Obligatory Prayers:

Prayers in Islam are obligatory acts of worship. Muslims are required to offer five obligatory prayers in a day. These prayers are spread over the day with respect to varying positions of the Sun.

Offering prayers signify remembering your Lord at all the important times of the day, when you wake up in the morning, when you are engrossed in your daily routine or when you are retiring to bed.

The call to prayer, Azaan informs about the time to pray. Muslims respond to this call by offering prayer. Prayer leads to Heaven. The devil tries his best to stop a believer from praying because he knows that when a Muslim offers prayer, he gets Allah special protection and guidance.

Muslims must not skip the obligatory prayers at any cost. There is severe punishment for missing the obligatory prayer. The person suffers not only in this world but also after death.

Read also: When Is Hajj 2020

Tahajjud Prayer:

Apart from the obligatory prayers, there are voluntary prayers as well. There is a great reward for offering voluntary prayer. One such prayer is the midnight prayer, called Tahajjud Prayer.

Tahajjud prayer is performed in the second half of the night when you have had slept for a while. It is not compulsory to perform Tahajjud prayer. But those who perform it are rewarded immensely. A call to the obligatory prayer is made by a human voice. While a call to Tahajjud prayer is made by Allah the Almighty himself.

He calls his faithful believers and asks if there is anyone seeking Allah’s pleasure and particular attention. There is a great significance of worshipping Allah in the latter half of the night. This is the time when the whole world is fast asleep.

Your mind is free from all sorts of distractions. Indeed it is a wonderful time to invoke your Lord. It is a great time to plead to your Creator for His mercy and compassion. It is a great opportunity to shed tears while admitting your sins and seeking Allah’s forgiveness. The communication with Allah is very strong at the time of Tahajjud prayer.

He listens with the utmost attention. Allah promises to fulfill every prayer made at Tahajjud. He likes it when his believers ask for his blessings; seek his pleasure and forgiveness at a time when they could be sleeping. Instead, they are praying to him sacrificing their sleep and comfort.

Performing Tahajjud Prayer:

Time for Tahajjud prayer is after Isha and before Fajr prayer. It can be performed at any time between these two prayers. But you must wake up from sleep in order to offer Tahajjud prayer. According to ahadith, the best time to offer Tahajjud prayer is when one third of the night is left to pass.

First of all, make an intention to perform Tahajjud prayer when you go to bed. Even if you are not able to get up for Tahajjud, you will be rewarded for your intention.  Such is the mercy and benevolence of Allah. Perform ablution just the way you do before any obligatory prayer.

Find a clean and quiet place in your home where you are not likely to be disturbed. You can choose to offer between two to twelve rakaats. After completing the prayer, supplicate to Allah extensively.

If you get up for Tahajjud, try to wake up with other family members for Tahajjud as well. This is one of the most beloved acts in the eyes of Allah. Those who perform Tahajjud prayer are under Allah’s supreme protection.

They are rewarded with immense strength of faith. Nothing can provide mental peace as much as praying Tahajjud does. It saves a person from all sorts of evil and protects him from sins. So perform Tahajjud prayer and beg for Allah’s forgiveness and benevolence.

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