[The Salaah Series - Book Six]

Compiled Through the Blessings of

Ghaus ul Waqt Huzoor Sayyidi Mufti e Azam Hind
Ash Shah Imam Mustafa Raza Khan Qaadiri ؓ◌

By a humble servant of Allah

Muhammad Afthab Cassim Qaadiri Razvi Noori

PUBLISHED FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION BY

IMAM MUSTAFA RAZA RESEARCH CENTRE

OVERPORT, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

1
 All Rights Reserved

No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying or
otherwise without the prior permission of the Copyright Owner.

Title: Tahaj’jud Salaah & Worshipping At Night

Compiler: Muhammad Afthab Cassim Qaadiri Razvi Noori

The Publishers
Imam Mustafa Raza Research Centre
P.O. Box 70140, Overport, 4067 Durban, South Africa

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Tel/Fax: 031 2081045
Email: noori@noori.org
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 Compiler’s Note

All Praise is due to Allah, Durood and Salaams upon our Beloved
Rasool ‫ﷺ‬ and upon his Noble family, and Illustrious Companions,
and upon the Ulama e Haq Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama’at, and all those
who will follow the path of righteousness until the last day.

By the Grace of Allah, The Mercy of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬ and

blessings of the Awliyah and Masha’ikh, especially my Beloved
Shaykh e Kaamil Huzoor Sayyidi Taajush Shariah ؓ◌ and my mentor
Huzoor Sayyidi Muhad’dith e Kabeer, and the Duas of Qa’id e Millat
Huzoor Asjad Raza Khan, and the blessings of my beloved parents,
you have before you the booklet, Tahaj’jud Salaah & Worshipping
At Night.

Like the other Books in the Series which have been launched by
Imam Mustafa Raza Research Centre, the idea behind this book is to
help one another to increase our Islamic knowledge so that we may
perform our Ibaadat correctly.

Brother Azad Khan of New Zealand queried from me today about

Tahaj’jud Salaah and its manner, and many others have also been
asking concerning this Salaah, so I have decided to compile this
information in the form of a booklet. This is Book Six in the Salaah
Series and has been extracted from Bahaar e Shariat and other
authentic books.

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My thanks to Brother Rukhsar Hussain Qaadiri Amjadi (Birmingham,
UK), Brother Faheem Moosa Qaadiri Razvi (Lilongwe), and Ustadh
Ahmed Sabir Suliman Qaadiri Razvi for their input in reading
through the document.

Last but not least, I must thank my wife and children for their
support and patience, during the lengthy hours I spend working. It is
my sincere Dua that Almighty Allah, through the Wasila of Nabi
Kareem ‫ﷺ‬ blesses us all with firmness in Imaan and sincerity in
A’maal. Aameen.

Sag e Mufti e Azam

-Muhammad Afthab Cassim Qaadiri Razvi Noori
Imam Mustafa Raza Research Centre

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 This Book is Dedicated To

[Allah Shower Rains of Mercy upon His Holy Mazaar]

In The Love of Our Murshid e Kaamil

The Qutb ul Aqtaab of The Era

Sayyidi Taajush Shariah Hazrat Allama Mufti

ؓ◌

For The Esaal e Sawaab of My Beloved Mother

SAYYIDAH KHADIJA GOOLAM RASOOL

& All The Marhooms of The Ahle Sunnat

Allah Exalt Them and all Marhooms of The Ahle

Sunnat with an Exalted Place in Holy Paradise. Aameen.

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 ﷽

Question: What is Salaat ul Layl and is Tahaj’jud also Salaat ul Layl?

Answer: Salaat ul Layl is the night prayers which are performed late
at night, usually in the third portion of the night. The Tahaj’jud
Salaah is one such type of Salaat ul Layl.

Question: What is the method of performing Tahaj’jud Salaah?

Answer: The method of performing Tahaj’jud Salaah is to sleep at

night then awaken (at night) and perform (these) Nawafil. [Raddul
Muhtar]

Question: What if a person prays it before sleeping?

Answer: Whatever is performed before sleeping is not counted as

Tahaj’jud. [Raddul Muhtar]

Question: How many Raka’ats of Tahaj’jud should be performed?

Answer: The minimum Raka’ats one may perform for Tahaj’jud is

two, and up to Eight Raka’ats are proven from Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬.

Question: Is there a special blessing for one who encourages his or

her family to perform Tahaj’jud Salaah?

