Night Prayer during Ramadhan
(Al-Qiyaam or Taraweeh)

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to encourage us to
pray at night in Ramadaan, without making it obligatory. Then he said,
‘Whoever prays at night in Ramadaan out of faith and the hope of reward, all
his previous sins will be forgiven.’ When the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, this is how things were (i.e.,
Taraaweeh was not prayed in congregation), and this is how they remained
during the khilaafah of Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him), until the
beginning of the khilaafah of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him).”
‘Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhani said: “A man from Qudaa’ah came to the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger
of Allaah! What do you think if I testify that there is no god except
Allaah, and that you, Muhammad, are His Messenger, and I pray the five daily
prayers, and fast in the month (of Ramadaan), and pray at night in Ramadaan,
and pay zakaah?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: ‘Whoever dies on that will be among the siddeeqeen (those who tell the
truth) and the martyrs.’”
Laylat al-Qadr and its timing
2 – The best of its nights is Laylat al-Qadr, because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays at night during Laylat
al-Qadr {and manages to “catch” it} out of faith and the hope of reward, all
his previous sins will be forgiven.”
3 – According to the most correct opinion, it is the twenty-seventh night of
Ramadaan. Most of the ahaadeeth state this, such as the hadeeth of Zurr ibn
Hubaysh, who said: “I heard Ubayy ibn Ka’b saying – and it was said to him
that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: ‘Whoever follows the Sunnah will ‘catch’
Laylat al-Qadr!’ – Ubayy (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: ‘May Allaah
have mercy on him, he did not want people to take it for granted and only
stay up to pray on one night. By the One besides Whom there is no other god,
it is in Ramadaan – he was swearing without a doubt – and by Allaah, I do
know which night it is. It is the night in which the Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to pray
(qiyaam). It is the night the morning of which is the twenty seventh, and
the sign of it is that the sun rises on that morning white and without
rays.’”
In another report, this was attributed to the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). (Reported by Muslim and others).

Praying qiyaam in congregation

It is allowed to pray qiyaam in congregation, indeed it is better than
praying individually, because this is what the Prophet(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did himself and explained its virtues. Abu Dharr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “We fasted Ramadaan with the Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not lead us in
qiyaam at all until there were only seven days left, when he led us in
prayer until a third of the night had passed. When there were six days left,
he did not lead us in qiyaam. When there were five days left, he led us in
prayer until half the night had passed. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I
wish that you had continued until the end of the night.’ He said, ‘If a man
prays with the imaam until he finishes, it will be counted as if he prayed
the whole night.’ When there were four nights left, he did not lead us in
qiyaam. When there were three nights left, he brought together his family,
his wives and the people, and led us in qiyaam until we were afraid that we
would miss al-falaah. I asked, ‘What is al-falaah?’ he said, ‘Suhoor. Then
he did not lead us in qiyaam for the rest of the month.’” (Saheeh hadeeth
reported by the authors of Sunan).

The reason why the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did
not continually lead the people in praying qiyaam in congregation

5 - The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not lead
them in qiyaam for the rest of the month because he feared that it would
then become obligatory, and they would not be able to do it, as is stated in
the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere. Following
the death of the Prophet(peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him), that
fear was no longer a factor, because Allaah had completed the religion. The
reason for not praying qiyaam in congregation during Ramadaan no longer
applied, and the previous ruling, that congregational prayer is something
prescribed in Islam, remained in effect. So ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him) revived the practice, as is recorded in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and
elsewhere.

Women can pray qiyaam in congregation

Women can attend the prayers too, as is stated in the hadeeth of Abu Dharr
referred to above. Indeed, it is permissible to appoint an imaam just for
them, apart from the imaam of the men. It was proven that when ‘Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with him) gathered the people to pray qiyaam, he appointed
Ubayy ibn Ka’b to lead the men and Sulaymaan ibn Abi Hathmah to lead the
women. ‘Arfajah al-Thaqafi said: “ ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be
pleased with him) used to command the people to pray during the night in
Ramadaan, and he would appoint an imaam for the men and an imaam for the
women. I was the imaam for the women.”

I say: this is fine in my view so long as the mosque is big enough so that
they will not disturb one another.

Number of rak’ahs of qiyaam

7 – The number of rak’ahs is eleven, and it is preferable in our opinion not
to exceed this number, following the practice of the Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because he never did more
than that in his life. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked
about how he prayed in Ramadaan. She said, “The Messenger of Allaah(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never prayed more than eleven rak’ahs
(of qiyaam), whether during Ramadaan or any other time. He would pray four,
and don’t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray
four, and don’t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would
pray three.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others).

8- A person may do less than that, even if it is only one rak’ah of witr,
because of the evidence that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did this and spoke about it.

With regard to him doing it: ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was
asked how many rak’ahs the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used to pray in witr? She said, “He used to pray four and
three, or six and three, or ten and three. He never used to pray less than
seven, or more than thirteen.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, Ahmad and others).

With regard to him speaking about it, he said: “Witr is true, so whoever
wishes can pray five, and whoever wishes can pray three, and whoever wishes
can pray one.”

Reciting Qur’aan in qiyaam

9 – As regards reciting from the Qur’aan during qiyaam, whether in Ramadaan
or at other times, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did not set a limit or state what was too much or too little. His recitation
used to vary, sometimes it would be long, at other times short. Sometimes in
every rak’ah he would recite the equivalent of ‘Yaa ayyuha’l-muzammil, which
is twenty aayaat; sometimes he would recite the equivalent of fifty aayaat.
He used to say, “Whoever prays at night and reads one hundred aayaat will
not be recorded as one of the negligent.” According to another hadeeth:
“…and reads two hundred aayaat, will be recorded as one of the devout and
sincere believers.”

When he was sick, the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
recited the seven long soorahs in his night prayers, i.e., al-Baqarah, Aal
‘Imraan, al-Nisaa’, al-Maa’idah, al-An’aam, al-A’raaf and al-Tawbah.

In the account of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan praying behind the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in one rak’ah he recited al-Baqarah,
al-Nisa’ and Aal ‘Imraan, and he recited them in a slow and measured tone.
It is proven with the soundest (most saheeh) of isnaads that when ‘Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with him) appointed Ubayy ibn Ka’b to lead the people in
praying eleven rak’ahs in Ramadaan, Ubayy used to recite aayaat by the
hundreds, so that the people behind him would be leaning on sticks because
the prayers were so long, and they did not finish until just before Fajr.

It is also reported in a saheeh account that ‘Umar called the readers during
Ramadaan, and told the fastest of them to recite thirty aayaat, the moderate
ones to recite twenty-five aayaat, and the slowest ones to recite twenty
aayaat.

However, is a person is praying qiyaam by himself, he can make it as long as
he wishes; if others agree with the imaam, he may also make it as long as he
wishes. The longer it is, the better, but a person should not go to extremes
and spend the whole night in qiyaam, except on rare occasions, following the
example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said:
“The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad.” If a person is praying as
an imaam, he should make it only as long as is easy for the people behind
him, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“If any of you leads the people in prayer, let him make it short, because
among them are the young and the old, the weak, and those who have pressing
needs. But if he is praying alone, let him make it as long as he likes.”

The timing of qiyaam

10 – The time for praying qiyaam is from after ‘Isha until Fajr, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has added
one more prayer for you, which is witr, so pray it between Salaat al-‘Isha’
and Salaat al-Fajr.”

11 – Praying at the end of the night is better, for those who can manage it,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever is afraid that he will not get up at the end of the night, let him
pray witr at the beginning of the night, but whoever feels that he will be
able to get up at the end of the night, let him pray witr at the end of the
night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed [by the angels], and
that is better.”

12 – If it is the matter of choosing between praying in congregation at the
beginning of the night and praying alone at the end of the night, it is
preferable to pray with the jamaa’ah, because that is counted as if one had
prayed the whole night through.

