Tahajjud Prayer: How to Pray It, the Best Time and Its Benefits

Tahajjud is the voluntary prayer offered at night, after Isha and before Fajr. It is not one of the five obligatory prayers, but it holds a very special place in Islam. Allah addressed the Prophet ﷺ: "And from the night, pray with it as an additional prayer for you; it may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised station" (Quran 17:79).

This guide explains when to pray Tahajjud, how many rak'ahs to pray, how to perform it and how to build the habit even with a busy life.

Tahajjud and Qiyam al-Layl

Qiyam al-Layl means "standing in the night" and refers to any voluntary prayer at night. Tahajjud comes from a root meaning to give up sleep, and it usually refers to night prayer offered after sleeping and waking up. In practice, many people use the two terms for the same thing.

Virtues of the night prayer

• The best prayer after the obligatory ones. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the prayer at night" (Sahih Muslim).
• A time when duas are answered. The Prophet ﷺ said that our Lord descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of every night and says: "Who is calling upon Me, that I may answer him? Who is asking of Me, that I may give him? Who is seeking My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim).
• A quality of the righteous. The Quran describes believers who "forsake their beds, calling upon their Lord in fear and hope" (32:16).
• A time for focused worship. The night is quiet and free from distraction, which makes recitation and dua more heartfelt (73:6).

When is the best time for Tahajjud?

Tahajjud can be prayed at any time after Isha until the start of Fajr. The best time is the last third of the night, because of the hadith above.

To work out the last third, take the time from Maghrib to Fajr and divide it into three. For example, if Maghrib is at 6:00 pm and Fajr at 5:00 am, the night is 11 hours long, each third is about 3 hours 40 minutes, and the last third begins at about 1:20 am.

If you cannot wake in the last third, praying earlier in the night, even before you sleep, is still night prayer and still rewarded.

How many rak'ahs?

There is no fixed number. The minimum is two rak'ahs. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet ﷺ usually prayed eleven rak'ahs at night, including witr (Sahih al-Bukhari). He ﷺ said that the night prayer is offered "two by two" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). Many people pray two, four or eight rak'ahs, then finish with witr.

How to pray Tahajjud step by step

1. Make the intention before sleeping to wake up for Tahajjud, and set an alarm.
2. On waking, wipe the sleep from your face and remember Allah. Many like to recite the last verses of Surah Aal-Imran (3:190–200), as the Prophet ﷺ did.
3. Perform wudu. Our guide on how to perform wudu walks through every step.
4. Pray two rak'ahs just like any two-rak'ah voluntary prayer: Al-Fatihah and a surah in each rak'ah, ending with tashahhud and salam. It is Sunnah to begin with two short rak'ahs.
5. Continue in pairs for as many rak'ahs as you wish. Lengthen your recitation, ruku and sujood if you can.
6. End with witr (one or three rak'ahs) if you did not pray it after Isha.
7. Make dua. The last third of the night is one of the best times to ask Allah for anything you need.

What to recite

You can recite any part of the Quran you know. If you have memorized only short surahs, recite those; there is no need for long chapters to start. As your memorization grows, your night prayer can grow with it. Many students in our Hifz program use Tahajjud as their favourite time to revise.

Tips to wake up for Tahajjud

• Sleep early. The single biggest factor. Avoid late screens and heavy late meals.
• Start once or twice a week. Build up gradually instead of trying every night and burning out.
• Wake up 10–15 minutes before Fajr. Even two rak'ahs before Fajr count, and it is an easy place to begin.
• Take a short afternoon nap (qaylulah) if your schedule allows.
• Make dua for it. Ask Allah to help you wake for the night prayer.
• Keep sins and arguments away in the day. Scholars of the past often linked ease in night prayer to the state of the heart.

Missed Tahajjud?

If you intended to pray but overslept, it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ, when he missed his night prayer due to sleep or illness, prayed twelve rak'ahs during the day (Sahih Muslim). Do not be discouraged; the intention itself is valuable.

Learn and perfect your prayer

If you want to make sure your salah, recitation and duas are correct before adding voluntary prayers, our Prayer Lessons course teaches every part of the prayer step by step, live and one-on-one, with the meaning of what you recite.