How Many Rakats Are Best for Tahajjud Prayer? Find Out Here!
Hi, dear readers! Are you looking for an explanation of "How many rakats are best for Tahajjud prayer"? If your answer is "Yes," congratulations! You are now reading the right article. Why? Because that’s what I will explain here. As Muslims, it is essential for us to understand this topic, which is why I wrote this article. So, be sure to read it to the end!
Specifically, there are several important points about "How many rakats are best for Tahajjud prayer," which I will explain in this article. Some of the key points I will cover include the following:
Minimum and Maximum Rakats for Tahajjud Prayer
The important point about "How many rakats are best for Tahajjud prayer" that I will discuss now is the minimum and maximum rakats for this prayer. I want you to grasp this information first before proceeding to the rest of the article, as these are fundamental concepts in this discussion that should be well understood.
Read Also: Powerful Dua After Tahajjud Prayer
Before I explain the minimum and maximum rakats for Tahajjud prayer, I will quote several hadiths that elucidate these points. Please understand the explanation below.
Hadith About Minimum Rakats for Tahajjud Prayer
The hadith about the minimum rakats for Tahajjud prayer is as follows:
قَالَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا : إِنَّ رَجُلاً قَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، كَيْفَ صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ ؟ قَالَ : مَثْنَى مَثْنَى، فَإِذَا خِفْتَ الصُّبْحَ فَأَوْتِرْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ
Abdullah bin Umar (radliyallahu anhuma) said, "Someone asked Allah's Messenger (Prophet Muhammad), 'How should we perform the night prayer?' He replied, 'Two rakats, two rakats. If you are concerned that you may not be able to perform the Fajr prayer, then pray the Witr prayer with one rakat.'"
From this hadith regarding the minimum rakats for Tahajjud prayer, we can conclude that the minimum is two rakats. As Muslims, it is important for us to understand this.
Hadith About Maximum Rakats for Tahajjud Prayer
The hadith about the maximum rakats for Tahajjud prayer is as follows:
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا , قَالَ : كَانَ صَلاَةُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلاَثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً ( يَعْنِي بِاللَّيْلِ)
From Ibn Abbas (radliyallahu anhuma), he said, "The prayer of the Prophet (Muhammad) (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was thirteen rakats (meaning he prayed at night)."
This hadith indicates that Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) prayed at night up to thirteen rakats. Among these were the Witr and Tahajjud prayers. Therefore, we can assume that he performed twelve rakats in Tahajjud prayer and one rakat in Witr prayer.
عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ ، قَالَ : سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا عَنْ صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِاللَّيْلِ . فَقَالَتْ : سَبْعٌ وَتِسْعٌ وَإِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ سِوَى رَكْعَتَىِ الْفَجْرِ
From Masruq, he said, "I asked Aisha (radiyallahu anha) about the night prayer of the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam). She replied, 'Seven rakats, or nine rakats, or eleven rakats, excluding the two rakats of Fajr prayer.'"
This hadith explains that sometimes Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) prayed at night up to seven, nine, or eleven rakats, in addition to the two rakats of Fajr prayer. Therefore, we can infer that he performed six, eight, or ten rakats in Tahajjud prayer.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا , قَالَتْ : كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ ثَلاَثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً مِنْهَا الْوِتْرُ وَرَكْعَتَا الْفَجْرِ
From Aisha (radiyallahu anha), she said, "The Prophet (Muhammad) (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) prayed at night as many as thirteen rakats, including the Witr prayer and the two rakats of Fajr prayer."
This hadith clarifies that Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) prayed at night up to thirteen rakats, which included the Witr and the two rakats of Fajr prayer. Hence, we can conclude that he performed ten rakats in Tahajjud prayer.
From the above hadiths regarding the maximum rakats for Tahajjud prayer, we can conclude that there is no fixed maximum. We can perform as many rakats as we are able. Why is that?
There are two main reasons for concluding that there is no maximum for Tahajjud prayer:
- There is no hadith that specifically describes the maximum number of rakats for Tahajjud prayer.
- Several hadiths indicate that the rakats performed by Prophet Muhammad varied during his prayers.
Dear readers! That is a brief explanation of the minimum and maximum rakats for Tahajjud prayer. As Muslims, it is important for us to understand this.
How Many Rakats Are Best for Tahajjud Prayer?
The important thing about "How many rakats are best for Tahajjud prayer?" is that what I'm going to explain now offers a specific answer. I sincerely hope you read the explanation below very carefully.
Before I explain "How many rakats are best for Tahajjud prayer?", I will quote some hadiths regarding the best rakats for this prayer. Please pay attention to the explanation below!
