل فقلت بلى ! يا رسول الله ! قال فلا تفعل ، صم وأفطر ، وقم ونم ، فإن لحسدك عليك حقا ، وإن لعينيك عليك حقا ، وإن لزوجك عليك حقا ، وإن لزورك عليك حقا
“O Abdullah! Is it true that you fast every day during the day and pray Tahajjud all night?” I said: “O Messenger of Allah! Yes, that is so.” Then he صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: “Do not do that; fast and also break your fast, pray Tahajjud and also sleep. Indeed, your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you, your wife has a right over you, and your guest has a right over you.”
And the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
يا أيها الناس ! عليكم من الأعمال ما تطيقون ، فإن الله لا يمل حتى تملوا ، وإن أحب الأعمال إلى الله ما دوم عليه وإن قل
“O people! Perform deeds according to your ability. Indeed, Allah does not get tired of rewarding, but you will get tired of doing deeds. (Listen!) The most beloved deed to Allah is that which is done consistently, even if it is little.”
❀ And the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
ليصل أحدكم نشاطه ، فإذا فتر فليقعد
“Each one of you should pray as long as his heart is inclined to it; when he becomes tired, he should sit.”
Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها says: “The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم never prayed all night.”
Congregation of Tahajjud:
❀ Tahajjud prayer should be performed alone.
❀ Occasionally, it is permissible to perform Tahajjud in congregation.
❀ If one person is praying alone and another person comes and stands beside him, the first person should lead the prayer as Imam. Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: “The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stood up to pray Tahajjud, and I also stood to pray with him and went to stand on his left side, but he took me by the head and placed me on his right side (because the follower stands on the right side).”
Making up missed Tahajjud:
❀ It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه and Sayyiduna Abu Darda رضي الله عنه, who said: Someone intended to pray Tahajjud but then forgot or fell asleep, so the reward is recorded according to the intention, and sleep is charity from Allah for him.
❀ And the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
من نام عن حزبه ، أو عن شيء منه ، فقرأه فيما بين صلاة الفجر وصلاة الظهر ، كتب له كأنما قرأه من الليل
“Whoever, due to sleep, misses his night prayer or any night worship and then prays it between Fajr and Dhuhr, the reward is recorded for him as if he prayed it during the night.”
If the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم missed the Tahajjud prayer at night for any reason, he would perform twelve rak’ahs during the day. Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah رضي الله عنها said: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم could not stay awake at night or was ill, he would pray twelve rak’ahs during the day.”
