Qiyam al-Layl

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

 

`Abdullah ibn Ghalib Al-Hadani. It is narrated in Mukhtasar Qiyam Al-Layl by Imam Al-Samarqandi that

When the enemy approached (in battle), he would say “What can sadden me in this world? By Allah, there is no happiness in it for the wise one. By Allah, were it not for my love of spending the night in prostration and placing my forehead down before You. O Master, in-between movement of limbs and joints (i.e. praying), in the depth of the nights all in hope of Your reward and Pleasure, were it not for this, I would have hoped to leave this world and its people.’ Then he would break the scabbard of his sword and go forth to fight until he was killed. When he was buried, they found the fragrance of musk at his grave and the people began to take the dust of his grave as if it were musk.

A man once saw him in a dream and said, ‘O Abu Faras, what have you done?’ He said, ‘The best of deeds.’ He asked, ‘Where have you gone?’ He said, ‘To Paradise,’ He said, ‘With what?’ He said, ‘By having conviction (yaqin) and standing for long periods in Tahajjud (night Prayer) and suffering from thirst in the midday heat (i.e. fasting).’ He said, ‘And what is this sweet fragrance at your grave?’ He said, ‘That is the fragrance of recitation and thirst.’ He said, ‘Advise me.’ He said, ‘Seize goodness for yourself; do not miss nights and days, for indeed I have seen that the righteous ones attain piety through piety.

 

 

May Allah make us people who enliven the nights with prayer and make it easy for us to persevere in it in the long-term (istiqama) and let us find peace & contentment in the tahajjud prayer. Ameen!