52NIGHT PRAYER (TAHAJJUD)
There are many verses and hadiths regarding night prayer and its remembrance. Nearness to Allah (Wakia, 7-11) jamalullah, deedar and the highest levels of paradise are all tied to striving more and isolation, along with discrete worship and pray at night. Set apart from the people and remain alone with Allah! My father(Sheikh) Bilal used to say: “When I was young, I was delighted when it became night. I said: ‘I will pray at night and I will pray all night until morning.’ Unfortunately, nowadays, we do not hear such words.”
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1- “I placed the polish of hearts into awakening at night. Do people search for it most in sleep? How will they find it? (Marifatnama, p. 597)
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2- “Rise to pray in the night, except a little,
Half of it, or lessen it a little,
Or add to it, and recite the Qur’an as it ought to be recited. (And remember your Lord)”(Muzzammil, 2-4)
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3- “Surely rising at night is the surest way to tread and the best corrective of speech.” (Muzzammil, 6)
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4- “Surely your Lord knows that you pass nearly two-thirds of the night in prayer, and (sometimes) half of it, and (sometimes) a third of it, and (also) a party of those with you; and Allah measures the night and the day. He knows that you are not able to do it, so He has turned to you (mercifully); therefore read what is easy from the Qur’an. He knows that there must be among you those who are ill, and others who travel in the land, seeking of the bounty of Allah, and others who fight on Allah's way, therefore read as much of it as is easy (for you), and continue prayer and pay the poor-rate and offer to Allah a goodly gift, and whatever of the good you send on beforehand for yourselves, you will find it with Allah; that is the best and greatest in reward; and ask forgiveness of Allah; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (Tafseer of Ruh-al Bayan, Vol. 9, p. 354; Muzzammil, 20)
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5- “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.” (Isra, 79)
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6- “Bear then patiently what they say, and glorify your Lord by praising Him before the rising of the sun and before its setting, and during the hours of the night also glorify (Him) and during the parts of the day, that you may be well pleased.” (Ta-Ha, 130)
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7- “And those who spend the night before their Lord, prostrating and standing.” (Furqan, 64)
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8- “Is one who worships devoutly during the hour of the night prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord - (like one who does not)? Say: ‘Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?’ It is those who are imbued with understanding that receive admonition.” (Zumar, 9)
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9- “Their sides draw away from (their) beds, they call upon their Lord in fear and in hope, and they spend (benevolently) out of what We have given them.” (Sajda, 16)
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10- “And glorify Him in the night and after the prayers.” (Qaf, 40)
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11- “They used to sleep but little in the night.
And in the morning they begged forgiveness.” (Dhariyat, 17-18)
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12- Ibn Abbas, radhiallahu ‘anhu said:
“When the very first verses of Surah Muzzammil were revealed, our Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, and his companions lengthened their prayers as they did in the nights of Ramadan. This lasted until the last verses of this surah were revealed.” (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 5, Hadith no: 1305)
“This period (the time during which the surah was revealed) was one year.”
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13- Narrated by Abu Hurairah, radhiallahu ‘anhu:
“The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘When any one of you sleeps, Satan ties three knots at the back of his neck. He recites this incantation at every knot: `You have a long night, so sleep.' If that person awakes and performs dhikr of Allah, one knot is loosened. If he performs wudu, the (second) knot is loosened; and if he prays, (all) the knots are loosened. He begins his morning in a happy and refreshed mood; otherwise, he gets up in bad spirits and a sluggish state.’ (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 5, Hadith no: 1306; Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 588; Bad’ul-Khalq 11; Muslim, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 207 (776), p. 425-426; Ibn Maja, Iqama, 174; Muwatta, Safar 95; Bayhaqi As-Sunan al Qubra I, 501; Sihah Sita, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 3009; Sunan Nasai, Vol. 3-4, Hadith no: 1607; Riyad-as-Saleheen (first edition), Vol. 2, Hadith no: 1194; Gunyat-at-Talebeen, p. 823)
Let those who say: “Prayer is dhikr” remember: Prayer cannot be performed without performing wudu. There is a hadith that states:“If he awakes and performs dhikr of Allah, making his wudu' and prayer.” This shows that there is a separation between prayer and dhikr and that dhikr can be performed without performing wudu.
