Signs and Majesty of Night

“It has been said in the Qur’an, “Allah has made for you the night as a covering, the sleep as a rest, and the day as a wake.” (Surat al-Furqan: 48).
“Glory be to Allah, Who has made the night for you that you may rest therein, and the day to see; Surely Allah is full of bounty to the pure, but most people do not give thanks.” (Surat al-Muminun: 71).
“It has been said in the Qur’an, “Say, ‘Have you ever considered that if Allah made the day to come upon you till the Day of Resurrection, then there is no god but Allah?’ Who can bring a night for you, where you can rest? Do you not see? It is His mercy that He has made for you night and day. So that you may rest (at night) and seek His bounty (during the day), so that you may give thanks to Him.” (Surah Al-Qasas, verses: 62-63).
In the Qur’an, Allah Almighty says, “I have made for you sleep a resting-place and a covering for the night.” (Surah Naba: 09-10)
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) liked to offer the Esha prayers one-third of the night late, and disliked sleeping before Esha and talking without Esha after Esha.” (Sahih Bukhari, Ha: 599)
“The result of waking up unnecessarily at night is waking up late in the morning. At present, a large section of the Muslim community starts the day with the exception of Fajr prayers. However, it has been narrated in the hadith that Hazrat Jabir (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said that the difference between a believer and a disbeliever is prayer.”(Muslim, Ha. 134)
“Allah says in the Holy Qur’aan about the dwellers of Paradise that they ask forgiveness on the last night.” (Surah Jariyat: 18)
According to the narration of Hazrat Sakhar Ghamdi (R.A.), “The Prophet (SAW) prayed, O Allah, bless the beginning of the day for my Ummah. That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to send troops at the beginning of the day when he was on a mission. The narrator said that Hazrat Sakhar (ra) also used to start his business activities in the morning. This greatly improved his business and he gained unlimited abundance.” (Sunan Abi Dawood: 2606)
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) disliked talking after the Isha prayer and staying up late until late at night. However, he would sometimes stay up at night to teach religion and would often go to Abu Bakr’s house at night for good advice on Muslims.” (Tahabi Sharif, H: 8203)
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that waking up late at night is tiring and burdensome.” (Sunan Daremi, H: 1835)
“Addressing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, ‘And keep reciting Tahajjud for some part of the night. This is one of your additional duties. Hopefully, your Lord will place you in Makkah Mahmud.” (Surat al-Isra: 69)
It is mentioned in Surah Al-Muzammil of the Qur’an, “Of course, waking up at night is very effective in suppressing the mind, and reciting the Qur’an at that time is absolutely correct.”
Verse 64 of Surah Al-Furqan says, “The beloved servants of Allah are those who prostrate themselves before their Lord and spend the night standing.”
“They were absolutely patient in the ordeal, steadfast, truthful, absolutely loyal. Sacrificing wealth in the way of Allah and seeking forgiveness from Allah in the last watch of the night.” (Surah Ale Imran: 16)
The importance of Tahajjud has also been mentioned in Hadith Sharif. Mishkatul Masabih quotes Sunan Ahmad as saying, ‘Narrated from Abu Hurairah, he said,‘ I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say. Afzalus Salati Badal Mafrudati Salatul Laili ‘means the best prayers after the obligatory prayers are the prayers of Tahajjud. (Hadith no. 117/2)
In another hadith narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.), “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Allah descends to the nearest heaven every night when the last third of the night remains. He kept saying – who are you to call me, and I will answer his call? Who will ask me for something, and I will give it to him? Who is there to ask forgiveness from me and I will forgive him?” (Bukhari and Muslim)
“The author of Mishkatul Masabih, Abu Saeed Khudri, mentions a hadith. It has been said, ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Allah is pleased with three people (Hasan). The person who gets up for Tahajjud and prays. Two. Crowds, who stand in line for prayers. Three. Mujahideen who stand in line to fight in the way of Allah.” (Hadith No. 1160/2)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a hadeeth, “The best fast after Ramadan is the fast in the month of Muharram, and the best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer’ (Tahajjud prayers).”
Allah Almighty has said in the Holy Qur’an, “Is he who worships at night by prostration or standing, fears the Hereafter and expects the mercy of his Lord? He who does not do so.” (Surah Jumu’ah, verse no. 9).
Allah has narrated to them that “They (the God-fearing) used to sleep only a small part of the night and in the last watch of the night they would ask for forgiveness.” (Surah Az-Zariyat, verses 17-18).
In the best commentator of the Qur’an, Abdullah bin Abbas (R.A.) says, “Whoever seeks an easy reckoning on the Day of Judgment, Allah should find him prostrating and standing in the darkness of night. He must also have the thought of the Hereafter and the expectation of mercy.” (Qurtubi in Tafsir, Ma’areful Qur’an, Qiyamul Lail).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a hadeeth narrated from Hazrat Abu Malik al-Ashari (may Allah be pleased with him), “There will be rooms in Paradise whose inner part will be visible from the outside and the outer part from the inside.” The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! For whom? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, ‘Whoever greets, feeds the hungry, and at night, when everyone is asleep, performs the tahajjud prayer.” (Musnad Ahmad, Bayhaqi Tirmidhi) (Mazhari in Tafsir, Ma’areful Qur’an)
It is narrated on the authority of Asma bint Yazid that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Today, you will know who has the highest honor and dignity in the sight of Allah. Then the angel will call on the people who have the quality of ‘whose side is separated from the bed’ to stand. Hearing this voice, these people (Tahajjudgujar) will stand up, whose number will be very insignificant. They will be sent to heaven without reckoning. Then all the other people will stand up and their account will be taken.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Mazhari, Ma’ariful Qur’an).