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Answer: Yes indeed. If one wakes up at night, and then wakes his
family, and they perform two Raka’ats of Namaaz, then they shall be
written amongst those who remembered Almighty Allah in
abundance. This is mentioned in a Hadith which has been reported
by Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hib’ban, Mustadrak, Munziri etc. [Raddul
Muhtar]

Question: Which portion of the night is it more virtuous to perform

Ibaadat in?

Answer: It is more virtuous for a person who wishes to sleep for

two-thirds of the night and then spend one-third of the night in
Ibaadat (worship), to sleep in the first portion and last portions of
the night; and he should remain awake in the middle portion of the
night. However, if he wishes to sleep for half the night and spend
half the night awake (in Ibaadat), the Ibaadat in the second half (of
the night) is more virtuous.

Question: Is there a reason for certain portions of the night being

more virtuous for Ibaadat than the other portions of the night?

Answer: It is reported from Hazrat Abu Hurairah �  �‫ر�  ا‬ that

Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬ said, ‘Every night, when the last third (portion) of
the night is remaining, Almighty Allah sends down His Special
Divine Manifestation on the sky above the earth, and He
announces, Is there anyone who needs to make Dua, so that I
may accept his Dua. (And) He says; Is there anyone seeking
forgiveness, that I may forgive him’. [Sahih Bukhari, Sahih
Muslim]
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It is reported in Bukhari and Muslim from Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umar
‫ض‬
‫عى‬
‫ر�  اﷲ  ��   هماا‬ that Huzoor ‫ﷺ‬ said, ‘From all the Namaaz, the one most
beloved to Almighty Allah is the Namaaz e Dawud; He ‫�  ا�م‬
would sleep for half the night, and then perform Ibaadat for a
third of the night, and then he would sleep in the sixth portion’.
[Raddul Muhtar vol.1 pg.641]

Question: Is it okay if a person who reads Tahaj’jud often, misses it

out?

Answer: It is not a sin to miss it out, as it is Nafil, but It is Makruh,

i.e. disliked, for one who is habitual of performing Tahaj’jud Namaaz,
to omit it. It is mentioned in the Hadith of Sahih Bukhari and Muslim
‫ن‬
etc. that Rasoolullah ‫ ﷺ‬said to Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umar ‫‘ ر�  اﷲ  ��  عىهم اا‬O
Abdullah! Do not become like such and such person, who used to
wake at night (for Tahaj’jud), and then stopped doing this’.

Question: Is it regarded virtuous to be consistent in performing

Tahaj’jud Salaah?

Answer: Indeed it is. It is reported in Bukhari Shareef and Muslim

Shareef that from all the A’maal, i.e. virtuous deeds, those most
beloved to Almighty Allah, are the ones who perform A’maal with
consistency, even if they are a little. [Raddul Muhtar]

Question: Many people stay awake on the special nights like Shab e
Bara’at or the last ten nights of Ramadaan etc. is there any mention
of this?

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Answer: To stay awake in Ibaadat and remembrance on the eves of
both Eids, the eve of the 15th of Sha’baan, and on the last ten nights
of Ramadaan, and on the nights of the first ten days of Zil-Hijjah is
Mustahab, i.e. desirable and recommended. [Durr e Mukhtar] Staying
awake on the nights of both Eids, means that one should perform the
Namaaz of Esha and Fajr with the first Jama’at.

Question: What is the special virtue in performing Fajr and Esha

with Jama’at, i.e. congregation?

Answer: It is reported in the Sahih Ahadith that, One who

performed the Namaaz of Esha with Jama’at, has been in Ibaadat for
half the night, and one who performed his Fajr with Jama’at (as well)
has spent the entire night in Ibaadat. However, if one stays awake for
the entire night on these virtuous nights, but by doing this he will
experience difficulty at the time of Namaaz and Qurbani etc. then
one should thus follow this (i.e. he should simply perform his Esha
and Fajr with Jama’at), and if staying awake does not hinder any of
his responsibilities (the following day), then for him to stay awake is
very virtuous. [Raddul Muhtar]

Question: Is it also blessed on the virtuous nights, to perform other

Nafil Ibaadat as well, and to recite Tasbeehs etc. or should one just
perform Tahaj’jud?

Answer: On these blessed nights, to perform Nafils alone, or to make

Tilaawat, i.e. to recite the Qur’an e Majeed, and to read or listen to
Hadith, and to recite Durood Shareef, is also regarded as staying
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awake (in the remembrance of Allah), and it is not just staying awake
for no reason. [Raddul Muhtar]

Question: Will performing Namaaz at night, i.e. Tahaj’jud, be a

means of entering Jannat?

