Staying up after the 'Isha' prayer and its harms
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The questioner:
In the previous lesson, Your Eminence the Shaykh (may Allah preserve you), in the chapter on the dislike of sleeping before the night prayer and staying up late after it, except for a benefit. There is a question that we ask your permission to raise, and it is not hidden from Your Eminence: the reality of many people today is staying up very late and talking a lot until most of the night is gone. Because of this, it has caused harmful effects and religious, health, and social damages. Perhaps you could shed light on that, may Allah reward you?
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and whoever follows his guidance. As for what follows, there is no doubt that staying up late at night is disliked, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said; because it may lead to sleeping through the Fajr prayer, and it may lead to abandoning the late-night prayer. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sleeping before the 'Isha' prayer and staying up late after it. Staying up late after it means sitting to talk, gossiping, and the like. As for staying up with his family, talking with his family, there is nothing wrong with that, or in the interests of the Muslims, or in the interest of knowledge where there is a need for it, there is nothing wrong with it. But it should be a stay-up that does not burden him, and does not cause him to sleep through the Fajr prayer, or sleep through his late-night prayer. What many people do, staying up late in gossip and the like, the least of its states is that it is disliked; because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is truthful in his report, and he disliked sleeping after the 'Isha' prayer. The people of Islam should strive to be careful of this, and their staying up should be in the interests of the Muslims. Otherwise, let him stay up with his family, talk with his family, and then sleep so that he can rise for his late-night prayer in the night, and so that he can rise for the Fajr prayer with energy. This is what is required of the believer, and this is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended and guided to by forbidding staying up late after 'Isha', lest the great calamity occur, which is sleeping through the Fajr prayer, or being occupied such that it prevents his late-night prayer. We ask Allah to guide the Muslims to that which brings Him pleasure.
The presenter:
O Allah, amen.
The Shaykh:
And we seek His help and yours in every matter. Yes.
The presenter:
O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you, Your Eminence the Shaykh, and may He bless you.
In the previous lesson, Your Eminence the Shaykh (may Allah preserve you), in the chapter on the dislike of sleeping before the night prayer and staying up late after it, except for a benefit. There is a question that we ask your permission to raise, and it is not hidden from Your Eminence: the reality of many people today is staying up very late and talking a lot until most of the night is gone. Because of this, it has caused harmful effects and religious, health, and social damages. Perhaps you could shed light on that, may Allah reward you?
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and whoever follows his guidance. As for what follows, there is no doubt that staying up late at night is disliked, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said; because it may lead to sleeping through the Fajr prayer, and it may lead to abandoning the late-night prayer. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sleeping before the 'Isha' prayer and staying up late after it. Staying up late after it means sitting to talk, gossiping, and the like. As for staying up with his family, talking with his family, there is nothing wrong with that, or in the interests of the Muslims, or in the interest of knowledge where there is a need for it, there is nothing wrong with it. But it should be a stay-up that does not burden him, and does not cause him to sleep through the Fajr prayer, or sleep through his late-night prayer. What many people do, staying up late in gossip and the like, the least of its states is that it is disliked; because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is truthful in his report, and he disliked sleeping after the 'Isha' prayer. The people of Islam should strive to be careful of this, and their staying up should be in the interests of the Muslims. Otherwise, let him stay up with his family, talk with his family, and then sleep so that he can rise for his late-night prayer in the night, and so that he can rise for the Fajr prayer with energy. This is what is required of the believer, and this is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended and guided to by forbidding staying up late after 'Isha', lest the great calamity occur, which is sleeping through the Fajr prayer, or being occupied such that it prevents his late-night prayer. We ask Allah to guide the Muslims to that which brings Him pleasure.
The presenter:
O Allah, amen.
The Shaykh:
And we seek His help and yours in every matter. Yes.
The presenter:
O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you, Your Eminence the Shaykh, and may He bless you.
Source
شرح كتاب المنتقى من أخبار المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم [ برنامج إذاعي ]، بداية من أسئلة في باب كراهية النوم قبلها والسمر بعدها إلا في مصلحة — islamhouse.com (0:37)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.