This is what the Sahaabah did at the time of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him). ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Qaari said: “I went out with ‘Umar
ibn al-Khattaab to the mosque one night during Ramadaan, and saw the people
scattered throughout the mosque, some praying individually, and some praying
in small groups. He said, ‘By Allaah, I think that if I gathered all of them
behind one reader it would be better.’ So he resolved to do that, and he
gathered them behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b. Then I went with him on another night,
and the people were all praying behind their reader, and ‘Umar said, ‘What a
good innovation this is. What they sleep and miss – meaning the latter part
of the night – is better than what they are doing,’ – the people used to
pray qiyaam at the beginning of the night.”

Zayd ibn Wahb said: “‘Abd-Allaah used to lead us in prayer in Ramadaan, and
he used to finish at night.”

13 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade praying
witr as three rak’ahs, and explained this by saying: “Do not make it
resemble Salaat al-Maghrib.” Therefore the person who wants to pray three
rak’ahs for witr must find a way to make it different (from Maghrib). There
are two ways he can do this: either by giving salaam after the first two
rak’ahs, which is the best way; or by not sitting after the first two
rak’ahs (i.e., praying three rak’ahs non-stop). And Allaah knows best.

Recitation during three rak’ahs of witr

14 – It is Sunnah to recite Sabbih bi ismi Rabbika al-‘A’laa in the first
rak’ah, Qul Yaa ayyuha’l-Kaafiroon in the second rak’ah, and Qul Huwa
Allaahu ahad in the third rak’ah. Sometimes Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Falaq and
Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Naas may be added as well.

It was reported in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) once recited one hundred aayaat of Soorat al-Nisa’ in
one rak’ah of witr.

Du’aa’ al-Qunoot

15 – A person may also humble himself before Allaah by reciting the du’aa’
which the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught to his
grandson al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), which is:

“Allaahumma’hdinee fiman hadayta wa ‘aafinee fiman ‘aafayta wa tawallanee
fiman tawallayta wa baarik lee fimaa a’tayta wa qinee sharra maa qadayt, fa
innaka taqdee wa laa yuqdaa ‘alayk. Wa innahu laa yadhillu man waalayta wa
laa ya’izzu man ‘aadayt. Tabaarakta Rabbanaa wa ta’aalayt. Laa majaa minka
illa ilayk (O Allaah, guide me along with those whom You have guided, pardon
me along with those whom You have pardoned, be an ally to me along with
those whom You are an ally to, and bless for me that which You have
bestowed. Protect me from the evil You have decreed for verily You decree
and none can decree over You. For surety, he whom You show allegiance to is
never abased and he whom You take an enemy is never honored and mighty. O
our Lord, Blessed and Exalted are You. There is no refuge from You except
with You).”

Sometimes one may send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), and there is nothing wrong with adding other du’aa’s
that are known from the Sunnah.

16 – There is nothing wrong with reciting Qunoot after rukoo’, or with
adding curses against the kuffaar, sending blessings on the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or praying for the Muslims in the
second half of Ramadaan, because it is proven that the imaam used to do this
at the time of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him). At the end of the
hadeeth of ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Ubayd al-Qaari mentioned above, it says: “…
They used to curse the kuffaar in the middle, saying, ‘Allaahumma qaatil
al-kafarata alladheena yasuddoona ‘an sabeelik wa yukadhdhiboona rusulak wa
laa yu’minoona bi wa’dik. Wa khaalif bayna kalimatihim wa alqi fi quloobihim
al-ru’b wa alqi ‘alayhim rijzaka wa ‘adhaabak ilaah al-haqq (O Allaah,
destroy the kuffaar who are trying to prevent people from following Your
path, who deny Your Messengers and who do not believe in Your promise (the
Day of Judgement). Make them disunited, fill their hearts with terror and
send Your wrath and punishment against them, O God of Truth).” Then he would
send blessings on the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
and pray for good for the Muslims as much as he could, and seek forgiveness
for the believers.

After he had finished cursing the kuffaar, sending blessings on the Prophet,
seeking forgiveness for the believing men and women and asking for his own
needs, he would say: “Allaahumma iyyaaka na’bud wa laka nusalli wa najud, wa
ilayka nas’aa wa nahfud, wa narju rahmataka rabbanaa wa nakhaafu ‘adhaabak
al-jadd. Inna ‘adhaabaka liman ‘aadayta mulhaq (O Allaah, You do we worship,
to You do we pray and prostrate, for Your sake we strive and toil. We place
our hope in Your Mercy, O our Lord, and we fear Your mighty punishment, for
Your punishment will certainly overtake the one whom You have taken as an
enemy.” Then he would say “Allaahu akbar” and go down in sujood.

What should be said at the end of witr

17 – It is Sunnah to say at the end of witr (before or after the salaam):

“Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bi ridaaka min sakhatika wa bi mu’aafaatika min
‘aqoobatika, wa a’oodhu bika minka. La uhsee thanaa’an ‘alayka, anta kamaa
athnayta ‘ala nafsik (O Allaah, I seek refuge in Your good pleasure from
Your wrath, and in Your protection from Your punishment. I seek refuge with
You from You. I cannot praise You enough, and You are as You have praised
Yourself.”

18 – When he gave salaam at the end of witr, he said: “Subhaan il-Malik
il-Quddoos, subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos, subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos (Glory
be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy), elongating the syllables, and raising
his voice the third time.

Two rak’ahs after witr

19 – A person may pray two rak’ahs after witr if he wishes, because it is
proven that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this.
Indeed, he said, “This travelling is exhausting and difficult, so after any
one of you prays witr, let him pray two rak’ahs. If he wakes up, this is
fine, otherwise these two rak’ahs will be counted for him.

20 – It is Sunnah to recite Idha zulzilat al-ard and Qul yaa
ayyuha’l-kaafiroon in these two rak’ahs.

From Qiyaam Ramadaan by al-Albaani



Following the imaam until he finishes Taraaweeh

The most correct opinion is that the number of rak’ahs for Taraaweeh is
eleven, but I pray in a mosque where they do twenty one rak’ahs. Can I leave
the mosque after the tenth rak’ah, or is it better to complete the twenty
one rak’ahs with them?

It is better to stay with the imaam until he finishes, even if he is doing
more than eleven rak’ahs, because it is permissible to do the extra rak’ahs,
as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever
prays qiyaam with the imaam until he finishes, Allaah will record it as if
he prayed the whole night” (reported by al-Nisaa'i and others. Sunan
al-Nisaa'i, Baab Qiyaam Shahr Ramadaan), and because the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Prayer at night should be two by two
(rak’ahs), and when dawn approaches, pray one for witr.” (Reported by the
seven; this version reported by al-Nisaa'i).

There is no doubt that adhering to the Sunnah of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) is better and brings more reward, so long
as it is done properly and without haste, but if it is the matter of a
choice between leaving the imaam because of the number of rak’ahs or going
along with the extra that he does, it is better to go along with him,
because of the ahaadeeth referred to above. At the same time, you should
advise the imaam to follow the Sunnah.

Which is better during the day in Ramadaan – reading Qur’aan or praying
voluntary prayers?

Which is better during the day in Ramadaan – reading Qur’aan or praying
voluntary prayers?

Praise be to Allaah.

The Sunnah of the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was to
do a lot of different kinds of worship during Ramadaan. Jibreel used to
review the Qur’aan with him at night, and when Jibreel met with him, he was
more generous in charity than the blowing wind. He was the most generous of
people, and he was at his most generous in Ramadaan. At this time he used to
give more in charity and treat people even more kindly; he would read more
Qur’aan, pray more, recite more dhikr, and spend time in I’tikaaf (retreat).
This is the guidance of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) in this aspect of this holy month.

