The Golden Opportunity of Ramadan Tahajjud Prayers

Ramadan is the month of worship. The month of gaining nearness to the great Lord. The best of the acts of worship is prayer. Nafl or additional worship is the main help in attaining nearness to Allah. The night is better than the day for worship. Allah says, ‘O you covered ones! Standing up at night with the exception of some parts; Midnight or something less than that or more and recite the Qur’an neatly and clearly. I have revealed to you an important message. Certainly, it is helpful to suppress the urge to get up at night for worship and to utter clear utterances. Surely you have a long day’s work. Remember the name of your Lord and be absorbed in it (Surah 73 Muzammil, verses 1-6). ‘

Allaah further says, ‘O clothed! Arise, warn, proclaim the majesty of your Lord, purify your garments, and abstain from defilement. Don’t expect more by donating something to someone else. And be patient for the sake of your Lord.

• After the obligatory prayers, the most important is the Tahajjud prayers. The Qur’an says, referring to the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): Hopefully, your Lord will establish you in the praiseworthy place — Maqam Mahmud (Surah 17 Isra, verse 69). ‘
• Ramadan is the best month of mercy. The best time for mercy is the time of Tahajjud. After sunset on special nights of the year including Shabe Qadr, Allah descends to the nearest heaven of the world. Every night during Tahajjud, Allah first comes to the heavens and listens to the pleas and petitions of the servants.

Sleeping in the evening and getting out of bed after midnight is called Tahajjud. From the time two-thirds of the night has elapsed during the Tahajjud prayers, that is, from two o’clock in the night until the time of Fajr begins. The time of Tahajjud ends when the time of Sahri ends and the time of Fajr begins. So it is better to sleep before Tahajjud and get up and recite Tahajjud.

Beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) used to perform Tahajjud prayers every night. So it is circumcised, and supererogatory as well. This was an additional responsibility for the Prophet (peace be upon him). Tahajjud is the best of the five prescribed nafl. Hazrat Ali (RA) said, ‘Those who have performed Tahajjud in the middle of the night, are the ones who have ascended in the spiritual world to gain nearness to Allah (Diwane Ali, Nahjul Balaga).’ Tahajjud is the means of salvation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is Tahajjud (Muslim, Alfiyah, page: 96, hadeeth: 405).’

There are many superstitions among people about this. For example, ‘Tahajjud has to be read in the dark’, ‘Tahajjud has to be read in secret’, ‘Tahajjud has to be recited by Jinn’, or ‘Tahajjud has to be performed regularly. In fact, these are misconceptions. However, one should be careful and vigilant so that one’s sleep is not disturbed and there is no propaganda mentality. If Tahajjud can be performed regularly, it is very good.