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14- Narrated by Aisha, radhiallahu ‘anha:
“Do not fail to perform night prayer, because the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, always used to perform it. When he was sick or tired, he used to pray while sitting.” (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 5, Hadith no: 1307; Bayhaqi, As-Sunan al Qubra III, 15)
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15- Narrated by Abu Hurairah, radhiallahu ‘anhu:
“The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘May Allah show mercy to the man who gets up during the night and performs Salat, awakens his wife to pray and if she refuses, sprinkles water on her face (to make her get up). May Allah show mercy to a woman who gets up during the night and performs Salat, awakens her husband for the same purpose; and if he refuses, she sprinkles water on his face.’ (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 5, Hadith no: 1308; Sunan Nasai, Vol. 3-4, Hadith no: 1610; Sunan Ibn Maja, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 1336; Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 3620; Sihah Sita, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 3008)
If they both are upset by the water then this should not be done.
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16- …Narrated by Abu Said and Abu Huraira, radhiallahu ‘anhum:
“The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘When a man awakens his wife during the night and they both perform two Rak`ah of salat together, they are recorded among the men and women who celebrate the dhikr of Allah.’ (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 5, Hadith no: 1309)
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17- “There are such people in my ummah who get up and prepare his nafs to perform wudu. He has been tied with many (spiritual) knots. When he begins to perform wudu, one of the knots is loosened. When he washes his face, another knot is loosened. When he washes his arms, one more knot is loosened. When he touches his head, one more knot is loosened. When he washes his feet, one more knot is loosened. Upon this, Allah Almighty says to the angels behind the curtain:
‘Look at my servant! How does he heal himself? Let my servant wish whatever he will. Whatever he wishes will be granted to him.’ (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 3618)
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18- “When you wake up in the middle of night to pray, make your voice a bit louder so that you will frighten Shaitan, wake up your neighbors or (by doing so) make Allah the Beneficent pleased.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 795)
You shall not make your voice louder in discrete dhikr.
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19- Abdullah bin Mas`ud, radhiallahu ‘anhu, reported:
“Mention was made before the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, of a man who slept through the night until the morning.
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, remarked:
‘He is a man in whose ears Satan has urinated.’ (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 589; Sunan Ibn Maja, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 1330; Sihah Sita, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 3010; Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 205 (774) p. 424, Sunan Nasai, Vol. 3-4, Hadith no: 1608-1609; Riyad-as-Saleheen (first edition), Vol. 2, Hadith no: 1193; Gunyat-at-Talebeen, p. 823)
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20- Abdullah bin Amr, radhiallahu ‘anhu, reported:
“The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘The Salat which is dearest to Allah is that of (Prophet) Dawoud; and As-Saum (the fasting) which is dearest to Allah is that of (Prophet) Dawoud.
He used to sleep half the night, get up to perform Salat for one-third of it, then sleep through the remaining one-sixth of it; and he used to fast one day and then not fast the next day.’ (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 581; Sunan Nasai, Vol. 3-4, Hadith no: 1630; Riyad-as-Saleheen (first edition), Vol. 2, Hadith no: 1206)
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21- Abdullah Ibn Mas`ud, radhiallahu ‘anhu, reported:
“One night I joined the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, in his Salat. He prolonged the Qiyam (standing) so long that I made up my mind to do the wrong thing.” He was questioned:
“What did you intend to do?”
He replied: “I intended to sit down and stop following him (in Salat). (That means “I could not bear to stand”) (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 584; Riyad-as-Saleheen (first edition), Vol. 2, Hadith no: 1203; Sunan Ibn Maja, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 1418)
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22- “One should perform night prayer even when it is the milking time of a camel or sheep. The prayer performed after Salat al Witr is deemed to be night prayer.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 5772)
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23- “Jibril recommended that I perfom night prayer so intensely that I assumed the elites of my ummah would sleep less.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 4631)
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24- “The best prayer after compulsory prayers is the tahajjud prayer.” (Kanz-al Irfan, Hadith no: 66)
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25- Aisha, radhiallahu ‘anha, was asked about the (night) prayer of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, during the month of Ramadan. She said:
“The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, did not observe, either in Ramadan or in the other months, more than eleven rak'ahs (of the night prayer). He (in the first instance) observed four rak'ahs. Ask not about their excellence and their length (i. e. these were matchless in perfection and length). He again observed four rak'ahs, and ask not about their excellence and their length. He would then observe three rak'ahs (of the Witr prayer).’ Hazrat Aisha went on to say:
‘I said: ‘Messenger of Allah, do you sleep before observing the Witr prayer?’
