The Best Time for Tahajjud
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Question:
The first message in this episode is from one of our brother listeners. The sender, Sabbar Muhammad al-Sayyid, asks your Eminence—Shaykh Abdul Aziz, if you please—about the prayer of tahajjud: When is it performed? Is it in the first part of the night or the last? And what is the ruling if a person reads Surah Ya-Sin or Surah Tabaarak from the noble Mushaf so that he does not make a mistake in the recitation? 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 prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
Based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): narrated by Muslim in the Sahih, and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih al-Bukhari 3420 He said: And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Abi Dawud 4733Sahih (Al-Albani) It is agreed upon that it is authentic. This indicates the legitimacy of standing in prayer in the last part of the night, that it is the best, and that it is the time when supplication is answered. The Lord (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: Sahih al-Bukhari 1145.
Likewise, the middle of the night; the prayer of Dawud, the sixth, fourth, and fifth parts, are all times when supplication is answered, and all are places of virtue for prayer and tahajjud. This is better than the first part of the night. However, if one fears that he will not be able to get up in the last part of the night, it is prescribed for him to perform witr in the first part of the night after the 'Isha' prayer, before he sleeps.
The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): This is a descent befitting Allah, which is not defined in terms of how it occurs; only He knows its manner . He (Exalted and Majestic is He) is described with descent, rising above the Throne, speech, will, choice, hearing, seeing, and other attributes mentioned in the great Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah. It is obligatory to describe Him (Glorified and Exalted is He) with these in the manner befitting Him (Exalted and Majestic is He), without likening Him to His creation, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surah al-Shura: 11]. He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Al-Ikhlas 112:1] Allah is the Self-Sufficient He neither begets nor is begotten And there is none comparable to Him [Surah al-Ikhlas: 1-4]. He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surah al-Nahl: 74].
So Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) has no equal, no peer, and no likeness . He is perfect in His essence, His names, His attributes, and His actions. He descends in a manner befitting His majesty, and only He knows its manner to the lowest heaven in the last part of the night, in the final third. He (Exalted and Majestic is He) says:Sahih al-Bukhari 1145.
So we advise seizing this great good. Whoever is able to stand in prayer in the last part of the night, that is better. And if that is not easy for him, let him perform witr in the first part of the night. The minimum is one rak'ah, with which he performs witr in the first part of the night or in the last. The more he adds, the better. He says the taslim after every two rak'ahs, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 1319Sahih (Darussalam) meaning: two by two Sunan Abi Dawud 1326Sahih (Al-Albani) meaning: the one who performs tahajjud at night prays two... he says the taslim after every two, then he performs witr with one, in which he recites al-Fatihah and [Surah al-Ikhlas: 1]. This is the Sunnah.
And the best of that is eleven or thirteen, because this is the witr of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in most cases. His witr was usually eleven or thirteen (peace and blessings be upon him). And if one adds more and performs witr with more than this, there is no harm. It has no limited limit. Even if he performs witr with fifty, sixty, or one hundred rak'ahs, saying the taslim after every two, there is no harm, and he performs witr with one.
But performing witr with eleven or thirteen is the best. And if he performs witr with three, five, seven, or nine, it is all good. But the Sunnah is to say the taslim after every two. If he prays three in a row and performs witr with them, or five in a row and performs witr with them, without sitting except at the end, there is no harm. This has been established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in some instances, (peace and blessings be upon him).
Likewise, if he prays seven in a row, without sitting except at the end, there is no harm. And if he sits in the sixth and performs the first tashahhud, then stands and performs the seventh, this has been reported... and this is from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This and that have been established from him (peace and blessings be upon him): praying the seven in a row in some instances, and in some instances sitting in the sixth, performing the tashahhud, then standing before saying the taslim and performing the seventh.
Likewise, if he prays nine in a row, sitting in the eighth for the first tashahhud, performing the first tashahhud, then standing and performing the ninth. But the best is what was predominant for him (peace and blessings be upon him), which is to say the taslim after every two. This is the best, and it is in accordance with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 1319Sahih (Darussalam) meaning: two by two, saying the taslim after every two. May Allah guide them all. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
The first message in this episode is from one of our brother listeners. The sender, Sabbar Muhammad al-Sayyid, asks your Eminence—Shaykh Abdul Aziz, if you please—about the prayer of tahajjud: When is it performed? Is it in the first part of the night or the last? And what is the ruling if a person reads Surah Ya-Sin or Surah Tabaarak from the noble Mushaf so that he does not make a mistake in the recitation? 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 prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
Based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever fears that he will not get up in the last part of the night, let him perform witr in the first part of the night. And whoever hopes to get up in the last part of the night, let him perform witr in the last part of the night, for the prayer of the last part of the night is witnessed, and that is better.
