The Manner of Standing in Night Prayer

Question:
What is the method of the Tahajjud prayer? Is the recitation in it aloud or silently? Please guide us and explain it to us. May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon His Messenger, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon whoever follows his guidance. As for what follows, the method of the night prayer is expansive, praise be to Allah. If he wishes, he prays before he sleeps what Allah makes easy for him: one, three, or more, after the regular voluntary prayer following the night prayer. If he wishes, he delays that until the end of the night or the middle of the night. When he stands up, he prays two light rak'ahs, then he prays what Allah has written for him: four, six, eight, or ten, saying the closing salam after every two. Then he follows with one, so that he completes the odd number. This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do it. Sometimes he would complete the odd number with three, sometimes with five, sometimes with seven, and sometimes with ten plus one. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray ten rak'ahs at night, saying the salam after every two, and completing the odd number with one. It was reported from her, from Umm Salama, and from others that he sometimes would complete the odd number with seven, reciting them all in succession. Sometimes he would sit in the sixth rak'ah, recite the first tashahhud, then stand up without saying the salam, and then come with the seventh. Sometimes he would recite five in succession without sitting except in the last one. Sometimes he would pray eight rak'ahs, saying the salam after every two, then he would come with five, praying them all in succession, so that the total would be thirteen.
Sometimes he would complete the odd number with nine, reciting them all in succession. He would sit in the eighth, recite the first tashahhud, then stand up and come with the ninth, and say the salam. All of this is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him). The best of that is to say the salam after every two, as he said (peace and blessings be upon him) meaning two by two. This is the best: to say the salam after every two, then follow with one. This is the best and the most complete. If he does any of the other types, there is no blame. If he completes the odd number with one and does not add, or with three, saying the salam after two and then completing the odd number with one, or reciting the three in succession without sitting except in the last one, there is no harm. Or if he says the salam or completes the odd number with five, saying the salam after every two and then completing the odd number with one, there is no harm. This is better. If he recites the five in succession and does not sit except in the last one, there is no harm. All of this, praise be to Allah, is part of the expansiveness. The obligatory thing is humility, meaning he must be at ease and not hasten or clap his hands like a pecking bird, but he must be at ease. Being at ease is necessary. Whatever increases humility is better. So it is with the arrangement in the recitation: he arranges the recitation and is humble in it, and does not hasten in the recitation. Then he is given a choice: if he wishes, he lowers his voice, and if he wishes, he raises his voice. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes raised his voice and sometimes kept it low. This is what Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: sometimes he lowered his voice and sometimes he raised his voice. So he is given a choice to do what is best. If he sees that lowering his voice is more humble for him and closer to his comfort, there is no harm, and it is better for him. If he sees that raising his voice is more humble for him and more enlivening for him, he raises his voice, provided he does not annoy anyone among the people, does not disturb the sleepers or the worshippers, and there is no one present whom he would disturb, and he sees that raising his voice is more enlivening for him, then he raises his voice. The summary is that he does what is best and what is most suitable. If he sees that the most suitable is to lower his voice, he lowers it. If he sees that the most suitable for him is to raise his voice, he raises it. But he does not raise it except if he is not annoying anyone. If there are worshippers around him or sleepers around him whom he would annoy, he lowers his voice and considers their situation. Yes. May Allah reward you.