Hasan [al-Basri] said ‘It used to be that a person would have guests staying over and he would pray at night without his guests knowing’ And because night prayer is harder on the lower self, because night is a time of rest from the tire of day, so leaving sleep despite the lower self being desirous of it is a tremendous struggle (mujahada). Some have said that the best of works are those the lower self is forced to perform. And because recitation in night prayer is closer to contemplation, because things that busy the heart are mostly absent at night, so the heart is attention and is with the tongue in understanding, as Allah Most High said ‘Lo! The night vigil is (a time) when impression is more keen and speech more certain. [Lo! You have by day a chain of business. So remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself with a complete devotion.]‘ (Quran, 73: 6-7) It is because of this that we have been commanded to recite the Quran in night prayer in a steady recital (tartil). And it is because of this that night prayer is a shield from sin And because night vigil time is the best of times for voluntary worship and prayer, and the closest a servant is to his Lord. And because it is a time when the doors of the sky are opened, supplications answered, and the needs of those who ask fulfilled.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 13:33:51 +0000
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