In the Name of Allāh.
When it comes to strengthening one’s faith and encouraging oneself to carry out good deeds, then Qiyām al-Layl is very important. Many texts of the Qur’ān and Ḥadīth underscore this and speak of its high status and great reward.
Allāh describes the Muttaqūn in Sūrah Adh-Dhariyāt (51) Verse 17:
كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ
They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allāh) and praying, with fear and hope].
A true Muslim should not abandon the voluntary night prayer. Allāh says in Sūrah As-Sajdah (32) verse 17: “Only those who believe in Our Āyāt (proofs, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), who, when they are reminded of them, fall prostrate, and glorify the Praises of their Lord, and they are not proud. Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allāh’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.”
Let’s note here the virtue of Qiyām al-Layl and its good consequences that cannot be ignored; it’s one of the means of safety from the punishment of Hell and attaining Paradise, and the great blessing it brings of conversing with Allāh.
As recorded in Sunan At-Tirmidhī (3549), Abu Umamah reported: The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, “You must perform the night prayer for it is the habit of the righteous who came before you, it brings you closer to your Lord, it expiates your evil deeds and prevents you from sinning.”
Allāh continues the description of the Muttaqūn in Verse 18 of Sūrah Adh-Dhariyāt:
وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ
And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allāh) for forgiveness,
We aren’t free of sinning, thus the best of us are those who repent immediately to Allāh and seek His Forgiveness. Notably, one of the best times to do this is the last part of the night (i.e. hours before dawn).
Recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1145 and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 758, Abu Hurayrah reported: The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, “Our Lord Almighty descends to the lowest heaven in the last (third) part of every night, saying: Who is calling upon Me that I may answer him? Who is asking from Me that I may give him? Who is seeking My Forgiveness that I may forgive him?”
In continuation, Allāh says in Verse 19 of Sūrah Adh-Dhariyāt:
وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ
And in their properties, there was the right of the beggar, and the Maḥrūm (the poor who does not ask the others).
The Muttaqūn are not only committed to prayer (both compulsory and voluntary), but they also spend what Allāh bestows them. They give charity to the poor either they ask or they don’t. How can they be considered Muttaqūn if they don’t spend in the Way of Allāh – giving both obligatory and voluntary charity (i.e. Zakah and Sadaqah)? After all, righteousness and entering Jannah are also attached to giving charity.
Allāh says in Sūrah Aal-‘Imrān (3) Verse 92: “By no means shall you attain Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, etc., it means here Allah’s Reward, i.e. Paradise) unless you spend (in Allāh’s Cause) of that which you love; and whatever of good you spend, Allāh knows it well.”
As recorded in Sunan Abī Dāwūd (1649), Mālik Ibn Nadlah reported: The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, “The hands are three types: the Hand of Allāh is the highest, the hand of the giver is next to it, and the hand of the beggar is the lowest. Give from your surplus wealth and do not be weakened by your ego.”
I beseech Allāh to make us of those who attain success thereby. (Aameen)
Picture Credit: Gettyimage
