A New Muslim: Tahajjud Prayer (1)

Salatul layl

(Night Prayer)

Performing this special Tahajjud prayer will require you to have a short deep sleep before you even perform it, as the name of the prayer, which means wake up, suggests. This prayer can be done anytime between Isha' and Fajr. However, it is best done between midnight to Fajr, preferrably in the last third of the night. Make it part of your daily routine and God willing, He will return you with good fortune and health.

Tahajjud Prayer does not entail a specific number of rak`ahs that must be performed, nor is there any maximum limit that may be performed. It would be fulfilled even if one prayed just one rak`ah of Witr after `Isha'; however, it is traditionally prayed with at least two rak'at which is known as shif'a followed by Witr as this is what Muhammad did. Abdullah ibn Umar narrated that Muhammad said:

"Salatul Layl (Night Prayer, i.e. Tahajjud) 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'at and this will be a Witr for all the rak'at which he has prayed before." 【Bukhari, Hadith 539】

“And (during part) of the night, abandon sleep and keep vigil to pray Salat, in addition to the regular obligatory prayer. Your Rabb (the Sustainer) may (as a reward) elevate you to the position of High Distinction, Glory and Praise.”

【Al Qur’an 17:79】

There are so many narrated Hadiths (Our Prophet’s (S.A.W) sayings and deeds) about the virtue of the Tahajjud prayer. One of the meanings of a Hadith among them is as follows:

“When one third of the night remains, every night, Our Lord, Allah, the All-Mighty says as follows till the dawn to break:
‘Whoever wants me something, I shall give. Whoever supplicates to me, I shall accept his/her pray. Whoever repents, I shall forgive him/her.’”

The narrator of that Hadith Hazrath Ebu Hurayra (may Allah grant him peace) adds the following sentence:

“For this reason, the companions of Our Prophet (pbuh) used to prefer performing prayer at the end of the night rather than before the night.” (Ibni Mace, Ikamatu’s-Salat: 182).

This prayer may be performed as between 2 and 8 rakahs. That is to say, according to the capability, it can be performed as two, four, six or eight rakahs. There is no compulsion like as “it must be absolutely eight rakahs”. As one can perform this prayer at his/her home, so can perform it at suitable places and time, such as at work, at the company etc. where s/he works at night.

The time for praying Salatul-Layl is from midnight (midnight is reckoned as the time which is exactly half the time between sunset and the actual dawn) to the time of Adhan for Fajr prayers. However, it can be prayed at anytime after Isha prayers but it is better to pray during the last part of the night near to the time of Fajr prayers. If it is not possible to pray after midnight or before Fajr, then it can be prayed in the morning or any part of the day with the niyyah (intention) of Qadha. It is better to pray with the niyyah of Qadha during the day time than to pray in the early part of the night.

With the deed of getting up at night and performing the night prayer, it is meant the deed of Tahajjud which is mentioned in a verse of Isra chapter concerning the subject. The word of “Tahajjud” which can be used as both “to sleep” and “to wake up”, after having been used in the Qur’an with that usage, it, henceforth, has been used as “to get up at night and to perform prayer”.

How to Perform the Tahajjud Prayer

Steps

1. Make sure that you have woken up from a sleep and also that you are now in a time between Ish'a Prayer and Fajr Prayer.

2. Perform wuzu. It is a ritual ablution before you pray or handle the Holy Quran.

3. Walk into a perfectly clean place. This step should be done because the names of God is pure. Thus we have to speak of His name in a clean place. Sit down on a prayer mat facing the Qiblah. It is the direction of the Holy Kabah.

4. Erase all worldly worries from your heart. Make yourself calm. If you are having trouble over someone else, ignore it. Just think that nothing ever happened. Try to be in the state of awareness. Try to expel negative feeling or thought. Lightly close your eyes and bring your attention to the region of your heart.

5. Perform the voluntary prayer. The Tahajjud prayer is encouraged to be performed but it is not obligatory. It is a set of two cycles of prayer. You can repeat doing the two cycles of prayer as many as you want because there is no limit. Eight rakats is considered optimal.

Salatul-Layl is made up of Eleven Rak’ats.

 Ø      The first eight Rak’ats are prayed as normal in pairs of two each with the niyyah of Nawafilatul-Layl.

 Ø      The next two Rak’ats are prayed with the Niyyah of 'Salatul Shaf’a'.

Ø      The remaining one Rak’at is prayed with the Niyyah of 'Salatul Witr.'

 (In the last one Rak’at, Qunoot is recited before Rukuu and the Salat is completed as usual with Tashahud and Salaam)

 After reciting the Al-Fatihah for each first cycles, recite a surah named Al-Kafirun.

 After reciting the Al-Fatihah for each second cycles, recite a surah named Al-Ikhlas.

 During sujood(prostration) for each second cycle of prayer, recite this three times.

Rabbi adkhilnii mudkhala sidqiwwa akhrijnii mukhraja sidqi waj'allii minladunka sultaanan nasiiraa.
"O God, have me enter from the door of truth, and also have me exit from the door of truth too, and provide me with assitance from you."

6. Ask from God, after you have completed the set of two cycles of prayer, good health and fortune for you are a benevolent individual. God willing, He will grant your wishes.