Tahajjud - The Night Prayer

When starts Last Third of the Night?

In Locating.. it starts at --:-- and ends at --:-- Calculation method: Muslim World League

If you prefer to determine the time for the Last Third of the Night with the Night Prayer Calculator, you can do it right here. Simply enter your Maghrib and Fajr times and then press "Calculate".
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Duration of Last Third of the Night:
Islamic Midnight:
Last Third of the Night:
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Prophet Muhammed ﷺ said:
"The Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the night remains and says: ‘Who will call upon Me, that I may answer Him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness that I may forgive him?’"
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Chapter 19/Hadith-No. 1145

"And during a part of the night, keep awake by the prayer. It is beyond what is incumbent on you; maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory."
- Quran 17:79

"And they who pass the night prostrating themselves before their Lord and standing."
- Quran 25:64

Arabic
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ قَيِّمُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، لَكَ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ، وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ، وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ، وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ، وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّبِيُّونَ حَقٌّ، وَمُحَمَّدٌ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَقٌّ، وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ، اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ، وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ، وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ حَاكَمْتُ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ، وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ، أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ ـ أَوْ لاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ
Transliteration
Allahumma Lakal-Hamd. Anta Qaiyyimus-Samawati Wal-Ard Wa Man Fihinna. Walakal-Hamd, Laka Mulkus-Samawati Wal-Ard Wa Man Fihinna. Walakal-Hamd, Anta Nurus-Samawati Wal-Ard. Wa Lakal-Hamd, Anta-l-Haq Wa Wa'duka-Lhaq, Wa Liqa'uka Haq, Wa Qauluka Haq, Wal-Jannatu Han Wan-Naru Haq Wannabiyuna Haq. Wa Muhammadun, Sallal-Lahu'alaihi Wasallam, Haq, Was-Sa'atu Haq. Allahumma Aslamtu Laka Wabika Amantu, Wa 'Alaika Tawakkaltu, Wa ilaika Anabtu Wa Bika Khasamtu, Wa ilaika Hakamtu Faghfir Li Ma Qaddamtu Wama Akh-Khartu Wama As-Rartu Wama'a Lantu, Anta-l-Muqaddim Wa Anta-l-Mu Akh-Khir, La ilaha illa Anta.
English
O Allah! All the praises are for you, You are the Holder of the Heavens and the Earth, And whatever is in them. All the praises are for You; You have the possession of the Heavens and the Earth And whatever is in them. All the praises are for You; You are the Light of the Heavens and the Earth And all the praises are for You; You are the King of the Heavens and the Earth; And all the praises are for You; You are the Truth and Your Promise is the truth, And to meet You is true, Your Word is the truth And Paradise is true And Hell is true And all the Prophets (Peace be upon them) are true; And Muhammad is true, And the Day of Resurrection is true. O Allah ! I surrender (my will) to You; I believe in You and depend on You. And repent to You, And with Your help I argue (with my opponents, the non-believers) And I take You as a judge (to judge between us). Please forgive me my previous And future sins; And whatever I concealed or revealed And You are the One who make (some people) forward And (some) backward. There is none to be worshipped but you.
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Chapter 19/Hadith-No. 1120

1. Do Wudhu properly and with concentration.

2. Then recite the Dua for Tahajjud before starting the salah.

3. Start the prayer with 2 short rakʿa and then you can pray as much as you want. Tahajjud should be offered as 2 rakʿa followed by 2 rakʿa.

4. After the Tahajjud prayer is done, you perform the Witr prayer. If the time for the Fajr prayer is near, then pray 1 rakʿa of Witr. If you are going to pray Tahajjud then pray Witr after Tahajjud. But if you have already prayed Witr after Isha then do not pray Witr after Tahajjud because there is only one Witr in a night.

5. Afterwards make lots of Dua, ask for forgiveness and seek refuge from hellfire.
Remember: Try to pray Tahajjud daily even if all you can pray is just 2 rakʿa. Do not overburden yourself. Allah loves constant good deeds even if they are few.

May Allah accept your Tahajjud Prayer.

What is Tahajjud?

Tahajjud, also known as "night prayer", is a voluntary prayer in Islam. It is the best voluntary prayer after the five obligatory prayers (Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha).

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer."
[Reported by Muslim]

When can I offer the Tahajjud prayer?

Tahajjud can only be offered after you have prayed the Isha prayer. Prayers performed after the Isha prayer and before the Adhan of the Fajr prayer are called night prayers.

What is the most recommended time to perform Tahajjud?

The best time to perform Tahajjud is during the last third of the night.
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Chapter 73/Hadith-No. 6321]

When does the Last Third of the Night begin?

The night is the time between sunset (Maghrib) and dawn (Fajr). If you divide this time into three equal parts, the last part is the last third of the night.

Example:
Maghrib starts at 9:00 p.m. and Fajr starts at 3:00 a.m. The time between the two prayers is therefore 6 hours. If you divide the 6 hours by 3, you get 2 hours. Thus, the last third of the night begins 2 hours before Fajr (1:00 a.m. in this example).

How many rakat does the Tahajjud prayer have?

At least 2 rakat. There is no maximum limit that may be performed for Tahajjud.

Is sleeping compulsory before Tahajjud?

There are different opinions on this. However, it is recommended to wake up from sleep during the night and then perform Tahajjud.

How does it differ from Qiyam ul-Layl?

Qiyam ul-Layl means the night, or part of it, even if it is only 1 hour, to spend in prayer, reading Quran, remembering Allah (Dhikr) or performing other forms of worship.

Tahajjud specifically means to pray at night. Some scholars have restricted it to prayers that are offered at night after sleep.

Qiyam ul-Layl is a general term for types of night worship, while Tahajjud is a special act of night worship (prayer).

How does it differ from the Taraweeh?

In relation to Taraweeh, the scholars use this word to refer to Qiyam ul-Layl in Ramadan.

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