Al-Isra 17:79–84

The time of the Salah of Tahajjud: Injunctions and rulings

The word: فَتَھَجُّد (tahajjud) in: وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ (And during the night, wake up for Salah- 79) has been derived from ھجود :hujud. This word is used for two opposite meanings, that of sleeping and that of waking both. But, the words: وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ at this place, mean be awake with the Qur'an in a part of the night' because the pronoun in: بہٖ (bihi: with it) reverts back to the Qur'an. (Mazhari) 'Being awake with the Qur'an' means the making of Salah (with full compliance of what it requires). This very nightly prayer is called the prayer of Tahajjud in the terminology of Shari'ah. Speaking generally, the sense in which it has been taken is that the prayer said after waking up from a short sleep is the Tahajjud. But, according to Tafsir Mazhari, the sense of the verse is no more than sacrificing sleep to make Salah during some part of the night. This sense holds good for sleeping a little, then waking up from it and making Salah. Very similarly, it is also good if one begins by postponing sleep for Tahajjud and makes the Salah. The condition that one has to sleep before doing the prayer of Tahajjud is not found in the words used by the Qur'an. Apart from this, there are reports from Ahadith which support this general sense of Tahajjud.

And the definition of the prayer of Tahajjud reported from al-Hasan al-Basri (رح) by Imam Ibn Kathir (رح) also confirms this element of generality. The words of the report are as follows:

قال الحسن البصری (رح) ھو ما کان بعد العشاء و یحمل علٰی ما کان بعد النوم

Al-Hasan a1-Bari (رح) says: The prayer of Tahajjud holds good for every prayer that is said after al-` Isha And, (because of actual practice) it will be applied to that which is said after some sleep. (Ibn Kathir)

The outcome is that being after sleep is no condition in the real sense of the prayer of Tahajjud - and this condition is not present in the words of the Qur'an as well. But, speaking generally, it has been the constant practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his noble Companions ؓ that they used to do their Tahajjud prayer after waking up in the later part of the night, therefore, this would be the better way of doing it.

Is the prayer of Tahajjud Fard (obligatory) or Nafl (additional)?

The words: نَفل nafl and نَافِلَةً :nafilah in: نَافِلَةً لَّكَ (an additional prayer for you - 79) literally mean 'additional.' Therefore, prayer (Salah) and charity (sadaqah, khairat) etc. that is not obligatory or necessary and, the doing of which brings thawab (reward), and not doing which entails no sin or misconduct, are called nafl. In this verse, by looking at the words: نَافِلَةً لَّكَ (an additional prayer for you) with the prayer of Tahajjud, it is summarily understood that the prayer of Tahajjud is particularly associated with the Holy Prophet ﷺ as nafl for him. The fact, though, is that its effect as nafl is shared by all, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his entire ummah. Therefore, some respected early commentators have taken 'nafilah' at this place as an attribute of faridah or duty. The meaning given by them is that the Muslim community at large is obligated with five daily prayers only, but Tahajjud has also been made an additional obligation on the Holy Prophet ﷺ . So, at this place, the word: نَافِلَةً :nafilah appears in the sense of an additional obligation, not in the general sense of nafl.

Let us look at the correct investigative position in this matter. When, during the early stage of Islam, Surah al-Muzzammil was revealed, that was a time when five prayers had yet to be obligated. What everyone was obligated with was the prayer of Tahajjud. This obligation has been mentioned in Surah al-Muzzammil (73). Then, it was in the night of the Mi` raj (Ascent) that five prayers were made obligatory (fard). So, as for the obligatory nature of Tahajjud, it was abrogated as a duty on the Muslim community at large, by consensus. However, difference did exist about its obligatory nature. Was it also abrogated in the case of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ? Or, did it remain an obligation on him as a matter of special consideration - and in this verse, the expression: نَافِلَةً لَّكَ (nafilatal-lak) means exactly that 'the prayer of Tahajjud is an additional obligation on you.' But, according to Tafsir al-Qurtubi, this is not correct for many reasons. Firstly, there is no justification for taking nafl as fard. If it is supposed to be figurative speech, then, there will be no reality against it. Secondly, in authentic Ahdith, only five fixed prayers have been mentioned as obligatory (fard). At the end of another Hadith, it has been said that the fifty prayers made obligatory initially in the nocturnal journey of the Mi` raj were later reduced in number and set at five. Thus, the number was, though, reduced but the reward promised against these was that of no less than fifty. Then it was said: مَا يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَيَّ (The word [ given to My servants ] will not be changed with Me - Qaf, 50:29). It means: When the command was given for fifty, the reward shall be given for no less than fifty, though the number to be actually performed was re-duced.

