What Is the Best Time to Pray Tahajjud? A Comprehensive Guide

Are you looking for an explanation about "What is the best time to pray Tahajjud?"? If your answer is "Yes," congratulations! You're currently reading the right article. Why? Because that's exactly what I will discuss in this post. As Muslims, we must understand this, and that's why I wrote it. So, make sure you read it all the way through!

Specifically, there are four key points regarding "What is the best time to pray Tahajjud?" which I will discuss in this article. These four essential points are as follows:

What Is the Time to Pray Tahajjud?

The first key point regarding "What is the best time to pray Tahajjud?" that I will address is "What is the time to pray Tahajjud?". I want you to understand this before diving deeper into the explanations, as it forms the foundation of this discussion and must be well comprehended.

Tahajjud prayer (صَلَاةُ التَّهَجُّدِ) is a type of sunnah prayer in Islam. Therefore, performing the Tahajjud prayer is recommended, but if Muslims do not perform it, they are not sinful. That is the nature of sunnah prayers, including the Tahajjud prayer.

Read Also: How to Make Niyyat for Tahajjud Prayer

In Islam, every prayer has its designated time for its performance. This means that we are not allowed to pray outside of its proper time. Entering the correct prayer time is one of the conditions for the validity of the prayer.

Now, if you ask, "What is the time to pray Tahajjud?", the answer is simple: "The time for the Tahajjud prayer is when Tahajjud can be performed" (صَلَاةُ التَّهَجُّدِ).

That's a brief explanation of "What is the time to pray Tahajjud?". As Muslims, we must understand this.

Why Do We Need to Understand the Time to Pray Tahajjud?

The second essential point regarding "What is the best time to pray Tahajjud?" that I will discuss now is "why we need to understand the time to pray Tahajjud?". I want you to grasp this point so you can fully appreciate the importance of this discussion.

In the previous paragraphs, I mentioned that each prayer has its specific time for performance. Also, entering the correct prayer time is one of the conditions that make our prayer valid.

So, if you ask me, "Why do we need to understand the time to pray Tahajjud?", the answer is simple: "So that you know when you can perform the Tahajjud prayer, and to ensure that the Tahajjud prayer you're offering is valid." That's the answer.

This is a brief explanation of "Why we need to understand the time to pray Tahajjud?". As Muslims, we must comprehend this.

The Virtues of Tahajjud Prayer and Related Hadiths

The third essential point regarding "What is the best time to pray Tahajjud?" is the virtues of the Tahajjud prayer and the hadiths related to it. Understanding this will help you appreciate the importance of the Tahajjud prayer.

There are numerous hadiths about the virtues of Tahajjud prayer, but I will only mention a few here.

عَنْ أَبِى هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : سُئِلَ أَيُّ الصَّلَاةِ أَفْضَلُ بَعْدَ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ وأَيُّ الصِّيَامِ أَفْضَلُ بَعْدَ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ ؟ فَقَالَ : أَفْضَلُ الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ الصَّلاَةُ فِيْ جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ وَأَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ بَعْدَ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ صِيَامُ شَهْرِ اللهِ الْمُحَرَّمِ. رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ

It was narrated by Abu Hurairah radliyallahu anhu that he said, "Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was asked: ‘Which prayer is the best after the obligatory prayers, and which fast is the best after Ramadan?' He replied, ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the prayer in the middle of the night, and the best fast after Ramadan is the fast during Allah's month of Muharram.'" This hadith was narrated by Muslim.

عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ الْبَاهِلِيِّ ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : عَلَيْكُمْ بِقِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ فَإِنَّهُ دَأْبُ الصَّالِحِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ. وَهُوَ قُرْبَةٌ لَكُمْ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَمُكَفِّرٌ لِلسَّيِّئَاتِ وَمَنْهَاةٌ عَنِ الْإِثْمِ. رَوَاهُ الحَاكِمُ

It was narrated by Abu Umamah al-Bahili radliyallahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, "Pray Qiyamul Lail (Tahajjud) regularly, as it is the practice of the righteous before you. It brings you closer to your Lord, atones for your sins, and keeps you from committing transgressions." This hadith was narrated by Al-Hakim.

قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ غُرْفَةً يُرَى ظَاهِرُهَا مِنْ بَاطِنِهَا، وَبَاطِنُهَا مِنْ ظَاهِرِهَا، فَقَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ: لِمَنْ هِيَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ؟ قَالَ: لِمَنْ أَلَانَ الْكَلَامَ، وَأَطْعَمَ الطَّعَامَ، وَبَاتَ لِلَّهِ قَائِماً وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ

Allah's Messenger sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, "In Heaven, there is a high chamber whose exterior is visible from the interior, and its interior is visible from the exterior." Abu Musa al-Ash'ari then asked, "Who is it for, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "It is for those who are gentle in speech, feed others, and pray at night when people are asleep."

عَنْ سَهْلٍ بْنِ سَعْدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ : جَاءَ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَقَالَ : يَا مُحَمَّدُ ، عِشْ مَا شِئْتَ فَإِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ ، وَأَحْبِبْ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ فَإِنَّكَ مَفَارِقُهُ ، وَاعْمَلْ مَا شِئْتَ فَإِنَّكَ مَجْزِيٌّ بِهِ ، ثُمَّ قَالَ : يَا مُحَمَّدُ شَرَفُ الْمُؤْمِنِ قِيَامُ اللَّيْلِ وَعِزُّهُ اسْتِغْنَاؤُهُ عَنِ النَّاسِ

From Sahal bin Sa'ad radliyallahu anhu, it was narrated that Jibril alaihi as-Salam came to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and said, "O Muhammad, live as you wish, for indeed, you will die. Love whoever you wish, for indeed, you will part from them. Do whatever you wish, for indeed, you will be rewarded for it." Then Jibril said, "O Muhammad, the honor of a believer is in praying at night, and his strength is in being independent of people."

This is a brief description of the virtues of Tahajjud prayer and the hadiths related to it. As Muslims, we must understand this.

What Is the Best Time to Pray Tahajjud?

The fourth important point about "What is the best time to pray Tahajjud?" that I will discuss is a specific description. I sincerely hope that you all read the explanation provided below carefully.

Before I address the answer to the question (What is the best time to pray Tahajjud?), I will quote one verse from the Quran and four hadiths related to this topic.

وَمِنَ الَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهٖ نَافِلَةً لَّكَۖ عَسٰٓى اَنْ يَّبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُوْدًا

"And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it's expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station." (Al-Isra' [79]).

وَقَالَ سَلْمَانُ لأَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا : نَمْ ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا كَانَ مِنْ آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ قَالَ : قُمْ ‏.‏ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ‏:‏ صَدَقَ سَلْمَانُ

"Salman said to Abu Darda radliyallahu anhuma, 'Go to sleep.' At the end of the night, he said, 'Stand up.' The Prophet (Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, 'Salman is right.'"

عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ، قَالَ : سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهَا : كَيْفَ صَلاَةُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِاللَّيْلِ ؟ قَالَتْ : كَانَ يَنَامُ أَوَّلَهُ وَيَقُومُ آخِرَهُ ، فَيُصَلِّي ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ ، فَإِذَا أَذَّنَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ وَثَبَ ، فَإِنْ كَانَ بِهِ حَاجَةٌ اغْتَسَلَ ، وَإِلاَّ تَوَضَّأَ وَخَرَجَ

"From al-Aswad, he said, 'I asked Aisha, 'How is the night prayer of the Prophet?' She replied, 'He used to rest early at night and would stand up at the end to pray, then go back to his bed. When the Mu'adh-dhin pronounced the Adhan, he would stand up. If he needed to use the bathroom, he would do so; otherwise, he would perform wudu and then go out (for praying).'"

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ : أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا ، حِيْنَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الآخِرِ يَقُوْلُ : مَنْ يَدْعُوْنِيْ فَأَسْتَجِيْبُ لَهُ , مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِيْ فَأُعْطِيْهِ , مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِيْ فَأَغْفِرُ لَهُ

"From Abu Hurairah radiyallahu anhu, the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, 'Our Lord (Allah), the Most Holy and Exalted, descends to the world's sky every night when the last third of the night remains. He says, 'Whoever prays to Me, I will certainly answer. Whoever asks of Me, I will certainly give. Whoever begs Me for forgiveness, I will certainly forgive him.'"

If we understand the verses of the Quran and the hadiths mentioned above, we can conclude that the best time to pray Tahajjud is when one has rested and during the last third of the night. That is the answer.

That's a brief description of "What is the best time to pray Tahajjud?" and some essential aspects of it. Do you understand? If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

I believe that is sufficient for this brief post. I hope it is helpful. Ameen.

See you once again in the next short post!