Answer: Indeed, any virtuous deed performed with sincerity and

devotion and not for name and fame, will be a means to Jannat. This
is evident from a Hadith which is reported from Hazrat Abdullah ibn
Salaam �  �‫ر�  ا‬ that when Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬ arrived in Madina, a vast
number of people presented themselves in His ‫ﷺ‬ Holy presence. I
too presented myself, and when I observed the Sacred Face of
Rasoolullah ‫ ﷺ‬carefully, I recognised that this Sacred Face is not the
Face of a liar. The first words which I heard from Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬

were, ‘O People! Make the conveying of Salaam common

(amongst you), and feed the people, and keep good ties with
your relatives, and perform Namaaz at night when the people
are asleep, and you will enter Jannat with peace’. [Tirmizi, Ibn
Majah, Haakim]

‫ض‬
It is reported from Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umar ‫عى‬
‫ر�  اﷲ  ��   هم اا‬ that
Rasoolullah ‫ ﷺ‬said, ‘There is an upper level in Jannat, and its inside
can be seen from the outside, and the outside can be seen from
inside’. Hazrat Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari � �‫ ر� ا‬enquired, ‘Ya Rasool’Allah
‫!ﷺ‬ For whom is it?’ The Beloved Nabi ‫ﷺ‬ said, ‘For the one who
speaks words of goodness, and feeds the people, and remains
standing (in worship) at night when the people are asleep’.
[Tabrani, Haakim]

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Question: It is indeed virtuous to make Ibaadat at night, after
praying your Tahaj’jud. Is it also a time for Dua?

Answer: It is indeed a time for Dua. It is in reported from Hazrat

Jabir �  �‫ر�  ا‬ that Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬ said, ‘There is a (special) time at
night, wherein whatever a believer asks from Allah, from the
goodness of this world and the hereafter, Allah will give it to
him, and this (special) time comes every night’. [Sahih Muslim]

Question: Was performing Tahaj’jud and spending nights in Ibaadat

also the manner of the pious predecessors?

Answer: It is reported from Hazrat Abu Umama Baahili �  �‫ر�  ا‬ that
Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬ said, ‘Make Qiyaam ul Layl (i.e. standing in
worship at night) necessary upon you, as this is the manner of
the pious predecessors, and it is a means of you attaining
closeness to your Creator, and it is that which wipes away sins
and protects you from wrongdoings’. [Tirmizi]

Question: What are the benefits in waking up for Tahaj’jud and

spending a portion of the night in Ibaadat, i.e. in worshipping Allah?

Answer: There are numerous blessings and benefits in this, both

spiritual and physical. There is also a narration from Hazrat Salman
Farsi �  �‫ر�  ا‬ in which it is reported that doing this removes the
illnesses of the body.

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Question: Is there any special Dua mentioned which should be read
when one wakes up for Ibaadat at night?

Answer: It is in Sahih Bukhari from Hazrat Ubadah bin Saamit � �‫ر� ا‬

that Rasoolullah ‫ ﷺ‬said, ‘One who wakes up at night and then reads
this Dua, then whatever Dua he makes will be accepted, and if one
performs (fresh and proper) Wudu and performs Namaaz, his
Namaaz will be accepted:

‫ک ﹷوﻟﹷ ﹹہ اﻟْ ﹷﺤ ْﻤ ﹹﺪ ﹷوﻫﹹ ﹷﻮ ﹷﻋ�ٰي �ﹹﻞﹽﹻ ﹷﺷي ْ ٍٔي ﹷﻗﺪﹻﻳْ ٌﺮ ﹷو ﹹﺳ ْﺒ ٰﺤ ﹷﻦ‬

‫ک ﻟﹷـ ٗہ ﻟﹷـہﹹ اﻟ ﹹْﻤ ْﻠ ﹹ‬ ‫ﹷﻻ اﹻﻟ ٰ ﹷہ ا ﹻ ﹽﹷﻻ اﷲ ﹷوﺣْ ﹷﺪ ٗہ ﻻﹷ ﹷ ﹻ‬
‫�ﻳْ ﹷ‬
‫ﹽﹷ‬ ‫ﹽﹷ‬
ْ ‫اﷲ ﹷوا ْﻟ ﹷﺤ ْﻤ ﹹﺪ ﷲ ﹷو ﹷﻻ اﹻﻟٰـ ﹷہ اﹻﻻ اﷲ ﹷواﷲ � ﹷ ْﻛ�ﹷ� ﹷو ﹷﻻ ﺣﹷ ْﻮ ﹷل ﹷو ﹷﻻ ﹹﻗ ﹽﹷﻮ ﹷة اﹻﻻ ﺑﹻﺎﷲ ﹷر ﹽﹻب اﻏ ﹻ‬
‫ْ�� ﹻ ْي‬

