What are the signs of Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Decree)?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

1) In the narration of ‘Ubayy b. Ka’b:

أَنَّهَا تَطْلُعُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لاَ شُعَاعَ لَهَا

… on that day (the sun) would rise without having any rays. (Sahīh Muslim 762)

In a variant wording:

مِثْلَ الطَّسْتِ حتى ترتفعَ

… resembling a dish, until it becomes high. (Ibn Khuzaymah 2193. Declared Sahīh lighayrihi by Al-Albānī)

2) In the narration of Ibn ‘Abbās:

ليلةُ القدْرِ ليلةٌ سمِحَةٌ ، طَلِقَةٌ ، لا حارَّةٌ ولا بارِدَةٌ ، تُصبِحُ الشمسُ صبيحتَها ضَعيفةً حمْراءَ

Laylatul-Qadr is an easy and moderate night. It is neither hot nor cold. On the morning following it, the sun rises weak and reddish (Sahīh al-Jāmi’ of Al-Albānī 5475)

In a variant from Ibn ‘Abbās himself: “The devil rises with the sun every morning, except on Laylat al-Qadr, for it (the sun) rises on that morning white with no rays.” (Musannaf ibn Abī Shaybah #8757, Hasan – authenticated by al-Haythamī in Majma al-Zawāid 3/176)

In a narration from Ibn Mas’ūd himself:”…for the sun rises every morning between the two horns of the devil, except on the morning of the full moon, when it rises white with no rays.” (Musannaf ibn Abī Shaybah #8762, Sahīh)

3) In the narration of Jābir:

لا يخرجُ شيطانُها حتَّى يُضيءَ فجرُها

The devils will not be able to come out until Fajr (Ibn Khuzaymah 2190. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī)

4) In the narration of Abū Hurayrah:

وإن الملائكةَ تلك الليلةَ أَكْثَرُ في الأرضِ من عَدَدِ الحَصَى

During that night, the angels on earth are more than the numbers of pebbles. (Ibn Khuzaymah 2194. Declared Hasan by Al-Albānī)

The Night Prayer: Part 3 – Praying Two Rak’ah after Witr

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Hadīth 1.

كنَّا مع رسولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ في سَفَرٍ، فقالَ: إنَّ هذا السَّفَرَ جَهْدٌ وثِقَلٌ؛ فإذا أَوتَرَ أحَدُكم، فليَركَعْ رَكعتَينِ، فإنِ استَيقَظَ، وإلَّا كانتَا له

Thawbān narrated: We were with the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) on a journey, and he said: This journey is a struggle and a hardship;  So when one of you performs the Witr prayer, he should perform two rak’ahs (afterwards), if he wakes up (he may pray them), otherwise they are (recorded) for him. (Ibn Khuzaymah 1106. Declared Sahīh by Shu’ayb al-Arnāūt, and Al-Albānī in al-Sahīhah 1993)

Hadīth 2.

Sa’d bin Hishām bin ‘Āmir narrated:I came to Ibn ‘Abbās and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ). Ibn ‘Abbās said: Should I not direct you to one who knows best amongst the people of the world about the Witr of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ)? He said: Who is it? He (Ibn ‘Abbās) said: It is ‘Āishah. So go to her and ask her (about Witr) and then come to me and inform me about her answer that she would give you…

I said: Mother of the Believers, inform me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ). She said: I used to prepare the siwāk for him and water for his ablution, and Allāh would wake him to the extent that He wished during the night. He would use the siwāk, and perform ablution, and would offer nine rak’ahs, and would not sit but in the eighth one and would remember Allāh and praise Him, say salāh upon the Prophet (ﷺ), and supplicate to Him, then he would get up without uttering the taslīm and pray the ninth rak’ah. He would then sit, remember and praise Him, say salāh upon the Prophet (ﷺ) and supplicate to Him and then utter a taslīm loud enough for us to hear. He would then pray two rak’ahs sitting after uttering the taslīm, and that made a total of eleven rak’ahs. O my son, but when the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) grew old and carried more weight, he observed Witr of seven Rak’ah, doing in the two rak’ahs as he had done before, and that made a total of nine Rak’ah. (Sahīh Muslim 746)

Hadīth 3.

