Night prayers
All Praise is due to Allah, Who has made Salah a relaxation for the believer, a refuge for the fearful, and a guidance for the savage. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the leader of those who perform salah, perform tahajjud, and make ruku' and sujud. And also upon his family, companions, and those who follow them in the right way until the day of judgment.
As for what follows:
Night prayer is the diligence of the righteous, the transaction of the believers, and the action of the victorious. At night the believers are alone with their Lord - they turn towards their Creator complaining about their situations and asking of His bounties. They are standing in front of their Lord, devoted to the confidential talk with their Shaper, gently breathing the fragrances, taking from the lights of the good deeds, and seeking and begging for the greatest of gifts.
Night Prayer in The Quran
Allah the Most Exalted said:
 "They arise from [their] beds" [Noble Quran 32:16]
Mujahid and Al-Hasan said: "It means night prayer".
Ibn Kathir explained the verse: "The meaning is night prayer, leaving sleep and rest upon a soft and flat furnishing.
Abdul-Haq al Ashbeeli said: "Their sides find no rest upon a bed. So they are not settled on it because of the fear of the punishment, and hoping for reward."
Allah the Exalted mentioned about the people who make tahajjud:
"They used to sleep but little of the night, And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness " [Noble Quran 51:17-18]
Al-Hasan said: "They burdened themselves with the night. They extended the salah until the early dawn, then they sat making du'a and seeking forgiveness."
Allah said:
"Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding." [Noble Quran 39:9]
In other words: Is the one whose character is this, similar to the one who sleeps at night and wastes himself? Can he be anything other than one who is knowledgeable about Allah's rewards but ignorant of His punishments?
My brothers and sisters: Where are the people of the night? Where have the virtuous gone, and only the idle and inactive are left?!
Oh people of the night exert yourselves
[Seeking] A Lord who does not refuse when asked
Night Prayer in The Sunnah
My dear Muslim brother/sister: The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged making night prayer and arousing interest in it.
 "It is upon you to perform night prayer, because it was the practice of the righteous people before you. It is a means of obtaining closeness to Allah the Exalted, it erases sins, it prevents wrongdoings, and it drives away sicknesses from the body." [Narrated by Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi, and graded sahih by Al-Albani]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about the condition of Abdullah ibn Umar: "How excellent Abdullah is! If only he would pray salah at night " [Agreed upon]
Salim ibn Abdullah ibn Umar said: "After that, Abdullah slept very little at night."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There is a room in Jannah where the exterior is seen from the interior, and the interior is seen from the exterior. "
Someone said: "Who is it for, Messenger of Allah?"
He said: "It is for the one whose speech is pleasant, he feeds others, and he spends the night standing while the people are asleep " [Narrated by Al-Tabarani, Al-Hakim, and graded sahih by Al-Albani]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Jibril came to me and said: 'Oh Muhammad: Live as you wish for you will die. Love whom you will for you will be separated. Do as you will for you will be recompensed for it. Know that the most honored of the believer is his standing at night, and his prestige is in not needing anything from the people " [Narrated by Al-Hakim and Al-Baihaqi. It has been graded hasan by Al-Mundhiri and Albani]
He (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever stands at night and recites ten ayat is not recorded among the heedless. Whoever stands at night and recites one hundred ayat is recorded among the pious. Whoever stands and recites one thousand ayat is recorded among those who received a huge quantity of good deeds." [Narrated by Abu Dawud and graded sahih by Al-Albani]
Someone told the Prophet (peace be upon him) about a man who slept the night until morning time. He said "That is a man in whose ear the Shaytan urinated! " [Agreed upon]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The best prayer after the obligatory ones is night prayer"
[Narrated by Muslim]
Night Prayer of The Prophet
Allah the Most Exalted ordered His Prophet to perform night prayer in the following:
"O you who wraps himself [in clothing], Arise [to pray] the night, except for a little - Half of it - or subtract from it a little. Or add to it, and recite the Quran with measured recitation." [Noble Quran 73:1-4]
And He said:
"And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station." [Noble Quran 17:79]
A'ishah said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) would stand at night until his feet became cracked. I said to him: Why do you do this oh Messenger of Allah, while all of your sins past and future have been forgiven? He said: Shouldn't I be a thankful slave? " [Agreed upon]
This proves that thankfulness is not only by the tongue. It is only done by the heart, the tongue, and the limbs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) established the duties of worship in the most complete manner, and in the most perfect form. He did all of this despite the fact that he had to spread the Islamic Aqidah, teach the Muslims, exert himself in the path of Allah, and fulfill the duties of his family and children.
He was as Ibn Rawaha said:
Among us is the Messenger of Allah reciting His book
When the courtesy is separated from the morning, glowing.
He showed us guidance after blindness, so our hearts
Are full of certainty that what he said is reality.
