Ways to Help Oneself Pray Qiyaam al-Layl

Question

Praise be to Allah.

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 Kab (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 (nation/community)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 (pious predecessors) 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 rakah 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 peoples 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 Quraan (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and)
style. [al-Muzzammil 73:1-4].

Sad ibn Hishaam ibn Aamir said to Aaishah (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 ayyuhal-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 (narration)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 Masood (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, out of hope for what is with Me and out of fear of what is with Me. (Reported by
Ahmad. It is a hasan (sound) 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 (verses)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 Muaadh said: The medicine of the
heart is five things: reading Quraan 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 ones 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 Allaah which He bestows on whom He pleases. And Allaah is the Owner of Great
Bounty [al-Hadeed 57:21].

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

Al-Qaasim ibn Maeen 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 Quraan
during the day, and I never knew when he completed the Quraan, 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 Quraan, 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 Quraan,
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 Quraan, 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 ones right side. The Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught his ummah (followers)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 wadatu janbi wa bika arfauhu. 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 hearts position will be too comfortable, but if he sleeps on his right
side, he will not be too settled, so he wont 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).

Muaad 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. Aaishah (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 summers 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 (words of remembrance of Allah) prescribed by
shareeah (Islamic law) 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 wadatu janbi wa bika
arfauhu. 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).

Aaishah (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 aoodhu bi Rabbil-Falaq and Qul aoodhu bi
Rabbil-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 Masood (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 atamanaa wa saqaanaa, wa kafaanaa fa kam mimman laa kaafeeya lahu wa
laa muweeya 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
Allaahs protection for you, and no shaytaan (devil) 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 Prophets 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 ayyuhal-kaafiroon when you go to sleep, for it is a renunciation of
shirk. (polytheism) (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
tabathu 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 aljatu zahri ilayk, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilayk, laa
maljaa 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, (natural state) , so make these the last words you speak.” (Agreed upon).

Similarly, the Muslim should have the habit of reciting
adhkaar prescribed by shareeah 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, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd wa huwa al kulli
shayin 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
duaa, 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 ones utter dependence
upon His help, then if he makes duaa 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 bada 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 (recommended) to wipe away the traces of sleep from ones 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 Mad 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 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.

Maqal 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 Munabbih 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 Allaahs 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 Allaahs 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 (warrior) 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 Saeed, 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 ones 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 Quraan,
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 muakkadah (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. Abul-Darda (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Pray two
rakahs 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 Aaishah (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 Aaishah, 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).

Muaadhah al-Adawiyyah, one of the righteous
Taabiaat (successors of the companions of the Prophet) 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 (battle), 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.