He said: ‘O 'A'isha, my eyes sleep, but my heart does not sleep.’” (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 592; Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 125 (738), p. 379)
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26- Narrated by Urwa Ibn Zubair from the mother of the believers, Aisha, radhiallahu ‘anha:
“The mother of the believers reported that Allah's Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, used to offer eleven rak’ah and that was his prayer. He used to prolong the prostration to such an extent that one could recite fifty verses (of the Qur’an) before he would lift his head. He used to pray two rak’ah (Sunnah) before the Fajr prayer and then used to lie down on his right side until the muezzin came and informed him that it was time for prayer.” (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 3, Hadith no: 526)
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27- Narrated by Mughira Ibn Shu’ba, radhiallahu ‘anhu. Mugihra said:
“The Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, would stand (in prayer) so long that the skin on his feet and his calves would swell.
Aisha, radhiallahu ‘anha, asked him:
‘Why do you do this when your past and future sins have been forgiven?' (Fath, 2) He said:
‘Should I not be a grateful slave of Allah?’” (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 580; Sunan Ibn Maja, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 1419-1420; Riyad-as-Saleheen (first edition), Vol. 2, Hadith no: 1188; Sihah Sita, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 3006)
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28- Narrated by Anas bin Malik, radhiallahu ‘anhu:
“Once the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, entered the mosque and saw a rope hanging in between two pillars. He said:
‘What is this rope for?’
The companions said: ‘This rope is for Zainab who, when she feels tired, holds on to it (to keep standing for the prayer.)’
The Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said: ‘Don't use it. Remove the rope. You should pray as long as you feel able, and when you are tired, sit down.’ (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 593; Sunan Nasai, Vol. 3-4, Hadith no: 1643; Sunan Ibn Maja, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 1371; Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 219 (784), p. 430 a similar version)
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29- Narrated by Ibn 'Umar, radhiallahu ‘anhu:
“In the life-time of the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, when a companionhad a dream he would come to the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, and tell him about it. I wished to do the same. At that time, I was a youngster. One night, I slept in the masjid, which was a common practice.
I dreamt that two persons (i.e. angels) came to me and wanted to take me to Hell. Hell was like a stone well. It had two parts, like two horns. There, I saw some Quraishi people with whom I was not familiar. I said:
‘May Allah protect me from Hell.’”
Later, Ibn Umar said:“Then an angel met us and told me not to be afraid. He then told them to leave me.
I narrated the dream to my sister, Hafsa, the mother of believers. Hafsa narrated my dream to the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, and the Prophet said:
‘Abdullah is a good man. Would that he offer the night prayer (Tahajjud)!’
So, from that day I started offering the Tahajjud.” (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 576)
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30- Narrated by 'Ubada bin As-Samit, radhiallahu ‘anhu:
“The Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘Whoever gets up at night and says: ‘La ilaha il-lallah Wahdahu la Sharika lahu Lahu-l-mulk, waLahu-l-hamd wahuwa 'ala kullishai'in Qadir. Alhamdu lil-lahi wa subhanal-lahi wa la-ilaha il-lal-lah wa-l-lahu akbar wa la hawla Wala Quwata il-la-bil-lah.' (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. He is the Only One and has no partners. For Him is the Kingdom and all the praises are due for Him. He is Omnipotent. All praise is for Allah. All glories are for Allah. And none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and Allah is Great and there is neither Might nor Power except with Allah). And then says: ‘Allahumma, Ighfir li (O Allah! Forgive me), or invokes (Allah), he will be answered and if he performs wudu (and prays), his prayer will be accepted.” (Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 595)
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31- “If a Muslim gets up at night and performs dhikr of Allah with wudu, his prayers about his worldly and divinely wishes will be accepted.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 4788)
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32- Narrated by Abu Hurairah, radhiallahu ‘anhu,
“The Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘The best month for observing saum (fasting) after Ramadan is Muharram, and the best salat after the prescribed salat is the salat at night.” (Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Hadith no: 434; Sunan Nasai, Vol. 3-4, Hadith no: 1613; Kanz-al Irfan, Hadith no: 66; Riyad-as-Saleheen (first edition), Vol. 2, Hadith no: 1196)
The best month after Ramadan is Muharram. There are many hadiths regarding the virtue of this month, which, however, are not expressed. Some of them follow:
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33- “The month of Muharram-al Haram: Those fasting the first ten days of this month will go to Paradise along with Hasan and Husain, radhiallahu ‘anhum. At least, fasting should be observed during the first, ninth and tenth days.” (Maqasid-at-Talebeen, p. 394-396)
Nowadays some people fast ten days for the mourning of Imam Husain. Fasting should be performed for the sake of Allah. One should fast more or less in order not to resemble them.