As to whether it is better to read Qur’aan or to pray voluntary prayers,
this depends on people’s circumstances, and the true evaluation of this is
up to Allaah, because He knows all things.

(From al-Jawaab al-Saheeh min Ahkaam Salaat al-Layl wa’l-Taraaweeh, by
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, p. 45).

A specific action may be better in the case of any given individual, and
another may be better for another individual, according to the degree to
which a particular action brings a person closer to Allaah. Some people may
be influenced more by naafil prayers and may focus on them and do them
properly, which will bring them closer to Allaah than other deeds might, so
in their case those deeds are better. And Allaah knows best.

Adding another rak’ah to the imaam’s witr because one wants to pray some
more

Some people, when they pray witr with the imaam and he says salaam, they get
up and do another rak’ah, because they want to do more prayers before
praying witr later in the night. What is the ruling on this action? Is it
considered to be forsaking the prayer with the imaam?

Praise be to Allaah.

We do not see anything wrong with this, and the ‘ulama’ stated that there is
nothing wrong with doing this, so that his witr will be at the end of the
night. He will be considered to have prayed with the imaam until he
finished, because he stayed with him until he finished, and added another
rak’ah for a shar'i reason, which was so that he could pray witr later in
the night. There is nothing wrong with this, and it does not mean that he
did not stay with the imaam until he finished, but he did not finish with
him – he delayed it a little longer.

From al-Jawaab al-Saheeh min Ahkaam Salaat al-Layl wa’l-Taraaweeh by Shaykh
‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, p. 41.

Question:


What are some ways that help to pray Qiyam Allayl or
tahajjud??

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

There are many things that one can do to help oneself pray qiyaam al-layl,
among which are the following:

1 – Being sincere towards Allaah, as He has commanded us to be sincere
towards Him and none other in our deeds. He tells us (interpretation of the
meaning): “And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allaah,
and worship none but Him Alone…” [al-Bayyinah 98:5]. The more sincere a
person is towards Allaah, the more he will be guided and helped to obey
Allaah and draw closer to Him. Ubayy ibn Ka’b (may Allaah be pleased with
him) reported that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Give glad tidings to this ummah of splendour, religion, high rank,
victory and prevalence on earth. Whoever does the deeds of the Hereafter to
gain some worldly benefit, will have no share of the Hereafter.” (Reported
by Ahmad. Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2825). Mutarraf ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Shakheer
said: “The goodness of a deed is related to the goodness of the heart, and
the goodness of the heart is related to the goodness of the intention.” Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The degree to which a person
is helped and aided by Allaah depends on the degree of his intention, drive,
aim and hopes. Help from Allaah comes to people in proportion to their
drive, intention, hopes and fears, and failure comes to them in like
manner.”

Therefore the salaf were very keen to conceal their acts of worship such as
qiyaam al-layl. A man asked Tameem ibn Aws al-Daari (may Allaah be pleased
with him), ‘How do you pray at night?’ He got very angry and said, ‘By
Allaah, one rak’ah that I pray in secret in the small hours of the night is
more beloved to me than praying the whole night long and then telling people
about it.’ Ayyoob al-Sakhtiyaani used to spend the entire night in prayer,
then when dawn approached, he would go back to bed and lie down, and when
dawn came, he would raise his voice as if he had just woken up.

2 – The person who wants to pray qiyaam al-layl should realize that Allaah
is calling him to qiyaam. When the slave realizes that his Master, Who has
no need of people’s worship, is calling him to do this, he will respond.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you wrapped in your garments
(i.e., Prophet Muhammad)! Stand (to pray) all night, except a little. Half
of it, or a little less than that, or a little more; and recite the Qur’aan
(aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and) style.” [al-Muzzammil 73:1-4].

Sa’d ibn Hishaam ibn ‘Aamir said to ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with
her): “Tell me about how the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) prayed qiyaam.” She said: “Have you not read “Yaa
ayyuha’l-muzzammil (O you wrapped in your garments!)?” He said, “Of course.”
She said: “Allaah, may He be exalted and glorified, made qiyaam obligatory
at the beginning of this soorah, so the Prophet  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and his companions prayed qiyaam for a year, and Allaah
withheld the end of this soorah for twelve months, until He revealed
something at the end of this soorah to make things easier, so qiyaam al-layl
became voluntary after it had been obligatory.” (Reported by Muslim).

3 – Knowing the virtues of qiyaam al-layl. Whoever knows the virtues of this
act of worship will be keen to talk to Allaah, may He be exalted, and to
stand before Him at that time. Among the reports that describe the virtues
of this act of worship is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him), in which the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “The best of prayers after the prescribed prayers is prayer in the
depths of the night, and the best of fasting after the month of Ramadaan is
fasting the month of Allaah, Muharram.” (reported by Muslim).

‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that
the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The most
beloved of prayer to Allaah is the prayer of Dawood, and the most beloved of
fasts to Allaah is the fast of Dawood. He used to sleep for half of the
night, then get up and pray for a third of the night, then sleep for a sixth
of the night, and he used to fast every other day.” (Agreed upon).

‘Amr ibn ‘Absah reported that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “The closest that the Lord is to His slave is in the later
part of the night, so if you can be one of those who remember Allaah at that
time, then do so.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi and al-Nisaa'i).

According to a hadeeth narrated by Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with
him), the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Our
Lord admires two men: a man who leaves his mattress and cover, and slips
away from his wife and lover, to go and pray. Allaah says, ‘O My angels,
look at My slave. He has left his mattress and cover and slipped away from
his lover and wife to pray, our of hope for what is with Me and out of fear
of what is with Me.” (Reported by Ahmad. It is a hasan report. Saheeh
al-Targheeb, 258).

Qiyaam al-Layl expels forgetfulness from the heart, as is stated in the
hadeeth narrated by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased
with them both), in which the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “Whoever recites ten aayaat in qiyaam will not be recorded
as one of the forgetful. Whoever recites a hundred aayaat in qiyaam will be
recorded as one of the devout [???], and whoever prays a thousand aayaat in
qiyaam will be recorded as one of the muqantareen (those who pile up good
deeds).” (Reported by Abu Dawood and Ibn Hibbaan. It is a hasan report.
Saheeh al-Targheeb, 635).

Yahyaa ibn Mu’aadh said: “The medicine of the heart is five things: reading
Qur’aan and pondering the meaning, having an empty stomach, praying at night
(qiyaam al-layl), beseeching Allaah at the time of suhoor, and keeping
company with righteous people.”

4 – Studying how the salaf and righteous people practised qiyaam al-layl and
adhered to it. The salaf used to enjoy qiyaam al-layl and rejoice greatly in
doing it. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Wahb said: “Every type of pleasure is enjoyed only
once, except for acts of worship, which are enjoyed three times: when you do
it, when you remember it, and when you are given the reward for it.”

Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir said: “There is nothing left of the joys of this
life except three: qiyaam al-layl, meeting one’s brothers in faith, and
praying in congregation.”

Thaabit al-Banaani said: “There is nothing I enjoy more than qiyaam
al-layl.”

Yazeed al-Riqaashi said: “A lot of tahajjud brings delight to the
worshippers, and a lot of thirst (i.e., fasting), brings joy when they meet
Allaah.”

Mukhallad ibn Husayn said: “I never woke up at night except I saw Ibraaheem
ibn Adham remembering Allaah and praying, and this made me depressed, so I
consoled myself with this aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘…That is
the Grace of Allaahm which He bestows on whom He pleases. And Allaah is the
Owner of Great Bounty’ [al-Hadeed 54:21].”

Abu ‘Aasim al-Nabeel said: “Abu Haneefah used to be called al-Watad (pole or
pillar) because he prayed so much.”

Al-Qaasim ibn Ma’een said: “Abu Haneefah spent an entire night in qiyaam
reciting this aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Nay, but the Hour is
their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more
grievous and more bitter’ [al-Qamar 54:46], repeating it and weeping,
beseeching Allaah until morning came.”