The outcome of these narrative reports is no other but that no Salah - other than the five prayers - is obligatory (fard) on the Muslim ummah at large and on the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself. Then, there is a reason for it too. Had the word: نَافِلَةً nafilah been used here in the sense of an 'additional duty,' then, rather than using the word: لکَ (lak: for you) after it, the word used should have been: علَیک ('alaik: on you) since the latter signifies obligation while the word: لَکَ (lak: for you) is used only for approval and permission.

Similarly, this is the position declared to be correct and sound in Tafsir Mazhari which says: When the obligatory status of Tahajjud was abrogated in the case of the Muslim ummah, it stood abrogated in the case of the Holy Prophet ﷺ as well. What remained was nafl for everyone. But, this position raises a question: What is the singularity of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in it? That it is nafl for everyone already stands proved. What, then, would be the outcome of saying: نَافِلَةً لَّكَ (an additional prayer for you)? The answer is that, according to clear statements of Ahadith, all kinds of voluntary offerings and nafl ` Ibadat made by the Muslim ummah expiate their sins and serve as complements to whatever shortcomings remain in the performance of their obligatory prayers. But, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is not only that he is infallible (ma` sum) against sins, he is also above from any shortcomings in the observance of the etiquette of Salah. Therefore, as far as he is concerned, nafl ` Ibadat are nothing but additional. These cannot make amends for any shortcomings. Instead, these are simply a source of increased nearness to Allah. (Qurtubi, Mazhari)

Is the prayer of Tahajjud Nafl or Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah?

As for Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah (the emphasized Sunnah), Muslim jurists have a standing rule. Whatever the Holy Prophet ﷺ has done constantly, never leaving it unless under compulsion, is Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah - except that it is proved on the authority of an Islamic legal argument that the particular act was special to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and was not for the Muslim community in general. This rule will obviously re-quire that the prayer of Tahajjud should also be taken as Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah for everyone and not a mere nafl. The reason is that the constancy of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the matter of this Salah stands proved as an uninterrupted Sunnah. And there is no proof of its being restricted to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Therefore, it should be Sunnah al-Mu` ak-kadah for the Muslim ummah at large as well. This is the position Tafsir Mazhari rates as preferable, weightier and worthier. In proof of this being 'emphasized' (al-mu'akkadah), it has pointed out to the Hadith in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ said about a person who used to say his Tahajjud prayer earlier but left it later: 'the Shaitan has soiled his ear.' Such a drastic admonition and warning does not sound in order against the abandonment of nafl only. This tells us that it is Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah (an emphasized Sunnah).

And as for the respected elders who take the position that Tahajjud is only a nafl, they declared this perseverance and constancy to be the hallmark of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Then, what he said as admonition against the abandonment of Tahajjud by the person who used to do it before was not really said against its abandonment by him as such. Instead, it was said against first getting used to it, then abandoning it. The reason is that a person who gets into the habit of doing a certain nafl must continue with it assiduously - and there is a consensus of the Muslim ummah on it. If one leaves it after being in the habit of doing it, he will be blameworthy because leaving it without excuse after the habit is the sign of certain evasion and reluctance. However, there is no blame on the person who is just not in the habit of doing it from the very beginning. Allah knows best.

The number of Raka` at in the prayer of Tahajjud

In the Sahih of al-Bukhari and Muslim, as narrated by Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، 'the Holy Prophet ﷺ would never say more than eleven raka’ at, in Ramadan or during months other than it.' Out of these eleven, according to the Hanafiyyah, three raka’ at used to be that of witr, the remaining eight being that of Tahajjud.

And in a narration of Sahih Muslim, the following words of Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ have been reported: 'The Holy Prophet ﷺ used to say thirteen raka’ at during the night which includes witr and two raka’ at of the Sunnah of Fajr as well.' (Mazhari) The Sunnah of Fajr has been counted with the nightly prayer because they are performed in almost the same sequence. These reports tell us that the usual habit of the Holy Prophet ﷺ was to offer eight raka’ at in the prayer of Tahajjud.

