Imam sadIiq: IF I Percieve his time I will serve him in all of my life days
NIGHT PRAYER

NIGHT PRAYER

Now we will mention the method of offering the night prayer. Thereafter, we will also narrate Ziyarat of Ashura and Ziyarat Jamia Kabeera.

The night prayer: Its time begins from midnight and it is best to offer it as near the morning as possible. In fact, if in the morning, a person offers four units of night prayer, he should offer the remaining prayers without reciting any chapter and with ‘Hamd’ alone.

The night prayer constitutes of eight units and every two unit should be offered separately. It is recommended to recite the chapter ‘Tawheed’ thirty times after reciting ‘Hamd’ in the first two units of the night prayer. In this case, by the end of the prayer, he wouldn’t be left with a sin not forgiven by Allah.

Similarly, he can recite the chapter ‘Tawheed’ in the first unit after ‘Hamd’, and the chapter ‘Kafiroon’ in the second unit. And in the rest of prayers (the six remaining units), he can recite whichever chapter he wishes.

Moreover, he can recite chapter ‘Tawheed’ in every unit of the eight-unit prayer, after ‘Hamd’, or he can also afford to recite chapter ‘Hamd’ alone in every unit.

(It is recommended to recite the supplication for the hastening of Relief, mentioned previously in this book, after the first two units. And after the fourth unit, he should recite the supplication mentioned on page number 200).

The Qunoot of the night prayer, just like the qunoot of the obligatory prayers, should be recited in the second unit of every prayer. He can say ‘Subhanallah’ three times as the recital of Qunoot, or recite the following prayer:

  أَللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَنا وَارْحَمْنا وَعافِنا وَاعْفُ عَنَّا فِي الدُّنْيا وَالْآخِرَةِ ، إِنَّكَ عَلى كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ قَديرٌ .

O’ Allah! Forgive us and have mercy upon us and pardon us in this world and the hereafter, indeed You have power over all things.”

Or say:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَتَجاوَزْ عَمَّا تَعْلَمُ ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْأَعَزُّ الْأَجَلُّ الْأَكْرَمُ .

O’ Lord! Forgive me, have mercy upon me, and pardon my sins which You know, indeed You are the most Dignified, the Glorified, and the Generous.

It has arrived in a tradition that when Prophet Musa (A.S.) used to stand at night for his prayers, he used to say: أَللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ خَلَقْتَني سَوِيّاً ... O’ Allah, You have created me with an appropriate body…”, and this is the 50th supplication of Sahifa e Kamila.

After offering the eight units of night prayer, offer two units of Shaf’e and one unit of Witr prayer. In these three units, after reciting chapter ‘Hamd’, recite the chapter ‘Tawheed’ in ever unit; so that you can obtain the reward of reciting the entire Qur’an once; because the reward of reciting ‘Tawhee’ one time is equivalent to the recitation of 1/3rd Qur’an.

Moreover, in the first unit of the Shaf’e prayer, after reciting ‘Hamd’, you can also recite chapter ‘Naas’, and in the second unit, after ‘Hamd’, you can recite the chapter ‘Falaq’.

After offering the Shaf’e prayer, offer a one-unit Witr prayer with chapter ‘Hamd’ and chapter ‘Tawheed’, or after reciting chapter ‘Hamd’, you can recite«قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ» three times, or Ma’oozatayn, i.e. «قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ» and«قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ». After reciting the chapters, raise your hands for supplication and in Qunoot, recite whatever you wish.

Sheikh Toosi (R.A.) says: The supplication of Qunoot are uncountable in numbers; but there isn’t any specific Qunoot narrated for us as the obligatory one to be recited in our prayers.

It is Mustahab to weep in Qunoot fearing Allah and the divine punishment, or to exihibit the condition of a weeper, and pray for the believers. It is also recommended to recollect the name of forty believers, because whoever prays for forty believers amongst the Shias, his supplication will be definitely accepted by Allah. Moreover, he can supplicate for whatever he wishes thereafter.

Sheikh Sadooq (R.A.) narrates in his book ‘Man la yah’zar’hul faqeeh’ that Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.) used to recite the following supplication in the Qunoot of his Witr prayer:

  أَللَّهُمَّ اهْدِني فيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ ، وَعافِني فيمَنْ عافَيْتَ ، وَتَوَلَّني فيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ ، وَبارِكْ لي فيما أَعْطَيْتَ ، وَقِني شَرَّ ما قَضَيْتَ ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضي وَلايُقْضى عَلَيْكَ ، سُبْحانَكَ رَبَّ الْبَيْتِ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ ، وَاُؤْمِنُ بِكَ ، وَأَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ ، وَلا حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إِلّا بِكَ يا رَحيمُ .

O’ Allah! Guide me towards those whom You have guided, and secure me between the secured ones, and safeguard me between those whom You have safeguarded, and bless me among those whom You have granted, and protect me from the evil of what You have destined, indeed You order and no one orders against You, You are Glorified, O’ Lord of the House, I seek forgiveness from You and return towards You, and I have faith in you, and I rely upon You, and there is no movement or power except through You, O’ Beneficent.

It is appropriate in Qunoot to say seventy times:

«أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ (رَبّي) وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ»

 “I seek forgiveness from Allah (my Lord) and I return to Him”.

It is suitable for a person to raise his left hand now and count the number of his repentances (seventy times)[1]. And it is recommended to repeat three hundred times:«اَلْعَفْو»

Whoever recites four units of night prayer before the dawn Azan, he can offer the remaining after the Morning Prayer, with the intention of offering in its time. Whoever is incapable of offering the night prayer after midnight, it is permissible for him to offer it before midnight.


[1] Al Baqiyaatus Salihaat (Notes of Mafatih ul Jinaan): 260 .

 

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