I remember anytime one of the narrations regarding tahajjud would come up in a text, or was mentioned by one of our teachers, the students would eagerly ask how they could become regular in this blessed act. Here are a few suggestions based on their responses.

Stage 1 – I just can’t wake up

Despite your best efforts (asking a friend to call, multiple alarms, sleeping early, making a firm intention at night, etc.) if you simply cannot force yourself to get up, pray your tahajjud prayer before you go to sleep.  Its time technically begins after Isha, so this can be a means of showing Allah that you are serious, and truly desirous of this great bounty. Couple this with dua admitting your inability and asking Allah for His bounty.

Stage 2 – I am sporadic in my tahajjud

If you are blessed to wake up for tahajjud on occasion, or get up most days, but miss a few here and there, be sure to “make-up” the prayer on the days that you don’t get up.  And of course couple this with dua.

Stage 3 – I regularly wake up for tahajjud

Alhamdulillah, if you are at this stage you need to ensure 3 things:

1. Give shukr every night that Allah allowed you take advantage of this great blessing.
2. Admit to Allah that while you are unworthy of such a blessing, you are in need of it.
3. Beg Allah that He allow you to wake up the following night as well.

May Allah, Most High, allow each of us to be regular in our tahajjud prayers!

khalid abdul sattar

Sometimes we make dua, asking Allah Most High sincerely, yet it seems as though our dua is not being answered. However the reality is that the lack of an answer is in fact the answer.

Think about why we make dua. We have a problem, we cannot solve it, so we turn to Allah Most High, to remember Allah, to connect with Allah, to ask for Allah’s mercy and assistance to come upon us. The essence of our dua is to remember Allah, and by making dua over and over again, that is exactly what we accomplish – we are allowed to sit, again and again, at the door of our Lord, begging to be let in.

Otherwise, if our dua is answered right away, in the way we want it answered, we will stop asking, and be deprived of that great blessing.

Verily, through the remembrance of Allah, do we achieve tranquility of the heart.