Umm Salamah narrated:

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يُصَلِّي بَعْدَ الْوِتْرِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ

The Prophet would pray two Rak’ah after Al-Witr whilst sitting down (Ibn Mājah 1195. Al-Tirmidhī 471. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī)

Hadīth 4.

Abū Umāmah narrated:

كان يُصلِّي رَكعتَينِ بعدَ الوِترِ وهو جالسٌ، يَقرَأُ فيهما بـ: {إِذَا زُلْزِلَتْ} [الزلزلة: 1]، و{قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ} [الكافرون: 1]

The Prophet (ﷺ) would pray two Rak’ah after Al-Witr whilst sitting down, reciting in them: Sūrah al-Zalzalah and Al-Kāfirūn. (Tuhfah al-Ahwadhī 5/129. Declared Hasan by Shu’ayb al-Arnāūt in his checking of Zād al-Ma’ād 1/322. Authenticated by Al-Albānī in Qiyām Tarawīh)

Summary:

  • In the narration of Āishah, the Prophet (ﷺ) performed witr in two ways; 1) He would pray 9 Rak’ah, sitting only in the 8th and 9th Rak’ah; in the 8th Rak’ah he would say the tashahhud and stand up for the 9th Rak’ah, in which he would say the tashahhud and the taslīm. He would then pray 2 Rak’ah whilst seated.                                                                                                   2) He would pray 7 Rak’ah in a similar manner; sitting on the 6th and the 7th, giving taslīm on the 7th. Then he would pray two Rak’ah after Witr.
  • Some scholars such as al-Nawawī held that praying these two Rak’ah after Witr was not a habitual practise by the Prophet (ﷺ), but something he performed a few times to show the permissibility of doing so. (See al-Tuhfah al-Ahwadhī 5/129 and Zād al-Ma’ād 2/260).
  • Ibn Hajr said: Other (people of knowledge) recommended it and ordered it, including: Kathīr bin Damrah and Khāled bin Ma’dān. In the narration of Sa’d bin Hishām there is evidence that he (ﷺ) regularly preserved them (i.e. the two Rak’ah) (Fath al-Bārī 9/179).
  • Al-Albānī held that these two Rak’ah are a sunnah and that it’s from virtue to pray them consistently – using Āishas report as evidence (narration of Sa’d bin Hishām). Furthermore the Prophet (ﷺ) recommended praying the two Rak’ah to the travellers as reported by Thawbān. Thus, his command agrees with his action. (See Sifat al-Salāh pg. 106 and Silsilah al-Hudā wal-Nūr 484, also see: Link to Sh. Albānīs fatwa).
  • Muhammad Bazmūl said: Ibn Khuzaymah (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah (159/2) included the hadīth of Thawbān by saying: (Chapter mentioning the evidence that praying after Witr is permissible for everyone who wants to pray after it), and that the two rak’ahs that the Prophet used to pray after Witr were not specific to the Prophet (ﷺ) alone, and not for his nation, since the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded us to perform the two rak’ahs after the Witr prayer, as a matter of recommendation and virtue, not an obligation. (Sharh Sifat al-Salāh of Al-Albānī pg. 223)
  • Ibn al-Qayyim said in Zād al-Ma’ād 1/322: These (two Rak’ah after witr) was problematic for many people, as they thought it contradicted what he (ﷺ) said : “Make your last prayer at night Witr.”   Mālik denied these two rak’ahs, and Ahmad said: I do not do it, nor do I prevent those who do it. Others said: He performed the two rak’ahs, to clarify the permissibility of prayer after Witr, and his saying: “Make your last prayer at night Witr” is a (command of) recommendation (and not an obligation), and thus praying the two rak’ahs after it is permissible.

    The correct thing is to say: These two rak’ahs are part of the Sunnah and complement the Witr prayer, for the Witr prayer is an independent act of worship – especially if it is said that it is obligatory; so the two rak’ahs are performed after it, which are similar to the Sunnah of Maghrib, which is the Witr of the day, and the two rak’ahs after it are a complement to it. Likewise, the two rak’ahs after the Witr of the night complement it.
  • Shaykh Al-Albānī said: these two Rak’ah should be performed seated in accordance to the sunnah. Ibn Hajr said:al-Hasan (al-Basrī) would pray them seated. (Albānis fatawā: Link to Sh. Albānīs fatwa, see also Fath al-Bārī 9/179)

Are wedding rings permitted in Islām? – Sh. ‘Uthaymīn

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

إِنَّ الرُّقَى وَالتَّمَائِمَ وَالتِّوَلَةَ شِرْكٌ

Indeed, Ruqā, Tamīmah, and Tiwalah are Shirk (polytheism). (Abū Dawūd 3883. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī)

Shaykh Uthaymīn said:

Ruqā is the plural of Ruqyah which means incantation (recitation). Here it refers to Ruqyāh with which is not approved in the Sharī’ah (i.e. those that involve Shirk).

