What is the manner of standing in night prayer, supplication, and glorification therein?
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Question:
Your Eminence! How is standing in night prayer performed? I ask for an explanation of the manner of it. And where is the place of supplication and glorification, in detail? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Standing in night prayer is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it, and the righteous did it. As Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said about His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): [Al-Muzzammil: 1-2], and He said, addressing His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): [Al-Isra: 79]. He praised the believers, the servants of Allah, for this, saying: [Al-Furqan: 64]. He also said about the righteous: [Adh-Dhariyat: 17-18].
So, standing in night prayer is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah), whether in the beginning of the night, the middle, or the end, according to what is easy. Witr is a recommended practice (sunnah), and its minimum is one unit (rak'ah). If one stands up at night, reads what is easy of the Qur'an, and performs Witr with three, or five, or seven, or nine, or eleven, or thirteen, all of it is good. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Witr with this; sometimes he performed Witr with three, sometimes with seven, sometimes with five, sometimes with nine, sometimes with eleven, sometimes with thirteen. He would say the closing salam (taslim) after every two units; this is the best.
And if one recites three units all together, with one closing salam (taslim) and one sitting at the end, there is no harm. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did this at some times. He performed Witr with five all together, without sitting except at the end, and there is no harm. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did this at some times, but the best is to say the closing salam (taslim) after every two units.
And the best is that he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Witr with eleven or thirteen; this is the best. And if one performs Witr with twenty or more, and increases the Witr, there is no harm, whether one performs Witr with twenty-three, or twenty-seven, or thirty-one, or more; all of it is without harm. Allah has been generous in the prayer of the night. But the recommended practice (sunnah) is to say the closing salam (taslim) after every two units, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 1326Sahih (Al-Albani).
So the recommended practice (sunnah) is like this: one prays two units, then two units. If one fears the dawn, one performs Witr with one unit. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:, upon him be peace and blessings. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Your Eminence! How is standing in night prayer performed? I ask for an explanation of the manner of it. And where is the place of supplication and glorification, in detail? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Standing in night prayer is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it, and the righteous did it. As Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said about His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
O you who wraps himself in his garment
يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you
وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَكَAnd those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer]
وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًاThey used to sleep but little of the night,
كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ So, standing in night prayer is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah), whether in the beginning of the night, the middle, or the end, according to what is easy. Witr is a recommended practice (sunnah), and its minimum is one unit (rak'ah). If one stands up at night, reads what is easy of the Qur'an, and performs Witr with three, or five, or seven, or nine, or eleven, or thirteen, all of it is good. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Witr with this; sometimes he performed Witr with three, sometimes with seven, sometimes with five, sometimes with nine, sometimes with eleven, sometimes with thirteen. He would say the closing salam (taslim) after every two units; this is the best.
And if one recites three units all together, with one closing salam (taslim) and one sitting at the end, there is no harm. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did this at some times. He performed Witr with five all together, without sitting except at the end, and there is no harm. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did this at some times, but the best is to say the closing salam (taslim) after every two units.
And the best is that he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Witr with eleven or thirteen; this is the best. And if one performs Witr with twenty or more, and increases the Witr, there is no harm, whether one performs Witr with twenty-three, or twenty-seven, or thirty-one, or more; all of it is without harm. Allah has been generous in the prayer of the night. But the recommended practice (sunnah) is to say the closing salam (taslim) after every two units, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but 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.
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى، فإذا خشي أحدكم الصبح؛ صلى ركعةً واحدة، توتر له ما قد صلىSo the recommended practice (sunnah) is like this: one prays two units, then two units. If one fears the dawn, one performs Witr with one unit. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform Witr with eleven units—meaning, usually—and would say the closing salam (taslim) after every two units.
كان النبي ﷺ يوتر بإحدى عشرة -يعني: غالبًا- ويسلم من كل ثنتينThe presenter: 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.