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Qiyam
Al-Layl*
Merits
of Qiyam Al-Layl
Praising
the characters of the devout believers, Allah Most High says: [Their
limbs do forsake their beds of sleep, the while they call on their
Lord, in Fear and Hope.] (As-Sajdah 32: 16)
Likewise,
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported
to have said, “It is highly recommended for you to observe Qiyam
Al-Layl (night vigil Prayer), for it was the practice of your
righteous predecessors. Qiyam Al-Layl brings us close to your Lord,
atones for our sins, drives disease from the body, and puts a stop
to transgression.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Jabir
(may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger
of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, “There is an
hour in the night, in which no Muslim servant will implore Allah for
good in this world and the next without giving it to him, and that
applies to every night.” (Reported by Muslim)
Measures
That Help in Observing Qiyam Al-Layl:
The
following measures will help you observe Qiyam Al-Layl
-
Have
good intention and devotion to Allah
-
Be
determined to perform Qiyam Al-Layl
-
Repent
continually
-
Keep
away from sins
-
Go
to bed early
-
Take
a nap if possible
-
Avoid
overeating
-
Depend
on Allah
-
Realize
the merits of observing Qiyam Al-Layl
Degrees
of Qiyam Al-Layl
There
are various degrees of observing Qiyam Al-Layl, as follows:
First,
praying the whole night as some of our early righteous Muslims were
accustomed to doing.
Second,
praying for half of the night. Here, one is recommended to sleep the
first third and the last sixth of the night.
Third,
praying for one third of the night. Here, one is recommended to
sleep the first half and the last sixth of the night. Prophet Dawud
(peace and blessings be upon him) used to observe Qiyam Al-Layl in
this way. `Abdullah ibn `Amr ibn Al-`Aas (may Allah be pleased with
him) reported: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)
told me, “The most beloved Prayer to Allah is that of Dawud and
the most beloved fasts to Allah are those of Dawud. He used to sleep
for half of the night and then pray for one-third of the night and
again sleep for its sixth part and used to fast on alternate
days.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Fourth,
praying for one-sixth or one-fifth of the night. It is better to
pray in the second half or the last sixth of the night.
Fifth,
praying with no estimation of time. This involves either one of the
following two ways of observing Qiyam Al-Layl:
1.
Praying from the beginning of the night until sleep overcomes one;
then one gets up to pray until sleep overcomes one, and so on. A
group of the early righteous Muslims used to observe Qiyam Al-Layl
in this way. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)
reported: sometimes Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon
him) would not fast (for so many days) that we thought that he would
not fast that month and he sometimes used to fast (for so many days)
that we thought he would not leave fasting throughout that month,
and (as regards his Prayer and sleep at night) if you wanted to see
him praying at night, you could see him praying and if you wanted to
see him sleeping, you could see him sleeping. (reported by
Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
2.
Sleeping at the beginning of the night, and then getting up to pray
for the remaining part of the night. In this context, Sufyan
Ath-Thawri said, “I sleep at the beginning of the night, and then
get up to observe Qiyam Al-Layl in the remaining time of the
night.”
Sixth,
praying four or two rak`ahs in the night. The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “Pray in the
night: pray four rak`ahs; pray two rak`ahs.”
Abu
Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger
of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever wakes up
at night and lets his wife do so in order to offer two rak`ahs, will
be recorded amongst those who make much dhikr of Allah in that
night.” (Reported by Abu Dawud)
Seventh,
offering Prayer in the time between the Maghrib and `Isha’
Prayers.
When
It Is Difficult to Perform Ablution at Night
Whoever
finds it difficult to perform purification at night and to offer
Prayer, should sit facing the qiblah and engage himself in making
dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and du`aa’ (supplication). If,
however, he is not able to sit, he is recommended to make dhikr
while lying on his bed.
Whoever
accustoms himself to offering Qiyam Al-Layl should beware of leaving
it, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)
said to `Abdullah ibn `Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), “O
`Abdullah! Do not be like so-and-so who used to pray at night and
then stopped doing it.
You
can also read:
* Based on Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi's Mukhtasar
Minhaj Al-Qasidin (Mansourah, Egypt: Dar al-Manarah,
2002)
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