/* */

PDA

View Full Version : tahajjud prayer



Lonely Gal
12-25-2010, 11:28 PM
I have read the above prayer a few times, however I am being told if a person starts it they should never stop - is that correct?
Reply

Login/Register to hide ads. Scroll down for more posts
Hamza Asadullah
12-26-2010, 12:52 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Lonely Gal
I have read the above prayer a few times, however I am being told if a person starts it they should never stop - is that correct?
Asalaamu Alaikum, jazakallahu khayran for your question sister. It is disliked to leave the night vigil prayer for one who has made it their habit, unless there is an excuse, because the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him), "O Abd Allah! Do not be like so-and-so. He used to pray at night and then left it." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Therefore, one should take on an amount of works one can sustain, for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, "The most beloved of actions to Allah are the most constant, even if little." [Bukhari and Muslim] [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, from Ibn Amir Haajj's Halba]

Here are more hadith on Tahajjud:

Tahajjud

The Night Vigil Prayer

Allah Most High said, "Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the dark of the night, and (the recital of) the Qur'an at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Qur'an at dawn is ever witnessed. And some part of the night awake for its recital, as voluntary worship for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised estate." [Qur'an, 17: 78-79]

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, "The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer." [Muslim]

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) was asked, "What prayer is most virtuous, after the obligatory prayers?" He said, "Prayer in the depths of the night." [Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah]

Abd Allah ibn Salam (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, "O people! Spread the salams, feed others, maintain family ties, and pray at night when others sleep and you will enter Heaven safely." [Tirmidhi, Hakim]

Abu Umama al-Bahili (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, "Hold fast to night prayer, for it was the way of the righteous before you, a way of drawing closer to your Lord, an expiation for wrong deeds, and a shield from sin." [Tirmidhi, and others] In some narrations, there is an addition, "And it repels sickness from the body."

Ibn Mas`ud (Allah be pleased with him) said, "The virtues of night prayer over day prayer is like the virtue of secret charity over open charity." [Tabarani] The scholars explain that this refers to voluntary 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: i.e. 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, "Lo! 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.]" (Qur'an, 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." [Qur'an, 32: 16-17]

And He said, "Those who pray for pardon in the watches of the night." [Qur'an, 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" [Qur'an, 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." [Qur'an, 39: 9]" [Saffarini, Ghidha al-Albab Sharh Mandhumat al-Adaab,

Imam Abu Sa'id al-Khadimi said,

"There is scholarly consensus (ijma`) that among the best of virtuous acts is the night vigil prayer." [al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya Sharh al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya]

The scholars derived the following from the Qur�an and prophetic hadiths:

1. The minimal night vigil prayer is 2 rakats. [Hindiyya, quoting Fath al-Qadir]

2. Its optimal recommended amount is 8 rakats, because this was the general practice of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions). [Hindiyya, quoting Fath al-Qadir]

3. Lengthier recitation is superior to a larger number of rakats prayed. [Durr al-Mukhtar, Radd al-Muhtar]

4. If one divides the night in thirds, then the final middle third is most virtuous. [Durr al-Mukhtar]

5. If one divides the night in half, then the second half is more virtuous. [ibid.]

6. Voluntary (nafl) prayer at night is more virtuous than voluntary prayer during the day. However, the full reward mentioned in the Qur'anic verses and Prophetic hadiths refers to worship that was preceded by sleep. This is also understood from the very linguistic meaning of tahajjud, which is to struggle rid oneself of sleep. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, quoting Ibn Amir Haajj's Halba]

7. Ibn Nujaym and Haskafi both affirmed that night prayer is recommended. [al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, and al-Durr al-Mukhtar; chosen in al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya] Kamal ibn al-Humam, the brilliant mujtahid who was the greatest Hanafi faqih of the latter half of Islamic history, however, wavered between it being recommended or a confirmed sunna. This is because while the spoken hadiths indicate recommendation, the continued practice of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) would seem to indicate it being a confirmed sunna. This was also chosen by Ibn al-Humam's student, Ibn Amir Haaj in his Halba. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

8. It is disliked to leave the night vigil prayer for one who has made it their habit, unless there is an excuse, because the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him), "O Abd Allah! Do not be like so-and-so. He used to pray at night and then left it." [Bukhari and Muslim] Therefore, one should take on an amount of works one can sustain, for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, "The most beloved of actions to Allah are the most constant, even if little." [Bukhari and Muslim] [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, from Ibn Amir Haajj's Halba]

9. It is recommended to start the night vigil with two short rakats, because of the hadith of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "It you get up for night prayer, start with two short rakats." [Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawud]

10. Supplications in the depths of the night are answered, as the hadiths have mentioned.

Ibn Mas`ud (Allah be pleased with him) was asked, "I cannot pray at night." He said, "Your sins have prevented you."

