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Importance of Offering Tahajjud Prayer

Prayer (Salah) Or Namaz strengthens our emaan and it brings peace and comfort in our life. There are five obligatory prayers which have to be offered as duty. But salah does not end here, one can offer voluntary salah anytime whenever he wants. Among the voluntary salah, tahajjud is the most important one in Islam. Allah swt has directed us to offer tahajjud salah in Quran. The following verses indicate it;


“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” (17:79)
we should know that, tahajjud is not compulsory, but it is most liked prayer. Allah swt ha syndicated in the above verse that tahajjud namaz is so much liked that the offerer of it can be raised in rank (i.e. given glory). In another verse, Allah swt say;
“They used to sleep but little in the night. And in the early part of the morning they asked forgiveness.” (51: 17-18)
This verse is about the fearful slaves of Allah. Two of their qualities are mentioned in this verse. One is, that they sleep a little and sacrifice their sleep for salah and they do not miss fajar as well.
In another verse, Allah swt say;
"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" (25: 63-64)
The above verse also speaks about the qualities of the believers that they have no pride in them. And they do not indulge themselves in vain talk. And they offer salah at night. Thus, Allah swt has mentioned the tahajud salah as one of the qualities of the slaves of Allah swt. There is great reward attached to it. And first and foremost reward is the pleasure of Allah swt. What else can be the want of a believer in this world but happiness of Allah swt? There are ahadith that indicate how much goodness comes with tahajjud prayer. Prophet Muhammad pbuh said;

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. "
(Bukhari :: Book 4 :: Volume 54 :: Hadith 491)

On another place, prophet Muhammad pbuh said that it is the most liked prayer after obligatory salah;

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.
(Reported by Muslim, Abu Daawood, at-Tirmidhee)

The reward of praying tahajjud is the one which most of the people cannot have. And that is spacial reward as mentioned in the following sahih hadith:

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 Allah? 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 al-Haakim who said: It is Saheeh with the conditions (of Bukhaari and Muslim).

Therefore, praying tahajjud should be made habit for the love , happiness and reward from Allah swt.
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