يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الآخِرُ يَقُولُ مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ
Our Lord, blessed and exalted is He, descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who is calling on Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking of Me, so that I may give him? Who is asking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?
Find when the last third begins where you live with the tahajjud time calculator.
أَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ بَعْدَ رَمَضَانَ شَهْرُ اللَّهِ الْمُحَرَّمُ وَأَفْضَلُ الصَّلاَةِ بَعْدَ الْفَرِيضَةِ صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ
The best fasting after Ramadan is the month of Allah, Muharram, and the best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the prayer at night.
كَانَ يَقُومُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ حَتَّى تَتَفَطَّرَ قَدَمَاهُ فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ لِمَ تَصْنَعُ هَذَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ قَالَ أَفَلاَ أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَكُونَ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا
The Prophet ﷺ used to stand in prayer at night until his feet were cracked. Aishah said: Why do you do this, O Messenger of Allah, when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins? He said: Should I not love to be a grateful servant?
نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، لَوْ كَانَ يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ
What a fine man Abdullah is, if only he would pray at night.
After that, Ibn Umar slept only a little of the night.
يَعْقِدُ الشَّيْطَانُ عَلَى قَافِيَةِ رَأْسِ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا هُوَ نَامَ ثَلاَثَ عُقَدٍ، يَضْرِبُ كُلَّ عُقْدَةٍ عَلَيْكَ لَيْلٌ طَوِيلٌ فَارْقُدْ، فَإِنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَإِنْ تَوَضَّأَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَإِنْ صَلَّى انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ فَأَصْبَحَ نَشِيطًا طَيِّبَ النَّفْسِ، وَإِلاَّ أَصْبَحَ خَبِيثَ النَّفْسِ كَسْلاَنَ
Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of any of you when he sleeps, striking each knot with the words: you have a long night, so sleep. If he wakes and remembers Allah, one knot comes undone. If he makes wudu, another comes undone. If he prays, the last comes undone, and he starts the morning lively and in good spirits. Otherwise he starts it in a bad mood and lazy.
بَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُذُنِهِ
(A man was mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ who slept the night through until morning. He said:) Satan has urinated in his ear.
أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ وَصَلُّوا وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ تَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ بِسَلاَمٍ
O people, spread the greeting of peace, feed others, and pray while people are asleep, and you will enter Paradise in peace.
Among the first words Abdullah ibn Salam heard from the Prophet ﷺ when he arrived in Madinah.
رَحِمَ اللَّهُ رَجُلاً قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى وَأَيْقَظَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَإِنْ أَبَتْ نَضَحَ فِي وَجْهِهَا الْمَاءَ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ امْرَأَةً قَامَتْ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّتْ وَأَيْقَظَتْ زَوْجَهَا فَإِنْ أَبَى نَضَحَتْ فِي وَجْهِهِ الْمَاءَ
May Allah have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, and wakes his wife; if she refuses, he sprinkles water on her face. May Allah have mercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays, and wakes her husband; if he refuses, she sprinkles water on his face.
مَنْ أَتَى فِرَاشَهُ وَهُوَ يَنْوِي أَنْ يَقُومَ يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَغَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنَاهُ حَتَّى أَصْبَحَ كُتِبَ لَهُ مَا نَوَى وَكَانَ نَوْمُهُ صَدَقَةً عَلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
Whoever goes to bed intending to get up and pray at night, and sleep overcomes him until morning, has what he intended written for him, and his sleep is a charity to him from his Lord, Mighty and Majestic.
أَحَبُّ الصَّلاَةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صَلاَةُ دَاوُدَ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ـ وَأَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ، وَكَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ وَيَقُومُ ثُلُثَهُ وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ، وَيَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا
The prayer most beloved to Allah is the prayer of Dawud, peace be upon him, and the fasting most beloved to Allah is the fasting of Dawud. He used to sleep half the night, pray a third of it and sleep a sixth of it, and he fasted one day and not the next.
صَلاَةُ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى، فَإِذَا خَشِيَ أَحَدُكُمُ الصُّبْحَ صَلَّى رَكْعَةً وَاحِدَةً، تُوتِرُ لَهُ مَا قَدْ صَلَّى
The night prayer is two rakat at a time. When one of you fears the dawn is coming, let him pray one rakah to make what he has prayed odd.
مَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَزِيدُ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَلاَ فِي غَيْرِهِ عَلَى إِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً، يُصَلِّي أَرْبَعًا فَلاَ تَسَلْ عَنْ حُسْنِهِنَّ وَطُولِهِنَّ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي أَرْبَعًا فَلاَ تَسَلْ عَنْ حُسْنِهِنَّ وَطُولِهِنَّ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي ثَلاَثًا
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not pray more than eleven rakat, in Ramadan or outside it. He would pray four, and do not ask how beautiful and long they were, then four more, and do not ask how beautiful and long they were, then three.