Ibraaheem ibn Shammaas said: “I used to see Ahmad ibn Hanbal staying up at
night to pray when he was a young man.”

Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi said: “I was with Imaam Ahmad for nearly four months in
the army, and he never stopped praying qiyaam at night or reading Qur’aan
during the day, and I never knew when he completed the Qur’aan, because he
kept that secret.”

Imaam al-Bukhaari used to pray qiyaam and tahajjud at night until the time
of suhoor, and he would read between a half and a third of the Qur’aan, and
complete it at suhoor every third night.

Al-‘Allaamah Ibn ‘Abd al-Haadi said, describing the qiyaam of Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah: “At night he would keep away from people, and spend
that time only with his Lord, beseeching Him continually and reciting
Qur’aan, repeating different kinds of acts of worship by night and by day.
When he began to pray, his body would start to tremble, leaning to the left
and right.”

Ibn Rajab said concerning his shaykh Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim: “He was a man of
worship, tahajjud and lengthy prayers. I have never seen his equal in
worship and knowledge of the Qur’aan, hadeeth and principles of faith.”

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said, describing his shaykh al-Haafiz al-‘Iraaqi: “I
stayed with him, and I never saw him forsake qiyaam al-layl: it was like a
habit for him.”

5 – Sleeping on one’s right side. The Prophet  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) taught his ummah to sleep on their right sides, as is
reported in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him),
who said that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“When any one of you goes to bed, let him clear his bed by hitting it with
his garment, for he does not know what may have come onto it. Then let him
lie down on his right side, then let him say, ‘Bismika Rabbi wada’tu janbi
wa bika arfa’uhu. In amsakta nafsi farhamhaa wa in arsaltahaa fahfazhaa
bimaa tahfazu bihi ‘ibaadaka al-saaliheen (In Your Name, my Lord, I lay
myself down and I get up again. If You take my soul, then have mercy on it,
and if You send it back to me, then protect it with that with which You
protect Your righteous slaves).’” (Agreed upon).

Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you want to
go to bed, do wudoo’ as for prayer, then lie down on your right side.”
(Agreed upon)

Hafsah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “When the Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to bed, he would put his right hand
under his right cheek.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani, Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4523).

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “There is a reason
for his lying on his right side, which is that the heart is located on the
left, so if a person lays on his left side, he will sleep too deeply,
because the heart’s position will be too comfortable, but if he sleeps on
his right side, he will not be too settled, so he won’t sleep deeply.”

6 – Sleeping in a state of tahaarah (purity). We have already quoted the
hadeeth of al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him), in which
the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “When you go
to bed, do wudoo’ as if for prayer.” (Agreed upon).

Mu’aad ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no Muslim who
goes to sleep remembering Allaah and in a state of purity, and when he turns
over he asks Allaah for good in this world and the next, but it will be
given to him.” (Reported by Abu Dawood and Ahmad. Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5754).

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet
  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Purify these bodies and
Allaah will purify you, for there is no slave who goes to sleep in a state
of purity but an angel spends the night with him, and every time he turns
over, [the angel] says, ‘O Allaah, forgive Your slave, for he went to bed in
a state of purity.’” (Reported by al-Tabaraani. Al-Mundhiri said, its isnaad
is jaayid. Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3831).

7 – Going to sleep early. Sleeping straight after ‘Ishaa’ is the advice of
the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and a good and
healthy habit. One of the ahaadeeth that describe its virtues was narrated
by Abu Barzah al-Aslami (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said that the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to prefer to delay
‘Ishaa’, and he did not like to sleep before it or talk after it. (Reported
by al-Bukhaari).

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar reported that al-Qaadi ‘Ayaad said, concerning the
phrase “He did not like to sleep before it”: “Because that could lead to one
praying it too late, or delaying it until after the preferred time, and
talking after it could lead to one sleeping before Fajr and missing it, or
missing qiyaam al-layl.”

Ibn Raafi’ said: “ ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him)
used to wave his stick at the people when darkness fell, and would say, ‘Get
up and go, may Allaah help you to pray qiyaam at night!’”

Another matter that has to do with sleep is choosing a suitable bed, not one
that is excessively luxurious or soft, because that makes a person sleep too
much and become negligent, and causes laziness and carelessness. ‘Aa’ishah
(may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The pillow of the Prophet  (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on which he slept at night was made of
leather stuffed with palm fibres.” (Reported by Abu Dawood and Ahmad. Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 4714).

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattaab entered upon the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) when he was lying on a mat of palm fibres that had left
marks on his side. ‘Umar said, “O Messenger of Allaah, why do you not get
something more comfortable than this?” He  (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “What do I have to do with this world? My relationship with
this world is like that of a traveller on a hot summer’s day, who seeks
shade under a tree for an hour, then moves on.” (Reported by Ahmad and
al-Haakim. Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5545).

‘Ali ibn Bakkaar (may Allaah have mercy on him) used to have a slave-woman
who would spread out his bed for him, and he would touch it with his hand
and say: “By Allaah, you are good, and by Allaah you are cool, but by Allaah
I will not rest on you tonight.” Then he would get up and pray qiyaam until
Fajr.

Also, one should not sleep too much or too deeply. Ibraaheem ibn Adham said:
“If you are sleeping at night, and running about during the day, and always
committing sin, how can you earn the pleasure of the One Who is directing
your affairs?”

8 – Having the habit of reciting adhkaar prescribed by sharee’ah before
going to sleep, because these adhkaar are like a fortress which protects a
person from the Shaytaan, by the permission of Allaah, and helps him to get
up for qiyaam. Among these adhkaar is that mentioned in the hadeeth of Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet  (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you goes to bed,
let him clear his bed by hitting it with his garment, for he does not know
what may have come onto it. Then let him lie down on his right side, then
let him say, ‘Bismika Rabbi wada’tu janbi wa bika arfa’uhu. In amsakta nafsi
farhamhaa wa in arsaltahaa fahfazhaa bimaa tahfazu bihi ‘ibaadaka
al-saaliheen (In Your Name, my Lord, I lay myself down and I get up again.
If You take my soul, then have mercy on it, and if You send it back to me,
then protect it with that with which You protect Your righteous slaves).’”
(Agreed upon).

‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) reported that when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to bed each night, he would
put his palms together, blow in them, and recite Qul huwa Allaahu ahad, Qul
a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Falaq and Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Naas, then he would wipe
as much of his body as he could with his hands, starting with his head and
face, and the front of his body, doing this three times. (Agreed upon).

Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever recites the last
two aayahs of Soorat al-Baqarah, this will take care of him.” (Agreed upon).

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that when the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to bed, he would
say: “Al-hamdu Lillaah illadhi at’amanaa wa saqaanaa, wa kafaanaa fa kam
mimman laa kaafeeya lahu wa laa mu’weeya lahu (Praise be to Allaah Who has
fed us and given us to drink, and Who has given us enough, for how many are
there who have no-one to suffice them or give them refuge).” (Reported by
Muslim).

According to the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah in which he tells the story of how
he captured the Shaytaan, the Shaytaan said to him: “When you go to bed,
recite Aayat al-Kursi, ‘Allaah! None has the right to be worshipped but He,
the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…’
[al-Baqarah 2:255 – interpretation of the meaning] until the end of it,
because it will bring Allaah’s protection for you, and no shaytaan will
approach you until morning comes.” Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him) mentioned this to the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), and he said, “He spoke the truth even though he is a liar.” (Agreed
upon).

‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that when the
Prophet’s daughter Faatimah (may Allaah be pleased with her) came to him and
asked him for a servant, he  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said to her and ‘Ali: “Shall I not teach you something that will be better
for you than a servant? When you go to bed, say ‘Subhaan Allaah’
thirty-three times, ‘al-hamdu Lillaah’ thirty-three times, and ‘Allaahu
akbar’ thirty-four times. This is better for you than a servant.” (Agreed
upon).

