Hamza Asadullah
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Asalaamu Alaikum Wr Wv, Would rasulallah (PBUH) tell us to do something which is not good for us?
Read this short article for your own knowledge which includes the health benefits of waking up for Tahajjud:
The benefits of waking up for TAHAJJUD
By: Dr. Ebrahim Kazim
Tahajjud (the after-midnight prayers) is derived from “hajada” meaning “he was wakeful in the night ”.
Noise is of 2 types: “Exterior” e.g. telephone, TV, radio, etc. and “Interior” due to clamour of tangled emotions and conflicting thoughts about material objects. In the silent, dark and tranquil hours of the night, both of these are absent and we can offer our tahajjud prayers with calm and serenity. It is a time for pause and quiet reflection during some golden serene moments when we seek liberation from the burdens of daily hectic life.
The timing of tahajjud prayers affords an exceptionally unique spiritual atmosphere and purity of thought in preparation for the day to begin. It also enhances the concentrating ability of the memory components of the brain and helps us to place the forthcoming duties of the day into their respective compartments, by reversing pending improper intentions, if any.
We will need the intimacy, that closeness to Allah, in order to express our innermost thoughts, feelings, desires and fears, indeed our whole life history. The rising by night for tahajjud prayers is more affirmative and most suitable for understanding and strengthening one’s faith, and also for framing and formulating the wordings of prayer and praise (Q.73:6).
It kindles the divine flame within us to receive true illumination in the darkness of the night. It opens the window to the heart for light to enter its dark crevices where problems are lurking to be solved. Just as a person is mirrored clearly in the calm and still waters of a lake, so the mind is reflected in the supplicating words of tahajjud prayers.
Tahajjud prayers ignite the divine spark that lies dormant within us, and make us a shining example and a beacon to instill brightness in the lives of those persons we encounter who are still in the dark. A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. We may not be aware of this particular influence of ours in the lives of others whom we meet, which has already been laid down in Allah’s Plan and Wisdom. Once in a while, we meet someone we will always remember. There is something about being in his presence that draws us like a magnet into his field. Even eye contact with such a person induces electrical activity in the ventral striatum of the brain. We begin to see his world and his philosophy differently. The aura that surrounds him and the expression of his sincerity towards us linger in our thoughts for days on end and helps us spiritually to tune our thoughts to a different wave-length, equating and coupling with his, as if it is ESP. (ESP or Extra Sensory Perception is a paranormal response to an external event that has not been recognized by the five known senses. It includes telepathy which is the ESP of mental activities of another person).
Love for Allah grows with time, being a slow process. At first, man is attracted to Allah for some reason, then man tries to communicate with Him through prayers for another reason; he later engages in a dialogue and finally he looks forward to the hope of a hug from Him in the Hereafter. This is as a consequence of such of his deeds that have earned the good pleasure of Allah. We pray for forgiveness in the early hours before dawn (Q. 3:17; 51:18). We observe that angels and men of knowledge are linked together in Q.3:18 which follow the above verse. The best time for Tahajjud is to delay it to the last third portion of the night (Abu Hurairah: Fiqh us Sunnah).
Repair of the body takes place during stage 3 and 4 of deep sleep (dreamless sleep), during which memory and learning molecules are re-synthesised in the hippocampus of the brain. Hence we can formulate our wordings of petition and others much better during this period.
“ Every night, when the last third of it remains, our Sustainer, the Blessed, the Superior, descends to the lowest heaven saying, ‘Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone to invoke Me so that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?’ ” (Ḥadīth Muslim, Abu Dawūd, Aḥmad bin Hanbal).
Tahajjud prayers will raise us to a higher station (Q. 17:79). Those who wake up and pray and call on their Sustainer in fear and hope, and give charity would be rewarded (Q. 32:16).
From stage 4 of deep sleep, we pass on to stage 5 (Rapid Eye Movement) REM sleep when dreaming occurs. There are 4 or 5 such periods in every night of restful sleep. The dreams of early morning, say before tahajjud prayers, are remembered more vividly and with more accurate details and actions of the main figures than those dreams of earlier in the night. This is because memory molecules are synthesized during stages of deep sleep which precedes the REM sleep when dreaming occurs.
Majority of strokes occur around 2-3 A.M. (when the B.P. is at its lowest), mostly due to the build-up of cholesterol in the blood during the night and clotting of blood in the cerebral arteries. It is therefore probable that the physical activity combined with the tranquil state during tahajjud prayers around 3 A.M. could initiate into action all processes which prevent the formation and extension of the clot, and hence prevent a major stroke or minimise it. Moreover, the Morning Prayer around 5 A.M. would add a further quota of beneficial effects of this extra physical and spiritual exercise.
We look forward to each day with optimism and enthusiasm, and to prepare in advance in the morning the list of good deeds we are planning to do during the day. Executive processes of planning and scheduling are controlled by the frontal and pre-frontal cortex of the brain. During tahajjud prayers, we can formulate our supplications which will assist in molding our personality and daily schedule, beginning with early morning. When we wake up, our first port of call should be the prayer mat, followed by priorities in our agenda. Prayer contributes to our tranquility and peace of mind (Q. 13:28).
This tranquility could be a result of certain endogenous substances released into the body during prayers, such as encephalins, endorphins, dynorphins, serotonin and many others as yet undiscovered. These neurotransmitters modulate responses against the harmful effects of stress by causing euphoria, well-being, contentment and feeling of satisfaction as well as by enhancing immune responses. These are also responsible for a healthy and serene state of balanced mind, an immediate and priceless reward from Allah.
However, even the largest ships meet with turbulent waters, and we as human beings are liable to come across trials and tribulations, which we have been destined for. Although man has achieved phenomenal success in science and technology, he cannot solve problems of immorality, violence and many other daily situations, local and worldwide.
If Allah needs no praise because He is above all praise and if He needs no petition because He knows our needs better than we do ourselves, and if His bounties are open without asking, to the righteous and the sinner alike, then why should we pray at all and make Du ‘a? In Q. 40:60, Allah advises us to make make Du‘a (supplication) and He will respond.
It is a common observation that when we pray and get results, some of us call them coincidences; however, coincidences don’t happen when we don’t pray.
Supplication is for our own spiritual growth and uplift, consolation, success in this life and in the Hereafter, and for a perfected personality with strong will power, all of these through His grace and guidance. Making Du ‘as is a constant reminder to us that we are not alone in this world, but have a divine presence as a constant Companion with Whom we can have dialogue, advice, guidance and assistance.
Although Allah is present everywhere, for us to actually get the pleasant feeling of being in His divine presence and in His talking distance, we should constantly remember Him with our utmost sincere devotion, as if He is holding our hands and we are walking together.
When prayers are followed by meaningful action and service to mankind, we upgrade ourselves from being better Muslims to becoming Mu’mins and then Muḥsins and we ascend faster through Ṣirāṭal Mustaqīm towards Allah, our eventual goal.
Source:http://www.scribd.com/doc/522638/Tahajjud
