Allah ﷻ says: “And from the night, pray with it as additional worship for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised station.” (Quran 17:79). A praised station — maqaman mahmuda — is the highest station in the hereafter, and the Quran connects it to the night prayer. The scholars have described tahajjud as the practice that most distinguishes those who love Allah ﷻ from those who merely follow Him — because the one who rises in the dark when they could sleep has no audience, no community pressure, and no external reward. It is the purest form of voluntary worship available.
What the Prophet ﷺ said
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.” (Muslim 1163). And: “Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of every night and says: Who is asking of Me so I may give him? Who is calling upon Me so I may answer him? Who is seeking My forgiveness so I may forgive him?” (Bukhari 1145, Muslim 758). The last third of the night is the time when Allah ﷻ is most directly seeking the servant. The person asleep at this moment is sleeping through the most generous divine offer available.
How to begin
The most common reason people do not perform tahajjud is the belief that they are not the type of person who wakes in the night. The Prophet ﷺ gave a specific dua to say before sleeping for the intention to pray in the night: “Allahumma inni a’zumu an uqiyama min al-layl” — and the scholars have described how even the intention to wake for tahajjud, if not executed due to sleep overcoming you, carries reward. The beginning is not dramatic: two rak’ahs, after waking naturally in the night, with wudu, in the last third. Make dua. Go back to sleep. Repeat every night until it becomes what you automatically do.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tahajjud and when is it prayed?
Tahajjud is the voluntary night prayer — performed after sleeping and waking in the night, ideally in the last third of the night. The Prophet ﷺ described it as the best voluntary prayer (Muslim 1163) and Allah ﷻ connects it to the highest station in the hereafter (Quran 17:79). It can be as few as two rak’ahs — the quantity is less important than the consistency. The last third of the night (approximately 1-3 hours before Fajr) is when Allah ﷻ descends and calls: who is asking of Me? (Bukhari 1145). That is the optimal window.
Who is asking of Me so I may give him? Allah ﷻ calls this in the last third of every night. Two rak’ahs. Then dua. That is the entire practice to begin. Start there. The rest comes.