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Recite ‘Qul yaa
ayyuha’l-kaafiroon’ when you go to sleep, for it is a renunciation of
shirk.” (Reported by al-Bayhaqi. Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1172).

Hafsah (may Allaah be pleased with her) reported that when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went to bed, he would put his
right hand under his right cheek and say: ‘Rabbi qinee ‘adhaabaka yawma
tab’athu ‘ibaadaka (My Lord, save me from Your punishment on the Day when
You resurrect Your slaves).’” (Reported by Abu Dawood, Saheeh al-Jaami’,
4532).

Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you go to
bed, do wudoo’ as if for prayer, then lie down on your right side, then say:
‘Allaahummah aslamtu nafsi ilayk, wa wajahtu wajhi ilayk, wa fawwadtu amri
ilayk, wa alja’tu zahri ilayk, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilayk, laa malja’a wa
laa manjaa minka illa ilayk. Aamantu bi kitaabik alladhi anzalt, wa bi
nabiyyik alladhi arsalt (O Allaah, I submit myself to You, I turn my face to
You, I delegate my affairs to You and I rely totally on You, out of fear and
hope of You. There is no refuge or sanctuary from You except in You. I
believe in Your Book which You have revealed and in Your Prophet whom You
have sent).’ Then if you die, you will have died on the fitrah, so make
these the last words you speak.” (Agreed upon).

Similarly, the Muslim should have the habit of reciting adhkaar prescribed
by sharee’ah when waking up, such as that reported by Abu Hurayrah, who said
that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When
any one of you wakes up, he should say: ‘Al-hamdu Lillaah illadhi radda
‘alayya roohi, wa ‘aafaani fi jasadi wa adhina li bi dhikrihi (Praise be to
Allaah Who has restored my soul, given health to my body, and allowed me to
remember Him).” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi and al-Nisaa'i, Saheeh al-Jaami’,
326).

‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever turns
over at night and says ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah,
lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘a’l kulli shay’in qadeer.
Al-hamdulillahi, subhaan Allaah wa laa illaaha ill-Allaah wa Allaahu akbar
wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah (There is no god but Allaah Alone,
with no partner or associate. His is the Dominion and the Praise, and He is
Able to do all things. Praise be to Allaah, glory be to Allaah. There is no
god except Allaah, Allaah is Most Great and there is no strength and no
power except in Allaah),’ then says, ‘Allaahumma ‘ghfir li (O Allaah,
forgive me),’ or some other du’aa’, it will be answered, and if he does
wudoo’ and then prays, his prayer will be accepted.” (Reported by
al-Bukhaari)

Imaam Ibn Battaal said: “Allaah has promised through His Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) that whoever wakes up from his sleep
pronouncing words of Tawheed, submitting to His sovereignty, recognizing His
blessings by praising Him, exalting Him above that which does not befit Him
by glorifying Him (saying ‘Subhaan Allaah’), submitting to Him by magnifying
Him (saying ‘Allaahu akbar’) and admitting one’s utter dependence upon His
help, then if he makes du’aa’ it will be answered, and if he prays his
prayer will be accepted. Everyone who hears this hadeeth should apply it and
make the most of it, and make his intention sincerely for his Lord, may He
be glorified and exalted.”

Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “When the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) woke up, he would say:
‘Al-hamdu Lillaah illadhi ahyaanaa ba’da maa amaatanaa wa ilayhi al-nushoor
(Praise be to Allaah Who has brought us back to life after having caused us
to die, and unto Him is the resurrection).’” (Reported by Muslim).

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that when the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) woke up he would wipe
the sleep from his face with his hand, then look at the sky and recite the
final ten aayaat of Soorat Aal ‘Imran: “Verily, in the creation of the
heavens and the earth…” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:190 – interpretation of the
meaning].” (Reported by Muslim)

Imaam al-Nawawi said: “This indicates that it is mustahabb to wipe away the
traces of sleep from one’s face, and to recite these aayaat when getting up
from sleep.”

9 – Being keen to take a nap or siesta during the day, whether before zuhr
or after. Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Take a nap, for the
shayaateen do not take naps.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani. Al-Saheehah, 2647).

Ishaaq ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Taking a nap is one of the deeds of good
people. It revitalizes the heart and helps one to pray qiyaam al-layl.”

Al-Hasan al-Basri passed by a group of people in the marketplace in the
middle of the day, and heard the racket they were making. He said, “Do these
people take a nap?” It was said to him, “No.” He said, “I think their nights
must be bad.”

10 – Avoiding eating or drinking too much. Eating and drinking too much are
two of the main obstacles that prevent people from praying qiyaam al-layl.
Al-Miqdaam ibn Ma’d Yakrib (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that
the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Man fills no
vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to have
a few mouthfuls to give him the strength he needs. If he has to fill his
stomach, then let him leave one-third for food, one-third for drink and
one-third for air.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah. Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 5674).

Abu Juhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to a man who burped in his
presence: “Stop your burping, for the people who eat the most in this life
will be the most hungry hungry on the Day of Resurrection.” (Reported by
al-Haakim. Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1190).

Sufyaan al-Thawri said: “You should eat little, so that you will be able to
pray qiyaam al-layl.”

Ma’qal ibn Habeeb saw some people eating a lot, and said, ‘I do not think
that our companions want to pray qiyaam al-layl.”

Wahb ibn Munbih said: “There is no son of Adam dearer to his shaytaan than
the one who eats and sleeps a lot.”

11 – Striving against oneself to pray qiyaam al-layl. This is one of the
best means of helping oneself to pray qiyaam, because human nature is
inclined towards wrongdoing, so the one who follows his own inclinations
will be led to doom and destruction. Allaah has commanded us to strive
against our own selves, as He says (interpretation of the meanings):

“And strive hard in Allaah’s Cause as you ought to strive…” [al-Hajj 22:78]

“And as for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide them to
Our Paths. And verily, Allaah is with the muhsinoon (good-doers).”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:69]

“Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and
they spend (charity in Allaah’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them”
[al-Sajdah 32:16]

Fadaalah ibn ‘Ubayd (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The mujaahid is
the one who strives against his own self for the sake of Allaah.” (Reported
by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibbaan. Al-Saheehah, 549).

According to the hadeeth of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with
him), the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a
man from my ummah gets up to pray at night, striving against his own self to
get up and purify himself, there are knots on him. When he washes his hands
in wudoo’, one knot is undone. When he washes his face, another knot is
undone. When he wipes his head another knot is undone. When he washes his
feet, another knot is undone. Then Allaah says to those who are veiled (in
the Unseen): ‘Look at this slave of Mine, he is striving against his own
self and asking of Me. Whatever My slave asks of Me shall be his.” (Reported
by Ahmad and Ibn Hibaan. Saheeh al-Targheeb, 627).

Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir said: “I struggled against my own self for forty
years until it became right.” Thaabit al-Banaani said: “I struggled for
twenty years to make myself pray qiyaam al-layl, and I enjoyed it (qiyaam
al-layl) for twenty years.” ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez said: “The best of
deeds are those which we force ourselves to do.” ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak
said: “The souls of righteous people in the past used to push them to do
good deeds, but our souls do not do what we want them to do except by force,
so we have to force them.” Qutaadah said: “O son of Adam, if you do not want
to do any good except when you have the energy for it, then your nature is
more inclined towards boredom and laziness. The true believer is the one who
pushes himself.”