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34- Our Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
“If you fast after Ramadan, fast in Muharram, because this is Allah’s month. Allah forgave a nation in a day within this month and forgives another.” (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 339; Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 738; Nura Dogru, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 3, p. 776)
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35- Narrated by Abu Hurairah, radhiallahu ‘anhu:
“The Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘The best month for observing saum after Ramadan is Muharram, which is Allah’s month.” (Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 737; Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 2429; Riyad-as-Saleheen (Original and translation), Hadith no: 1243, p. 743)
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36- “Allah Almighty accepted the repentance of Adam, alaihissalam, on the day of Ashura.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 3614; Gunyat-at-Talebeen, p. 749)
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37- “The first rain on the earth, the drowning of the Pharaoh (Baqara, 50), the martyrdom of Imam Husain and his being the master of martyrs all happened during the month of Muharram.” (Gunyat-at-Talebeen, p. 757)
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38- Narrated by Bilal, radhiallahu ‘anhu:
“The Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘I advise you to observe night prayer for it is the practice of the good people who came before you. It is a means of nearness to Allah and a shield against sins. It is a compensation of sins and a protection for the body.” (Sihah Sita, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 3002; Mukhtar-al Ahadith Nabawiyya, Hadith no: 778, p. 422; Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 3936; Ihya, Vol. 1, Hadith no: 1125, p. 1023; Omar Nasuhi Bilmen, 500 Hadith Book, Hadith no: 237, p. 206)
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39- “Whoever spends the night by reciting 10 ayahs is not deemed to be among the heedless. Whoever spends the night by reciting 100 ayahs is deemed to be among the qaneteen. Whoever spends the night by reciting 1000 ayahs is deemed to be among the muqantereen.” [Sihah Sita, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 3003; Abu Dawoud, Salat 326 (1398)]
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40- Narrated by Jabir, radhiallahu ‘anhu, the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
“Whoever performs night prayer much has a shining face.” (Sunan Ibn Maja, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 1333; Muzakkin Nufus, p. 343)
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41- “Two rak’ah in the night for the son of Adam is better than the world and anything in the world. I would make it compulsory unless I thought this would be a difficulty for my Ummah.” (Mukhtar-al Ahadith Nabawiyya, Hadith no: 641, p. 363; Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 3641)
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42- “The superiority of night prayer to day prayer is like the superiority of hidden charity to the charity given in public.” (Mukhtar-al Ahadith Nabawiyya, Hadith no: 815, p. 438)
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43- Our Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, used to sleep for first half of the night and prayed for the second half of it.” (Mukhtar-al Ahadith Nabawiyya, Hadith no: 934, p. 487; Sunan Ibn Maja, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 1365)
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44- “Speak calmly… Greet openly… Visit your relatives… Perform night prayer when people are asleep… Enter Paradise with salaam.” (Mukhtar-al Ahadith Nabawiyya, Hadith no: 177, p. 154; Riyad-as-Saleheen (first edition), Vol. 2, Hadith no: 1195; Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 1003, 6156)
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45- “O Ali! One who makes istikhara does not lose. One who consults does not regret. O Ali! Observe the end of the night, because the night has much more than the day. O Ali! Get up earlier performing dhikr of Allah, because Allah grants blessings to those of my ummah who get up early.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 6198)
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46- Jabir, radhiallahu ‘anhu, said: “I heard the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, say:
‘Every night there is a special time during which whatever a Muslim asks Allah for of any good relating to this life or the Hereafter, it will be granted to him; and this moment comes every night.’” (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 166 (757), p. 397-398)
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47- “For one, accompanying his brother in Islam in praying is better than one year of eteeqaf (seclusion) in the masjid.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 4164)
No ostentation in two things:
1- Dhikr performed out loud
2- Night prayer and worshipping.
This is because everybody makes fun of dhikr that is performed out loud and no one knows of the night prayer other than Allah.
