Prayers.

[ghumbasa]

NIGHT PRAYERS.


Night PrayersAll Praise is due to Allah, Who has made Salah a relaxation for the believer, a refuge for the fearful, and a guidance for the savage. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the leader of those who perform salah, perform tahajjud, and make ruku' and sujud. And also upon his family, companions, and those who follow them in the right way until the day of judgment.*

As for what follows:

Night prayer is the diligence of the righteous, the transaction of the believers, and the action of the victorious. At night the believers are alone with their Lord - they turn towards their Creator complaining about their situations and asking of His bounties. They are standing in front of their Lord, devoted to the confidential talk with their Shaper, gently breathing the fragrances, taking from the lights of the good deeds, and seeking and begging for the greatest of gifts.*



Night Prayer in The Quran

Allah the Most Exalted said:

*"They arise from [their] beds"*[Noble Quran 32:16]*

Mujahid and Al-Hasan said: "It means night prayer".*

Ibn Kathir explained the verse: "The meaning is night prayer, leaving sleep and rest upon a soft and flat furnishing.

Abdul-Haq al Ashbeeli said: "Their sides find no rest upon a bed. So they are not settled on it because of the fear of the punishment, and hoping for reward."*

Allah the Exalted mentioned about the people who make tahajjud:*

*"They used to sleep but little of the night, And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness "*[Noble Quran 51:17-18]*

Al-Hasan said: "They burdened themselves with the night. They extended the salah until the early dawn, then they sat making du'a and seeking forgiveness."

Allah said:

*"Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding."*[Noble Quran 39:9]


In other words: Is the one whose character is this, similar to the one who sleeps at night and wastes himself? Can he be anything other than one who is knowledgeable about Allah's rewards but ignorant of His punishments?*

My brothers and sisters: Where are the people of the night? Where have the virtuous gone, and only the idle and inactive are left?!

"Oh people of the night exert yourselves."

"[Seeking] A Lord who does not refuse when asked."



Night Prayer in The Sunnah

My dear Muslim brother/sister: The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged making night prayer and arousing interest in it.

*"It is upon you to perform night prayer, because it was the practice of the righteous people before you. It is a means of obtaining closeness to Allah the Exalted, it erases sins, it prevents wrongdoings, and it drives away sicknesses from the body."*[Narrated by Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi]

[ghumbasa]

Someone told the Prophet (peace be upon him) about a man who slept the night until morning time. He said "That is a man in whose ear the Shaytan urinated! "[Agreed upon]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The best prayer after the obligatory ones is night prayer"[Narrated by Muslim]

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Night Prayer of The Prophet saww

Allah the Most Exalted ordered His Prophet to perform night prayer in the following:

"O you who wraps himself [in clothing], Arise [to pray] the night, except for a little - Half of it - or subtract from it a little. Or add to it, and recite the Quran with measured recitation."[Noble Quran 73:1-4]

And He 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."[Noble Quran 17:79]

A'ishah ra said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) would stand at night until his feet became cracked. I said to him: Why do you do this oh Messenger of Allah, while all of your sins past and future have been forgiven? He said: Shouldn't I be a thankful slave? "[Agreed upon]

This proves that thankfulness is not only by the tongue. It is only done by the heart, the tongue, and the limbs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) established the duties of worship in the most complete manner, and in the most perfect form. He did all of this despite the fact that he had to spread the Islamic Aqidah, teach the Muslims, exert himself in the path of Allah, and fulfill the duties of his family and children.

He was as Ibn Rawaha said:

Among us is the Messenger of Allah reciting His book
When the courtesy is separated from the morning, glowing.

He showed us guidance after blindness, so our hearts
Are full of certainty that what he said is reality.

He spends the night separated from his bed
When the beds are heavy with the idol-worshippers.

Hudhaifa ra said: "I prayed with the Prophet (peace be upon him) one night. He started with Al-Baqarah, so I thought that he will make ruku after that. Then he started Al-Nisa' and recited it. Then he started Aal-Imran and rec3ited it. He would recite slowly; when he came to an ayah with Tasbih, he would make Tasbih. When he came to a request, he would request. When he came to a seeking of refuge, he would seek refuge.. "[Narrated by Muslim]

Ibn Mas'ud ra said: "I prayed one night with the Prophet. He continued standing until I thought of a bad idea. Someone said: What did you think of doing? He said: I thought to sit down and leave him! "[Agreed upon]

Ibn Hajar said: "In this hadith is proof that the Prophet (peace be upon him) chose to prolong the night prayer. Ibn Mas'ud was strong-willed in preserving his emulation of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He did not think of sitting down until the prayer was much longer than he was used to."