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THE IMPORTANCE OF TAHAJJUD PRAYERS

Among the most virtuous Nafl (voluntary prayers)is the The Tahajjud Prayer or Qiyamulail. It is part of the established Sunnah of The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

Ordering The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to perform Tahajjud, Allah Almighty says:

“And during a part of the night, pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent on you; maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory.” (Qur’an:Al-Isra’ 17:79)

This order, although it was specifically directed to The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also encourages all Muslims to practice it. Moreover, performing the Tahajjud Prayers regularly qualifies one as one of the righteous and makes one earn Allah’s bounty and mercy. In praising those who perform the late night Prayers, Allah says:

“And they who pass the night prostrating themselves before their Lord and standing” (Qur’an Al-Furqan 25:64)

There are a number of Ahadeeth that reinforce the importance of Tahajjud.

'Abdullah ibn Salam reported:

“When the Prophet SAW came to Madinah, the people gathered around him and I was one of them. I looked at his face and understood that it was not the face of a liar. The first words I heard him say were: ‘O people, extend the salutations, feed the people, keep the ties of kinship, and pray during the night while the others sleep, and you will enter Paradise in peace.’” (At-Tirmidzi)

Salman Al-Farsi (RA) quoted the Prophet SAW as saying:

“Observe the night Prayer; it was the practice of the righteous before you and it brings you closer to your Lord and it is penance for evil deeds and erases the sins and repels disease from the body.”(At-Tabarani)

The Definition of ‘Night Prayer’ & Tahajjud

‘Night prayer’ is any prayer performed after Isha time. The time for performing the night vigil (tahajjud) prayer ends when Isha time ends and Fajr time enters. Therefore, any voluntary prayers performed after Fajr time has entered does not count for the night vigil prayers.

Imam Saffarini, the Hanbali faqih and sufi, explained in his Sharh Mandhumat al-Adaab:

“Night prayer is superior to day prayer because:

It is more concealed and closer to sincerity. The righteous early Muslims (salaf) used to strive hard to hide their secrets [f: meaning the actions between them and Allah]. Hasan [al-Basri] said, ‘It used to be that a person would have guests staying over and he would pray at night without his guests knowing.’

And because night prayer is harder on the lower self, because night is a time of rest from the tire of day, so leaving sleep despite the lower self being desirous of it is a tremendous struggle (mujahada). Some have said, ‘The best of works are those the lower self is forced to perform.’

And because recitation in night prayer is closer to contemplation, because things that busy the heart are mostly absent at night, so the heart is attention and is with the tongue in understanding, as Allah Most High said, “o! The night vigil is (a time) when impression is more keen and speech more certain. Lo! You have by day a chain of business. So remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself with a complete devotion.’  (73: 6-7) It is because of this that we have been commanded to recite the Qur an in night prayer in a steady recital (tartil).

And it is because of this that night prayer is a shield from sin

And because night vigil time is the best of times for voluntary worship and prayer, and the closest a servant is to his Lord.

And because it is a time when the doors of the sky are opened, supplications answered, and the needs of those who ask fulfilled.

Allah has praised those who wake up at night for His remembrance, supplication, and to seek forgiveness and entreat Him, saying, ‘They forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of what We have bestowed on them. No soul knows what is kept hid from them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do.’ (32: 16-17)

And He said, ‘Those who pray for pardon in the watches of the night.’ (3: 17)

And, ‘[The (faithful) servants of the Merciful are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish one address them answer: Peace; And who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and standing ‘  (25: 63-64)

Allah most negated similitude between those who pray at night and those who do not: ‘Is the one who worships devoutly in the watches of the night, prostrate and standing, fearful of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, (to be accounted equal with a disbeliever)? Say: are those who know equal with those who know know? But only people of understanding will pay heed.'” (39: 9)

السلام و علیکم ورحمتہ اللہْ

May Allah help us all. Remember me and the entire Muslim Ummah in your Duas.
Allah' slave.