Here are some narration from the great Imams and scholars of the past to encourage you to stand in the night while others are sleeping. It may seem like a lot to read but it is worth it.
Qiyam al-Layl (The night prayer) & The Salaf as-Saaleh (righteous
predecessors)
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Wahb said: “Every type of pleasure is enjoyed only
once, except for acts of worship, which are enjoyed three times:
when you do it, when you remember it, and when you are given the
reward for it.”
Yahyaa ibn Mu’aadh said: “The medicine of the heart is five things:
reading Qur’aan and pondering the meaning, having an empty stomach,
praying at night (qiyaam al-layl), beseeching Allaah at the time of
suhoor, and keeping company with righteous people.”
Thaabit al-Banaani said: “There is nothing I enjoy more than qiyaam
al-layl.”
Yazeed al-Riqaashi said: “A lot of tahajjud brings delight to the
worshippers, and a lot of thirst (i.e., fasting), brings joy when
they meet Allaah.”
Mukhallad ibn Husayn said: “I never woke up at night except I saw
Ibraaheem ibn Adham remembering Allaah and praying, and this made
me depressed, so I consoled myself with this aayah (interpretation
of the meaning): ‘…That is the Grace of Allaahm which He bestows on
whom He pleases. And Allaah is the Owner of Great Bounty’
[al-Hadeed 54:21].”
Abu ‘Aasim al-Nabeel said: “Abu Haneefah used to be called al-Watad
(pole or pillar) because he prayed so much.”
Al-Qaasim ibn Ma’een said: “Abu Haneefah spent an entire night in
qiyaam reciting this aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Nay,
but the Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense),
and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter’ [al-Qamar
54:46], repeating it and weeping, beseeching Allaah until morning
came.”
Ibraaheem ibn Shammaas said: “I used to see Ahmad ibn Hanbal
staying up at night to pray when he was a young man.”
Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi said: “I was with Imaam Ahmad for nearly four
months in the army, and he never stopped praying qiyaam at night or
reading Qur’aan during the day, and I never knew when he completed
the Qur’aan, because he kept that secret.”
Imaam al-Bukhaari used to pray qiyaam and tahajjud at night until
the time of suhoor, and he would read between a half and a third of
the Qur’aan, and complete it at suhoor every third night.
Al-‘Allaamah Ibn ‘Abd al-Haadi said, describing the qiyaam of
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah: “At night he would keep away from
people, and spend that time only with his Lord, beseeching Him
continually and reciting Qur’aan, repeating different kinds of acts
of worship by night and by day. When he began to pray, his body
would start to tremble, leaning to the left and right.”
Ibn Rajab said concerning his shaykh Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim: “He was a
man of worship, tahajjud and lengthy prayers. I have never seen his
equal in worship and knowledge of the Qur’aan, hadeeth and
principles of faith.”
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said, describing his shaykh al-Haafiz
al-‘Iraaqi: “I stayed with him, and I never saw him forsake qiyaam
al-layl: it was like a habit for him.”Sleeping in a state of
tahaarah (purity). We have already quoted the hadeeth of al-Baraa’
ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “When you go to
bed, do wudoo’ as if for prayer.” (Agreed upon).
Mu’aad ibn Jabal (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There
is no Muslim who goes to sleep remembering Allaah and in a state of
purity, and when he turns over he asks Allaah for good in this
world and the next, but it will be given to him.” (Reported by Abu
Dawood and Ahmad. Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5754).
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Purify these bodies and Allaah will purify you, for there is no
slave who goes to sleep in a state of purity but an angel spends
the night with him, and every time he turns over, [the angel] says,
‘O Allaah, forgive Your slave, for he went to bed in a state of
purity.’” (Reported by al-Tabaraani. Al-Mundhiri said, its isnaad
is jaayid. Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3831).Going to sleep early. Sleeping
straight after ‘Ishaa’ is the advice of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and a good and healthy habit. One
of the ahaadeeth that describe its virtues was narrated by Abu
Barzah al-Aslami (may
Allaah be pleased with him) who said that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to prefer to delay ‘Ishaa’,
and he did not like to sleep before it or talk after it. (Reported
by al-Bukhaari).
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar reported that al-Qaadi ‘Ayaad said, concerning
the phrase “He did not like to sleep before it”: “Because that
could lead to one praying it too late, or delaying it until after
the preferred time, and talking after it could lead to one sleeping
before Fajr and missing it, or missing qiyaam al-layl.”
