1. Observe Qiyaam Al-Layl
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (radhi allahu anhu): “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “The best prayer after those prescribed is (the prayer performed) in the depth of night.” [Sahih Muslim and Musnad Ahmad]
“May Allah have mercy on a man who wakes up at night, prays and wakes his wife to pray; and if she refuses, he sprinkles water on her face. And may Allah have mercy on a woman who wakes up at night, prays, and wakes her husband to pray and if he refuses, she sprinkles water on his face.” (hasan) by Shaikh al-Albani (Abu Dawud)
2. Sleep A little
He (saw) also said: “The most beloved prayer to Allah was of Dawud (alaihi as-salam). He slept one half of the night, got up (and prayed) for one third, and then slept (the remaining) one sixth.” [Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
3. Observe the Sunnah 2 rak'ah of Fajr & Lie down
`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: When the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) finished the `Isha prayer, he would perform eleven Rak`ah before the Fajr prayer, concluding each two Rak`ah with Taslim (i.e., saying As-Salamu `Alaikum) and observing the Witr (odd) at the end. When the Mu'adhdhin finished proclaiming Adhan for the Fajr prayer and it was dawn, he would rise and perform two short Rak`ah, and then would lie down on his right side till the Mu'adhdhin came to (inform) him about Iqamah. [Muslim].
4. Pray Fajr
Bukhari and Muslim and An-Nasaaee related on the authority of Ibn Mas’ud (radiallaahu-anhu) that he said: The case of a man who slept all the night up to sunrise (without waking up for Fajr) was related to the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) whereupon he said: “That was a man in whose ear Shaytaan has urinated”, or he said “in both his ears”.
The Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) said: “Shaytaan ties three knots on the crown of any one of you in your sleep. He says upon each knot that he ties: “You have a long night before you, therefore sleep”. But if you wake up and mention Allah, Most Exalted in remembrance, one knot will be untied. If you then make ablution, another knot will be undone. If you then proceed to pray, the last knot will be disentangled. Thus, you will feel in the morning energetic and in good spirits. Otherwise you will feel in a despicable state, lazy”. [narrated by Maalik, Bukhaaree, Muslim and Abu Dawood]
5. Stay awake & Work (or Visit Friends; see no: 10)
At-Tirmidhee narrated upon the authority of Al Ghamdi that the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) said: “O Allah bless my Ummah in its early rising!” and whenever he dispatched an expedition or army he sent them early at the beginning of the day. Sakhr was a merchant who always sent his merchandise early in morning thus, becoming wealthy (Saheeh Sunan at Tirmidhee). That is why we find the craftsmen and traders are particular about making good use of this time. Those who sleep up to the late morning have denied themselves the blessings of this early hour.
6. Pray Dhuha
Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, " In the morning, charity is due on every joint bone of the body of everyone of you. Every utterance of Allah's Glorification (i.e., saying Subhan Allah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of His Praise (i.e., saying Al-hamdu lillah) is an act of charity and every utterance of declaration of His Greatness (i.e., saying La ilaha illAllah) is an act of charity; and enjoining M`aruf (good) is an act of charity, and forbidding Munkar (evil) is an act of charity, and two Rak`ah Duha prayers which one performs in the forenoon is equal to all this (in reward) .'' [Muslim].
`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to perform four Rak`ah of Duha prayer (at the forenoon) and would add to them whatever Allah wished. [Muslim].
Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I went to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) on the day of the conquest of Makkah. He was taking a bath at that time. When he finished the bath, he performed eight Rak`ah (of optional) prayers. This was during the Duha (forenoon). [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
7. Pray Dhuhr
The Prophet (peace be upon him) would offer the Noon prayer closer to its earliest time in the winter and postpone it a bit in the Summer. Anas (ra) relates: "When it became very cold, he used to perform prayer earlier, and when it became extremely hot, he used to delay the prayer until it became cooler." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (855)]
8. Take a Mid-day Nap
Narrated Thumama: Anas (ra) said, "Um Sulaim used to spread a leather sheet for the Prophet (ﷺ) and he used to take a midday nap on that leather sheet at her home." Anas (ra) added, "When the Prophet (ﷺ) had slept, she would take some of his sweat and hair and collect it (the sweat) in a bottle and then mix it with Suk (a kind of perfume) while he was still sleeping. "When the death of Anas bin Malik (ra) approached, he advised that some of that Suk be mixed with his Hanut (perfume for embalming the dead body), and it was mixed with his Hanut. (sahih bukhari)
Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went to Fatima's house but did not find `Ali there. So he asked, "Where is your cousin?" She replied, "There was something between us and he got angry with me and went out. He did not sleep (midday nap) in the house." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked a person to look for him. That person came and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! He (Ali) is sleeping in the mosque." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went there and `Ali was lying. His upper body cover had fallen down to one side of his body and he was covered with dust. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) started cleaning the dust from him saying: "Get up! O Aba Turab. Get up! O Aba Turab (literally means: O father of dust). (sahih bukhari)
Narrated Sahl: "We never had an afternoon nap nor meals except after offering the Jumua prayer." (sahih bukhari)
9. Pray Asr
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “There are angels who take turns in visiting you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn (Fajr) and the afternoon (`Asr) prayers. Those who have spent the night with you, ascend to the heaven and their Rubb, Who knows better about them, asks: `In what condition did you leave My slaves?’ They reply: `We left them while they were performing Salat and we went to them while they were performing Salat.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “He who The observes Al-Bardan (i.e., Fajr and `Asr prayers) will enter Jannah.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
10. Visit Friends in the Evening (or Morning)
Narrated `Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) "I do not remember my parents believing in any religion other than the Religion (of Islam), and our being visited by Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the morning and in the evening. One day, while we were sitting in the house of Abu Bakr (my father) at noon, someone said, 'This is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) coming at an hour at which he never used to visit us.' Abu Bakr said, 'There must be something very urgent that has brought him at this hour.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'I have been allowed to go out (of Mecca) to migrate.' " (Sahih bukhari)
11. Pray Maqrib
Narrated Salama: "We used to pray the Maghrib prayer with the Prophet (ﷺ) when the sun disappeared from the horizon." (Sahih Bukhari)
12. Pray Isha (or delay)
It was narrated that Abu Barzah Al-Aslami said: "The Messenger of Allah used to like to delay the 'Isha', and he disliked sleeping before it, and engaging in conversation after it." (Sahih) (sunan ibn majah)
Abu Hurairah narrated that: Allah's Messenger said: "If it were not that it would be a hardship on my Ummah, then I would have ordered you to delay Isha until the third of the night, or its half." (Sahih) (Jami` at-Tirmidhi)
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: Once the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) delayed the `Isha' (night) prayer till midnight. He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) turned to us after the prayer and said, "All the people slept after offering their prayers, but you who waited, will be accounted as if you were engaged in your prayer throughout the period.'' [Al-Bukhari]. (Riyal As-Saaliheen)
13. Sleep (unless you have something important to do)
Narrated / Authority Of: Aisha: “The Messenger of Allah (saw) did not sleep before the Isha nor stay up (talking) after it.” (Hasan) (Sunan ibn Majah)
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) used to stay up until late at night with his companions teaching them and counseling them about that which is good for the Muslims. Omar narrated "The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) used to stay late at night - at Abu Bakr 's home - to deal with some Muslim affairs" [ Ahmad ].
14. Pray Witr before Sleeping or Delay (until after Qiyaam al-layl)
Abu Hurayra said, "The Prophet told me to pray the witr before going to sleep." (Sahih Bukhari)
'Aisha narrated, 'Allah's Apostle offered Witr prayer at different nights at various hours extending (from the 'Isha prayer) up to the last hour of the night. (Sahih Bukhari)
* Read Quran at a time when one can be consistent in reading it daily, and have the best presence of heart. A’isha (ra) said, “The actions most beloved to the Messenger of Allah (saw) were those performed consistently” [Bukhari and Muslim]
*Fast Voluntarily on mondays, thursdays & 3 days of every Lunar month. Qatadah bin Milhan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) directed us to observe Saum (fasting) on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the (lunar) month. [Abu Dawud].
`Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Observing Saum (fasting) on three days of every month is equivalent to a full month's fasting .'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Abu-Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: My friend (the Messenger of Allah) (PBUH) directed me to observe Saum (fasting) for three days in every month, to perform two Rak`ah (optional) Duha prayer at forenoon, and to perform the Witr prayer before going tobed. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (radhi allahu anhu): “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “The best prayer after those prescribed is (the prayer performed) in the depth of night.” [Sahih Muslim and Musnad Ahmad]
“May Allah have mercy on a man who wakes up at night, prays and wakes his wife to pray; and if she refuses, he sprinkles water on her face. And may Allah have mercy on a woman who wakes up at night, prays, and wakes her husband to pray and if he refuses, she sprinkles water on his face.” (hasan) by Shaikh al-Albani (Abu Dawud)
2. Sleep A little
He (saw) also said: “The most beloved prayer to Allah was of Dawud (alaihi as-salam). He slept one half of the night, got up (and prayed) for one third, and then slept (the remaining) one sixth.” [Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
3. Observe the Sunnah 2 rak'ah of Fajr & Lie down
`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: When the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) finished the `Isha prayer, he would perform eleven Rak`ah before the Fajr prayer, concluding each two Rak`ah with Taslim (i.e., saying As-Salamu `Alaikum) and observing the Witr (odd) at the end. When the Mu'adhdhin finished proclaiming Adhan for the Fajr prayer and it was dawn, he would rise and perform two short Rak`ah, and then would lie down on his right side till the Mu'adhdhin came to (inform) him about Iqamah. [Muslim].
4. Pray Fajr
Bukhari and Muslim and An-Nasaaee related on the authority of Ibn Mas’ud (radiallaahu-anhu) that he said: The case of a man who slept all the night up to sunrise (without waking up for Fajr) was related to the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) whereupon he said: “That was a man in whose ear Shaytaan has urinated”, or he said “in both his ears”.
The Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) said: “Shaytaan ties three knots on the crown of any one of you in your sleep. He says upon each knot that he ties: “You have a long night before you, therefore sleep”. But if you wake up and mention Allah, Most Exalted in remembrance, one knot will be untied. If you then make ablution, another knot will be undone. If you then proceed to pray, the last knot will be disentangled. Thus, you will feel in the morning energetic and in good spirits. Otherwise you will feel in a despicable state, lazy”. [narrated by Maalik, Bukhaaree, Muslim and Abu Dawood]
5. Stay awake & Work (or Visit Friends; see no: 10)
At-Tirmidhee narrated upon the authority of Al Ghamdi that the Prophet (sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam) said: “O Allah bless my Ummah in its early rising!” and whenever he dispatched an expedition or army he sent them early at the beginning of the day. Sakhr was a merchant who always sent his merchandise early in morning thus, becoming wealthy (Saheeh Sunan at Tirmidhee). That is why we find the craftsmen and traders are particular about making good use of this time. Those who sleep up to the late morning have denied themselves the blessings of this early hour.
6. Pray Dhuha
Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, " In the morning, charity is due on every joint bone of the body of everyone of you. Every utterance of Allah's Glorification (i.e., saying Subhan Allah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of His Praise (i.e., saying Al-hamdu lillah) is an act of charity and every utterance of declaration of His Greatness (i.e., saying La ilaha illAllah) is an act of charity; and enjoining M`aruf (good) is an act of charity, and forbidding Munkar (evil) is an act of charity, and two Rak`ah Duha prayers which one performs in the forenoon is equal to all this (in reward) .'' [Muslim].
`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to perform four Rak`ah of Duha prayer (at the forenoon) and would add to them whatever Allah wished. [Muslim].
Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I went to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) on the day of the conquest of Makkah. He was taking a bath at that time. When he finished the bath, he performed eight Rak`ah (of optional) prayers. This was during the Duha (forenoon). [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
7. Pray Dhuhr
The Prophet (peace be upon him) would offer the Noon prayer closer to its earliest time in the winter and postpone it a bit in the Summer. Anas (ra) relates: "When it became very cold, he used to perform prayer earlier, and when it became extremely hot, he used to delay the prayer until it became cooler." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (855)]
8. Take a Mid-day Nap
Narrated Thumama: Anas (ra) said, "Um Sulaim used to spread a leather sheet for the Prophet (ﷺ) and he used to take a midday nap on that leather sheet at her home." Anas (ra) added, "When the Prophet (ﷺ) had slept, she would take some of his sweat and hair and collect it (the sweat) in a bottle and then mix it with Suk (a kind of perfume) while he was still sleeping. "When the death of Anas bin Malik (ra) approached, he advised that some of that Suk be mixed with his Hanut (perfume for embalming the dead body), and it was mixed with his Hanut. (sahih bukhari)
Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went to Fatima's house but did not find `Ali there. So he asked, "Where is your cousin?" She replied, "There was something between us and he got angry with me and went out. He did not sleep (midday nap) in the house." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked a person to look for him. That person came and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! He (Ali) is sleeping in the mosque." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went there and `Ali was lying. His upper body cover had fallen down to one side of his body and he was covered with dust. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) started cleaning the dust from him saying: "Get up! O Aba Turab. Get up! O Aba Turab (literally means: O father of dust). (sahih bukhari)
Narrated Sahl: "We never had an afternoon nap nor meals except after offering the Jumua prayer." (sahih bukhari)
9. Pray Asr
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “There are angels who take turns in visiting you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn (Fajr) and the afternoon (`Asr) prayers. Those who have spent the night with you, ascend to the heaven and their Rubb, Who knows better about them, asks: `In what condition did you leave My slaves?’ They reply: `We left them while they were performing Salat and we went to them while they were performing Salat.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “He who The observes Al-Bardan (i.e., Fajr and `Asr prayers) will enter Jannah.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
10. Visit Friends in the Evening (or Morning)
Narrated `Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) "I do not remember my parents believing in any religion other than the Religion (of Islam), and our being visited by Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the morning and in the evening. One day, while we were sitting in the house of Abu Bakr (my father) at noon, someone said, 'This is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) coming at an hour at which he never used to visit us.' Abu Bakr said, 'There must be something very urgent that has brought him at this hour.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'I have been allowed to go out (of Mecca) to migrate.' " (Sahih bukhari)
11. Pray Maqrib
Narrated Salama: "We used to pray the Maghrib prayer with the Prophet (ﷺ) when the sun disappeared from the horizon." (Sahih Bukhari)
12. Pray Isha (or delay)
It was narrated that Abu Barzah Al-Aslami said: "The Messenger of Allah used to like to delay the 'Isha', and he disliked sleeping before it, and engaging in conversation after it." (Sahih) (sunan ibn majah)
Abu Hurairah narrated that: Allah's Messenger said: "If it were not that it would be a hardship on my Ummah, then I would have ordered you to delay Isha until the third of the night, or its half." (Sahih) (Jami` at-Tirmidhi)
Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: Once the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) delayed the `Isha' (night) prayer till midnight. He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) turned to us after the prayer and said, "All the people slept after offering their prayers, but you who waited, will be accounted as if you were engaged in your prayer throughout the period.'' [Al-Bukhari]. (Riyal As-Saaliheen)
13. Sleep (unless you have something important to do)
Narrated / Authority Of: Aisha: “The Messenger of Allah (saw) did not sleep before the Isha nor stay up (talking) after it.” (Hasan) (Sunan ibn Majah)
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) used to stay up until late at night with his companions teaching them and counseling them about that which is good for the Muslims. Omar narrated "The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) used to stay late at night - at Abu Bakr 's home - to deal with some Muslim affairs" [ Ahmad ].
14. Pray Witr before Sleeping or Delay (until after Qiyaam al-layl)
Abu Hurayra said, "The Prophet told me to pray the witr before going to sleep." (Sahih Bukhari)
'Aisha narrated, 'Allah's Apostle offered Witr prayer at different nights at various hours extending (from the 'Isha prayer) up to the last hour of the night. (Sahih Bukhari)
* Read Quran at a time when one can be consistent in reading it daily, and have the best presence of heart. A’isha (ra) said, “The actions most beloved to the Messenger of Allah (saw) were those performed consistently” [Bukhari and Muslim]
*Fast Voluntarily on mondays, thursdays & 3 days of every Lunar month. Qatadah bin Milhan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) directed us to observe Saum (fasting) on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the (lunar) month. [Abu Dawud].
`Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Observing Saum (fasting) on three days of every month is equivalent to a full month's fasting .'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Abu-Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: My friend (the Messenger of Allah) (PBUH) directed me to observe Saum (fasting) for three days in every month, to perform two Rak`ah (optional) Duha prayer at forenoon, and to perform the Witr prayer before going tobed. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