Tamāim (amulets) is the plural of Tamīmah – it is called so as they assume that it will protect against evil eye.

Tiwalah is something they hang around the husband, claiming that it makes the wife endear to the husband and the husband to the wife, and this is shirk;  Because it is neither legislated (in the sharī’ah) nor (is it) a preordained reason for love. An example of such is the dublah.

The dublah is a ring that is bought at the time of marriage and placed in the husband’s hand (i.e. finger), and if the husband removes it;  The woman says that he does not love her. They believe that it brings benefit and averts harm, and they say: As long as it is in the husband’s hand;  It means that the relationship between them is strong and vice versa.

If this intention exists then it is minor shirk, and if this intention is not present – which is far from possible-;  then it is from imitating the Christians, as it was taken from them.

And if it is (made of) gold, in the case of the man, there is a third prohibition, which is wearing gold. 

Thus, it is either shirk, or imitation of Christians, or prohibition of its nature if it is for men.

[the above] may fall under minor shirk or major shirk depending on the intention of the person; if one wears it thinking that love is caused by Allāh then it’s minor shirk. But if he believes that it has an impact on its own, then it is major shirk.

(Abridged and slightly paraphrased, Qawl al-Mufīd, Sharh Kitāb al-Tawhīd 1/179-183)

The Night Prayer – Part 2: The Virtues of the Night Prayer

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:

https://fawaaids.com/2024/03/22/the-night-prayer-part-1-the-difference-between-tarawih-tahajjud-qiyam-al-layl/

The Night Prayer – Part 1: The difference between tarawīh, tahajjud, qiyām al-layl

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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 al-‘Arab, taken from Qiyām and Tarawīh of Al-Albānī, prepared by Muhammad Jibaly, pg. 7)

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. (Fatāwas of Shaykh ibn Bāz volume 11/317)

Link: https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/4259/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%82-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%B5%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%AD-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AC%D8%AF

Shaykh Ibn Bāz was also asked:

Is the Witr prayer different from salāt al-layl (the night prayer)?

He said:

The Witr (prayer) is part of the night prayer, which is its conclusion; one rak’ah, with which he concludes the night prayer at the end of the night, or in the middle of the night, or at the beginning of the night. After the ‘Ishā prayer, he prays what he can, then he concludes with one rak’ah in which he recites: Al-Hamd [Sūrah Al-Fatihah] and Qul huwa-Allāhul Ahad [Sūrah Al-Ikhlās], this is the Witr (prayer).*

Link:

https://binbaz.org.sa/categories/fiqhi/393#:~:text=%D9%87%D9%84%20%D8%B5%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B1%20%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%81%20%D8%B9%D9%86,%3A1%5D%D8%8C%20%D9%87%D8%B0%D8%A7%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B1.

* The prophet (ﷺ) said:

صَلَاةُ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى فَإِذَا خَشِيَ أَحَدُكُمْ الصُّبْحَ صَلَّى رَكْعَةً وَاحِدَةً تُوتِرُ لَهُ مَا قَدْ صَلَّى

The night prayer is performed two by two (rak’ah). If you fear that morning is near, pray one rak’ah as that will be your witr prayer. (Sahīh al-Bukhārī 990)

Ramadān Series: Part 7 – The Night Prayer; what is it, the virtues, the timing, the no. of rak’ah

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)

Explanation of “Whoever commits laghā then he has no Jumu’ah…”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Hadīth 1.

The prophet (ﷺ) said:

وَمَنْ لَغَا وَتَخَطَّى رِقَابَ النَّاسِ كَانَتْ لَهُ ظُهْرًا

He who indulges in laghā (an evil act) or steps over the necks of people (in the mosque), that (Friday) will be for him like the noon (Dhuhr) prayer. (Abū Dawūd 347. Declared Hasan by Al-Albānī)

Hadīth 2.

