How to Perform the Tahajjud Prayer?

Tahajjud, sometimes referred to as the "night prayer," is a voluntarily offered form of worship by Muslims. It is not among the five necessary prayers for Muslims, although the Islamic Prophet Muhammad is known to have participated in the Tahajjud prayer frequently and encouraged his followers to follow in his footsteps. A nighttime prayer is performed to find self-belief, mental fortitude, and tranquillity. It's also believed to stop sinful behavior. Following Islam, Allah descends to the deepest sky throughout this period to observe who is devotedly praying and waking up from their rest. The Tahajjud prayer ritual is also referred to as Qiyam-u-lail. It belongs to Islam's fourth category of prayers, classified as 'Nafl.'

Most Muslims worldwide strive to include the Tahajjud prayer into their daily routines even though it is not required to obtain the Almighty's pardon and kindness. Prophet Muhammad provided the following significant instructions for completing this worship −

Time for Tahajjud Prayer

This Islamic ritual is offered in the final third of the night before the Fajr prayer starts. When angels are sent down from the heavens to accept duas from all of Allah's servants, that is the time for this prayer. Allah pardons the sinners who have expressed remorse for their misdeeds throughout this period.

How to brace for Tahajjud?

Ensure you have everything in place for the third nighttime awakening. Putting up an alarm or requesting family and friends to rouse you up in time for the Fajr prayer are two examples of how to do this. Wash your forehead, face, feet, hands, and neck thoroughly. Look for a quiet, spotless area to offer the Tahajjud prayer. Whenever you pray, give your full attention to Allah and His greatness. The heart, mind, and soul should be free of all anxiety.

Place for Prayer

To pray, find a neat, calm, and good location. This is practiced as Muslims are urged to refer to Allah in pure, sacred places as a sign of deference since his words are pure. Put on your usual worship attire, and sit on a mat facing Mecca's Holy Kabah as you usually would for your regular prayers.

To be precise, you are not required to perform the Tahajjud in a specific location, such as a mosque or even a sumptuously adorned place in your home. A clean area, which can be in your house, is required.

Saying and Understanding the Prayer

Make a clear psychological statement about the prayer and that you will conduct the Tahajjud before you begin your prayer. Determine that you will perform the Tahajjud in a specified manner, including the number of rakats and the surahs you will read. Choose the reason you are reciting the Tahajjud, such as to worship Allah, adore Allah, express gratitude to Allah, or seek His pardon for whatever transgressions you may have made. You should not say this aloud because Allah is aware of your thoughts and mind and will understand your objectives as much as you are aware of them.

Perform the two Rakats

Salah should be recited twice, or two rakats, to commence Tahajjud. Standing while reading phrases from the Holy Quran signals the start of salah. The individual praying after that continues by performing a low bow and placing his hands upon his knees, bending over with his elbows lifted and placing his head, nose, and hands on the ground, then resting on his knees and putting his feet together before standing and chanting "Alla-hu-Akbar." Should learn this generalized overview of Salah before performing the Tahajjud in case you are unsure of the proper way of achieving it.

Imitate the Prophet Muhammad, who would chant these surahs in Tahajjud after each Rakat −

Al-Kafirun should be read after the initial rakat of Al-Fatihah.

Should recite Al-Ikhlas after the second Rakat of the Al-Fatihah.

Repeat rakats as per your niyyah.

Two rakats are generally considered the bare minimum required for a complete Tahajjud. You can, though, perform it as many times as you please. Prophet Muhammad reportedly performed up to thirteen rakats on numerous occasions. Eight rakats are considered to be a sufficient number by several Muslims. Tahajjud rakats are conducted in doubles. Although more is not disallowed, most individuals say two, four, six, or eight rakats.

Adding your prayers

You may continue praying after you have performed the number of rakats you originally intended to, provided that you do so with good intent, sincerity, reverence, and total dedication to Allah. These might be profusely delivered in your own words and terms. You might wish to express your gratitude and praise to Allah even more, ask for His fortitude and assistance, or make a special plea for guidance. Accept all of your malfeasances, no matter how minor you think they are; Allah has noticed them and may decide that punishment is warranted. Honestly, pledge to abstain from doing so and beg Allah for pardon.

After completion of the Tahajjud prayer

Since the Tahajjud disrupts your regular sleep, you may feel drowsy as you try to say the prayer during the ritual. Nevertheless, if you're so exhausted that you notice yourself babbling throughout your prayers or falling asleep amid your Tahajjud, don't try to finish the prayer.

In this circumstance, Allah takes note of your honest desire to fulfill the Tahajjud, as per various hadiths. You can resume sleeping without feeling awkward or humiliated, but attempt to be more careful the next time. For example, consider going to sleep sooner.

Exploring the Tahajjud

You may wish to look up any of the numerous citations to the Tahajjud prayer in Islamic literature to better understand its unique significance. The Tahajjud is maybe most notable for being stated in the Quran and considerably explored in several ahadith. Because Muhammad and his woman Aisha supported that wedded couples should perform the Tahajjud together, Muslim homes are prompted to recite the Tahajjud together. You can strengthen your bond as a family and your fidelity to Allah by sharing in the Tahajjud together.

Conclusion

The purpose of any prayer is to bring peace of mind and soul, to attain inner peace, and to know yourself better. Like any other form of worship, get free of all concerns about the outside world. When it's time for prayer, concentrate quietly and think about the beauty of your Lord. Don't be concerned about transient earthly issues that eventually have no significance in light of His great mercy, wisdom, and kindness.

Be at peace and set aside your concerns, aspirations, and fears for the world. Should disregard harmful or misleading ideas or emotions. As you start to reach a higher level of spiritual consciousness and awareness, relax your eyes, close them and concentrate on your heart and soul.