بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The meaning of ‘night prayer’
The night prayer or salāt al-layl refers to the voluntary night prayer whose time extends from after ‘ishā prayer until fajr (dawn).
Other names of the night prayer include:
- Qiyām al-layl (standing at night)
- Tahajjud (remaining awake)
- Tarawīh (resting)
- Witr (odd-numbered)
(Lisān ul-arab)
Shaykh Ibn Bāz (may Allāh have mercy on him) was asked: What is the difference between Tarawīh, Qiyām and Tahajjud? Please advise us, may you be rewarded.
He replied:
“Prayer at night is called tahajjud or qiyām al-layl, as Allāh says:
﴿وَمِنَ الَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ عَسَى أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَاماً مَّحْمُودًا ﴾
“And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salāh (prayer) with it (i.e. recite the Qurān in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud optional prayer Nawāfil) for you” [al-Isrā’ 17:79]
﴿يأَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ – قُمِ الَّيْلَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً﴾
“O you wrapped in garments (i.e. Prophet Muhammad)! Stand (to pray) all night, except a little” [al-Muzzammil 73:1-2]
﴿كَانُواْ قَلِيلاً مِّن الَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ وَبِالاٌّسْحَـرِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ﴾
“They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allāh) and praying, with fear and hope]” [al-Dhāriyāt 51:17]
With regard to tarawīh, the scholars use this word to refer to qiyām al-layl in Ramadān at the beginning of the night, which should be made light and not lengthy. It may also be called tahajjud or qiyam al-layl. (Shaykh ibn Bāz volume 11, Book of Salāh)
The virtues of the night prayer
1) The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
أَفْضَلُ الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ المَكْتُوبَةِ الصَّلَاةُ في جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ
The best of prayers after those prescribed are those prayed in the depth of the night. (Sahīh Muslim 1163)
2) The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، لَوْ كَانَ يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ
Abdullāh (ibn ‘Umar) would indeed be an excellent man if he prayed at night.
Abdullāhs son Sālim reported that after the Prophet (ﷺ) said this, Abdullāh would not sleep at night but very little. (Sahīh Bukhārī 1121, 1122)
3) The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
يا أيُّها النَّاسُ أفشوا السَّلامَ وأطعِموا الطَّعامَ وصلُّوا باللَّيلِ والنَّاسُ نيامٌ تدخلوا الجنَّةَ بسلامٍ
O people! Spread the greeting of salām(peace), provide food to the needy, and pray at night while people are asleep – you will then enter Jannah with peace. (Sahīh Ibn Mājah of Al-Albānī 1105)
4) The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
إِنَّ فِي اللَّيْلِ لَسَاعَةً لاَ يُوَافِقُهَا رَجُلٌ مُسْلِمٌ يَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ خَيْرًا مِنْ أَمْرِ الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ إِلاَّ أَعْطَاهُ إِيَّاهُ وَذَلِكَ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ
There is an hour of the night which no Muslim person encounters it and asks for a good thing in this life or the hereafter, except that Allāh grants it to him. This happens every night. (Sahīh Muslim 757)
5) The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
رَحِمَ اللَّهُ رَجُلاً قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى ثُمَّ أَيْقَظَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَصَلَّتْ فَإِنْ أَبَتْ نَضَحَ فِي وَجْهِهَا الْمَاءَ وَرَحِمَ اللَّهُ امْرَأَةً قَامَتْ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّتْ ثُمَّ أَيْقَظَتْ زَوْجَهَا فَصَلَّى فَإِنْ أَبَى نَضَحَتْ فِي وَجْهِهِ الْمَاءَ
May Allāh have mercy on a man who wakes up at night, prays, and wakes his wife to pray; and if she refuses he sprinkles water on her face. And may Allāh have mercy on a woman who wakes up at night, prays, and wakes her husband to pray; and if he refuses, she sprinkles water on his face. (An-Nasā’ī 1610. Declared Hasan Sahīh by Al-Albānī)
6) The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
إِذَا أَيْقَظَ الرَّجُلُ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّيَا أَوْ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ جَمِيعًا كُتِبَا فِي الذَّاكِرِينَ وَالذَّاكِرَاتِ
When a man wakes his wife at night, and they pray two rak’ah together, they are recorded among the men and women who frequently remember Allāh. (Abū Dawūd 1309. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī)
7) The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
مَنْ قَامَ بِعَشْرِ آيَاتٍ لَمْ يُكْتَبْ مِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ وَمَنْ قَامَ بِمِائَةِ آيَةٍ كُتِبَ مِنَ الْقَانِتِينَ وَمَنْ قَامَ بِأَلْفِ آيَةٍ كُتِبَ مِنَ الْمُقَنْطَرِينَ