من خاف ألا يقوم من آخر الليل؛ فليوتر أوله، ومن طمع أن يقوم آخر الليل؛ فليوتر آخر الليل، فإن صلاة آخر الليل مشهودة، وذلك أفضلthe prayer of David who used to sleep for (the first) half of the night and pray for 1/3 of it and (again) sleep for a sixth of it
صلاة داود كان ينام نصف الليل، ويقوم ثلثه، وينام سدسهAnd it is the best of the prayer.
وهي أفضل الصلاةOur lord gets down every night to the heaven of this world when a third night remains and says: (Is there anyone) who prays to Me so that I may accept his prayer? (Is there anyone) who asks of Me so that I may give him? (Is there anyone) who asks for my forgiveness so that I may forgive him?
ينزل ربنا إلى سماء الدنيا كل ليلة حين يبقى ثلث الليل الآخر، فيقول: من يدعوني؛ فأستجيب له، من يسألني؛ فأعطيه، من يستغفرني؛ فأغفر له، حتى ينفجر الفجرIs there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation?
من يدعوني؛ فأستجيب لهLikewise, the middle of the night; the prayer of Dawud, the sixth, fourth, and fifth parts, are all times when supplication is answered, and all are places of virtue for prayer and tahajjud. This is better than the first part of the night. However, if one fears that he will not be able to get up in the last part of the night, it is prescribed for him to perform witr in the first part of the night after the 'Isha' prayer, before he sleeps.
The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Our Lord descends to the heaven of the world every night
ينزل ربنا إلى سماء الدنيا كل ليلةThere is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُSay, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ So do not assert similarities to Allah
فَلا تَضْرِبُوا لِلَّهِ الأَمْثَالَSo Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) has no equal, no peer, and no likeness . He is perfect in His essence, His names, His attributes, and His actions. He descends in a manner befitting His majesty, and only He knows its manner to the lowest heaven in the last part of the night, in the final third. He (Exalted and Majestic is He) says:
Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?
من يدعوني؛ فأستجيب له، من يسألني؛ فأعطيه، من يستغفرني فأغفر لهSo we advise seizing this great good. Whoever is able to stand in prayer in the last part of the night, that is better. And if that is not easy for him, let him perform witr in the first part of the night. The minimum is one rak'ah, with which he performs witr in the first part of the night or in the last. The more he adds, the better. He says the taslim after every two rak'ahs, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The night prayer is (to be offered) two by two.
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنىbut if one of you fears the morning is near he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.
فإذا خشي أحدكم الصبح؛ صلى ركعة واحدة توتر له ما قد صلىSay, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌAnd the best of that is eleven or thirteen, because this is the witr of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in most cases. His witr was usually eleven or thirteen (peace and blessings be upon him). And if one adds more and performs witr with more than this, there is no harm. It has no limited limit. Even if he performs witr with fifty, sixty, or one hundred rak'ahs, saying the taslim after every two, there is no harm, and he performs witr with one.
But performing witr with eleven or thirteen is the best. And if he performs witr with three, five, seven, or nine, it is all good. But the Sunnah is to say the taslim after every two. If he prays three in a row and performs witr with them, or five in a row and performs witr with them, without sitting except at the end, there is no harm. This has been established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in some instances, (peace and blessings be upon him).
Likewise, if he prays seven in a row, without sitting except at the end, there is no harm. And if he sits in the sixth and performs the first tashahhud, then stands and performs the seventh, this has been reported... and this is from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This and that have been established from him (peace and blessings be upon him): praying the seven in a row in some instances, and in some instances sitting in the sixth, performing the tashahhud, then standing before saying the taslim and performing the seventh.
Likewise, if he prays nine in a row, sitting in the eighth for the first tashahhud, performing the first tashahhud, then standing and performing the ninth. But the best is what was predominant for him (peace and blessings be upon him), which is to say the taslim after every two. This is the best, and it is in accordance with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
The night prayer is (to be offered) two by two.
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنىThe presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.