Laa ilaaha il’l-Allahu Wahdahu Laa Shareeka Lahu Lahul Mulku

Wal Lahul Hamdu Wa Huwa ‘Alaa Kul-li Shay-in Qadeerun Wa
Subhaan-Allahi Wal Hamdu Lillahi Wa Laa Ilaaha il’l-Allahu
Wallahu Akbar, Wa Laa Hawla Wa Laa Quw’wata il-la Bil-Allah,
Rab-bigh Firlee

It is reported in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from Hazrat

Abdullah ibn Ab’bas �  �‫ ر�  ا‬that when Nabi Kareem ‫ ﷺ‬would rise for
Tahaj’jud at night, He ‫ ﷺ‬would recite this Dua:

‫ت‬ ‫ک ا ْﻟ ﹷﺤ ْﻤ ﹹﺪ اﹷﻧ ْ ﹷﺖ ﻧ ْﹹﻮ ﹹر ﹽﹷ‬

‫اﻟﺴ ٰﻤ ٰﻮ ﹻ‬ ‫ض ﹷو ﹷﻣ ْﻦ ﻓ ْﹻﻴﻬﹻﻦﹽﹷ ﹷو ﹷﻟ ﹷ‬
‫واﻻ ْﹷر ﹻ‬
ْ ‫ت‬ ‫ﹷک ا ْﻟ ﹷﺤ ْﻤ ﹹﺪ اﹷﻧ ْ ﹷﺖ ﹷﻗ ﹽﹻﻴ ﹹﻢ ﹽﹷ‬
‫اﻟﺴ ٰﻤ ٰﻮ ﹻ‬ ‫اﹷﻟﻠٰﹽ ﹹﻬ ﹽﹷﻢ ﻟ ﹷ‬
‫ﹷک ا ْﻟ ﹷﺤ ْﻤ ﹹﺪ‬
‫ض ﹷو ﹷﻣ ْﻦ ﻓ ْﹻﻴﻬﹻﻦﹽﹷ ﹷوﻟ ﹷ‬
‫ت ﹷو ْاﻻ ْﹷر ﹻ‬ ‫ک ﹽﹷ‬
‫اﻟﺴ ٰﻤ ٰﻮ ﹻ‬ ‫ﹷک ا ْﻟ ﹷﺤ ْﻤ ﹹﺪ اﹷﻧ ْ ﹷﺖ ﹷﻣﻠ ﹻ ﹹ‬
‫ض ﹷو ﹷﻣ ْﻦ ﻓ ْﹻﻴﻬﹻﻦﹽﹷ ﹷوﻟ ﹷ‬
‫ﹷو ْاﻻ ْﹷر ﹻ‬

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‫ﺎر ﹷﺣ ٌﻖ ﹽﹷو اﻟ ﹽﹷﻨب ﹻ ﹽﹹﻴ ْﻮ ﹷن ﹷﺣ ٌﻖ ﹽﹷو ﹹﻣ ﹷﺤ ﹽﹷﻤ ٌﺪ ﹷﺣ ٌﻖ‬
‫اﹷﻧ ْ ﹷﺖ ا ْﻟ ﹷﺤ ﹽﹹﻖ ﹷو ﹷوﻋ ﹹﺪ ﹷک ا ْﻟ ﹷﺤ ﹽﹹﻖ ﹷو ﻟ ﹻ ﹷﻘﺎ ﹹء ﹷک ﹷﺣ ٌﻖ ﹷواﻟْ ﹷﺠ ﹽﹷﻨ ﹹﺔ ﹷواﻟ ﹽﹷﻨ ﹹ‬
‫ﹽﹷاﻟﺴﺎ ﹷﻋ ﹹﺔ ﹷﺣ ٌﻖ‬
‫و ﹽﹷ‬