12 – Avoiding sin. If the Muslim wants to be one of those who earn the
honour of speaking to Allaah in the depths of the night, let him beware of
sin, for the one who is contaminated with the stain of sin will not be
helped to pray qiyaam al-layl. A man said to Ibraaheem ibn Adham, “I cannot
pray qiyaam al-layl, so tell me the cure for this.” He said, “Do not commit
sin during the day, and He will help you to stand before Him at night, for
your standing before Him at night is one of the greatest honours, and the
sinner does not deserve that honour.”

A man said to al-Hasan al-Basri: “”O Abu Sa’eed, I sleep in good health, and
I love to pray qiyaam al-layl, and I prepare water with which to purify
myself, so why can I not get up?” Al-Hasan said: “Your sins are restricting
you.” He said, may Allaah have mercy on him, “The slave who commits a sin
will be denied the opportunity to pray qiyaam at night and to fast during
the day.”

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Ayaad said: “If you cannot pray qiyaam al-layl, or fast
during the day, know that you are indeed deprived and restricted, chained by
your sins.”

13 – Checking oneself and rebuking oneself for not praying qiyaam al-layl.
Checking oneself is one of the signs of the righteous and truthful. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Fear Allaah and
keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth
for the morrow, and fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what you
do.” [al-Hashr 59:18].

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim said: “If the slave is responsible and accountable for
everything, even his hearing, sight and innermost thoughts, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning), ‘…Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and
the heart of each of you will be questioned by Allaah’ [al-Isra’ 17:36],
then he should check on himself before he is brought to account.”

Qiyaam al-layl is an act of worship that connects the heart to Allaah, may
He be exalted, and enables it to overcome the temptations of life and to
strive against one’s own self, at the time when voices are stilled, eyes are
closed in sleep, and sleepers are tossing and turning in their beds.
Therefore qiyaam al-layl is one of the measures of sincere determination and
one of the qualities of those who have great ambitions. Allaah has praised
them and distinguished them from others in the Qur’aan, where He says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Is one who is obedient to Allaah,
prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night,
fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who
disbelieves)? Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who know not?’ It is
only men of understanding who will remember.” [al-Zumar 39:9]

Qiyaam al-layl is “sunnah mu’akkadah” (confirmed Sunnah), which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to do when he said,
“You should pray qiyaam al-layl, for it is the habit of the righteous people
who came before you, and it will bring you closer to your Lord, expiate for
bad deeds, prevent sin, and expel disease from the body.” (Reported by
al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad).

According to a hadeeth, the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “The best of prayers after the prescribed prayers is qiyaam
al-layl.” The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always
had the habit of praying qiyaam al-layl, and never gave it up, whether he
was travelling or staying at home. Even though he, among all the sons of
Adam, would be the one to have all his past and future sins forgiven, he
prayed qiyaam al-layl until his feet became swollen, and when he was asked
about that, he said, “Should I not be a grateful slave?” (Agreed upon).

This is how the noble salaf were, may Allaah have mercy upon them.
Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Pray two rak’ahs in the
darkness of the night for the darkness of the grave.” Ahmad ibn Harb said:
“I am astonished at people who know that the delights of Paradise lie above
them and the horrors of Hell lie beneath them. How can they sleep in between
them?”

When ‘Umar ibn Dharr saw that night had come, he would say: “Night has come,
and night has dignity, and Allaah is most deserving of reverence.”

For this reason, al-Fudayl ibn ‘Ayaad said: “I met some people who feel
ashamed before Allaah to sleep for too long in the depths of the night. Such
a person may be resting on his side, and when he moves, he says to himself,
‘This is not your right. Get up and take your share of the Hereafter.’”

Al-Hasan said: “We do not know of any deed more difficult than the struggle
to stay up at night or to spend money.” It was said to him, “Why do the
mutahajjadeen (those who pray Tahajjud at night) have the most beautiful
faces?” He said, “Because they spend time alone with the Most Merciful, so
He adorns them with some of His light.”

The women of the salaf also used to strive to pray qiyaam al-layl with
energy and determination. Where are the women of our own age when it comes
to such great deeds? ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr said: “I came to ‘Aa’ishah (may
Allaah be pleased with her) one day to greet her, and I found her praying
and reciting the aayah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘But Allaah has been
gracious to us, and has saved us from the torment of the Fire’ [al-Toor
52:27], repeating it and weeping. I waited for her, but I got bored of
waiting, so I went to the market for some things I needed, then I came back
to ‘Aa’ishah, and she was still praying and reciting this aayah and
weeping.”

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Jibreel said to me, ‘Go
back to Hafsah, for she fasts a lot and prays a lot at night (qiyaam
al-layl).’” (Reported by al-Haakim, Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4227).

Mu’aadhah al-‘Adawiyyah, one of the righteous Taabi’aat spent her wedding
night, along with her husband Silah ibn Ashyam, praying until Fajr. When her
husband and son were killed in the land of jihaad, she would spend the whole
night in prayer, worshipping and beseeching Allaah, and she would sleep
during the day. If she felt sleepy whilst she was praying at night, she
would tell herself: “O soul, there is plenty of sleep ahead of you.”

When Habeebah al-‘Adawiyyah prayed ‘Ishaa’, she would stand on the roof of
her house, wearing her chemise and khimaar (i.e., covered in proper Islamic
dress), then she would say, “O my God, the stars have come out, people have
gone to sleep, and kings have closed their doors, but Your door is open.
Every lover is alone with his lover, but here I am standing before You.”
Then she would start to pray and talk to her Lord until the time of suhoor.
When the time of suhoor came, she would say, “O Allaah, this night is
ending, the day is coming, and I wish I knew whether you have accepted this
night (of worship) from me, so that I could congratulate myself, or if it
has been rejected, so that I might console myself.”

‘Amrah, the wife of Habeeb al-‘Ajami, prayed qiyaam al-layl one night whilst
her husband was asleep. When the time for suhoor came, and her husband was
still asleep, she woke him up and said to him, “Get up, my master, for the
night has gone, the day has come and ahead of you lies a long road with
little provision, and a small group of righteous people who have gone before
us, and we are still here.”

We ask Allaah to help us to remember Him, to thank Him and to worship Him
properly. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Question:


If i forgot to say Athakar Assabah before sunrise,is acceptable if i say it
whenever i wake up??

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Adhkaar al-sabaah (supplications recited in the morning) are not connected
only to the time when the sun rises; in Arabic the word subh (morning)
applies to dawn and the first part of the day, as is stated in al-Qaamoos
al-Muheet, 291 [a famous Arabic language dictionary – Translator]. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… and celebrate the Praises of your Lord in the evening and in the
morning.”[Ghaafir 40:55 – Yusuf ‘Ali’s translation]

Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer (4/86) that this means in the early part of
the day and in the early part of the night. But the best time of the day for
making dhikr is after the dawn prayer, because Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“… and glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun, and
before its setting…”[Taa-Haa 20:130]

and the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then sits and remembers Allaah (makes
dhikr) until the sun rises, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like
that for Hajj and ‘Umrah, complete, complete, complete.” (Saheeh al-Jaami’,
6222).

Based on the above, this is how we understand the reports narrated on this
topic, such as the ahaadeeth:

“Whoever says, in the morning and the evening, ‘Subhaan Allaahi wa bi hamdih
(Glory and praise be to Allaah)’ one hundred times, will not come with
anything better than it on the Day of Resurrection, except for one who does
likewise or does more.” (Reported by Muslim, 2692).

“Allaahumma bika asbahnaa wa bika amsaynaa wa bika nahyaa wa bika namoot wa
ilayka al-nushoor (O Allaah, by Your blessings we reach the morning, by Your
blessings we reach the evening, by Your blessings we live, by Your blessings
we die, and unto You is the Resurrection).” (Reported by Abu Dawood in
al-Sunan, no. (5068); al-Nisaa'i in al-Sunan al-Kubra (9836). Al-Albaani
said it is a saheeh hadeeth).

Therefore you can say Adhkaar al-Sabaah when you wake up from sleeping,
because it is still the time of subh (morning). And Allaah is the Source of
strength.

