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.
Performance of the Night Prayer
Author: Imaam al-Albaani
Source: Qiyaam Ramadaan (pgs. 28-30) (trans. Masjid Ahl ul-Quran was-Sunnah Association, NY, USA)
Article ID : IBD090009 [793]
I spoke in detail about this subject in my book Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg. 101-115), so I felt that I should abridge that discussion here in order to make it easy for the reader and to remind him:
The First Manner: consists of thirteen rak’aat, which is commenced with two short rak’aat. According to the most correct opinion, these are the two rak’aat of Sunnah prayer offered after ‘Ishaa, or they are two specific rak’aat by which one begins the Night Prayer, as has been stated previously. Then one prays two very long rak’aat (after that). Then two more rak’aat are prayed, and then another two rak’aat are prayed. Then two more rak’aat are prayed and another set of two rak’aat are prayed. Then witr is made with one rak’ah.
The Second Manner: consists of thirteen rak’aat. There are eight rak’aat within them, in which one makes tasleem after every two rak’aat. Then witr is made with five rak’aat and one does not sit nor make the tasleem except in the fifth rak’ah.
The Third Manner: consists of eleven rak’aat, in which one makes tasleem after every two rak’aat and then prays witr at the end with one rak’ah.
The Fourth Manner: consists of eleven rak’aat, in which one prays four rak’aat and makes one tasleem after the four. The he prays another four in a similar manner and ends it with three rak’aat (for witr).
Would the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) remain in the sitting position after eveyr two rak’aat, when praying a unit of four rak’aat or a unit of three rak’aat? We do not find a clear answer for this, but remaining in the sitting position (for tashahhud) while doing a unit of three rak’aat is not legislated (in the Religion)!
The Fifth Manner: consists of eleven rak’aat, in which one prays eight rak’aat and does not sit in any of them except for the eighth rak’ah. While sitting (in the eighth rak’ah), he makes the tashahhud and sends Salaat on the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) and then stands up again without making the tasleem. Then he makes witr with one rak’ah and when finished, he makes the tasleem. This consists of nine rak’aat. Then he prays two rak’aat after that while in the sitting position.
The Sixth Manner: One prays nine rak’aat, in which he does not sit except after the sixth rak’ah. Then he makes the tashahhud and sends Salaat on the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) and then stands again without making the tasleem. Then he makes witr with three rak’aat and when finished, he makes the tasleem, etc. (the rest is the same as the previous manner)
These are the manners in which it is reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) performed the Night Prayer. It is possible to add other types of manners to it, by subtracting what one wishes from each set of rak’aat until he cuts it down to one rak’ah, acting on the previously mentioned hadeeth of Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam): “So whoever wishes, then let him pray witr with five rak’aat, and whoever wishes, then let him pray witr with three rak’aat, and whoever wishes, then let him pray witr with one rak’ah.”
So if one wants, he can pray these five rak’aat or three rak’aat with one sitting and one tasleem, as is stated in the Second Manner. And if he wants, he can make tasleem after every two rak’aat, as is stated in the Third Manner, and this is preferred.
As for praying the set of five rak’aat or three rak’aat by sitting after every two rak’aat and not making the tasleem, then we did not find any authentic report that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) used to do this. The asl (foundation) is that it is permissible, but since the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) forbade us from praying witr with three rak’aat indicating the reason for that by saying: “And do not liken it to the Maghrib prayer.” [1] So then anyone that prays the witr in three rak’aat must not liken it to the Maghrib prayer. This can be done in two ways:
1. Making the tasleem between the even and odd number rak’ah (i.e. between the second and the third rak’ah). This is what is more strong and preferred.
2. One does not sit between the even and odd number (i.e. he prays three rak’aat straight with one tasleem), and Allaah knows best.
Footnotes:
[1] Reported by At-Tahawee, Ad-Daraqutnee and others. See At-Taraaweeh (pg. 99 & 110)
Factors That Facilitate Performance of the Night Prayer
Shaykh Ahmad Fareed's "Al Bahr ar-Ra'iq"
_____________________________________________
Know that regular performance of the night prayer is very difficult except
for those whom Allah `azza wa jall guides. There are seven external and
internal factors that facilitate performance of this prayer.
External Factors
1. Not eating and drinking a lot, so that one is not overcome by sleep. As
some have said: "Do not eat a lot, so that you do not have to drink a lot and
sleep a lot!"
2. Not preoccupying oneself during the day with daily tasks exhaust a
person's physical and mental strength, for this also causes sleep.
3. Not leaving daily afternoon nap, so as to help oneself with it in
performance of the night prayer.
4. Sinning as little as possible during the day, for sinning causes the heart
to harden and prevents it from receiving mercy.
Even kings of this world do not allow seclusion and intimate discourse with
them except to the people who obey them, whom they love and who are sincere
to them.
Some said to Ibn Mas`ood, may Allah be pleased with him, "We are unable to
perform the night prayer." He told them: "Your sins are distancing you (from
it)."
Someone said to al Hasan al Basri: "We are unable to perform the night prayer
so prescribe me a cure." He said, "Do not disobey Him during the day and He
will help you stand before Him during the night."
Ath-Thawri said, "I was prevented from standing in prayer at night for five
months due to a sin I had committed."
Al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, when he would enter the
market and heard all that people say in it from shouting and vain talk, he
would say: "I think that these have bad nights."
All types of sins contribute to hardness of the heart and prevent from
performance of the night prayer, even though some sins are more harmful than
others, such as eating what is haram. On the other hand, eating what is
halal, like few other things, cleans the heart and guides it to what is good.
This is best known by those who watch and control their hearts, due to
experiencing it, after the Sharee`ah's testimony to this fact. This is why
some of them rightly said, "How many bites have prevented performance of the
night prayer! How many glances have prevented recitation of a Quranic soorah!
Verily the slave eats a bite or does an action and because of it he
is prevented from standing in performance of the sunnah (i.e. the night
prayer)."
Internal Factors
1. Protection of the heart from innovation, hatred towards Muslims and
superfluous worldly concerns. One preoccupied with this world is unable to
perform the night prayer and if he does, he does not think about his prayer,
but about his worldly concerns, wandering in his sinful thoughts (whisperings
of Shaytan). It has been said about such:
The guard informed me that you are sleeping
And you, even when you are awake, are sleeping.
2. Fear of sins and death and short hopes keep the heart alive, so when the
servant thinks about pits of the Hellfire and people's condition in the
hereafter, his sleep immediately disappears. `Abdullah bin Rawaaha said:
"Verily, when the servant of Allah is reminded of Paradise, his longing for
it increases, and when he is reminded of the Fire, his sleep immediately
disappears."
Ibn al Mubarak, may Allah have mercy on him, said,
When the night is completely dark,
It finds them staying up in the night.
Fear has chased away their sleep so they stay up,
While those who feel secure in this life quietly sleep on.
3. Knowing the virtue of standing in prayer at night, as related in Quranic
verses and traditions, until that knowledge intensifies one's hope and
longing for its reward, and when that state is achieved, one's desire for
higher levels in Paradise will also increase.
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