Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Qiyamul Lail

Assalam Alikum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatouh

Do you want to be from Eibadul Rahmaan (the servants of the most merciful) and win the highest level of Jannah (Paradise)?

I am sure you are thinking “of course, is that even a question”!!?

Allah Ta’alah says:
وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْناً وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَاما))
وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا

What can be translated as: ( And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace,
And those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer] ) 25:63-64

Those who spend part of the night prostrating to their lord means those who pray Qeyamulail.

What is Qeyamulail (or the prayer of the night)?

Qeyamulail is an honor given by Allah to those who serve his deen, do good in this dunia and worship him with sincerity. Not just anyone gets to do Qeyamulail!!

I will give you a simple example in our daily life to help you realize: if you have a son or a daughter, they will not get to meet the president of the country unless they do exceptionally well in their studies or sports compared to the rest of the students within the area, city or country. Wa LeLLAHUL mathal Al A’lah.

So Qeyamulail is like an honorary grade. This person who served Allah and their deen during the day, Allah wakes them up at night to meet and connect with him as an honor and a reward for their hard work. Subhana Allah, can you feel the tranquility of that!!?

If you were looking to apply for a job in one of the companies or ministries and you heard that the CEO or the Minister walks on the beach every morning at 6 AM. I am sure you will go and buy yourself some sports shoes and outfit, even though you have never played sports before and may be your belly is one meter away from you!!! But you will do that and you will go walking on the beach at 6 AM…..why!!? Because you have a need and you will do anything to achieve it. We do this with humans, what about the lord of the humans!!? Aren’t we supposed to do more with him?

I am not saying we have to be like the companions of the Prophet PBUH who used to pray the whole night or half of it. We do not have to be like Ata’a ibn Rabah who used to wake up third of the night and sometimes half of it. We do not have to be like Imam Abi hanifa who used to pray fajr with the wudu of isha for forty years. We do not have to be like all those because our iman is still weak. Let us work in conjunction with our iman. 

Qeyamul Lail starts from only two Rak3ahs any time of the night, the beginning of the night (after Isha), the middle or the end just before athaan of fajr. You can do more than the two raka’as if you wish, of course if you increase the reward will also increase. But if you pray just two raka3as and one Rak3a witr, that is considered as Qeyam and when Allah SWT calls on the day of Judgment for those who used to pray Qeyamul Lail you will be one of them insha Allah. 

The best time for Qeyamulail is the last part of the night just before fajr, because Allah SWT descends to the lowest heaven every night. As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven every night when the last third of the night remains, and He says, ‘Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”

Sadly most of us are either sleeping at that time or in a wedding listening to Music and dancing or committing other sins waleyathu biLLAH . We are missing alot of Khair.

After learning all this, let’s not waste these chances any more.

Let’s have a plan for Qeyamulail:

For my brothers, let us start praying isha in Jama’ah (congregation) and fajr in Jama’ah. The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him said: "One who performs `Isha' prayer in congregation, is as if he has performed Salat for half of the night. And one who performs the Fajr prayer in congregation, is as if he has performed Salat the whole night.''
[Muslim] 

He (peace and blessing be upon him) also said, “If people knew the reward in praying Fajr and Isha in congregation, they would go to the mosque even if they had to crawl.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

For my brothers and sisters, let’s set up our alarms half an hour before the athaan of fajr, just half an hour….what shall we do in this half an hour?

Use the first 15 minutes to read Qura’an so your heart will open up, and the next 15 minutes pray two rakas and witr or four raka’s. 
Continue with this plan for three months or even six months then increase it to 45 minutes instead of half an hour. Use 15 min. for Quran, 15 min. for Istighfaar and 15 min. for salah. Continue like that for another year and then make it one hour. Use 15 min. for Quran, 15 min. Istighfaar, 15 min salah ala rasoul, and 15 min. for salah.

Once you get used to this, you will find yourself waking up without an alarm and you will see so much khair in your life. You will have noor in your face, you will have a better concentration and will function more efficiently. Subhana Allah.


Qeyamulail is the only form of worship which is completely away from Reya’a because you do it late at night when everyone is asleep just you and your lord. The companions of the Prophet PBUH used to walk on their toes not to make anyone feel them praying Qeyamulail. Make it as your secret between you and Allah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is prayer at night.” Narrated by Muslim, 1163

So let’s strive to not miss Qeyamul Lail even if it’s only 2 raka3a. May Allah grant us tawfeeq and help us achieve this honor Ameen.

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