But, from a report coming from Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ herself, it also stands proved that, on occasions, he has done less than that number - four or six - as being sufficient. When Sayyidna Masruq asked her about the prayer of Tahajjud, she has been reported in the Sahih of al-Bukhari to have said: 'There used to be seven, nine and eleven raka’ at - other than the Sunnah of Fajr' (Mazhari from al- Bukhari). According to the Hanafiyyah, if three rakaat are that of witr, four out of seven, six out of nine and eight out of eleven turn out to be the rak’ at of Tahajjud.

In what manner was the prayer of Tahajjud offered?

Narrative reports as they generally appear in Ahadith prove that the first two rak’ at in the beginning were light with a brief recitation. Then, in the rest of the rak’ at, the recitation was long and so were the ruku' and sajdah - and, at times, this length would become too much and, at others, somewhat less. (This is a summary of the Hadith reports taken from Tafsir Mazhari at this place)

The Praised Station

The Holy Prophet ﷺ has been promised مقام محمود (Maqam Mahmud: The Praised Station) in this verse and this station is, out of all prophets, particular to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . As to its explanation, there are different sayings. But, the most sound of them is what appears in authentic Ahadith in the words of the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself. This Station is the station of the Grand Intercession (al-shaf'ah al-kubra). This will come to pass on the plains of Resurrection (al-Hashr) when all children of 'Adam will be there requesting every prophet and Messenger of Allah ﷺ to intercede with Him on their behalf. All prophets (علیہم السلام) will offer their excuse. Only the Holy Prophet ﷺ shall be blessed with the honorable station of interceding on behalf of the entire progeny of 'Adam. Hadith reports carry lengthy relevant details that appear in Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Mazhari at this point.

The intercession made by prophets and the righteous will be accepted

Out of the Islamic sects, the Khawarij and the Mu'tazilah deny the intercession of prophets. They say that a major sin will not be forgiven through intercession by anyone. But, Ahadith coming in uninterrupted succession prove that the intercession for sinners will be accepted from Prophets (علیہم السلام) ، even from the righteous of the community. There will be many whose sins will be forgiven through intercession.

Based on a report from Sayyidna ` Uthman ؓ ، it appears in Ibn Majah and al-Baihaqi that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, the blessed prophets will be the first to intercede on behalf of sinners, then the ` Ulama' and then the Shuhada'. According to Dailami reporting from Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that the ` Alim will be told that he could intercede on behalf of his disciples, even if their number matches the number of stars.

And Abu Dawud and Ibn Hibban carry a narration of Sayyidna Abu al-Darda' ؓ ، with its chains ascending to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who said: The intercession made by a Shahid (شَھِید) will be accepted in favour of seventy people from his family.

The Musnad of Ahmad, al-Tabarani and al-Baihaqi authentically report Sayyidna Abu Umamah ؓ narrating that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the intercession of one person from my ummah many people, more than the entire number of the people of the tribes of Rabi'ah and Mudar, will be admitted to Jannah.

A question and its answer

The question is when the Holy Prophet ﷺ will himself intercede - and no believer will remain in Hell because of it - why and how will the ` Ulama' and the righteous intercede? The answer appears in Tafsir Mazhari: perhaps, the ` Ulama' and the righteous of the community will present their intercession in favour of whomsoever they wish before the Holy Prophet ﷺ who will then intercede with Allah Ta` ala.

An important note

In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: شَفَاعَتِی لِاَھلِ الکَبایٔرِ من اُمَّتِی (My intercession shall be for people who had committed major sins). This seems to tell us that those involved with major sins will be forgiven particularly through the intercession of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Any angel or any individual from the Muslim community will not be able to intercede in the case of those who have committed major sins. Instead of that, the intercession made by the righteous of the Muslim community will be for those who were involved with minor sins.

The Station of Intercession could be reached through the efficacy of the prayer of Tahajjud

Hadrat Mujaddid Alf Thani, the famous religious revivalist of the first Islamic millennium in India, said that, in this verse, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was first given the command to make the prayer of Tahajjud, then he was promised the Praised Station, that is, the Station of Grand Intercession. This tells us that the prayer of Tahajjud serves as a special via media in acquiring the Station of Intercession.

