238 - الصّلاة (2) «صَلاةُ اللَّيل»

238. THE PRAYER (2)

The Night Prayer

1141 - فَضلُ صَلاةِ اللَّيلِ‏

1141. The Virtue of the Night Prayer

(ومِنَ الليْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نافِلَةً لَكَ عَسى أَنْ يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقاماً مَحْمُوداً).¹

“And keep vigil for a part of the night, as a superogatory [devotion] for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station.”²

(إنَّ ناشِئَةَ الليلِ هِيَ أشَدُّ وَطْأً وَأقوَمُ قِيْلاً).³

“Indeed rising in the night is firmer in tread and more upright in respect to speech.”⁴

3652.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : ما زالَ جَبرَئيلُ يُوصِيني بقيامِ اللَّيلِ حَتّى‏ ظَنَنتُ أنَّ خِيارَ أُمَّتي لَن يَنامُوا مِن اللَّيلِ إلّا قليلاً .⁵

3652.The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The archangel Gabriel continuously advises me about standing for prayer in the night such that I really thought the good people in my community will never sleep.’⁶

3653.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : رَحِمَ اللَّهُ رَجلاً قامَ مِنَ الليلِ فَصلّى‏ وأيقَظَ امرَأتَهُ فَصَلَّت، فإن أبَت نَضَحَ في وَجهِها الماءَ . رَحِمَ اللَّهُ امرأةً قامَت مِنَ اللَّيلِ فَصَلَّت وأيقَظَت زَوجَها، فإن أبى‏ نَضَحَت في وَجهِهِ الماءَ .⁷

3653.The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘May Allah have mercy on the man who wakes up in the night to pray, and wakes his wife so she too prays, and sprinkles water on her face if she refuses to get up. And Allah has mercy on the woman who wakes up in the night to pray, and wakes her husband to pray too, and sprinkles water on his face if he refuses to get up.’⁸

3654.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إنَّ العَبدَ إذا تَخَلّى‏ بِسَيِّدِهِ في جَوفِ اللَّيلِ المُظلِمِ وناجاهُ، أثبَتَ اللَّهُ النورَ في قَلبِهِ ... ثُمّ يقولُ جَلَّ جلالُهُ لِملائكَتِهِ : يا ملائكَتي ، اُنظُرُوا إلى‏ عَبدِي ، فقد تَخَلّى‏ بي في جَوفِ اللَّيلِ المُظلِمِ والبطّالونَ لاهُونَ، والغافِلونَ نِيامٌ ، اشهَدُوا أنّي قد غَفَرتُ لَهُ .⁹

3654.The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Verily when a servant withdraws to be alone with his Master in the middle of the dark night and intimately converses with Him, Allah places divine light into his heart…then He, Exalted be His Splendour, says to His angels, ‘O My angels, look at My servant how he seeks solitude to be with Me in the middle of the dark night while the worthless ones remain heedless and the negligent ones sleep. Witness that verily I have forgiven him.’¹⁰

3655.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : علَيكُم بقيامِ اللَّيلِ ؛ فإنّهُ دَأْبُ الصالِحِينَ قَبلَكُم، وإنَّ قيامَ اللَّيلِ قُربَةٌ إلى اللَّهِ، ومَنهاةٌ عنِ الإثمِ .¹¹

3655.The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Be mindful for the performing of the night prayer, for verily it was the devoted practice of all righteous people before you, and verily the night vigil is a means of proximity to Allah and a prevention from sin.’¹²

3656.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام: قيامُ اللَّيلِ مَصَحَّةٌ لِلبَدَنِ، ومَرضاةٌ لِلرَّبِّ عَزَّ وجلَّ ، وتَعَرُّضٌ للرَّحمَةِ ، وتَمَسُّكٌ بأخلاقِ النَّبِيِّينَ .¹³

3656.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Standing to pray in the night is conducive to the health of the body, is a source of pleasure for the Lord, exposes one to [the descent of] divine mercy, and is adherence to the moral virtues of the prophets.’¹⁴

3657.بحار الأنوار عن الإمام عليّ عليه السلام : ما تَرَكتُ صلاةَ اللَّيلِ منذُ سَمِعتُ قولَ النبيِّ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : صلاةُ اللَّيلِ نُورٌ . فقالَ ابنُ الكَوّاءِ : ولا ليلةَ الهَريرِ ؟ قالَ : ولا ليلةَ الهَرِيرِ .¹⁵

3657.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘I have never left the night prayer since I heard the Prophet (SAWA) say that the night prayer is a light.’ Ibn al-Kawwa’ asked, ‘Not even on the night of al-Harir¹⁶ ?’ to which he replied, ‘Not even on the night of al-Harir.’¹⁷

3658.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : شَرَفُ المُؤمِنِ صلاتُهُ بالليلِ، وعِزُّ المؤمِنِ كَفُّهُ عن أعراضِ الناسِ .¹⁸

3658.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘A believer’s dignity lies in his standing for the night prayer, and his honour lies in abstaining from [tarnishing] other people’s good reputations.’¹⁹

