Guard the midnight prayer

The ritual of standing for long hours has started. Our mosques will be choked. Immaculate efforts will be made. Seeking nearness to Allah will soar. The we-feeling will be indelible.

The tradition of together observing the congregational prayers in these nights is beautiful. Nevertheless, it’ll be advisable not to miss Fajr because of Qiyaamu Layl. Fajr is fard, whereas the latter is a highly recommended deed.

The night of power is there right after 7:15 p.m. to about 4:35 a.m. in some parts of Accra today. It’s mentioned in the ahadith that Allah descends to the lower heaven in the last quarter of the night. So, if you fear missing fajr and would want to pray with your family or alone at home, wake up by 3:00 a.m., and latest by (3:15 a.m.) you should be ready for the midnight prayer.

Remember to be productively moderate. It’s good not to commit excess in your worship; recite with ease what’s familiar to you, as mentioned in Quran 73:20. More so, you can recite half a page or full page only for one rakaah depending on your strength.

This will take you fifteen minutes to finish two units of prayers. And luckily, in an hour time, you could be done with more units of effective prayers for the night. The rest of the twenty minutes left, you can start preparing suhoor, supposing you do take tea and bread or biscuits. You’ll be fortunate to finish eating and observe the two voluntary prayers prior to fajr.

Family, it’s noteworthy that completing the Quran in the last ten days of Ramadan isn’t compulsory. Therefore, in hindsight, mosque directors should bench any “Imam Usain Bolt”, who recites the pages of the Quran like he’s running a 100m race. Please, Imam Usain Bolt, Allah is asking you in Quran 81:26 “فَأَيْنَ تَذْهَبُونَ where are you running to?” Quell it, don’t be stubborn. Recite the Holy pages with “tarteel”.

Additionally, when a single rakaah takes like thirty or forty five minutes long, the mind of the congregation goes to market, wondering about what and what to prepare for Iftar even at midnight. The focus on the salat is lost. We start thinking about when next “Allahu Akbar” would be said, instead of pondering over the verses.

There are those who’ll go to sleep and only join when it’s time for completing each unit of prayer. And they’ll repeat this process throughout the night. This is wrong.

Seeking the night of power (Laytul Qadr) isn’t a competition between mosque A and B. Learn that we are all yearning to near Allah. Therefore, let’s make it moderate in worship and give respect to Allah’s words. Do not put our dotard folks, able women and men and the striving teens to a course. Qiyaamu Layl is not a basic fitness test.

That said, when you’re praying alone, you can recite Bakarah in one rakaah, even the angels will applaud you.

Let us purify our intentions, and get this beautiful act of midnight prayer exhibited in the best of ways. To Allah be the glory.um