Ibn Raafi’ said: “ ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased
with him) used to wave his stick at the people when darkness fell,
and would say, ‘Get up and go, may Allaah help you to pray qiyaam
at night!’”
‘Ali ibn Bakkaar (may Allaah have mercy on him) used to have a
slave-woman who would spread out his bed for him, and he would
touch it with his hand and say: “By Allaah, you are good, and by
Allaah you are cool, but by Allaah I will not rest on you tonight.”
Then he would get up and pray qiyaam until Fajr.
Also, one should not sleep too much or too deeply. Ibraaheem ibn
Adham said: “If you are sleeping at night, and running about during
the day, and always committing sin, how can you earn the pleasure
of the One Who is directing your affairs?”Anas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “Take a nap, for the shayaateen do not
take naps.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani. Al-Saheehah, 2647).
Ishaaq ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Taking a nap is one of the deeds of
good people. It revitalizes the heart and helps one to pray qiyaam
al-layl.”
Al-Hasan al-Basri passed by a group of people in the marketplace in
the middle of the day, and heard the racket they were making. He
said, “Do these people take a nap?” It was said to him, “No.” He
said, “I think their nights must be bad.”
Sufyaan al-Thawri said: “You should eat little, so that you will be
able to pray qiyaam al-layl.”
Ma’qal ibn Habeeb saw some people eating a lot, and said, ‘I do not
think that our companions want to pray qiyaam al-layl.”
Wahb ibn Munbih said: “There is no son of Adam dearer to his
shaytaan than the one who eats and sleeps a lot.”
“Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and
hope, and they spend (charity in Allaah’s Cause) out of what We
have bestowed on them” [al-Sajdah 32:16]
Fadaalah ibn ‘Ubayd (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The
mujaahid is the one who strives against his own self for the sake
of Allaah.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibbaan. Al-Saheehah,
549).
According to the hadeeth of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allaah be
pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “When a man from my ummah gets up to pray at night,
striving against his own self to get up and purify himself, there
are knots on him. When he washes his hands in wudoo’, one knot is
undone. When he washes his face, another knot is undone. When he
wipes his head another knot is undone. When he washes his feet,
another knot is undone. Then Allaah says to those who are veiled
(in the Unseen): ‘Look at this slave of Mine, he is striving
against his own self and asking of Me. Whatever My slave asks of Me
shall be his.” (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Hibaan. Saheeh
al-Targheeb, 627).
Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir said: “I struggled against my own self for
forty years until it became right.” Thaabit al-Banaani said: “I
struggled for twenty years to make myself pray qiyaam al-layl, and
I enjoyed it (qiyaam al-layl) for twenty years.” ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd
al-‘Azeez said: “The best of deeds are those which we force
ourselves to do.” ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak said: “The souls of
righteous people in the past used to push them to do good deeds,
but our souls do not do what we want them to do except by force, so
we have to force them.” Qutaadah said: “O son of Adam, if you do
not want to do any good except when you have the energy for it,
then your nature is more inclined towards boredom and laziness. The
true believer is the one who pushes himself.”
A man said to Ibraaheem ibn Adham, “I cannot pray qiyaam al-layl,
so tell me the cure for this.” He said, “Do not commit sin during
the day, and He will help you to stand before Him at night, for
your standing before Him at night is one of the greatest honours,
and the sinner does not deserve that honour.”
A man said to al-Hasan al-Basri: “”O Abu Sa’eed, I sleep in good
health, and I love to pray qiyaam al-layl, and I prepare water with
which to purify myself, so why can I not get up?” Al-Hasan said:
“Your sins are restricting you.” He said, may Allaah have mercy on
him, “The slave who commits a sin will be denied the opportunity to
pray qiyaam at night and to fast during the day.”
Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Ayaad said: “If you cannot pray qiyaam al-layl, or
fast during the day, know that you are indeed deprived and
restricted, chained by your sins.”
13 – Checking oneself and rebuking oneself for not praying qiyaam
al-layl. Checking oneself is one of the signs of the righteous and
truthful. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who
believe! Fear Allaah and keep your duty to Him. And let every
person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear
Allaah. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.” [al-Hashr
59:18].
Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim said: “If the slave is responsible and
accountable for everything, even his hearing, sight and innermost
thoughts, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning), ‘…Verily,
the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of each of you will be
questioned by Allaah’ [al-Isra’ 17:36], then he should check on
himself before he is brought to account.”
