The Tahajjud Prayer

What is Tahajjud?

What is Tahajjud?

The tahajjud prayer is a night prayer which is performed by getting up at night after having a sleep a while after isha prayer. Tahajjud was also known as the “Night Prayer” because it was offered in the night after last Farz Namaz Isha. The word Tahajud has been derived from Hujud which means “being awake with the Quran”. It broadly indicates that it is a prayer one offers when awake after sleepat night.

Hazrat Muhammad (PBHU) offered Tahajjud Namaz regularly, and we should also follow the Sunnat e Muhammadi. Tahajjud Namaz was also mentioned in Quran. Allah says in Quran: “And in a part of the nighttime, offer Tahajjud further than what is present on you; perhaps your Lord will host you to aplace of immense magnificence”.
—Sura:Al Isra, Ayat: 79

It was obligatory upon every Muslim before five daily prescribed prayers became an obligation during the first periods of Islam.

And with the event of miraj (The night of the Prophet Muhammads (pbuh) miraculous journey to heaven), when the five daily prescribed prayers were getting stabilized, the tahajjud prayer has been changed into a nafil worship (a supererogatory and rewarded worship), yet in order to be a peculiar tradition for prophet, it had become an obligatory worship for only Our Prophet (pbuh). And this is revealed in the chapter of Isra, 79th verse.

This prayer may be performed as between 2 and 8 rakahs. That is to say, according to the capability, it can be performed as two, four, six or eight rakahs. There is no compulsion like as it must be absolutely eight rakahs. As one can perform this prayer at his/her home, so can perform it at suitable places and time, such as at work, at the company etc. where s/he works at night.