Chapter: The Virtue of Night Prayer (qiyam al-layl)

Allah the Exalted says, “And during a portion of the night keep vigil with it as an extra act of devotion for you; it may be that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station” (17:79). He also says, “Their sides forsake their beds” (32:16), and, “They used to sleep but little of the night” (51:17).

The compiler, Imam al-Nawawi—may Allah have mercy on him—opens his Riyad al-Salihin with a chapter on the excellence of night prayer. He first cites the Almighty’s words: “And during a portion of the night keep vigil with it as an extra act of devotion for you; it may be that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station,” a verse we have already discussed. He then quotes: “Their sides forsake their beds; they call upon their Lord in fear and in hope, and from what We have provided them they give” (32:16).

This verse appears within His saying, “Only those who believe in Our revelations are they who, when reminded of them, fall down in prostration, glorify their Lord with praise, and are not arrogant” (32:15). Allah—Majestic and Exalted—is He—describes them with these lofty qualities: when reminded of Allah’s signs, they fall down in prostration; that is, they prostrate whenever a situation requires it and do not disdain to place their foreheads and noses on the ground. Rather, they humble themselves before Allah: whenever He commands them to prostrate, they comply. It is also possible that the phrase “they fall down in prostration” signifies the perfection of their humility before Allah in worship, whether that be an actual prostration or another act of devotion—“and they glorify their Lord with praise.”