Qiyaam al-layl is an act of worship that connects the heart to
Allaah, may He be exalted, and enables it to overcome the
temptations of life and to strive against one’s own self, at the
time when voices are stilled, eyes are closed in sleep, and
sleepers are tossing and turning in their beds. Therefore qiyaam
al-layl is one of the measures of sincere determination and one of
the qualities of those who have great ambitions. Allaah has praised
them and distinguished them from others in the Qur’aan, where He
says (interpretation of the meaning): “Is one who is obedient to
Allaah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the
hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy
of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: ‘Are those who know
equal to those who know not?’ It is only men of understanding who
will remember.” [al-Zumar 39:9]
Qiyaam al-layl is “sunnah mu’akkadah” (confirmed Sunnah), which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to do
when he said, “You should pray qiyaam al-layl, for it is the habit
of the righteous people who came before you, and it will bring you
closer to your Lord, expiate for bad deeds, prevent sin, and expel
disease from the body.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad).
According to a hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “The best of prayers after the prescribed
prayers is qiyaam al-layl.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) always had the habit of praying qiyaam al-layl,
and never gave it up, whether he was travelling or staying at home.
Even though he, among all the sons of Adam, would be the one to
have all his past and future sins forgiven, he prayed qiyaam
al-layl until his feet became swollen, and when he was asked about
that, he said, “Should I not be a grateful slave?” (Agreed upon).
This is how the noble salaf were, may Allaah have mercy upon them.
Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Pray two
rak’ahs in the darkness of the night for the darkness of the
grave.” Ahmad ibn Harb said: “I am astonished at people who know
that the delights of Paradise lie above them and the horrors of
Hell lie beneath them. How can they sleep in between them?”
When ‘Umar ibn Dharr saw that night had come, he would say: “Night
has come, and night has dignity, and Allaah is most deserving of
reverence.”
For this reason, al-Fudayl ibn ‘Ayaad said: “I met some people who
feel ashamed before Allaah to sleep for too long in the depths of
the night. Such a person may be resting on his side, and when he
moves, he says to himself, ‘This is not your right. Get up and take
your share of the Hereafter.’”
Al-Hasan said: “We do not know of any deed more difficult than the
struggle to stay up at night or to spend money.” It was said to
him, “Why do the mutahajjadeen (those who pray Tahajjud at night)
have the most beautiful faces?” He said, “Because they spend time
alone with the Most Merciful, so He adorns them with some of His
light.”
Urwah ibn al-Zubayr said: “I came to ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) one day to greet her, and I found her praying and
reciting the aayah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘But Allaah has
been gracious to us, and has saved us from the torment of the Fire’
[al-Toor 52:27], repeating it and weeping. I waited for her, but I
got bored of waiting, so I went to the market for some things I
needed, then I came back to ‘Aa’ishah, and she was still praying
and reciting this aayah and weeping.”
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Jibreel
said to me, ‘Go back to Hafsah, for she fasts a lot and prays a lot
at night (qiyaam al-layl).’” (Reported by al-Haakim, Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 4227).
Mu’aadhah al-‘Adawiyyah, one of the righteous Taabi’aat spent her
wedding night, along with her husband Silah ibn Ashyam, praying
until Fajr. When her husband and son were killed in the land of
jihaad, she would spend the whole night in prayer, worshipping and
beseeching Allaah, and she would sleep during the day. If she felt
sleepy whilst she was praying at night, she would tell herself: “O
soul, there is plenty of sleep ahead of you.”
When Habeebah al-‘Adawiyyah prayed ‘Ishaa’, she would stand on the
roof of her house, wearing her chemise and khimaar (i.e., covered
in proper Islamic dress), then she would say, “O my God, the stars
have come out, people have gone to sleep, and kings have closed
their doors, but Your door is open. Every lover is alone with his
lover, but here I am standing before You.” Then she would start to
pray and talk to her Lord until the time of suhoor. When the time
of suhoor came, she would say, “O Allaah, this night is ending, the
day is coming, and I wish I knew whether you have accepted this
night (of worship) from me, so that I could congratulate myself, or
if it has been rejected, so that I might console myself.”
‘Amrah, the wife of Habeeb al-‘Ajami, prayed qiyaam al-layl one
night whilst her husband was asleep. When the time for suhoor came,
and her husband was still asleep, she woke him up and said to him,
“Get up, my master, for the night has gone, the day has come and
ahead of you lies a long road with little provision, and a small
group of righteous people who have gone before us, and we are still
here.”
“And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allaah.”
[2:281]
