During this Ramadan, besides fasting and Tarawih, Muslims are encouraged to do Qiyamullail especially in the last 10 nights of the Holy Month. These are the days and time where we should perform even more acts of righteousness and charity than any time of the year, with the aim of attaining the reward of Lailatul Qadr (the night of destiny).
Allah SWT said: “The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.” (Al-Qadr: 3)
One of the ways to attain Lailatul Qadr is by performing Qiyamullail, which means to ‘stand during the night’; where everyone is advised to spend the some part of the night to worship Allah SWT. It starts from isya’ until Fajar.
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You can do sunnah prayers, recite the Qur’an, dhikr to Allah SWT or any other acts of worship to purify your heart. The ‘hukum’ of performing qiyamullail is sunnah muaqqadah or highly encouraged, but it is statutory to Prophet Muhammad SAW.
The difference between Qiyamullail and Tahajjud
- Tahajjud prayer is considered as part of the qiyamullail too, whereby doing the sunnah prayer after isyak and before fajr.
- Qiyamullail on the other hand, is not limited to only prayers. Along with prayers, Qiyamullail includes other acts of worshiping Allah SWT, be it before and after sleeping.
Benefits of performing Qiyamullail
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The best prayer to perform after the obligatory prayers.
Rasulullah (ﷺ) said, “The best of salah after the obligatory salah, is the salah of the night (Qiyamullail).” (HR Muslim)
Doing the qiyamullail is voluntarily. Do note that qiyamullail is considered as one the best of acts after the obligatory ones.
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It brings the worshiper close to Allah.
Rasulullah (ﷺ) said, “Upon you is (to perform) Qiyamullail, for it is the habit of the righteous before you. And it will bring you closer to your Rabb, and expiate for bad deeds, and prevent sin.” (HR Tirmidhi; Hassan)
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Increases chances of accepted du’a.
“Verily in the night there is an hour, no Muslim reaches it, asking Allah for goodness from matters of the Dunya or the Akhirah, except that Allah gives it to him, and that is in every night.” (HR Muslim)
Allah provides a bountiful of time for all of His creation. For Muslims, there are exclusive time period when du’a is especially encouraged and granted.
The last third of the night, at around 3am until Fajar is one of the most encourage times to pray. That is the time for you to recharge, refresh, and reconnect with the Most Merciful.
When do we perform the qiyamullail?
Usually, it can be done at last third of the night. So, according to Malaysia time, it is about 3am to 4 am or until Fajar. It may sounds too early for some. But one tip on you can prepare for this is to sleep early so you can feel fresh when you wake up to do qiyamullail.
How to perform qiyamullail?
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Arrangement to wake up for prayers
Even though the prayers can be done right after the Isya’ prayer, still the better reward mentioned in the Quran and Hadith refers to worship that is done after you slept for a few hours and wake up for qiyamullail.
Set up your alarm clock. If this is new for you, starts with once a week – preferably on Thursday night. Before you go to sleep, set your intention to wake up for qiyamullail, set your alarm, and immediately get off the bed once you are awake. True strength lies in your willpower to lift up the blanket.
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Waking up
Choose the time when you want to wake up during the night. It may a challenge for some of us, especially if you are a first timer.
If you have an honest effort to wake up and perform qiyamullail but accidentally overslept, do not beat yourself up. According to a hadith, Allah SWT records your genuine intention to perform the Tahajjud and grants you sleep as an act of mercy.
You will be rewarded as if your intention had been fulfilled because He is the Merciful, the Kind and Compassionate.
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Prayers
You can do all ‘sunnah’ prayers during qiyamullail. You can start with Taubah prayer, Tahajjud, hajat, istikharah and other ‘sunnah’ prayers. You can simply do 2 rakaats for each prayer, and repeat as many as you wish.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW frequently prayed up to 13 rakaats. Lastly, end your qiyamullail with Witr prayers – three rakaats with two salams. You can also complete your qiamullail by reading the Quran.
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Du’a
Qiyamullail is the perfect time to make as many du’a as you wishes to Allah SWT. You can just ask for anything that you wish. Pour your heart to Him. He will listen and will grant the best of the best for you, inshaAllah.
Du’a for Lailatul Qadr
اَللَّهُمَّ اِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ ، تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee
“O Allah You are The One Who forgives greatly, and loves to forgive, so forgive me.”
Those are some of the benefits that you can get during the last 10 nights of Ramadan. During these Holy Nights are when you, as a Muslim, can cleanse your hearts and to come closer to one another.
Even after the Ramadan has ended, try your best to perform Qiyamullail as part of your daily routine. Remember that Allah SWT appreciates regular acts of worship and makes you closer to Him.
Moreover, Qiyamullail is related to Allah’s gift of forgiveness and redemption – a great way to seek repentance from Him for each minor failures, sins, and imperfection. Let’s work up together to make this Ramadan a memorable one compare to the previous year.