Tahajjud: how to make the night prayer a habit
Tahajjud is the voluntary prayer at night after sleeping. It is the best prayer after the obligatory ones and the time when duas are answered.
The virtue of tahajjud
The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the prayer at night.
Sahih Muslim
Our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who is calling upon Me, that I may answer him? Who is asking of Me, that I may give him? Who is seeking My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
وَمِنَ ٱلَّيۡلِ فَتَهَجَّدۡ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةٗ لَّكَ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَبۡعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامٗا مَّحۡمُودٗا ﴿٧٩﴾
Wamina allayli fatahajjad bihi nafilatan laka ʿasa an yabʿathaka rabbuka maqaman mahmoodan
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
Quran 17:79 · Surah Al-Isra
Allah describes the people of Paradise:
كَانُواْ قَلِيلٗا مِّنَ ٱلَّيۡلِ مَا يَهۡجَعُونَ ﴿١٧﴾ وَبِٱلۡأَسۡحَارِ هُمۡ يَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَ ﴿١٨﴾
Kanoo qaleelan mina allayli ma yahjaʿoona Wabialashari hum yastaghfiroona
They used to sleep but little of the night And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness
Quran 51:17-18 · Surah Adh-Dhariyat
When is tahajjud?
The night prayer can be prayed any time after Isha until Fajr. The best time is the last third of the night. To find it, take the time from Maghrib to Fajr and divide it by three. Tahajjud usually means praying after having slept, even for a short while.
How to pray it
- Make the intention and pray two rakats at a time, as the Prophet ﷺ said: "The night prayer is two by two" (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
- Pray as many as you can. The Prophet ﷺ usually prayed eleven rakats including witr.
- End with witr, an odd number of rakats.
- Make dua in your prostration and after the prayer.
How to build the habit
- Start with two rakats ten or fifteen minutes before Fajr. That is already tahajjud.
- Sleep early and set an alarm for that time.
- Pray it consistently, even if short. Two rakats every night are better than eleven once a month.
- Track it and add more rakats once two feel easy.
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Frequently asked questions
How many rakats is tahajjud?
There is no fixed number. You can pray two rakats or more, in pairs. The Prophet ﷺ usually prayed eleven rakats including witr, sometimes thirteen.
Can I pray tahajjud without sleeping?
Any voluntary prayer at night after Isha is night prayer (qiyam al-layl). Many scholars use the word tahajjud for the prayer after sleeping, but praying before sleep is also rewarded, especially if you fear you will not wake up.
Can I pray tahajjud after witr?
Yes. If you prayed witr before sleeping and then wake up, you can pray two by two without repeating witr. The Prophet ﷺ said: "There are no two witrs in one night" (Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi).