Winter: A Chance to Enjoy the Night Prayer

Описание: Winter allows us to taste the joy of ‘ibādah through the night prayer (tahajjud). Tahajjud brings with it a sweetness which is nearly impossible to experience otherwise.

One of life’s greatest joys is being able to cry out to one’s Maker in the stillness of the night, in Tahajjud, in Sajdah, when one is closest to Him.

Winter is the best time to begin praying tahajjud if you don’t already do so. Even if it means waking up 10 minutes before Fajr starts, do it. The key is to be consistent and gradually build up the amount of time you pray.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Hold on tight to the night prayer. Indeed it is the habit of the righteous who came before you. It brings you close to your Lord, wipes away your sins and prevents you from sinning.” (Tirmidhī)

“By Allah, if it wasn’t for the night prayer (qiyām al-layl), I would not have loved the world. By Allah, the people of the night (prayer) experience more delight in their night than the people of entertainment experience in their entertainment. Sometimes the hearts experience moments in which they leap out of joy due to the remembrance of Allah, to the extent that I say: ‘If the people of Paradise have anything like this, then how blissful must their lives be!’” (Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī)

When winter would approach, ʿUbayd b. ʿUmayr would say: “O people of the Qur’ān! The night has become long for your ṣalāh, and the day has become short for your fast, so take full advantage.”