He spends the night separated from his bed
When the beds are heavy with the idol-worshippers.
Hudhaifa said: "I prayed with the Prophet (peace be upon him) one night. He started with Al-Baqarah, so I thought that he will make ruku after that. Then he started Al-Nisa' and recited it. Then he started Aal-Imran and recited it. He would recite slowly; when he came to an ayah with Tasbih, he would make Tasbih. When he came to a request, he would request. When he came to a seeking of refuge, he would seek refuge…. " [Narrated by Muslim]
Ibn Mas'ud said: "I prayed one night with the Prophet. He continued standing until I thought of a bad idea. Someone said: What did you think of doing? He said: I thought to sit down and leave him! " [Agreed upon]
Ibn Hajar said: "In this hadith is proof that the Prophet (peace be upon him) chose to prolong the night prayer. Ibn Mas'ud was strong-willed in preserving his emulation of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He did not think of sitting down until the prayer was much longer than he was used to."
Night Prayer And The Early Muslims
Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "I did not find any worship more powerful than salah in the middle of the night".
Abu ‘Uthman Al-Hindi said: "I was the guest of Abu Huraira for seven [days]. He, his wife, and his servant would divide the night into three parts, praying one part and staying awake for another part".
When Shaddad ibn Aws would go to bed, he would be like a grain in a frying pan. Then he would say: "Oh Allah, hell-fire does not stop me from sleeping". Then he would stand to pray.
Tawus would strongly awaken his family, then he would make wudhu and face the qibla until morning. He would say "The sleep of the worshippers has caused them to completely stop remembering the hell-fire!"
Zum'a al-Abid would pray long hours of the night. When dawn would approach, he would raise his voice and announce: "Oh riders of the beds, are you going to sleep and waste away the entire night? Will you not get up and leave the bed!" He would then hear crying from one place, a person making du'a from another place, and someone making wudu from another place. When fajr time would come, he would say: "At the morning time, the people are thankful for the announcement"
The levels of the early Muslims with regards to Night Prayer
Imam Ibn-ul-Jawzi said: You should know that the early Muslims were at one of seven levels with regards to night prayer:
Level one: These would stay up the entire night. Some of them would pray Fajr with the same wudu as ‘Isha'.
Level two: These would pray half of the night.
Level three: These would pray one-third of the night. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: " The most beloved salah to Allah The Exalted is the salah of Dawud. He would sleep half of the night, pray one-third, and sleep one-sixth". [Agreed upon]
Level four: These would pray one-sixth of the night or one-fifth.
Level five: These would not specify an amount of the night. He would only pray until he became sleepy, and would then sleep. When he woke up, he would pray.
Level six: These would pray two or four rak'ah.
Level seven: These would stay awake between the two Isha times [the early time for Isha and the later, recommended time], and they would sweeten their mornings [with du'a]. This way, they would join the night and morning. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed in every night is a time wherein if the worshipper asks Allah for something good, He will give it. And this is in every night." [Narrated by Muslim]
Factors That Make Night Prayer Easy
Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali mentioned some external and internal factors that make Night Prayer easy.
External factors are four:
That the individual should not eat or drink too much. Then sleep will overpower him, and waking up will be difficult.
The person should not tire himself in the daytime with things of no benefit.
He should not avoid the mid-day nap because it helps with regards to waking up.
He should not make sins in the daytime because that will prevent him from night prayer.
Internal factors are four:
The heart should be free from these: malice towards the Muslims, bid'as, and excessive worldly interests.
The heart should have a lot of fear and not too much hope.
He should know the benefits of night prayer.
The best motivation: Love of Allah, and having strong Eman that in his prayer every letter that he utters is freeing him from the punishment of his Lord.
Night Prayer in Ramadan
Night prayer in Ramadan is Salah at-Tarawih which the Muslims perform during Ramadan. It is one of the greatest acts of worship by which the worshippers seek to come closer to Allah in that month.
Al-Hafidh ibn Rajab said: "You should know that in Ramadan the believer combines two actions by which he struggles against himself: during the day-time by fasting, and during the night-time by night prayer. Whoever combines these two forms of struggle receives his reward without any account."
Shaikh Ibn Uthaimin said: "Salah at night during Ramadan has benefits and merits not found in other times. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever makes night prayer during Ramadan, with Eman and hoping for reward from Allah, all his previous sins are forgiven. ' [Agreed upon]
Night prayer during Ramadan is inclusive of salah in the early as well as late part of the night. For this reason, Tarawih is part of night prayer during Ramadan. It is necessary to seek it, to protect it, and to hope for reward from Allah because of it. It is only during a limited number of nights, so the intelligent believer takes advantage of the opportunity before it is lost."
