Explanation of the Method of Performing the Night Prayer

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Q282: The questioner says: We request clarification on the method of performing the night prayer, and how was the prayer of Dawud (peace be upon him)?
A282: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The virtues of prayer after the obligatory prayers: prayer in the middle of the night

أفضال الصلاة بعد المكتوبة الصلاة في جوف الليل

Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 5:173

And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the 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.

أحبُّ الصلاة إلى الله صلاة داود، كان ينام نصف الليل ويقوم ثُلثه وينام سدسه

Sahih al-Bukhari 3420

Standing in prayer at night is a confirmed recommended practice, and it has great virtue. Allah the Exalted said in describing the people of Paradise:

⁽¹⁷⁾ They used to sleep but little of the night, ⁽¹⁸⁾ And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness,

كَانُوا قَلِيلاً مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ (17) وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ

[Adh-Dhariyat 51:17-18]

,
And He the Exalted said in describing them:

They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend.

تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ

[As-Sajdah 32:16]

, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand in prayer at night acting upon His saying the Exalted:

⁽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 ⁽⁴⁾ Or add to it, and recite the Qur'an with measured recitation.

يَاأَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ (1) قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً (2) نِصْفَهُ أَوِ انْقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلاً (3) أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلاً

[Al-Muzzammil 73:1-4]

, to the end of the surah, and He the Exalted said:

And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.

وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَكَ عَسَى أَنْ يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا

[Al-Isra 17:79]

, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand in prayer at night and prolong the standing, until his feet cracked from the length of the standing. Standing in prayer at night is a confirmed recommended practice, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged it. Every part of the night is suitable for standing in prayer, from its beginning, its middle, or its end, but the end of it is the best for one who is confident of his standing. And one who is not confident of his standing should stand at the beginning of the night, before he sleeps, and conclude the night prayer with the witr. The witr is a confirmed recommended practice, and some scholars consider it obligatory. Its minimum is one rak'ah, and its maximum is eleven or thirteen rak'ahs. The lowest degree of perfection is three rak'ahs, so one concludes the night prayer with the witr. This is the Sunnah.

Source www.alifta.gov.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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