Before we proceed to verse 8o, let us recapitulate what was said in the verses previous to it. Mentioned there first were the pains inflicted on the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the conspiracies they kept hatching to hurt and harm him. Along with it, it was also said that these hostile plans made by them will never succeed. In contrast, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was being blessed with the real plan to offset their evil by prompting him to establish the five prayers, and the Tahajjud. Following that, he has been promised the Praised Station, the highest among all prophets - a promise to be fulfilled in the Hereafter. Now, in this verse 80: وَقُل رَّ‌بِّ أَدْخِلْنِي (And say, "0 my Lord, make me enter...), the first relief to him against the hurtful and treacherous actions of the disbelievers was given by Allah Ta` ala within this world in the form of his migration to Madinah. Then, he was given the good news of the conquest of Makkah in: وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ (And say, "Truth has come...81).

It has been reported in al-Jami` of Tirmidhi from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was in Makkah al-Mu` azzamah. Then, he was commanded to migrate to Madinah. Thereupon, this verse was revealed: وَقُل رَّ‌بِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِ‌جْنِي مُخْرَ‌جَ صِدْقٍ (And say, "0 my Lord, make me enter a rightful entrance and make me exit a rightful exit - so). Here, the word: مُدخَل (mudkhal) and مُخرَج (mukhraj) meaning the place of entry and the place of exit are اِسمَ ظرف (ism-al-zarf: the noun of place and time). The addition of the attribute (na't) of صِدق :sidq (translated as rightful) releases the sense of such entry and exit being totally true to the will and pleasure of Allah and in the best of attending circumstances, because the word: صِدق to (sidq) is also used in the Arabic language for every such act as is correct and better both outwardly and inwardly. The words: قَدَمَ صِدْقٍ (Yunus 10:2), لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ (ash-Shu` ara 26:84) and مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ (al-Qamar 54:55) have been used in the Holy Qur'an in that very sense.

'Entrance' means 'Madinah' and the place of exit denotes 'Makkah.' The sense takes the form of a prayer: 0 Allah, may my entry into Madinah turn out to be good and smooth, without having to face anything unpleasant and unwelcome on arrival there. And may my exit from Makkah be good and smooth, without being entangled in love of country and home.' There are other exegetic statements too which explain this verse. But, this particular explanation has been reported from Hasan al-Basri (رح) and Qatadah. Ibn Kathir calls it 'the most sound statement.' Ibn Jarir too has gone by it. As for the order, it required that the 'exit' should have been mentioned first while the 'entrance,' later. But, the precedence of 'entrance' and the succession of 'exit' is there, perhaps, to indicate that the exit from Makkah had no purpose of its own, in fact, parting from the Baytullah was extremely shocking. But, there was a purpose - to look for peace, for Islam and Muslims - something that could be hoped for through the entry in Madinah. Therefore, the objective to be achieved was made to come first.

A prayer for important objectives

At the time of his migration to Madinah, Allah Ta’ ala asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ to make this dua' which pleaded with Him that his exit from Makkah and then the arrival in Madinah should both be good and smooth in all possible ways. It was the outcome of this prayer that, though he was within the striking range of the pursuing disbelievers at the time of Hijrah, yet Allah Ta’ ala shielded him at every step and finally made Madinah al-Tayyibah good and promising for him and for all Muslims, both outwardly and inwardly. Therefore, some ` Ulama' have said that every Muslim should remember to make this prayer at the beginning of all objectives they wish to pursue and that this prayer is beneficial for all objectives and purposes. The sentence which complements this very prayer appears next: وَاجْعَل لِّي مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلْطَانًا نَّصِيرً‌ا "and grant me from Your Own a power favoured (by You)." Qatadah, the great tabi` i says: the Holy Prophet ﷺ knew that fulfilling his functional duties as a prophet and working while besieged by enemies were challenges he could not handle personally. Therefore, He prayed to Allah Ta’ ala for help and the power to subdue. The prayer was answered and everyone saw its effects.

