The virtue of standing in prayer during the last third of the night
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
He asks: Is standing in prayer during the last third of the night better? Please clarify the time at which we should stand for the tahajjud prayer in the last third of the night.
Answer:
Yes, the last third of the night is better for standing in night prayer; because it coincides with the pre-dawn hours. Allah the Exalted said, "and those who seek forgiveness in the pre-dawn hours." He the Exalted said:[Adh-Dhariyat 51:16] meaning the people of Paradise [Adh-Dhariyat 51:17-18] This describes the end of the night, and it coincides with the time of the Divine Descent. Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and He says: "Is there anyone calling upon Me that I may answer him? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness that I may forgive him? Is there anyone asking Me that I may give him?" So this is the time for the acceptance of supplication. Yes.
He asks: Is standing in prayer during the last third of the night better? Please clarify the time at which we should stand for the tahajjud prayer in the last third of the night.
Answer:
Yes, the last third of the night is better for standing in night prayer; because it coincides with the pre-dawn hours. Allah the Exalted said, "and those who seek forgiveness in the pre-dawn hours." He the Exalted said:
Indeed, they were before that doers of good.
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَبْلَ ذَٰلِكَ مُحْسِنِينَ(17) They used to sleep but little of the night, (18) And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness,
كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/035 — archive.org (3:57)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.