Al-Bukhari and Muslim relate on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains and proclaims, ‘Who will call upon Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me so that I may grant him? Who will seek My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?’”

‘Amr ibn ʿAbasah reported that he heard the Prophet say: “The Lord is nearest to the servant in the depth of the last part of the night. If you are able to be among those who remember Allah at that hour, then do so.” Al-Tirmidhi said: “This hadith is sound and authentic.”

Jabir narrated: “I heard the Prophet say: ‘In the night there is an hour in which no Muslim asks Allah for any good of this world or the Hereafter without His granting it to him, and that occurs every night.’” Muslim recorded this narration.

Allah the Exalted says: “and those who seek forgiveness before dawn” (3:17).

It is also related from Anas ibn Malik that he said: “We were commanded to seek forgiveness at night seventy times.”