The prophet (ﷺ) said:

إِذَا قُلْتَ لِصَاحِبِكَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَنْصِتْ‏.‏ وَالإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ فَقَدْ لَغَوْتَ

When the Imām is delivering the Khutbah, and you ask your companion to keep quiet and listen, then you have done an laghu (evil act). (Sahīh Bukhārī 934. Sahīh Muslim 851)

Hadīth 3.

The prophet (ﷺ) said:

وَمَنْ مَسَّ الْحَصَى فَقَدْ لَغَا

He who fiddles with pebbles has committed laghā (evil act). (Abū Dawūd 1050. Declared Sahīh by Al-Albānī. Sahīh Muslim 857)

Hadīth 4.

The prophet (ﷺ) said:

يَحْضُرُ الْجُمُعَةَ ثَلاَثَةُ نَفَرٍ رَجُلٌ حَضَرَهَا يَلْغُو وَهُوَ حَظُّهُ مِنْهَا وَرَجُلٌ حَضَرَهَا يَدْعُو فَهُوَ رَجُلٌ دَعَا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِنْ شَاءَ أَعْطَاهُ وَإِنْ شَاءَ مَنَعَهُ وَرَجُلٌ حَضَرَهَا بِإِنْصَاتٍ وَسُكُوتٍ وَلَمْ يَتَخَطَّ رَقَبَةَ مُسْلِمٍ وَلَمْ يُؤْذِ أَحَدًا فَهِيَ كَفَّارَةٌ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ الَّتِي تَلِيهَا وَزِيَادَةُ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ وَذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ ‏{‏ مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا ‏}‏

Three types of people attend Friday prayer; A person who comes in and commits laghā (evil act), and that action will be his share from it (i.e. from attending Jummu’ah). A person who comes and supplicates to Allāh, so if Allāh wills, He will give him, and if He wills, He will not respond to him. And a man who attends it, keeps quiet, listening – he neither walked over a Muslims neck nor did he harm anyone. So for this person it will be an expiation for all sins until the next Friday, and an additional three days. This is because Allāh, the Exalted, says: “He who does a good deed will have ten times the like thereof” (Al-An’ām:160). (Abū Dawūd 1113. Declared Hasan by Al-Albānī)

Hadīth 5.

The prophet (ﷺ) said:

ومن قال لصاحبه: صه، فقد تكلم، ومن تكلم فقد لغا، ومن لغا فلا جمعة له

Whoever says to his companion: ‘Hush’, then he has spoken, and whoever speaks has committed laghā, and whoever commits laghā has no Jummuah. (Musnad Imām Ahmad 719. Zād al-Ma’ād of Ibn Al-Qayyim 3/43. Takhrīj of Abū Dawūd by Al-Arnāūt 2/284)

Points of benefit

A) al-Nawawī said: ‘When the Imām is delivering the Khutbah‘ is evidence of the obligation to listen and the prohibition of speaking during the deliverance of the khutbah.

This is our madhab and the madhab of Mālik and the majority. (Sharh Sahīh Muslim 3 /359)

B) al-Nawawī said: [explaining hadīth in Sahīh Muslim 851 – hadīth 2 mentioned above] : In this hadīth there is a prohibition of every kind of speech during the khutbah. (Sharh Sahīh Muslim 3/358)

C) Ibn al-Qayyim said: Listening to the khutbah is obligatory. He who leaves off (not listening to the khutbah) will render one’s Jummu’ah void; whoever commits laghā has no Jummu’ah. (Zād al-Ma’ād 1/365)

D) Ibn Hajr said: It was said: Laghā is sin, as Allāh says: ‘And if they pass by some laghwī (evil play or evil talk), they pass by it with dignity’ (Al-Furqān:72). Al-Nadr ibn Shamīl said: The meaning of laghā is that you have lost your reward. And it has been said that the virtue of your Friday prayer has been invalidated. And it has been said that your Friday prayer has become Dhuhr.