Allahum-ma Lakal Hamdu Anta Qay’yimus Samawaati Wal Ardi

Wa Man Feehin-na Wa Lakal Hamdu Anta Noorus Samawaati wal
Ardi Wa Man Feehin-na Wa Lakal Hamdu Anta Malikul
Samawaati wal Ardi Wa Man Feehin-na Wa Lakal Hamdu Antal
Haq’qu wa Wa’dukal Haq-qu Wa Liqa-uka Haq’qun Wal Jannatu
Wan-Naaru Haq’quw Wan Nabiy’yoona Haq’quw Wa
Muhammadun Haq’quw Was Saa’atu Haq’qun

‫ﺎﺻ ْﻤ ﹹﺖ ﹷواﹻﻟ ْﹷﻴ ﹷ‬

‫ک‬ ‫ک ﹷﺧ ﹷ‬ ‫ک ﺗﹷ ﹷﻮ�ﹽﹷﻠ ﹹْﺖ ﹷواﹻﻟ ْﹷﻴ ﹷ‬
‫ک اﹷﻧ ﹷ ْﺒ ﹹﺖ ﹷوﺑ ﹻ ﹷ‬ ‫ک � ﹷﻣ ْﻨ ﹹﺖ ﹷو ﹷﻋﻠ ْﹷﻴ ﹷ‬ ‫اﹷﻟ ٰﹽﻠ ﹹﻬ ﹽﹷﻢ ﹷﻟ ﹷ‬
‫ک ا ْﹷﺳﻠ ْﹷﻤ ﹹﺖ ﹷو ﺑ ﹻ ﹷ‬
‫ﹷ� ْرتﹹ ﹷو ﹷﻣﺎ اﹷ ْﻋ ﹷﻠ ْﻨ ﹹﺖ ﹷو ﹷﻣﺎ اﹷﻧ ْ ﹷﺖ اﹷﻋﻠﹷ ﹹﻢ ﺑ ﹻ ٖہ ﹻﻣ�ﹽﹻ ْي‬ ْ ‫ْ��ﹻي ﹷﻣﺎ ﹷﻗ ﹽﹷﺪ ْﻣ ﹹﺖ ﹷو ﹷﻣﺎ ا ﹽﹷ‬
‫ﹷ�تﹹ ﹷو ﹷﻣﺎ ا ْ ﹷ‬ ْ ‫ﹷﺣ ﹷﺎﻛ ْﻤ ﹹﺖ ﻓﹷﺎﻏ ﹻ‬
‫� ﹷﻻ اﹻﻟ ٰ ﹷہ ا ﹻ ﹽﹷﻻ اﹷﻧ ْ ﹷﺖ ﹷو ﹷﻻ اﹻﻟ ٰ ﹷہ ﻏﹷ�ْ�ﹹ ﹷک‬
‫اﹷﻧ ْ ﹷﺖ اﻟ ﹹْﻤ ﹷﻘ ﹽﹻﺪ ﹹم ﹷواﹷﻧ ْ ﹷﺖ اﻟ ﹹْﻤ ﹷﺆ ﹽﹻ ﹹ‬

Allahum-ma Laka Aslamtu Wa Bika Aamantu Wa ‘Alayka Tawak-

kaltu Wa Ilayka Anabtu Wa Bika Khaasamtu Wa Ilayka Haakamtu
Fagh-Firlee Ma Qad’damtu Wa Ma Akh-khartu Wa Ma Asrartu Wa
Ma A’lantu Wa Ma Anta A’lamu Bihi Min-ni, Antal Muqad-dimu
Wa Antal Mu’akh-khiru, Laa Ilaaha Il’la Anta Wa Laa Ilaaha
Ghayruka

Question: Indeed, the performing of Tahaj’jud and sincere Ibaadat

will benefit one even in his grave and in the hereafter. Is there any
mention of this anywhere?

13
Answer: There are numerous discussions regarding this. Indeed, the
one who performs Tahaj’jud and other Ibaadat with sincerity and
devotion will receive blessing in his or her grave.

Imam Jalaalud’deen Suyuti �  �‫ر�  ا‬ says in Sharhus Sudoor that, it is

mentioned in Ar Raudur Rayaheen of Sayyiduna Imam Yaafa’i �  �‫ر�  ا‬
from Hazrat Shaqeeq Balkhi �  �‫ر�  ا‬ that, I searched for five things,
which I found in five things:

• Abstaining from sin by virtue of the Chasht Namaaz

• The light of the grave, in performing Tahaj’jud

• The answers to Munkar and Nakeer in the recitation of

the Holy Qur’an

• The crossing of Pul Siraat, in Fasting and Sadaqa

• The Shade of the Arsh, by remaining in Solitude

14