When does the time for Tahajjud begin?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : When does the time for Tahajjud begin? Is it after the second [hour] or when? I ask for your guidance.
The Shaykh : Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Isra 17:79] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Muzzammil 73:6] The scholars said: And the rising of the night is Tahajjud after sleep. It is best for a person to perform Tahajjud immediately after the middle of the night, so he stands for a third of the night, then sleeps a little before dawn in order to rise for the Fajr prayer with energy. This short sleep removes the fatigue he experienced from performing Tahajjud. This is the best. However, if this is not feasible for a person, he performs Tahajjud in the last part of the night, in the last third of the night. It is established in the two Sahihs and others from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Muwatta Malik 15:32 How excellent it is for the sleeper to rise in this part of the night to perform Tahajjud to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in this hour in which the response to supplication is hoped for.
When a person rises from sleep at night, he should remember Allah (Mighty and Majestic), make supplication, and recite the last ten verses of Surat Ali 'Imran, from the words of Allah the Exalted:[Ali 'Imran 3:190] to the end of the surah. Then he performs wudu, then prays two light rak'ahs, then performs Tahajjud and concludes his prayer with Witr. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the one who performs Tahajjud and rises from sleep to begin the night prayer with two light rak'ahs, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do that. He was asked about the night prayer, and he said: Sahih al-Bukhari 990.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Allah the Exalted said:
And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you
وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَكَIndeed, the hours of the night are more effective for concurrence [of heart and tongue] and more suitable for words.
إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ وَطْئًا وَأَقْوَمُ قِيلًاOur Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, descends every night to the heaven of this world when the last third of the night is still to come and says, 'Who will call on Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask Me so that I may give him? Who will ask forgiveness of Me so that I may forgive him?'
ينزل ربنا إلى السماء الدنيا حين يبقى ثلث الليل الآخر ، فيقول : من يدعوني فأستجيب له ؟ من يسألني فأعطيه ؟ من يستغفرني فأغفر له ؟When a person rises from sleep at night, he should remember Allah (Mighty and Majestic), make supplication, and recite the last ten verses of Surat Ali 'Imran, from the words of Allah the Exalted:
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الأَلْبَابِtwo Rak`at followed by two Rak`at and so on and if anyone is afraid of the approaching dawn (Fajr prayer) he should pray one Rak`ah and this will be a Witr for all the Rak`at which he has prayed before.
مثنى مثنى، فإذا خشي أحدكم الصبح فصل واحدة فأوترت له ما قد صلىThe questioner : May Allah bless you.