Source: http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.a...ID=1241&CATE=4


So my sister do as much as you can sustain but know that this prayer is a way of gaining high ranks in the hereafter and after the obligatory prayers is the best way of getting closer to Allah. So if there is one thing that us Muslims should do in our lives then it is to make a habit of praying Tahajjud prayer in the third portion of the night.

May Allah give us the ability to get the habit of praying Tahajjud everynight and not let our sins prevent us. Ameen
Reply

Insaanah
12-26-2010, 11:57 AM
:sl:

Supposing that someone cannot pray, for various reasons, tahajjud daily. But they would like to read it whenever they are able, say at the weekend (but not every weekend) or just even a day or two a month whenever they are able. Does that mean then that they should not do it all?

Or does it mean that if they do a day or two a month they must do that every month as habit, or once started must you do it daily?

Jazaakallah khayr.

:sl:
Reply

noorseeker
12-26-2010, 10:22 PM
Its best to do things you can manage to do for the rest of your days.

Best to keep it small. Recite half a page of Quran, or pray 2 rakats nafl
Reply

Welcome, Guest!
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up
Hamza Asadullah
12-26-2010, 11:43 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Insaanah
:sl:

Supposing that someone cannot pray, for various reasons, tahajjud daily. But they would like to read it whenever they are able, say at the weekend (but not every weekend) or just even a day or two a month whenever they are able. Does that mean then that they should not do it all?

Or does it mean that if they do a day or two a month they must do that every month as habit, or once started must you do it daily?

Jazaakallah khayr.

:sl:
Asalaamu Alaikum, The answer i gave to the sister referred to one who gained the habit of Tahajjud and then left it. Once a person gains the habit of Tahajjud with the right intentions and sincerety then they are on such a high spiritual level but to then suddenly drop the prayer is very disliked.

In regards to your question then we should definatley pray this prayer as much as we can in accordance with our schedule. The key is consistancy. If you can pray it twice a week every week then do so. Do what you can manage and then build up gradually.

Here are a few ways of praying Tahajjud:

1. Practice Qayloola (short nap) which is to sleep even for half an hour after Dhuhr if we can for this has much benefit in terms of being able to awaken for Tahajjud.

2. Sleep straight after Isha particularly in the summer months and then awaken for Tahajjud.

3. For women in particular it is easier to pray Tahajjud as they could awaken half an hour or 40 minutes before Fajr starts. Pray Tahajjud and then a little while later pray Fajr. For men it is better to awaken earlier and then sleep and awaken for Fajr with jamaat. Which is better? Fajr with jamaat so that should be a priority for men.

4. Avoid major sins in particular because major sins stop a person from being able to stay awake praying and worshipping Allah in the night.

Another alternative is to pray Tahajjud after Isha before sleeping. This is less reward but nevertheless still rewarding. A great scholar suggested that if one knows that one will not be able to wake up for Tahajjud then one can pray it before sleeping. Witr should be the last prayer of the night, so after one has prayed 4 fard of Isha, 2 Sunnah and 2 nafil then one can do an extra nafil with intention of Tahajjud and then end the night with Witr.

We should try our best to pray Tahajjud as much as we can as this prayer is one of the best ways to get closer to Allah and gain high ranks in the hereafter as well as being able to make dua in the best part of the night. Once a person prays Tahajjud they would NEVER want to go back. There is no feeling like it and we should all aim to implement this prayer into our daily lives.

May Allah give us all the ability to pray Tahhajud everynight. Ameen
Reply

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up
British Wholesales - Certified Wholesale Linen & Towels | Holiday in the Maldives

IslamicBoard

Experience a richer experience on our mobile app!