The Virtue of the Last Ten Nights of Ramadan and the Prophetic Conduct in Them

Question:
We are about to enter, O Shaykh Saleh, these blessed ten days, the last ten of Ramadan. We would like to hear from your eminence about these ten days, about the prayer in them, about striving, and about some people who single out one night for standing in prayer during these ten days, which is the twenty-seventh night. Please tell us about the virtue of these ten days and the Prophetic conduct in them.

Answer:
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. This entire month is blessed and full of good. Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, said: “The month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was revealed, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of the guidance and the criterion.” It is a great month, and it contains one night that is better than a thousand months, which is the Night of Decree. It is in Ramadan, but it is not known at what time in Ramadan it is; whether it is in the first ten days, the middle ten, or the last ten. The stronger opinion is that it is in the last ten days of Ramadan. These ten days have many virtues. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When the last ten days of Ramadan enter, he would tighten his waistband, stay up at night, and wake up his family.” The righteous predecessors followed the way of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) by keeping the nights of the ten days awake in tahajjud. They would pray tarawih at the beginning of the night, then stand for tahajjud, prolonging their standing, bowing, and prostration, and they would increase in supplication, following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). These are blessed ten days because they are the end of the month, because they are a release from the Fire, and because they contain a night better than a thousand months, which is the Night of Decree. So they kept the nights awake, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept them awake with tahajjud. This means he kept most of the night awake, not that he kept the entire night awake from beginning to end, but rather he kept most of the night awake, increasing in tahajjud, supplication, and humility before Allah. His Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) followed his example in this blessed practice, and the Muslims inherited it from generation to generation, taking care of these ten days and keeping their nights awake with tahajjud, tarawih prayer, and supplication, seeking the great reward therein. In these blessed ten days, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would devote more effort. “When the last ten days of Ramadan enter, he would tighten his waistband, stay up at night, and wake up his family.” That is, he kept most of his night awake, not the entire night, but most of it with tahajjud, supplication, and recitation of the Qur'an. Thus, whoever wants good and reward should follow the way of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), especially with the Muslims in the mosques. The Muslims would establish the tarawih prayer and the tahajjud prayer in the mosque, prolonging their standing, bowing, and prostration, to the extent that they would tie ropes between the pillars and hold onto them due to the length of their standing. They would perform tahajjud behind the imam until they feared that the dawn, meaning the pre-dawn meal, would overtake them, so they would not leave until the time for the pre-dawn meal. These are blessed nights, the majority of which contain much good. They come to us, and we may not pay attention to them or consider them like other nights and days. This is negligence and laziness on our part. We seek forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance. It is prescribed and recommended for us to make up for this, otherwise we will remain in our laziness and heedlessness. Perhaps these ten days will not come to us a second time; perhaps our lifespan will end before next year, and we will not reach these ten days. So let us strive in them and take advantage of them. May Allah guide everyone to what He loves and is pleased with, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.