What is the manner of the night prayer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The following message was received by the program from one of the listening brothers. He says: Ahmad Jassim from the village of Marjanah in Iraq. Our brother asks His Eminence the Shaykh to speak about the night prayer and its manner, especially since he has read many descriptions of this prayer.
Answer: Night prayer is a great act of devotion. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1163a So night prayer has a great status. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, described His believing servants, the servants of Allah, saying: [Al-Furqan: 64]. And He, the Exalted, described the righteous saying: [Adh-Dhariyat: 17-18]. And Allah said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): [Al-Muzzammil: 1-3], the verse. He (may He be exalted) said: : [As-Sajdah: 16-17].
So the night prayer has a great status, and the best way to perform it is in pairs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 990 So one prays what is easy for him in pairs, then concludes with one unit. The best time for it is the last part of the night—the last third. If one prays in the first part of the night before sleeping, so that sleep does not overcome him in the last part of the night, and he takes precaution in this, there is no harm. He knows himself best. If he is able to do it in the last part of the night, that is better. If that is not possible for him, he concludes with one unit in the first part of the night.
The minimum is one unit. The minimum for the witr prayer at night is one unit after the Isha prayer and its regular voluntary prayer. If he concludes with three units, the best is to conclude the prayer from the two units, then conclude with one unit. Likewise, if he concludes with five units, he concludes the prayer from four units, in pairs of two, then concludes with one unit, and so on.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) usually concluded with eleven units, concluding the prayer from every two units, then concluding with one unit. Sometimes he concluded with thirteen units, concluding the prayer from every two units and concluding with one unit, peace and blessings be upon him. The matter in this is broad, and praise be to Allah. There is no fixed limit in it. So if he concludes with twenty, or thirty, or forty units, concluding the prayer from every two units, then concluding with one unit, all of this is permissible. However, tranquility and avoiding haste and rapid movement should be observed in this. He should be tranquil in his prayer and humble in it, and not hasten. So five units or seven units with tranquility and care are better than nine or eleven with haste. Yes.
How does one make it a habit, if you would be kind, His Eminence the Shaykh?
Answer: The Sunnah is to persist in it consistently, whether in the first part of the night, the middle of the night, or the last part of the night. The best is the last part of the night if it is feasible. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 755a Narrated by Muslim in the Sahih. This is the best if it is feasible. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: Sunan Abi Dawud 4733Sahih (Al-Albani) Agreed upon as authentic. This great hadith indicates that the last part of the night is better; because it is the time of the Divine Descent, and it is a descent befitting Allah that does not resemble His creation (may He be exalted), such as: rising above the Throne, anger, pleasure, and mercy, all of which are befitting Allah and do not resemble His creation (may He be exalted). So our Lord descends, meaning: a descent befitting His Majesty that does not resemble the descent of His creation, and none knows its modality except He (may He be exalted). And so is His saying: [Ta-Ha: 5]. His saying, Mighty and Majestic: [Al-Bayyinah: 8], [Al-Fath: 6], and the like. All of these are attributes befitting Allah, and He does not resemble His creation in their anger, nor in their rising above the Throne, nor in their descent, nor in their mercy... and so on. All of Allah's attributes are befitting Allah and must be affirmed for Allah in the manner befitting Allah, the Exalted, without distortion, denial of the divine attributes, asking how an attribute is, or likening Allah to creation.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. So how does one make it a habit so that a person is accustomed to the night prayer, or to the night prayer, how does he do it?
The Shaykh: How, how...?
The presenter: If a person wants the night prayer to be a customary act of worship for him, how does he do it?
The Shaykh: He persists with a known number that he is able to do, three, five, or seven. And if he increases sometimes when he is energetic, there is no harm. But he should make a known number a habit and persist with it; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 782c So the continuous action is better. If he increases in some times when he is energetic, this benefits him and does not harm him.
Answer: Night prayer is a great act of devotion. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The most excellent fast after Ramadan is God's month. al-Muharram, and the most excellent prayer after what is prescribed is prayer during the night.
أفضل الصيام بعد رمضان شهر الله المحرم، وأفضل الصلاة صلاة الليلAnd those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer]
وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا(17) They used to sleep but little of the night, (18) And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness,
كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ وَبِالأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ(1) O you who wraps himself [in clothing], (2) Arise [to pray] the night, except for a little - (3) Half of it - or subtract from it a little
يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا نِصْفَهُ أَوِ انْقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا(16) They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend. (17) And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do.
تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ فَلا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَSo the night prayer has a great status, and the best way to perform it is in pairs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The night prayer is offered as two 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.
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى فإذا خشي الصبح صلى ركعة واحدة توتر لها ما قد صلىThe minimum is one unit. The minimum for the witr prayer at night is one unit after the Isha prayer and its regular voluntary prayer. If he concludes with three units, the best is to conclude the prayer from the two units, then conclude with one unit. Likewise, if he concludes with five units, he concludes the prayer from four units, in pairs of two, then concludes with one unit, and so on.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) usually concluded with eleven units, concluding the prayer from every two units, then concluding with one unit. Sometimes he concluded with thirteen units, concluding the prayer from every two units and concluding with one unit, peace and blessings be upon him. The matter in this is broad, and praise be to Allah. There is no fixed limit in it. So if he concludes with twenty, or thirty, or forty units, concluding the prayer from every two units, then concluding with one unit, all of this is permissible. However, tranquility and avoiding haste and rapid movement should be observed in this. He should be tranquil in his prayer and humble in it, and not hasten. So five units or seven units with tranquility and care are better than nine or eleven with haste. Yes.
How does one make it a habit, if you would be kind, His Eminence the Shaykh?
Answer: The Sunnah is to persist in it consistently, whether in the first part of the night, the middle of the night, or the last part of the night. The best is the last part of the night if it is feasible. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
If anyone is afraid that he may not get up in the latter part of the night, he should observe Witr in the first part of it; and if anyone is eager to get up in the last part of it, he should observe Witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels) and that is preferable.
من خاف أن لا يقوم من آخر الليل فليوتر أول الليل، ومن طمع أن يقوم آخر الليل فليوتر آخر الليل، فإن صلاة آخر الليل مشهودة وذلك أفضلOur 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 يطلع الفجرThe Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىAllah being pleased with them, and they with Him
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُand Allah has become angry with them
وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good. So how does one make it a habit so that a person is accustomed to the night prayer, or to the night prayer, how does he do it?
The Shaykh: How, how...?
The presenter: If a person wants the night prayer to be a customary act of worship for him, how does he do it?
The Shaykh: He persists with a known number that he is able to do, three, five, or seven. And if he increases sometimes when he is energetic, there is no harm. But he should make a known number a habit and persist with it; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The deed liked most by Allah is one to which the doer adheres constantly even if it is small.
إن أحب العمل إلى الله ما دام عليه صاحبه وإن قل
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.