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48- “Allah’s mercy is upon three people:
a- People in congregational prayer,
b- One who fights with the enemy along with his friends,
c- One who get up in the middle of the night and performs night prayer.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 6329)
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49- “Whoever recites 1,000 ayats in one night will find Allah pleased when he meets Him.”
Our Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, was asked:
“O Allah’s Messenger! Who can afford to recite 1,000 ayats a night?” He said:
“In the name of Allah, the Merciful and the Beneficient” (and then he recited Surah Takathur), then he said:
“By Allah, this equals 1,000 ayats.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 5470)
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50- “Whoever recites Surah Waqia every night will never experience poverty. Whoever recites Surah Qiyama every night will come into the presence of Allah with a shining face.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 5462)
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51- “There are four nights when Allah offers His Mercy and the angels write down the Qadar (Sustenance, the dead, the pilgrims):
a- The Night of Eid Adha
b- The Night of Eid Fitr
c- The fifteenth Night of Shaban
d- Friday Night. (until the call to prayer)” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 6316)
This is evidence that Allah may change everything including what is written on the Lawh-e-Makhfuz. The claim of Qadariyya that the writing does not change on the Lawh-e-Makhfuz is null and void. There are many verses and hadiths which we will state later.
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52- “Whoever observes the following nights for prayer goes to Paradise: the night of Tarwiya [the eighth night of Zilhijja, the night before Arafat)], the night of Arafat, the night of Eid Adha, and the night of Eid Fitr.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 4924)
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53- “Whoever observes the night of Eid Adha and the night of Eid Fitr for praying, his heart will not extinguish on the day all hearts extinguish.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 4925)
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54- Narrated by Masruq: “I asked Aisha:
‘Which deed was most loved by the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam?’ She said:
‘A deed done continuously.’ I further asked:
‘When did he used to get up (in the night for the prayer)?’ She said:
‘He used to get up on hearing the crowing of a cock.’ (Sunan Nasai, Vol. 3-4, Hadith no: 1616)
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55- “Two rak’ah in the middle of the night is better than the world and anything in the world.” (Muzakkin Nufus, p. 332)
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56- “Perform night prayer even at milking time.” (Muzakkin Nufus, p. 344)
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57- Narrated by Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam:
“The Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said:
‘If one who used to perform night prayer regularly cannot awake one night, it will be counted as if he has prayed and his sleep will be deemed as charity.’” (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 5, Hadith no: 1314; Sihah Sita, Vol. 9, Hadith no: 3011; Sunan Nasai, Vol. 3-4, Hadith no: 1786; Kanza-al Irfan, Hadith no: 29)
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58- Narrated by Abdurrahman Ibn Abd Al-Qari: “I heard Umar Ibn Khattab say: ‘The Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, said:
‘Whoever cannot fulfill his night or part of his night in reciting, yet can fulfill it after the Morning Prayer until the Zuhr Prayer, this will be counted as if he has fulfilled it in the night.’” (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 142 (747), p. 388)
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59- Narrated by Anas, radhiallahu ‘anhu, according to the ayat of Allah Almighty: “They used to sleep but little in the night” (Dhariyat, 17) (The Ashab-e-Suffa spent the rest of it by praying), he added the following ayat to the hadith narrated by Yahya (Muhammad Ibn Musanna):
“Their sides draw away from (their) beds, they call upon their Lord in fear and in hope, and they spend (benevolently) out of what We have given them.” (Sajda, 16) (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 5, Hadith no: 1322)
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60- Narrated by Aisha, radhiallahu ‘anha:
‘Our Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, used to offer thirteen Rak`ah in the night along with two short Rak`ah for the Morning Prayer.” (Sunan Abu Dawoud, Vol. 5, Hadith no: 1360; Sahih Bukhari, at-Tajrid as-Sarih, Vol. 4, Hadith no: 585, 586; Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, Hadith no: 126 ( ), p. 380; Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Hadith no: 438)
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61- “Allah will construct a palace for he who performs twelve rak’ah optional prayer (sunnahh muaqqada) a night.” (Kanz-al Irfan, Hadith no: 68)
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62- “The time when Allah approaches His servant nearest is the latter part of the night. If you can manage, try to perform dhikr of Allah at this time.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 1094)
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63- “Night prayer is performed in two rakats. After every two rak’ah take a break; ask Allah Almighty and beseech Him by saying “O my Lord! O my Lord!” Whoever does not do this, his prayer is not complete.” (Ramuz-al-Hadith, Hadith no: 2654)