Hadith About the Best Rakats for Tahajjud Prayer
Regarding the hadith about the best rakats for Tahajjud prayer, what I mean is as follows:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : دَخَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِذَا حَبْلٌ مَمْدُودٌ بَيْنَ السَّارِيَتَيْنِ فَقَالَ : مَا هَذَا الْحَبْلُ ؟ قَالُوا هَذَا حَبْلٌ لِزَيْنَبَ فَإِذَا فَتَرَتْ تَعَلَّقَتْ . فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : لاَ ، حُلُّوهُ ، لِيُصَلِّ أَحَدُكُمْ نَشَاطَهُ ، فَإِذَا فَتَرَ فَلْيَقْعُدْ
From Anas bin Malik radliyallahu anhu, he said, "Once the Prophet (Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam entered the Mosque and saw a rope hanging between its two pillars. He said, "What is this rope?" The people replied, "This rope is for Zainab, who holds it when she feels tired to keep standing for the prayer." The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, "Don't use it. Remove the rope. You should pray as long as you feel active, and when you get tired, sit down."
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ : كَانَتْ عِنْدِي امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ بَنِي أَسَدٍ فَدَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ : مَنْ هَذِهِ ؟ قُلْتُ فُلاَنَةُ لاَ تَنَامُ بِاللَّيْلِ . فَذُكِرَ مِنْ صَلاَتِهَا . فَقَالَ : مَهْ عَلَيْكُمْ مَا تُطِيقُونَ مِنَ الأَعْمَالِ ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَمَلُّ حَتَّى تَمَلُّوا
From Aisha radliyallahu anha, she said, "A woman from the tribe of Bani Asad was sitting with me when Allah's Apostle (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam came to my house and asked, "Who is this?" I replied, "(She is) So and so. She does not sleep at night because she is engaged in prayer." The Prophet then said disapprovingly, "Do deeds that are within your capacity, for Allah never gets tired of giving rewards until you get tired of doing good deeds."
عَنْ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا ـ قَالَ لِيْ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : أَلَمْ أُخْبَرْ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَتَصُومُ النَّهَارَ ؟ قُلْتُ : إِنِّي أَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ . قَالَ : فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتْ عَيْنُكَ وَنَفِهَتْ نَفْسُكَ ، وَإِنَّ لِنَفْسِكَ حَقٌّ ، وَلأَهْلِكَ حَقٌّ ، فَصُمْ وَأَفْطِرْ ، وَقُمْ وَنَمْ
From Abu al-Abbas, he said, "I've heard Abdullah bin Amr bin al-Ash radiyallahu anhuma say, "Once Allah's Messenger (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said to me, 'I have been informed that you offer Salat (prayer) all night and observe Saum (fast) during the day.' I replied, '(Yes) I do so.' He said, 'If you do so, your eyesight will weaken, and you will become weak. No doubt, your body has rights over you, and your family has rights over you, so observe Saum (for some days) and do not observe it (for some days), offer Salat (for some time), and then sleep.'"
عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَر رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا : أَنَّ رَجُلاً جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ يَخْطُبُ ، فَقَالَ : كَيْفَ صَلَاةُ اللَّيْلِ ؟ فَقَالَ : مَثْنَى مَثْنَى، فَإِذَا خَشِيتَ الصُّبْحَ فَأَوْتِرْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ ، تُوتِرُ لَكَ مَا قَدْ صَلَّيْتَ
From Ibn Umar radliyallahu anhuma, "A man came to the Prophet (Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam while he was delivering a sermon and asked him how to offer the night prayers. The Prophet replied, 'Pray two rakats at a time, then two more, and continue in this manner. If you are afraid of dawn (the approach of the time of the Fajr prayer), pray one rakat, and that will serve as the witr for all the rakats you have prayed.'"
Now, if we understand some of the hadiths above, we can conclude that the best rakats for Tahajjud prayer are those that do not burden us. We should not force ourselves to perform many rakats in Tahajjud prayer if we are unable to do so.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding the appropriate number of rakats for Tahajjud prayer is essential for every Muslim seeking to enhance their spiritual practice. Based on the hadiths discussed, the minimum rakats are two, while there is no fixed maximum, allowing for flexibility based on individual capacity and devotion. The Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) demonstrated varying practices, emphasizing the importance of praying according to one's ability. The essence of Tahajjud is not solely in the quantity of rakats but also in the quality and sincerity of the prayer. Engaging in this nightly worship allows for a deep connection with Allah, fostering spiritual growth and reflection. Therefore, Muslims should strive to perform as many rakats as they can comfortably manage, maintaining balance in their worship, and remembering the significance of personal capability and dedication in their nightly prayers.
I think that's enough for this article. May it be useful. Ameen.
See you again in the next article!
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