فَضلُ صَلاةِ اللَّيلِ The Virtue of the Night Prayer

1ـ رسولُ اللهِ‏ِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): ما زالَ جَبرَئيلُ يُوصِيني بقيامِ اللَّيلِ حَتّى ظَنَنتُ أنَّ خِيارَ أُمَّتي لَن يَنامُوا مِن اللَّيلِ إلّا قليلاً.

1– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The archangel Gabriel continuously advises me about standing for prayer in the night such that I really thought the good people in my community will never sleep.’[Amali al-Saduq, p. 349, no. 1]
 

2ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): رَحِمَ اللّه‏ُ رَجلاً قامَ مِنَ الليلِ فَصلّى وأيقَظَ امرَأتَهُ فَصَلَّت، فإن أبَت نَضَحَ في وَجهِها الماءَ . رَحِمَ اللّه‏ُ امرأةً قامَت مِنَ اللَّيلِ فَصَلَّت وأيقَظَت زَوجَها، فإن أبى نَضَحَت في وَجهِهِ الماءَ.

2– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Allah has mercy on the man who wakes up in the night to pray, and wakes his wife so she too prays, and sprinkles water on her face if she refuses to get up. And Allah has mercy on the woman who wakes up in the night to pray, and wakes her husband to pray too, and sprinkles water on his face if he refuses to get up.’[Sunan Abi DawUd, p. 145]
 

3ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): إنَّ العَبدَ إذا تَخَلّى بِسَيِّدِهِ في جَوفِ اللَّيلِ المُظلِمِ وناجاهُ، أثبَتَ اللّه‏ُ النورَ في قَلبِهِ ... ثُمّ يقولُ جَلَّ جلالُهُ لِملائكَتِهِ: يا ملائكَتي، اُنظُرُوا إلى عَبدِي، فقد تَخَلّى بي في جَوفِ اللَّيلِ المُظلِمِ والبطّالونَ لاهُونَ، والغافِلونَ نِيامٌ، اشهَدُوا أنّي قد غَفَرتُ لَهُ .

3– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Verily when a servant withdraws to be alone with his Master in the middle of the dark night and intimately converses with Him, Allah places divine light into his heart…then He, Exalted be His Splendour, says to His angels, ‘O My angels, look at My servant how he seeks solitude to be with Me in the middle of the dark night while the worthless ones remain heedless and the negligent ones sleep. Witness that verily I have forgiven him.’[Amali al-Saduq, p. 230, no. 9]
 

4ـ رسولُ اللهِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): علَيكُم بقيامِ اللَّيلِ ؛ فإنّهُ دَأْبُ الصالِحِينَ قَبلَكُم، وإنَّ قيامَ اللَّيلِ قُربَةٌ إلى اللّه‏ِ، ومَنهاةٌ عنِ الإثمِ.

4– The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘You must get up for the night prayer, for verily it was the devoted practice of all righteous people before you, and verily the night vigil is a means of proximity to Allah and a prevention from sin.’[Kanz al-`Ummal, no. 21428]
 

5ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): قيامُ اللَّيلِ مَصَحَّةٌ لِلبَدَنِ، ومَـرضـاةٌ لِلـرَّبِّ عَزَّ وجلَّ، وتَعَـرُّضٌ للرَّحمَةِ، وتَمَسُّكٌ بأخلاقِ النَّبِيِّينَ.

5– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Standing to pray in the night is conducive to the health of the body, is a source of pleasure for the Lord, exposes one to [the descent of] divine mercy, and is adherence to the moral virtues of the prophets.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 87, p. 143, no. 17]
 

6ـ عن الإمام عليّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): ما تَرَكتُ صلاةَ اللَّيلِ منذُ سَمِعتُ قولَ النبيِّ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): صلاةُ اللَّيلِ نُورٌ . فقالَ ابنُ الكَوّاءِ: ولا ليلةَ الهَريرِ ؟ قالَ: ولا ليلةَ الهَرِيرِ.

6– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘I have never left the night prayer since I heard the Prophet (SAWA) say that the night prayer is a light.’ Ibn al-Kawwa’ asked, ‘Not even on the night of al-Harir?’ [al-Harir: a celebrated battle between two tribes (ed.)] to which he replied, ‘Not even on the night of al-Harir.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 41, p. 17, no. 10]
 

7ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): شَرَفُ المُؤمِنِ صلاتُهُ بالليلِ، وعِزُّ المؤمِنِ كَفُّهُ عن أعراضِ الناسِ.

7– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘A believer’s dignity lies in his standing for the night prayer, and his honour lies in abstaining from [tarnishing] other people’s good reputations.’[al-Kafi, v. 3, p. 488, no. 9]
 

8ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): لا تَدَعْ قِيامَ اللَّيلِ، فإنَّ المَغبونَ مَن غُبِنَ قِيامَ اللَّيلِ.

8– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Do not leave the night prayer, for verily the one who is truly duped is the one who has lost out on the night prayer.’[Ma`ani al-Akhbar, p. 342, no. 1]
 

9ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): ما مِن عَمَلٍ حَسَنٍ يَعمَلُهُ العَبدُ إلّا ولَهُ ثَوابٌ في القرآنِ إلّا صلاةَ اللَّيلِ؛ فإنَّ اللّه‏َ لَم يُبَيِّنْ ثَوابَها لِعَظيمِ خَطَرِها عندَهُ، فقالَ: «تَتَجافى جُنُوبُهم عَن المَضاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفاً وَ طَمَعاً وَ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَـهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ - فلا تَعْلَمُ نَفسٌ ما أُخْفِيَ لَهُم مِن قُرَّةِ أعْيُنٍ جَزاءً بِما كانوا يَعمَلونَ».

9– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Every single good deed that the servant carries out has a reward mentioned for it in the Qur’an except for the night prayer, for verily Allah has not expressed its reward because of the great significance it holds with Him. Thus, He says, “Their sides vacate their beds to supplicate their Lord in fear and hope …No one knows what has been kept hidden for them of comfort as a reward for what they used to do”[ Qur’an 32:16].[ Bihar al-Anwar, v. 8, p. 126, no. 27]
 

10ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): صلاةُ اللَّيلِ تُبَيِّضُ الوَجهَ، وصلاةُ اللَّيلِ تُطَيِّبُ الرِّيحَ، وصلاةُ اللَّيلِ تَجلِبُ الرِّزقَ .

10– Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The night prayer brightens one’s face, the night prayer fragrances one’s breath, and the night prayer attracts sustenance.’[`AIlal al-Shara’i`a , p. 363, no. 1]