Al Quran 51: 17-18
They used to sleep but little in the night. And in the early part of the morning they asked forgiveness.
A- Quran 25: 63-64
"The slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: 'Peace' and they who spend the night prostrating before their Lord and standing"
In the above verses of Holy Quran, ALLAH swt has described characteristic of the good people that they care to spend a part of their night to worship ALLAH swt so that they can take the advantage of peace and loneliness of night to worship ALLAH and to invoke Him for the forgiveness.
In another holy verse ALLAH swt says that by worshiping Him at the late hours can raise our status to a position of great glory i.e. we can get the pleasure of ALLAH and be good and pious servants of ALLAH swt.
AL-Quran 17:79
And during a part of the night, pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent on you; maybe your Rabb will raise you to a position of great glory.
ALLAH’s messenger Muhammad s.a.w.w said: (Bukhari :: Book 4 :: Volume 54 :: Hadith 491)
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said:
"During your sleep, Satan knots three knots at the back of the head of each of you, and he breathes the following words at each knot, 'The night is, long, so keep on sleeping,' If that person wakes up and celebrates the praises of Allah, then one knot is undone, and when he performs ablution the second knot is undone, and when he prays, all the knot are undone, and he gets up in the morning lively and gay, otherwise he gets up dull and gloomy. "
Thus, the satan’s defeat is the worship of a momin. We should be more than concerned to win from satan which invokes our nafs to spend time in useless activities but to avoid and abstain from worship as much as we can.
Tahajjud is the most excellent prayer after the obligatory prayers. It has also been described as a way to seek ALLAH’s pleasure as the above quoted verses suggest.
Reported by Muslim, Abu Daawood, at-Tirmidhee
Abu Hurairah (radiallaahu anhu) said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: The most excellent fasting after the month of Ramadan is fasting during the month of Allaah, Muharram, and the most excellent prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.
Offering tahajjud is act of worship that not everyone does and this is the reason it offers great deal of reward. The One who prays at night obtains a reward which most of mankind do not. below are given some ahadith which throw light on the significance of mid-night namaz.
Reported by Muslim, Abu Daawood, at-Tirmidhee.
Abdullaah bin Amr (radiallaahu anhu) said: The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: “In Paradise there is a home whose outside can be seen from the inside and whose inside can be seen from the outside.” Abu Maalik al- Ash’aree said: Who is this for O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “It is for the one who makes his speech good and decent, who feeds others and spends the night in standing whilst others are sleeping.”
Reported by Bukhaaree, Muslim and others.
Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah (radiallaahu anhu) said: The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) stood until his feet became swollen. It was said to him: Has not Allaah forgiven all your sins, those past and those in the future? He (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) replied:“Should I not be a grateful servant?”
Reported by Muslim
Jaabir (radiallaahu anhu) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) say: “Indeed, there is an hour during the night, no muslim asks Allaah for any good from among the affairs of the world or the Hereafter during it except that Allaah gives the very same to him, and this is every night.”
Reported by Muslim
Abdullaah bin Amr (radiallaahu anhu) said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: “There is no jealousy except towards two: A man to whom Allaah has given the Qur’aan, so he stands (in prayer) with it during the night and during the day and a man to whom Allaah has given wealth so he spends it during the night and during the day.
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 940).
The best way to perform the night prayer is to pray two by two (rak'ahs), and to separate the two even rak'ahs of witr from the one rak'ah (i.e., not to join the three rak'ahs of witr). The evidence for this is the hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both), who said: "The Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allah be upon Him) used to perform the night prayers two by two (rak'ahs), then he would end with a single rak'ah."
(Reported by Abu Daawood)
Abu Hurairah (radiallaahu anhu) said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: “May Allaah show mercy to a man who got up during the night and prayed and then woke his wife and if she refused, sprinkled water over her face and may Allaah show mercy to a woman who got up during the night and prayed and then woke up her husband and if he refused sprinkled water over his face.”
(Reported by an-Nasaaee, Ibn Maajah)
Abu Hurairah (radiallaahu anhu) and Abu Sa ’eed (radiallaahu anhu) both report that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: “When a man wakes up his wife during the night and they both pray, or they pray two rakahs together, they are written amongst the men who remember Allaah often and the women who remember Allaah often.”