Note:

Muslim reported in his Saheeh (no. 747) that the Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever sleeps without doing his
regular dhikr or part of it, then recites it during the time between Fajr
prayer and Zuhr prayer, it will be recorded as if he had recited it at
night.”

In Sharh Muslim (6/27), al-Nawawi said:

“This indicates that it is mustahabb (liked, preferred), to recite awraad
(dhikr, supplications) regularly, and that if one misses it, one can make it
up later.”

In ‘Awn al-Ma’bood (4/198) it says:

“This hadeeth indicates that it is permissible to recite wird regularly at
night, and that it is permissible to make it up if one misses it because of
sleeping or any other reason. It also indicates that the one who does this
between Fajr prayer and Zuhr prayer is like the one who does it at night, so
it is mustahabb to make up tahajjud if one misses it at night.” And Allaah
knows best.


Question:


I would like to know about the status of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) .

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is prescribed for everyone who hears the adhaan and call to prayer to
repeat after the muezzin, and when he has finished repeating the entire
adhaan, he should send prayers and blessings on the Prophet Muhammad  (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then recite the words narrated in the
saheeh hadeeth from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah, who reported that the Messenger
of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever says
when he hears the call to prayer, ‘Allaahummah Rabba haadhihi’l-da’wat
il-taammah wa’l-salaat il-qaa’imah, aati Muhammadan al-waseelata
wa’l-fadeelah, wab’athhu maqaaman mahmoodan alladhi wa’adtahu (O Allaah,
Lord of this perfect Call and the Prayer to be offered, grant Muhammad the
privilege and also the eminence, and resurrect him to the praised position
that You have promised), will be granted my intercession on the Day of
Resurrection.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 579). There is no phrase in this
du’aa’ like “al-darajah al-‘aaliyah al-rafee’ah (the high and elevated
status),” so this should not be said. The conjunction “wa” in the phrase
“al-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah (the privilege and also the eminence) is by way
of explanation; waseelah is the status higher than the rest of creation. The
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained it in the
hadeeth narrated by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, who said that he heard
the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “When you hear
the muezzin and say something like he says, then send blessings on me,
whoever sends blessings on me, Allaah will send blessings tenfold on him.
Then ask Allaah to grant me al-waseelah, for it is a status in Paradise that
only one of the slaves of Allaah will reach, and I hope that I will be the
one. Whoever asks for al-waseelah for me will be granted intercession.”
(Reported by Muslim, 577).

The “praised position”(maqaam mahmood) is intercession before Allaah so that
He will start to judge between His slaves, and no one will be granted this
except Muhammad  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is
mentioned in the words of Allaah addressed to the Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):

“Perform al-salaah from mid-day till the darkness of the night (i.e., the
Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers), and recite the Qur’aan in the early
dawn (i.e., the morning prayer). Verily, the recitation of the Qur’aan in
the early dawn is ever witnessed (aatended by the angels in charge of
mankind of the day and the night).

And in some parts of the night (also) offer the salaah (prayer) with it
(i.e., recite the Qur’aan in the prayer), as an additional prayer (tahajjud
– optional prayer) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise
you to maqaaman mahmoodah (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the highest
degree in Paradise).” [al-Isra’ 17:78-79]

It is called al-maqaam al-mahmood because all of creation will praise
Muhammad  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for that status,
because his intercession will ease their distress on that terrible day by
setting the process of judgement in motion. And Allaah knows best.

Question:


I believe for sure that Rasulu'LLah Muhammad(swa) Is the best of all the
prophets(asw) . But is there any envidence in the Quran or Sunna to support
this ? There is an aya in quran which says 'we(i) don't diffetiance(nufariq)
amoung them(the prophets).

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

(1)     Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers”

[al-Baqarah 2:285].

Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer of this aayah:

The believers believe in all the Prophets and Messengers, and the books
revealed from heaven to the slaves of Allaah, the Messengers and Prophets;
they do not differentiate between any of them, believing in some and
rejecting others. Rather they regard all of them as truthful, righteous,
rightly-guided and guiding to the path of goodness, even though some of them
abrogated the laws of others, until all of them were abrogated by the
sharee’ah of Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, upon whose
sharee’ah the Hour will cone.(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/736)

With regard to the superiority of some of the Prophets over one another,
Allaah has told us of this, when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them
Allaah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour)”[al-Baqarah
2:253]

Allaah tells us that some of them are several degrees above others, hence
the chosen ones among the Messengers are “those of strong will”. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you
(O Muhammad), and from Nooh (Noah), Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosaa (Moses), and
‘Eesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary). We took from them a strong
covenant”[al-Ahzaab 33:7]

And Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best of
them. This is indicated by the fact that he was their imaam on the night of
the Mi’raaj, because no one but the best is put forward. More evidence that
he is the best of them comes from Abu Hurayrah, who said: “The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘I will be the
leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, and the first one for
whom the grave will be opened, and the first to intercede, and the first
whose intercession will be accepted.’”

(Narrated by Muslim, al-Fadaa’il, 4223)

Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim:

The phrase “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of
Resurrection and the first one for whom the grave will be opened, and the
first to intercede, and the first whose intercession will be accepted”:
al-Harawi said: the leader (sayyid) is the one who surpasses his people in
goodness. Someone else said: He is the one to whom they turn at times of
calamity and hardship, so he takes care of them, carries their burdens and
protects them.

The phrase “the Day of Resurrection” – even though he is their leader in
this world and in the Hereafter. The reason for this specific mention is
that on the Day of Resurrection his position of leadership will become
apparent to everyone, and there will no longer be anyone who disputes or
stubbornly rejects it, unlike the case in this world when the kings of the
kuffaar and the leaders of the mushrikeen competed with him. The scholars
said, he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not say ““I will be
the leader of the sons of Adam” out of pride. Indeed, that is clearly stated
in the famous hadeeth narrated by compilers other than Muslim: “I will be
the leader of the sons of Adam, and I am not boasting.” Rather, he said it
for two reasons. The first was in obedience to the command of Allaah
(interpretation of the meaning): “And proclaim the Grace of your Lord”, and
the second was that it was part of the message that he was commanded to
convey in totality to his ummah so that they would acknowledge his status
and believe in him, and do as he commanded, and respect him (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) as required by his status and as Allaah
commanded them. This hadeeth implies that he is superior to all of creation,
because the view of Ahl al-Sunnah is that human beings, i.e., the people of
obedience and piety, are superior to the angels, and he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is superior to human beings and to others. With
regard to the other hadeeth – “Do not differentiate between the Prophets” –
it may be responded to in five ways. The first is that he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said this before he knew that he was the
leader of the sons of Adam; then when he came to know he spoke of it. The
second is that he said it out of politeness and humility. The third is that
the prohibition refers to the kind of differentiation that leads to
undermining the position of the one who is less preferred. The fourth is
that the prohibition applies to the kind of differentiation that leads to
dispute and fitnah (tribulation), as is well known in the reason for the
hadeeth. The fifth is that the prohibition applies only in the case of
prophethood itself, not to superiority within the ranks of the Prophets;
rather, it applies to superiority in characteristics and other virtues, so
it is essential to believe in that. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others…”

[al-Baqarah 2:253]

And Allaah knows best.

