Is It a Must to Sleep Before Tahajjud Prayer? Find Out Here!
Hi, readers! Are you looking for an explanation about "Is it a must to sleep before Tahajjud prayer?" If your answer is "Yes," congratulations! You are reading the right article. Why? Because that's exactly what I will explain here. As Muslims, we must understand this topic, and that’s why I wrote this article. So, make sure to read it until the end!
Specifically, there are some important points about "Is it a must to sleep before Tahajjud prayer?" that I will explain. These important points are as follows:
Meaning of Tahajjud in Arabic and Islam
The first important point about "Is it a must to sleep before Tahajjud prayer?" that I will explain is the meaning of Tahajjud in Arabic and Islam. I want you to understand this before reading further because it is the foundation of any discussion about Tahajjud prayer.
Tahajjud is an Arabic word. It is written as التَّهَجُّدُ. When we read Islamic literature, we come across several meanings of Tahajjud (التَّهَجُّدُ), such as:
مَعَانِى التَّهَجُّدِ : (الأَوَّلُ) أَنَّهُ النَّوْمُ ثُمَّ الصَّلَاةِ ثُمَّ النَّوْمُ ثُمَّ الصَّلَاةِ ، (الثَّانِي) أّنَّهُ الصَّلَاةُ بَعْدَ النَّوْمِ ، (وَالثَّالِثُ) أَنَّهُ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ العِشَاءِ
Some meanings of Tahajjud (التَّهَجُّدُ) are: (first) sleeping, then praying, then sleeping again, and then praying again; (second) praying after sleeping; and (third) praying after the Isha prayer.
التَّهَجُّدُ هُوُ التَّنَفُّلُ لَيْلًا بَعْدَ نَوْمٍ
Tahajjud is a sunnah prayer performed at night after sleeping.
Dear readers, after reading the paragraphs above, we find that Tahajjud (التَّهَجُّدُ) has multiple meanings. However, if we refer to Islamic literature, we will find that the most accurate meaning of Tahajjud (التَّهَجُّدُ) in Arabic and Islam is the sunnah prayer performed at night after sleeping.
That is a brief explanation of the meaning of Tahajjud in Arabic and Islam. As Muslims, we must understand that.
Tahajjud Prayer in the Quran
The next important point about "Is it a must to sleep before Tahajjud prayer?" that I will explain is the Tahajjud prayer in the Quran. This is another key element of this discussion that must be well understood.
Regarding the Tahajjud prayer in the Quran, it is mentioned as follows:
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 is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station. (Al-Isra’ [17]: 79).
Dear readers, by understanding the Tahajjud prayer mentioned in the Quran, we can conclude several things:
- Tahajjud prayer is one of the sunnah prayers in Islam.
- Tahajjud prayer is performed at night.
That is a brief explanation of the Tahajjud prayer in the Quran. As Muslims, we must understand that.
Hadith on Tahajjud Prayer
The important point regarding the question "Is it a must to sleep before Tahajjud prayer?" that I will explain now is about the hadiths on Tahajjud prayer. I want you to understand this because it is one of the key aspects of this discussion that must be well comprehended.
There are many hadiths on the Tahajjud prayer. Of course, I won’t be explaining all of them here. In this article, I will only quote four hadiths.
The four hadiths on Tahajjud prayer are as follows:
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 from Abu Umamah al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Perform Qiyamul Lail (Tahajjud prayer) regularly, for it is the habit of the righteous before you. Qiyamul Lail is an act of worship that brings you closer to your Lord, erases sins, and prevents you from committing evil." This hadith was narrated by al-Hakim.
The above hadith explains several virtues of the Tahajjud prayer: The pious people before the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) performed Tahajjud prayer; it is one of the sunnah acts of worship; it erases sins; and it helps prevent a person from committing sins.
قَالَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا : إِنَّ رَجُلاً قَالَ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، كَيْفَ صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ ؟ قَالَ : مَثْنَى مَثْنَى، فَإِذَا خِفْتَ الصُّبْحَ فَأَوْتِرْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ
Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) said: “A man asked Allah's Messenger (Prophet Muhammad), ‘How should the night prayer be performed?’ He replied, ‘It is performed two rakats at a time. If you fear that dawn is approaching, then conclude with one rakat for Witr.’”
The above hadith explains the method of performing the Tahajjud prayer. It is performed in units of two rakats, and one should conclude with Witr if dawn is near. The minimum number of rakats for Tahajjud prayer is two.
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا , قَالَ : كَانَ صَلاَةُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلاَثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً ( يَعْنِي بِاللَّيْلِ)
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: "The prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during the night consisted of thirteen rakats."
The above hadith describes the number of rakats the Prophet Muhammad performed during the night, which was thirteen. It is assumed that twelve of these were for Tahajjud prayer, and the final one was for Witr.
قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، لَوْ كَانَ يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، فَكَانَ بَعْدُ لَا يَنَامُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً
Allah's Messenger (Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) said, "What an excellent man Abdullah is, if only he would pray at night!" After that, Abdullah would sleep only a little at night (and spend much of it in prayer).
The above hadith encourages the performance of Tahajjud prayer. A Muslim who regularly performs Tahajjud prayer is considered a good servant of Allah, as he worships his Lord when many people are asleep.
This is a brief explanation of the hadiths on Tahajjud prayer. As Muslims, we must understand this.
Is It a Must to Sleep Before Tahajjud Prayer?
The important thing about the question, "Is it a must to sleep before Tahajjud prayer?" that I will explain now is a specific answer. So, I really hope you read the explanation below carefully.
Before answering the question, "Is it a must to sleep before Tahajjud prayer?" I will first quote two hadiths that are directly related to this topic. The two hadiths I am referring to are as follows:
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 was the night prayer of the Prophet?' She replied, 'He used to sleep at the beginning of the night, and get up in the last part to pray, and then return to his bed. When the Mu'adh-dhin called for the Adhan, he would get up. If he needed to bathe, he would do so; otherwise, he would perform wudu and then go out for the prayer.'"
This hadith explains that Prophet Muhammad slept at the beginning of the night and woke up at the end of the night to pray. Tahajjud is one of the night prayers.
This hadith is one of the arguments used to suggest that sleeping before Tahajjud is necessary.
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, "Get up." The Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Salman is right."
This hadith further supports the idea that sleeping before Tahajjud is required, as the Prophet Muhammad approved of Salman's advice to Abu Darda'.
Read Also: Powerful Dua After Tahajjud Prayer
So, if you ask me, "Is it a must to sleep before Tahajjud prayer?" the answer is, "Yes, sleeping before Tahajjud is necessary."
Conclusion
In conclusion, sleeping before performing the Tahajjud prayer is a practice that has strong support in Islamic tradition. As explained, Tahajjud is a sunnah prayer performed during the night after a period of sleep, as indicated by both the Quran and numerous hadiths. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions often emphasized the importance of resting first, then waking up for this special act of worship. By following this practice, Muslims can maintain a balance between physical rest and spiritual devotion. While it is not obligatory, sleeping before Tahajjud adds to the prayer's significance. By making the effort to wake up in the quiet hours of the night, one gains a closer connection to Allah. Therefore, incorporating this sunnah into daily life not only strengthens faith but also brings numerous spiritual benefits.
Keep learning and may Allah guide us all. Ameen.
See you again in the next article!
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