Whoever prays qiyām reciting ten āyāt (verses), he will not be recorded among the negligent. Whoever prays qiyām reciting one hundred verses, he will be recorded among the devout. And whoever prays qiyām reciting one thousand verses, he will be recorded among those with a multitude of good deeds. (Abū Dawūd 1398. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī)
8) Ā’ishah, the mother of the believers said:
اَ تَدَعْ قِيَامَ اللَّيْلِ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ لاَ يَدَعُهُ وَكَانَ إِذَا مَرِضَ أَوْ كَسِلَ صَلَّى قَاعِدًا
Do not give up prayer at night, for the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) would not leave it. Whenever he fell ill or lethargic, he would offer it sitting. (Abū Dawūd 1307. Declared Sahîh by Al-Albānī)
The virtues of the night prayer (specifically) in Ramadān
1) The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
مَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
Whoever stands in qiyām in Ramadān out of (sincere) faith and expectation of Allāhs reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven. (Sahīh Muslim, Bukhārī and others)
2)
جاء رجلٌ من قُضاعةَ إلى رسولِ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم فقال : إنِّي شهِدْتُ أن لا إلهَ إلَّا اللهُ وأنَّك رسولُ اللهِ وصلَّيْتُ الصَّلواتِ الخمسَ وصُمْتُ رمضانَ وقته وآتَيْتُ الزَّكاةَ فقال رسولُ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم : مَن مات على هذا كان من الصِّدِّيقينَ والشُّهداءِ
A man from the tribe of Qudā’ah said to the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ), “Oh Allāhs Messenger! What would be my status if I should testify that there is nothing worthy of being worshipped except Allāh and that you are Allāhs Messenger, pray the five daily prayers, fast Ramadān and stand in qiyām during it, and give zakāh?
He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: Anyone dying upon this will be among the truthful (as-siddīqīn) and the martyrs (ash-shuhadā). (Ibn Khuzaymah 2212. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī in Sahīh Targhīb 749)
The time of the night prayer
The prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
إنَّ اللهَ زادَكُم صلاةً, وهي الوِترُ, فصلُّوها بينَ صلاةِ العشاءِ إلى صلاةِ الفجرِ
Indeed Allāh has added a prayer for you, it is witr; so pray it between the ‘ishā prayer and fajr prayer. (Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī in Qiyām Ramadān & Sahīh al-Jāmī 1772)
The maximum number of rak’ah in the night prayer is 11 and the minimum is 1
– Abū Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmān asked Ā’ishah, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ):
كَيْفَ كَانَتْ صَلاَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي رَمَضَانَ فَقَالَتْ : مَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَزِيدُ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَلاَ فِي غَيْرِهِ
How did the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) pray during Ramadān? She said: The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) did not pray more than eleven rak’ahs during Ramadān and other than Ramadān. (Abū Dawūd 1341. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī)
– As-Sā’ib ibn Yazīd said:
أمرَ عمرُ بنُ الخطَّابِ أبيَّ بنَ كَعبٍ وتميمًا الدَّاريَّ أن يَقوما للنَّاسِ بإحدَى عشرةَ رَكعةً قال: وَ قَدكانَ القارئُ يقرأُ بالمئينَ، حتَّى كنَّا نعتَمدُ على العِصيِّ من طولِ القيامِ، وما كنَّا ننصَرِفُ إلَّا فى بزوغِ الفجرِ
‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb commanded Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Tamīm ad-Dārī to lead the people in qiyām with eleven rak’ah. The reciter would read one hundred verses (in one rak’ah), until we had to lean on canes because of the long standing. We would not finish except with the arrival of Fajr. (Imām Māliks Muwatta 251/228. Declared Sahīh Jiddan in Irwā al-ghalīl 2/192)
– The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
الْوِتْرُ حَقٌّ فَمَنْ شَاءَ أَوْتَرَ بِسَبْعٍ وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَوْتَرَ بِخَمْسٍ وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَوْتَرَ بِثَلاَثٍ وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَوْتَرَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ
Witr is a duty, and whoever wants to pray witr with seven (rak’ahs), let him do so; whoever wants to pray witr with five, let him do so, whoever wants to pray witr with three, let him do so; and whoever wants to pray witr with one(rak’ah) , let him do so.'”(An-Nasā’ī 1709. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī)
Ibn Hajar said: It is authentically reported that a number of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed one rak’ah for witr, without praying any supererogatory prior to it; Uthmān recited the Qur’ān one night in just one rak’ah and he did not pray anything else. It has also been reported that Sa’d prayed one rak’ah for Witr, and similarly Mu’āwiyah prayed one rak’ah for witr, which was approved by Ibn ‘Abbās (Fath ul-Bārī)
fawaaids.com 