Salah at-Tarawih has been legislated as a congregation in the mosques. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the first to start the Sunnah of Salah at-Tarawih in the mosque, but then he left it out of fear that it would become obligatory on the people. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) left this world and went to be with his Lord, the Shari'ah was completed and there was no fear of Tarawih becoming obligatory. Its religious nature as a congregational salah has remained and is established.
It is necessary for the Muslims to take care of this salah and offer it completely, and have patience for the sake of Allah the Exalted.
Shaikh Ibn Uthaimin said: "No one should fall behind in obtaining the rewards of salah at-Tarawih. He should not leave until the Imam finishes it and Witr, so that he obtains all the reward for praying at night."
It is allowed for the women to attend salah at-Tarawih in the mosques so long as there is no danger, whether from them or against them. But it is necessary that she attends covered and wearing hijab, not showing off, perfumed, raising her voice, or displaying her beauty.
It is from the sunnah that they stand behind the men and away from them. They should begin with the last row because that is the opposite from men. They should leave the masjid right after the Imam makes tasleem and not stay unless due to some necessity.
This is because of the Hadith of Umm Salama who said: "When the Prophet would make salaam, the women would get up when he finished taslim. He would stay in his place for a little while before he would stand. She said: We think, and Allah Knows Best, that this was so that the women could depart before the men would catch up to them." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari]
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet, his family, companions, scholars, and all the Ummah.
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When the Night Equals A Thousand
(Lailatul Qadr)
By Muhammad Al-shareef
It was narrated that in the days that Musa (Peace be upon him) wandered with Bani Israel in the desert an intense drought befell them. Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens praying for the blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Musa (Peace be upon him) and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.
It was revealed to Musa that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Bani Israel whom had disobeyed Allah for more than forty years of his life. "Let him separate himself from the congregation,"Allah told Musa (Peace be upon him). "Only then shall I shower you all with rain."
Musa (Peace be upon him) then called out to the throngs of humanity, "There is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for forty years. Let him separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be rescued from the drought." That man, waited, looking left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that he was the one.
The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would die of thirst and that if he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity.
He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said: "O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!"
As Musa (Peace be upon him) and the people of Bani Israel awaited for the sinner to step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured. Musa (Peace be upon him) asked Allah "O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come forward." And Allah replied, "O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of Bani Israel with water."
Musa (Peace be upon him),wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, "Show him to me O Allah!" Allah replied, "O Musa, I hid his sins for forty years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?"
Allah revealed the Quran in the most blessed month; the month of Ramadan, the month in which the Quran was sent down.
On the most blessed night, the Grand night: Laylatul Qadr; "Verily, we revealed the Qur'an on the night of Qadr."
Ibn Jareer narrates, on the authority of Mujahid that there was a man from Bani Israel who used to spend the night in prayer. Then in the morning he would fight the enemy in the Way of Allah during the day, until the evening and he did this for a thousand months.
And so Allah revealed the Surah: "Verily, We sent it down in the night of Al-Qadr" until the verse "The night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months" That is, standing in prayer on that night is better than the actions of that man.
Sufyan ath-Thawri reports, on the authority of Mujahid (also), that the night of Al-Qadr being better than a thousand months means that the good deeds performed on it, fasting on it, and standing in prayer on it are better than a thousand months good deeds, prayers and fasting. [Narrated by Ibn Jareer]
It is reported from Abu Hurairah that he said:
"When the month of Ramadan came, the Messenger of Allah said: ‘The month of Ramadan has come, a blessed month in which Allah has made it obligatory for you to fast; in it the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained. In it is a night better than a thousand months, whoever loses the benefit of it has lost something irreplaceable.'" [Narrated by Imam Ahmad and An-Nasa'i]
It is reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah, that Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:
"Whoever stood in prayer on the night of Al-Qadr, in faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, he will have all of his previous sins forgiven." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
.This one night surpasses the value of 30,000 nights. The sincere believer who worries day and night about his sins and phases of neglect in his life patiently awaits the onset of Ramadan. During it he hopes to be forgiven by Allah for past sins, knowing that the Prophet (Peace be upon him)promised that all who bear down during the last ten days shall have all their sins forgiven. To achieve this, the believer remembers the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) advice in different sayings wherein he used words like "seek", "pursue", "search" and "look hard" for Laylatul Qadr.
Laylatul Qadr is the most blessed night. A person who misses it has indeed missed a great amount of good. The Mu'min should search for it in the last ten nights of Ramadan, passing the nights in worship and obedience.
For those who catch the opportunity, their gift is that of past sins wiped away.
The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) illustrated for us some of the things we should be doing on this Grand Night. From his blessed Sunnah we find the following:
Praying Qiyam (Night Prayer)
It is recommended to make a long qiyam prayer during the nights on which Laylatul Qadr could fall. This is indicated in many ahadith, such as:
"Whoever stands (in qiyam) in Laylatul Qadr [and it is facilitated for him] out of faith and expectation (of Allah's reward), will have all of his previous sins forgiven." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
the addition "and it is facilitated for him" is recorded by Ahmad from the report of ‘Ubadah Bin as-Samit; it means that he is permitted to be among the sincere worshippers during that blessed night.
