The Time of the Night Prayer

Question:
A brother of yours in Allah (M. R. A.) from Jordan says: Your Eminence! Is the prayer after the first call to Fajr considered part of the night prayer? And is there a first call and a second call for the Fajr prayer? And does the night prayer begin after the 'Isha' prayer until the call to Fajr, or from the middle of the night? May you be rewarded.

Answer:
The night prayer begins from the end of the 'Isha' prayer. The time between the 'Isha' prayer and the dawn is the night prayer. If it is in the last part of the night, in the latter half or the last third, it is better, as came in the authentic hadith where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This means he prays the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. He sleeps half the night and stands for a third of it, the fourth and fifth sixths.
And if he stands in the last third, there is great virtue in that, due to his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying in the authentic hadith: This is a descent befitting Allah, not resembling His creation in their descent. Rather, it is a descent befitting Allah, and none knows its modality except He (Glorified and Exalted is He), like His rising above the Throne, which is an elevation above the Throne, a rising befitting the majesty of Allah, not resembling His creation in any of His attributes. For this reason, the scholars say: He rose without asking how.
So the believer believes in the attributes and names of Allah in the manner befitting Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), without distortion, without denial of the divine attributes, without asking how an attribute is, and without likening Allah to creation. For this reason, Malik and others of the Salaf, such as al-Shafi'i, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Thawri, al-Awza'i, and others, say: We believe that our Lord is above His heavens, on His Throne, and He has risen above it without asking how.
So a person stands up for what is easy for him of the night, in its beginning, its middle, or its end, performing the late-night voluntary prayer. He prays what is easy for him, supplicates to his Lord, turns to Him, and is humble before Him, and he says the closing salam after every two units, due to his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: .
And the best is eleven or thirteen units. This is the most that came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the night prayer: eleven or thirteen units. He says the closing salam after every two units and performs the odd-numbered night prayer with one unit before the dawn.
And if he prays more than that, there is nothing wrong with it, or less, if he prays three, five, or seven; all of that is fine. But the recommended practice is to say the closing salam after every two units and perform the odd-numbered night prayer with one unit. And if he prays three units with one closing salam and does not sit except at the end, there is nothing wrong with it. Or if he prays five units with one closing salam and does not sit except at the end, there is nothing wrong with it. But the best is to say the closing salam after every two units, whether in the beginning of the night, its middle, or its end.
And if he has work in the beginning of the night, such as studying knowledge or the like, he performs the odd-numbered night prayer in the beginning of the night so that he does not sleep and miss it. As Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was advised by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to perform the odd-numbered night prayer in the beginning of the night, because he used to study knowledge in the beginning of the night.
The point is that a person who fears that he will not get up in the last part of the night performs the odd-numbered night prayer in the beginning of the night; due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Narrated by Muslim in his Sahih. So the late-night voluntary prayer in the beginning of the night, its middle, or its end is all good, but the best is in the last part of the night if that is easy. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.