The characteristics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) confirm that he is superior to the rest of the Messengers. We will
mention some of them which are narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah:

Allaah has singled out the Qur’aan, to the exclusion of other Books, to be
preserved. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’aan) and
surely, We will guard it (from corruption)”

[al-Hijr 15:9]

In the case of the other Books, Allaah entrusted their protection to their
people. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning]

“Verily, We did send down the Tawraat (Torah) [to Moosa (Moses)], therein
was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to
Allaah’s Will, judged for the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests [too
judged for the Jews by the Tawraat (Torah) after those Prophets], for to
them was entrusted the protection of Allaah’s Book, and they were witnesses
thereto

[al-Maa’idah 5:44]

He is the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of
Allaah and the last (end) of the Prophets”

[al-Ahzaab 33:40]

He is unique in that he was sent to all of mankind. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. this
Qur’aan) to His slave (Muhammad) that he may be a warner to the ‘Aalameen
(mankind and jinn)”

[al-Furqaan 25:1]

Among his unique characteristics in the Hereafter:

He will be the owner of the “position of praise and glory (al-maqaam
al-mahmood)” on the Day of Resurrection. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salaah (prayer) with it
(i.e. recite the Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud
optional prayer Nawaafil) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord
will raise you to Maqaam Mahmood (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the
honour of intercession on the Day of Resurrection)”

[al-Israa’ 17:78]

Ibn Jareer said: most of the commentators said that is the position which he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will occupy in order to
intercede for the people on the Day of Resurrection, to ask that their Lord
might grant them respite from the great hardship that they are suffering on
this Day.” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 5/103)

And he will be the leader of all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, as
stated in the hadeeth quoted above.

He will be the first one to cross al-Siraat with his ummah. Al-Bukhaari
narrated a lengthy hadeeth concerning that from Abu Hurayrah, in which it
says, “… and I will be the first one among the Messengers to lead his ummah
across it.” (al-Adhaan, 764).

Another indication that he is the best of the Prophets is the fact that they
will not intercede, rather one of them will refer the people to another,
until ‘Eesa refers them to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). He will say, “I (will do it),” then he will step forward to intercede
for everyone, and the first and the last will praise him for that, the
Prophets and the rest of mankind.

His unique characteristics, as mentioned in the ayaat and saheeh ahaadeeth,
are too many to mention in this brief summary; entire books have been
written on this topic.

See Kitaab Khasaa’is al-Mustafa (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
bayna al-Ghulw wa’l-Jafaa’ by al-Saadiq ibn Muhammad, 33-79

To sum up, we prefer our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) over all the other Prophets and over all of mankind, because of
the evidence that has been narrated concerning that, whilst also respecting
the rights of the other Prophets and Messengers and believing in them and
respecting them. And Allaah knows best.

Question:


Will the people who go to Heaven be reunited with their loved ones who go to
Hell? Is it possible to take loved ones out of Hell, since all requests in
Heaven are granted (assuming they know about their fate)?
Can we also be reunited with our Loved ones in this world who are non-mahrum
to us? This includes those that we loved but could not marry.

Answer:


Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly, you say, “does this include those whom we loved but could not
marry?”

The answer to this is that it is not permissible for a Muslim man to form a
relationship with a non-mahram women, or for a Muslim woman to form a
relationship with a man or to have an emotional attachment to him, except
for her husband. See Questions nos. 9465, 5445, 1200.

Secondly, you say, “Will the people who go to Heaven be reunited with their
loved ones who go to Hell?”

The answer is, yes, the people of Paradise will be reunited with their loved
ones who went to Hell, if they were believers in Tawheed (the oneness of
Allaah). That will be by virtue of their intercession for them to be brought
forth from Hell and admitted to Paradise. The evidence for that was narrated
by al-Bukhaari in Kitaab al-Tawheed, no. 7440:

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: “We said, ‘O Messenger of
Allaah! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?’ He said, ‘Do you
have any difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when the sky is clear?’
We said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘So you will have no difficulty in seeing your Lord
on that Day, just as you have no difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon
(in a clear sky). …Then the bridge will be laid across Hell.’ We said, "O
Messenger of Allaah! What is the bridge?’ He said, ‘It is a slippery
(bridge) on which there are clamps and (hooks like) thorns which are wide at
one side and narrow at the other and have bent ends. A plant with such
thorns is found in Najd and is called al-Sa'daan. Some of the believers will
cross the bridge as quickly as the wink of an eye, some others as quick as
lightning, a strong wind, or fast horses or she-camels. So some will be safe
without any harm; some will be safe after receiving some scratches, and some
will fall down into Hell (Fire). The last person will cross by being dragged
(over the bridge). You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing in claiming from me
a right that has been clearly proved to be yours than the believers in
interceding with Almighty Allaah for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day,
when they see themselves safe.

They will say, “O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with
us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us.” Allah will say, “Go and
take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight
of one (gold) Dinar.” Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those
sinners. They will go to them and find some of them in Hell (Fire) up to
their feet, and some up to the middle of their legs. So they will take out
those whom they will recognize and then they will return, and Allah will say
(to them), “Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith
equal to the weight of one half Dinar.” They will take out whomever they
will recognize and return, and then Allah will say, “Go and take out (of
Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of an atom
(or a small ant),” and so they will take out all those whom they will
recognize.’” Abu Sa’eed said, “If you do not believe me, read, if you wish,
‘Surely, Allaah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a small ant),
but if there is any good (done), He doubles it...’ [al-Nisaa’ 4:40 –
interpretation of the meaning].” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “Then the Prophets and Angels and the believers will
intercede, and (last of all) the Almighty (Allah) will say, ‘Now remains My
Intercession. He will then hold a handful of the Fire from which He will
take out some people whose bodies have been burnt, and they will be thrown
into a river at the entrance of Paradise, called the water of life. They
will grow on its banks, as a seed carried by the torrent grows…”

But for those who believed in shirk, no intercession will benefit them.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in
worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills”

[al-Nisaa’ 4:48]

Note that intercession is of two types:

“The first type is the kind of intercession that is the exclusive preserve
of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is of
varying kinds, the greatest of which is the Great Intercession in the
Station of praise and glory (al-maqaam al-mahmood) which Allaah has promised
to him in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

‘And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salaah (prayer) with it
(i.e. recite the Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud
optional prayer Nawaafil) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord
will raise you to Maqaam Mahmood (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the
honour of intercession on the Day of Resurrection)’

[al-Israa’ 17:79]

This intercession means that he will intercede for the people who are
standing on the Day of Resurrection, so that the distress they are suffering
will be reduced for them.

The second type is general intercession on the part of the Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for all the believers. This is of
various kinds:

(i)                                        Intercession for those who
deserve Hell, so that they will not enter it. This is indicated by the words
of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “There is no
Muslim who dies and forty men who do not associate anything with Allaah pray
the funeral prayer for him, but Allaah will accept their intercession for
him.” (narrated by Muslim, 2/655).

(ii)                                      Intercession for those who have
entered Hell, so that they will be brought forth from it. It was narrated
that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘By the One in Whose hand is my soul,

You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing in claiming from me a right that has
been clearly proved to be yours than the believers in interceding with the
Almighty for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves
safe.

They will say, “O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with
us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us.” Allah will say, “Go and
take out (of Hell) everyone whom you recognize.” Allah will forbid the Fire
to burn the faces of those sinners. So they will bring forth many people who
were  in the Fire up to their calves or their knees.” (Narrated by
Muslim,269)

(iii)                                    Intercession to raise the believers
in status. This is because of the du’aa’s of the believers for one another,
as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, making
du’aa’ for Abu Salamah: “O Allaah, forgive Abu Salamah, raise him in status
among those who are guided, make his grave spacious for him and fill it with
light, and protect his family who are left behind.” And there is the du’aa’
for intercession as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “There is no Muslim who dies and forty men who do not associate
anything with Allaah pray the funeral prayer for him, but Allaah will accept
their intercession for him.”

Reference: al-Qawl al-Mufeed, vol. 1, p. 332

Courtesy of Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, a known Islamic lecturer and
author.

With the very best of good wishes,
Musa Amadu Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland
UK.
[log in to unmask]
Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should
give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize
more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into
theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position
over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about
Islam and we should do our best to give the right message.
May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous
Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May
Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise .. Ameen


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