Making Supplications (Du')
It is also recommended to make extensive supplication on this night.
‘A'ishah reported that she asked Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) "O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night is Laylatul Qadr, what should I say during it?" And he instructed her to say: "Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee - O Allah! You are forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me." [An authentic Hadith recorded by Ahmad, Ibn Majah and at-Tirmidhi.]
Abandoning Worldly Pleasures for Worship
It is further recommended to spend more time in worship during the nights on which Laylatul Qadr is likely to fall. This calls for abandoning many worldly pleasures in order to secure the time and thoughts solely for worshipping Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala).
‘A'ishah reported: "When the (last) ten started, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) would tighten his izar (i.e. he stayed away from his wives in order to have more time for worship), spend the whole night awake (in prayer) and wake up his family." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And she said: "Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) used to exert more (in worship) on the last ten than on other nights." [Muslim]
Have We Estimated Allah Correctly?
The opportunity of Laylatul Qadr is coming in the next few days. Life is about people that take advantage of their opportunities to win the love of Allah, and this is indeed one of those chances. Abu Dah Daah was one of those who found an opportunity and won that which is greater than the heavens and the earth. An adult companion of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) cultivated his garden next to the property of an orphan. The orphan claimed that a specific palm tree was on his property and thus belonged to him. The companion rejected the claim and off to the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) went the orphan boy to complain. With his justness, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) measured the two gardens and found that the palm tree did indeed belong to the companion. The orphan erupted crying. Seeing this, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) offered the companion, "would you give him the palm tree and to you is a palm tree in Jannah?" However, the companion in his disbelief that an orphan would complain to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) missed the opportunity and went away angry.
But someone else saw the opportunity, Abu Dah Daah (may Allah be pleased with him) . He went to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and asked, "Ya Rasul Allah, if I buy the tree from him and give it to the orphan shall I have that tree in Jannah?" The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) replied, "Yes."
Abu Dah Daah chased after the companion and asked, "Would you sell that tree to me for my entire garden?" The companion answered, "Take it for there is no good in a tree that I was complained to the Prophet about."
Immediately, Abu Dah Daah went home and found his wife and children playing in the garden. "Leave the garden!" shouted Abu Dah Daah, "we've sold it to Allah! We've sold it to Allah!" Some of his children had dates in their hand and he snatched the dates from them and threw them back into the garden. "We've sold it to Allah!"
When Abu Dah Daah was later martyred in the battle of Uhud, Rasul Allah (Peace be upon him) stood over his slain body and remarked, "How many shady palm trees does Abu Dah Daah now have in paradise?"
What did Abu Dah Daah lose? Dates? Bushes? Dirt? What did he gain? He gained a Jannah whose expanse is the heavens and the earth.
Abu Dah Daah did not miss his opportunity, and I pray to Allah that we do not miss our opportunity of standing to Allah on Laylatul Qadr.
Dear brothers and sisters, we do not obey, worship and revere Allah in a way befitting of His Majesty.
Allah revealed:
"No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him. On the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: Glory to Him! High is He above the partners they attribute to Him."
[Noble Quran 39:67]
Everything that we have belongs to Allah. When someone dies we say, Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un, Indeed to Allah we belong and indeed to Him we shall return. This is not a supplication just for when a soul is lost. It is a supplication for every calamity that befalls a believer, even if his sandal were to tear. Why? Because everything belongs to Allah and everything shall come back to him. Sit and try to count the blessings Allah has bestowed upon you. Have you ever tried to count stars?
"And He give you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the favors of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude." [Noble Quran 14:34]
We have not understood the weight of this Quran that we rest on our high shelves, this Noble book that was sent to give life to the dead. For even if our hearts were as solid as rock they would have crumbled to the ground in fear and hope of Allah's punishment and Mercy. Could it be that our hearts are harder than that mountain?
"Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, verily, thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and split asunder in fear of Allah." [Noble Quran 59:21]
Dear brothers and sisters, as you fill the Masajid for Qiyamul Layl in the last ten nights of Ramadan, remember what Allah wants you to know:
"Know ye that Allah is strict in punishment and that Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful."
[Noble Quran 5:98]
There shall be a night, some night in your life that you shall awaken in Jannah or Hell fire. Anas ibn Malik, on his deathbed, prayed to Allah, "O Allah, protect from a night whose morning brings a journey to hell fire." Think about that morning.
Peace shall descend on Laylatul Qadr until the dawn. It may be that you shall leave the Masjid after Fajr one day soon forgiven by Allah, Glorious and Most High.
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