I say: The sayings of the linguists are close in meaning, and the last saying is supported by what was narrated by Abū Dawūd and Ibn Khuzaymah from the hadīth of ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Amr [Hadīth 1 presented above]. Ibn Wahb – one of the narrators – said: What it meant is: His prayer is still valid but he is deprived of the virtue of Jummu’ah. (Fath al-Bārī 2/481)

E) Al-‘Ādhīm al-Abadī said: ‘it will be for him like the Dhuhr prayer‘, meaning, like the Dhur prayer in terms of reward. (‘Awn al-Ma’būd 1/533)

F) al-Nawawī said: ‘He who fiddles with pebbles has committed laghā (evil act)‘, in it is a prohibition against touching pebbles and other types of fiddling during the khutbah. (Sharh Sahīh Muslim 3/371)

Weak hadīth: Do not sleep after ‘Asr

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Hadīth:

من نام بعد العصر فاختلس عقله فلا يلومن إلا نفسه

Whoever sleeps after ‘Asr and loses his mind, let him blame no one but himself.

Shaykh Al-Albānī says: Weak.

It was included by Ibn Hibbān in “al-Du’afā wal-Mujrahīn” (1/283) on the authority of Khālid bin Al-Qāsim, on the authority of Al-Layth bin Sa’ad, on the authority of Aqīl, on the authority of Al-Zuhrī, on the authority of ‘Urwah, on the authority of Āishah.

Ibn al-Jawzī mentioned it in “Al-Mawdū’āt” (3/69) and said: It is not authentic, Khālid is a liar, and the hadīth is by Ibn Lahi’ah, so Khālid took it and attributed it to Al-Layth.

(Likewise) Ibn Lahi’ah is weak in his memory.

Narrated from Marwān’s path, He said: I said to Layth bin Sa’ad – and I saw him sleeping after the ‘Asr prayer in the month of Ramadān – O Abū Al-Hārith, why do you sleep after the ‘Asr prayer when Ibn Lahi’ah told us… (So he mentioned it (the narration)) and Al-Layth said: I will not give up what will benefit me based on the hadīth of Ibn Lahi’ah on the authority of Aqīl!

(Silsilah al-Da’īfah number 39, summarised)

Is it permissible to rely on astronomical calculations for beginning of ramadān

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Imām Ibn Kathīr said:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said,



«إِنَّا أُمَّةٌ أُمِّيَّةٌ لَا نَكْتُبُ وَلَا نَحْسِبُ، الشَّهْرُ هكَذَا وَهكَذَا وَهكَذَا»

We are an Ummi nation, neither writing nor calculating. The (lunar) month is like this, this and this (i.e. thirty or twenty-nine days).

(Musnad Imām Ahmad 5017, 5137. And al-Fath of Ibn Hajr 4/108-109)

This Hadīth states that Muslims do not need to rely on books, or calculations to decide the timings of their acts of worship.

(Umdatul-Tafsīr 1/128)

Shaykh Sālih al-Fawzān said:

It is not permissible to calculate the beginning of the fasting by depending upon astronomical calculations. This is not prescribed by Allāh and was not legislated by the prophet (ﷺ). Rather he linked the start of fasting with the sighting of the new moon, saying “Fast when it is sighted and end the fast when it is sighted” (al-Bukhārī 3/34).

Fasting (in the month of ramadān) commences when two conditions are present: When the new moon is sighted or when thirty days of Sha’bān have passed.

Astronomical calculations are not permissible with regards to fasting as it is a human invention which may err sometimes and be accurate at other times.

The prophet (ﷺ) did not command us to depend on it to determine the beginning or fasting in the month of ramadān. Instead, he ordered us to sight the crescent moon. The method of sighting is a visual one – by direct eyesight or by the use of telescopes and other such equipment. The use of such tools does not transform the nature of the method to something other than sighting. They are means to aid the sighting.

(Abridged, Sharh Zād al-Mustaqnī’ pg. 578)

Imām ibn Abdul-Barr said:

What the majority of scholars agree with is that Ramadān should not be fasted except with certainty that Sha’bān has ended, and certainty in (establishing) that; is the sighting of the crescent or the completion of thirty days of Sha’bān. And similarly, the end of Ramadān is not decided upon except with similar certainty.

Allāh said: ‘So whoever of you sights the month, then he must fast it‘ (Al-Baqarah:185)

He means, and Allāh knows best, whoever among you knows with certainty that the month has begun, let him fast it, and the knowledge with certainty is the true sighting.

