بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
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 great amount 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)
For part 1 of the night prayer series see below:
fawaaids.com 