3659.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : لا تَدَعْ قِيامَ اللَّيلِ، فإنَّ المَغبونَ مَن غُبِنَ قِيامَ اللَّيلِ .²⁰

3659.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Do not leave the night prayer, for verily the one who is truly in loss is the one who has lost out on the night prayer.’²¹

3660.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : ما مِن عَمَلٍ حَسَنٍ يَعمَلُهُ العَبدُ إلّا ولَهُ ثَوابٌ في القرآنِ إلّا صلاةَ اللَّيلِ ؛ فإنَّ اللَّهَ لَم يُبَيِّنْ ثَوابَها لِعَظيمِ خَطَرِها عندَهُ، فقالَ : (تَتَجافى‏ جُنُوبُهم عَن المَضاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَ طَمَعًا وَ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ * فلا تَعْلَمُ نَفسٌ ما أُخْفِيَ لَهُم مِن قُرَّةِ أعْيُنٍ جَزاءً بِما كانوا يَعمَلونَ)²² . ²³

3660.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Every single good deed that the servant carries out has a reward mentioned for it in the Qur’an except for the night prayer, for verily Allah has not expressed its reward because of the great significance it holds with Him. Thus, He says, “Their sides vacate their beds to supplicate their Lord in fear and hope …No one knows what has been kept hidden for them of comfort as a reward for what they used to do.”²⁴²⁵

3661.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : صلاةُ اللَّيلِ تُبَيِّضُ الوَجهَ، وصلاةُ اللَّيلِ تُطَيِّبُ الرِّيحَ، وصلاةُ اللَّيلِ تَجلِبُ الرِّزقَ .²⁶

3661.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘The night prayer brightens one’s face, the night prayer fragrances one’s breath, and the night prayer attracts sustenance.’²⁷

1140 - ما يَلزَمُ مُراعاتُهُ لِلإمامِ‏

1140. DUTIES THAT THE LEADER OF THE CONGREGATION MUST OBSERVE

3649.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - في وصيّتِهِ لِمحمّدِ بنِ أبي‏بكرٍ حينَ وَلّاهُ مِصرَ - : وَانظُرْ إلى‏ صلاتِكَ كيفَ هِي فإنّكَ إمامٌ لِقَومِكَ (يَنبَغِي لكَ) أن تُتِمَّها ولا تُخَفِّفَها ، فَلَيسَ مِن إمامٍ يُصَلِّي بِقَومٍ يَكونُ في صلاتِهِم نُقصانٌ إلّا كانَ علَيهِ ، لايَنقُصُ مِن صلاتِهِم شَي‏ءٌ، وتَمِّمْها وتَحَفَّظْ فيها يَكُن لكَ مِثلَ اُجُورِهِم ولا يَنقُصُ ذلكَ مِن أجرِهِم شَيئاً .¹

3649.Imam Ali (AS) said in his advice to Muhammad b. Abi Bakr when he appointed him governor of Egypt, ‘Look carefully at what your prayer is like, for verily as the leader of the community, you must pray it perfectly and not be careless in its performance. Every leader who leads the prayer for a people is responsible for any defect in their prayer, so perfect it and be mindful with regards to it and you will have the same reward as them without there being any reduction in their reward thereof.’²

3650.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - مِن كتابِهِ إلى اُمَراءِ البِلادِ - : صَلُّوا بِهِم صلاةَ أضعَفِهِم، ولا تَكُونُوا فَتّانِينَ .³

3650. Imam Ali (AS) wrote in a letter to the governors of the cities, saying, ‘Lead them in prayer, praying as the weak ones among them do [in consideration towards them], and do not torment them [by performing lengthy prayers].’⁴

3651.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام - لَمّا سُئلَ عَمَّن أحَقُّ أن يَؤمَّ - : إنَّ رسولَ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله قالَ : يَتَقَدَّمُ القَومَ أقرَؤهُم لِلقرآنِ، فإن كانُوا في القِراءَةِ سَواءً فَأقدَمُهُم هِجرَةً ، فإن كانُوا في الهِجرَةِ سَواءً فَأكبَرُهُم سِنّاً، فإن كانوا فِي السِّنِّ سَواءً فَليَؤمَّهُم أعلَمُهُم بِالسُّنَّةِ وأفقَهُهُم فِي الدِّينِ، ولا يَتَقَدَّمَنَّ أحَدُكُمُ الرَّجُلَ في مَنزِلِهِ، ولا صاحِبَ ( ال ) سُلطانِ في سُلطانِهِ .⁵

3651. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) was asked how to determine the most rightful person to lead the congregation, to which he replied, ‘Verily the Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘The person who recites the Qur’an the best [i.e. with correct pronunciation] should lead them, and if they all recite similarly, then the one who migrated [from Makkah to Medina] the earliest, and if they all migrated around the same time, then the oldest from among them, and if they are all the same age, then the most knowledgeable from among them with regards to the prophetic practice and the laws of jurisprudence. No one from among you should lead a man in prayer in his own home, nor a man of authority within the sphere of his authority.’⁶