The Best Time for Standing in Night Prayer

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Question:
Your Eminence, he says: Please tell us about the manner of the tahajjud prayer, and when it begins approximately, because I do not know its exact time, which is the last third of the night. And is it permissible for a woman to do this? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
The tahajjud of the night begins with the 'Isha' prayer. From when one finishes the 'Isha' prayer until the dawn breaks, this is the place for tahajjud, between the 'Isha' prayer and the Fajr prayer. In the hadith from Khalid ibn al-Hudhayfah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said:

Indeed Allah has assisted you with a Salat that is better for you than red camels: Al-Witr which Allah made for you between the Isha prayer till Al-Fajr has begun.

إن الله أمدكم بصلاة هي خير لكم من حمر النعم، ما بين صلاة العشاء إلى طلوع الفجر،

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 452Da'if (Darussalam)

So if a person performs witr in the first part of the night, or in the middle, or in the last part, he has done the sunnah (recommended practice). The best is in the last part of the night if that is facilitated, if Allah wills, the Helper. If it is not facilitated, he performs witr in the first part before he sleeps, due to the saying of the Prophet:

(peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever fears that he will not get up in the last part of the night, let him perform witr in the first part. And whoever hopes to get up in the last part of the night, let him perform witr in the last part. For the prayer of the last part of the night is witnessed, and that is better.

صلى الله عليه وسلم من خاف ألا يقوم من آخر الليل فليوتر أوله، ومن طمع أن يقوم آخر الليل فليوتر آخر الليل، فإن صلاة آخر الليل مشهودة، وذلك أفضل.

And A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed witr in every night. He performed witr from the first part, in the rain. And from the middle, and from the last part. Then he ended and elevated it to the late night (sahar), peace and blessings be upon him. May Allah send prayers upon him. In the last of his life, his witr settled in the last part of the night. We pray upon him.
He said (peace and blessings be upon him):

And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of David who used to sleep for (the first) half of the night and pray for 1/3 of it and (again) sleep

أفضل الصلاة صلاة داود، كان ينام نصف الليل، ويقوم ثلثه، وينام

Sahih al-Bukhari 3420

its third. So if he performs tahajjud in the fourth sixth or the fifth sixth, this is the best of what it can be. And if he makes his witr and his tahajjud all in the last sixth, that is better, as in the hadith of Jabir, where he said (peace and blessings be upon him):

The position that is upon you.

الموقف اللي عليك.

Whoever fears that he will not get up in the last part of the night, let him perform witr in the first part. And whoever hopes to get up in the last part of the night, let him perform witr in the last part. For the prayer of the last

من خاف ألا يقوم آخر الليل فليؤت أوله، ومن طمع أن يقوم آخر الليل فليؤت آخر الليل، فإن صلاة آخر

That day of the month, that is the most complete. And if he combines, and if his tahajjud becomes in the fourth and fifth sixth, that becomes better; because it coincides with the prayer of Dawud. May Allah. He combines the last of the night in the fifth sixth, and the fourth sixth in the first half of the last half, and all of that, with the praise of Allah, contains great good. Yes. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, may Allah reward you with good.

Source قناة «فضيلة الشيخ ابن باز Alsheikh Binbaz»، 9561 - أفضل وقت لقيام الليل - نور على الدرب — youtube.com

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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