Verse 81: وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ (And say, "Truth has come and false-hood has vanished" ) was revealed after Hijrah about the conquest of Makkah. Sayyidna Ibn Masud ؓ says that on the day Makkah was conquered, the Holy Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah. At that time, there were three hundred and sixty idols standing around the Baytullah. Some ` Ulama' report a reason for this particular number. They say that the Mushriks of Makkah had a separate idol for each day of the year that they used to worship on the given day. (Qurtubi) When the Holy Prophet ﷺ reached there, this was the verse he had on his blessed lips: وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ (Truth has come and falsehood has vanished) while he went round striking at each single idol on the chest with his stick. (al-Bukhari and Muslim)

It appears in some Hadith narratives that the end of this stick had a pewter or iron ferrule mounted on it. So, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ would hit an idol on the chest, it would fall back. In the end, when all idols fell down, he gave orders that they be demolished. (Qurtubiwithreference to Qadi ` Iyad and al-Qushairi)

It is necessary to erase customs and symbols of polytheism, disbelief and falsehood

Imam al-Qurtubi said that this verse proves that it is wajib (necessary, obligatory) to erase the idols of Mushriks and all other polytheistic symbols and signs - and all such false instruments that are used in the way of sin and disobedience as well. They too come under the purview of the game injunction. Ibn al-Mundhir said that pictures and sculpted figures made in wood or metal etc. also come under the injunction governing idols. The Holy Prophet ﷺ had torn the curtain having pictures made on it in lines and colors. This, incidentally, tells us about the general injunctions covering common pictures. According to Sahih Hadith, when Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will come towards the later times, he will undo the cross and eliminate the swine. These things prove that it is necessary to demolish and eliminate the instruments of shirk, kufr and batil.

We can now move to the last verse (82) cited above: وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْ‌آنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ (And We reveal the Qur'an which is a cure). That the Holy Qur'an cures hearts and delivers people from shirk and kufr, low morals and spiritual ailments is no secret. The entire Muslim ummah agrees with it. And according to some ` Ulama', the way the Qur’ an is a cure for spiritual ailments, it is also a cure for physical diseases. The sense is that reciting the verses of the Qur'an and blowing the breath on the body of the sick person or to write its words on an amulet and putting it around the neck is also expected to be a cure for physical diseases. Hadith narratives bear testimony to it. The Hadith of Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri ؓ can be seen in all books of Ahadith. It says that a party of the noble Companions ؓ was in travel. In a village on their way, a scorpion had bitten the chief. The village people asked the Companions if they could suggest some treatment for it. They recited the Surah al-Fatihah seven times, blew their breath on him and the ailing patient stood cured. Later, when this incident was mentioned before the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، he declared this action of the Companions to be permissible.

Similarly, there are several other Hadith reports which prove that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has done it himself. After having recited the last two verses of the Qur'an, he would blow his breath on the sick person. It is also proved that the Sahabah and the Tabi` in used to treat sick people with the recital of the last two verses of the Qur’ an as well as with the recital of other verses from it. That it was written and placed around the neck as an amulet also stands proved. Al-Qurtubi has given details about it under his commentary on this verse.

The last sentence of the verse: (And it adds nothing to the unjust but loss - 82) tells us that the Holy Qur'an - when recited with faith and reverence - is certainly a cure. It is open. It is proven. Conversely, any denial of the Qur’ an, or irreverence to it, could also become a source of loss and misfortunes.

Commentary

Regarding the explanation of the word: شاکِلَۃ (shakilah) in verse 84: كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَىٰ شَاكِلَتِهِ (Everyone acts in his own style), several interpretations have been reported from authorities among the early righteous elders,

such as, disposition, habit, instinct, intention, way or manner. In sum, all these turn into a second nature in terms of the circumstances, habits and customs everyone lives with. Thus, what one does remains subservient to it. (Qurtubi) In this verse, human beings have been warned that they must abstain from bad surroundings, bad company and bad habits and take to the company of good people and inculcate good habits (a1-Jassas). The reason, as stated earlier, is that one's response pattern built up under the influence of surrounding, company and custom makes one do what it dictates. Imam al-Jassas has also given another meaning of 'shakilah' at this place, that of 'like.' Given this meaning, the sense of the verse would be that everyone feels comfortable with a person who is compatible with one's temperament. A good man finds another good man familiar while a wicked man feels comfortable with another wicked man whose style he follows without any qualms of conscience. An example of this behavior pattern appears in what Allah says in the Qur’ an: الْخَبِيثَاتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ (Evil women are for evil men - 24:26) and وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ (Good women are for good men - 24:26). It means that everyone strikes familiarity with a man or woman according to one's own temperament. In short, this too is a warning against falling into bad company and bad habits. One should really make an effort to abstain from these.