... Written by Tijjani Muhammad Musa
One of the most open secrets that many fail to take advantage of is night standing, in salat. The benefits are so immense that they can not be quantified. Qiyamal layl as it is popularly called is recommended by Allaah Subhanahu Wa Ta'alah in several verses in the Quran, thus:
“They (the believers) forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope; and they spend out of what We have bestowed on them.” Soorah as-Sajdah 32: 16
“They (the pious) used to sleep but little at night.” Soorah ath-Thariyat (51): 17
And Allah's Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “The best prayer after those prescribed is (the prayer performed) in the depth of night.” [Saheeh Muslim and Musnad Ahmad]
Again in another hadith, he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) also said: “The most beloved prayer to Allah was of Dawud (alaihi as-salaam). He slept one half of the night, got up (and prayed) for one third, and then slept (the remaining) one sixth.” [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]
Numerous are the benefits of such night standing. We will mention them briefly; it protects one from satan, facilitates supplication acceptance, brings one close to Allah, is a means of earning Allah's Mercy and doing it regularly instill discipline in the night stander. However, the details of these are not what we want to highlight in this piece.
The similitude of the one who stands in the middle of the night for prayers, while others sleep is like that of a person in a place where water is extremely scarce, coming from one singular source during the day and at night. It runs free, undisturbed, non-stop whether it is collected or not. From this one source, everybody gets his daily supply of the precious liquid.
Many are the persons in the populace that need it and so they scramble, stampede and even fight for it. Some hurting themselves and each other in the process, loosing so much respect and becoming disgraceful while at it.
For those who choose to ignore collecting it that way, for free, in an effort to maintain their status and dignity, end up using their resources to purchase it at a very exorbitant price. And the need for this life companion resource is daily and so the demand for it is endless.
Now, on days the water comes in trickles or even briefly gets witheld from its one source, many who have not saved and stored their excess or extra for the proverbial rainy day, and can not afford to buy it at its costly offering tag end up begging, stealing, robbing or even killing for it.
But, for the man or woman who stands before his or her Lord, all alone in prayers in the midst of the night, it is like one who is at the water source, alone, when the water is at its purest, undisturbed flow, with no one else to struggle, compete or hinder his or her bountiful collection.
He first uses the water for his immediate satisfaction, then to meet all his daily needs and fetches some more, filling all his containers and finally letting it run to fill his underground reservoir.
By the time it is dawn and the first soul stirs back to life, he or she is fully done. And when the sun is up and the heat is on, the fetchers queue up, stretching and snaking far and long till the eyes can see.
Soon, patience starts to run out and words of anger and annoyance starts to criss-cross, before the ultimate grand finalé, the daily fistful engagements. The night stander watches pitifully and smile at their desperations.
All his calls for people to be orderly, falls on no ears. Where they do, deaf ears. And his sincere advice for self-sufficiency is unheeded and so the saga continues. Many wonder though how he is never seen in want of what they know everybody needs.
Interesting, isn't it?
So, be you a Night Stander.
(c)(r)2013 Tijjani M. M.
All Rights Reserved
One of the most open secrets that many fail to take advantage of is night standing, in salat. The benefits are so immense that they can not be quantified. Qiyamal layl as it is popularly called is recommended by Allaah Subhanahu Wa Ta'alah in several verses in the Quran, thus:
“They (the believers) forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope; and they spend out of what We have bestowed on them.” Soorah as-Sajdah 32: 16
“They (the pious) used to sleep but little at night.” Soorah ath-Thariyat (51): 17
And Allah's Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “The best prayer after those prescribed is (the prayer performed) in the depth of night.” [Saheeh Muslim and Musnad Ahmad]
Again in another hadith, he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) also said: “The most beloved prayer to Allah was of Dawud (alaihi as-salaam). He slept one half of the night, got up (and prayed) for one third, and then slept (the remaining) one sixth.” [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]
Numerous are the benefits of such night standing. We will mention them briefly; it protects one from satan, facilitates supplication acceptance, brings one close to Allah, is a means of earning Allah's Mercy and doing it regularly instill discipline in the night stander. However, the details of these are not what we want to highlight in this piece.
The similitude of the one who stands in the middle of the night for prayers, while others sleep is like that of a person in a place where water is extremely scarce, coming from one singular source during the day and at night. It runs free, undisturbed, non-stop whether it is collected or not. From this one source, everybody gets his daily supply of the precious liquid.
Many are the persons in the populace that need it and so they scramble, stampede and even fight for it. Some hurting themselves and each other in the process, loosing so much respect and becoming disgraceful while at it.
For those who choose to ignore collecting it that way, for free, in an effort to maintain their status and dignity, end up using their resources to purchase it at a very exorbitant price. And the need for this life companion resource is daily and so the demand for it is endless.
Now, on days the water comes in trickles or even briefly gets witheld from its one source, many who have not saved and stored their excess or extra for the proverbial rainy day, and can not afford to buy it at its costly offering tag end up begging, stealing, robbing or even killing for it.
But, for the man or woman who stands before his or her Lord, all alone in prayers in the midst of the night, it is like one who is at the water source, alone, when the water is at its purest, undisturbed flow, with no one else to struggle, compete or hinder his or her bountiful collection.
He first uses the water for his immediate satisfaction, then to meet all his daily needs and fetches some more, filling all his containers and finally letting it run to fill his underground reservoir.
By the time it is dawn and the first soul stirs back to life, he or she is fully done. And when the sun is up and the heat is on, the fetchers queue up, stretching and snaking far and long till the eyes can see.
Soon, patience starts to run out and words of anger and annoyance starts to criss-cross, before the ultimate grand finalé, the daily fistful engagements. The night stander watches pitifully and smile at their desperations.
All his calls for people to be orderly, falls on no ears. Where they do, deaf ears. And his sincere advice for self-sufficiency is unheeded and so the saga continues. Many wonder though how he is never seen in want of what they know everybody needs.
Interesting, isn't it?
So, be you a Night Stander.
(c)(r)2013 Tijjani M. M.
All Rights Reserved
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