(Al-Istidhkār 3/276)

‘Umar commands the people to pray 11 rak’ah for tarawīh

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The prophet (ﷺ) said: "Verily he among you who lives long after me will see great discord, so you must hold to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Khulafā ar-Rāshidīn (the rightly guided caliphs) after me (i.e. Abu Bakr, Umar, 'Uthmān, 'Alī). Cling to it firmly [literally: with your molar teeth]. Beware of newly invented matters [in the religion], for verily every bidah (innovation) is misguidance." (Abū Dawūd 4607. Declared Sahīh by Shu'ayb Al-Arnāūt, al-Tirmidhī, Al-Albānī)

Imām Māliks report:

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يُوسُفَ، عَنِ السَّائِبِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَمَرَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ أُبَىَّ بْنَ كَعْبٍ وَتَمِيمًا الدَّارِيَّ أَنْ يَقُومَا، لِلنَّاسِ بِإِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً قَالَ وَقَدْ كَانَ الْقَارِئُ يَقْرَأُ بِالْمِئِينَ حَتَّى كُنَّا نَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى الْعِصِيِّ مِنْ طُولِ الْقِيَامِ وَمَا كُنَّا نَنْصَرِفُ إِلاَّ فِي فُرُوعِ الْفَجْرِ

Yahyā related to me from Mālik from Muhammad ibn Yūsuf that as- Sā’ib ibn Yazīd said, “Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Tamīm ad-Dārī to lead the people in Qiyām with eleven rak’ah. The reciter of the Qur’ān would recite one hundred ayāt (in each rak’ah) until we would be leaning on our canes from having stood so long in prayer. And we would not finish until the approach of fajr“.

(Muwatta of Mālik 6/250. Authenticated by Al-Albānī in Qiyām al-Layl; this isnād is very authentic because Muhammad bin Yūsuf is considered trustworthy by the scholars, and al-Bukhārī and Muslim have accepted his narrations. As-Sā’ib bin Yazīd is a sahabi who performed hajj in his youth with the prophet (ﷺ))

(Also declared Sahīh by Al-Mubārakfūrī in Tuhfah al-Awadhī 3/528)

Ibn al-Arabī al-Mālikī says regarding the number of rak’ah in the night prayer:

The correct view is that one should pray eleven rak’ahs, which is in accordance to the way the prophet (ﷺ) prayed his Qiyām.

As for other numbers, there is no basis for them, and there is no proof to them. If it is necessary to limit them, then (let it be) what the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray: “The Prophet did not exceed eleven rak’ahs in Ramadān or at any other time” [1] , and this prayer is the night prayer, so it is necessary to follow the example of the Prophet (ﷺ) in it. (‘Aridah al-Ahwadhī 3/196-197)

It has been established that the prophet (ﷺ) and his companions prayed eleven rak’ah in Qiyām. This is the correct number that they have been reported to pray, without exceeding it, during ramadān and at other times of the year.

There is no authentic report [2] confirming that any of the companions prayed twenty rak’ah for tarawīh. Rather it is confirmed that Umar commanded the people to pray eleven rak’ah, which conforms with the authentic reported practise of the prophet (ﷺ) [1]. Therefore it is obligatory to adhere to this number, without adding to it.

Imām al-San’ānī declared that the number of twenty rak’ah in tarawīh is a bid’ah. He then said: ‘there is nothing praiseworthy in a bid’ah, rather every bid’ah is an act of deviation.

(Abridged from the Book of Tarawīh and Qiyām by Al-Albānī, prepared by Muhammad al-Jibaly, edition 2)

[1]

Narrated by Abū Salama bin `Abdur Rahmān:

that he asked ‘Āishah: “How was the (night) prayer of Allāhs Messenger (ﷺ) in Ramadān?” She replied, “He did not pray more than eleven rak’ah in Ramadān or in any other month.

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ كَيْفَ كَانَتْ صَلاَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي رَمَضَانَ فَقَالَتْ مَا كَانَ يَزِيدُ فِي رَمَضَانَ، وَلاَ فِي غَيْرِهَا عَلَى إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً،

(Sahīh al-Bukhārī 2013)

[2] for a detailed list of reports and why they have been categorised as weak, please see here: https://fawaaids.com/2024/03/10/are-the-narrations-of-tarawih-consisting-of-20-rakah-authentic/