Tahajjud: Quran and Hadith
References from the Quran and hadith, with the Sunni view (Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali) and the Shia view (Jafari) side by side.
Timing of Tahajjud
Sunni view (Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali)
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1145, Sahih Muslim 758 Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: who will call on Me, that I may answer him?
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1131, Sahih Muslim 1159 The prayer most loved by Allah is the prayer of Dawud: he slept half the night, prayed a third and slept a sixth.
- Quran 73:20 Your Lord knows that you stand nearly two thirds of the night, or half of it, or a third.
Shia view (Jafari)
- Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, chapter on the time of the night prayer The Prophet ﷺ prayed nothing after Isha until midnight; Salat al-Layl is from midnight until dawn, best near dawn.
Benefits of Tahajjud
Sunni view (Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali)
- Quran 17:79 And in part of the night, pray Tahajjud as an extra prayer for you; perhaps your Lord will raise you to a praised station.
- Quran 51:17-18 They used to sleep little of the night, and before dawn they asked forgiveness.
- Quran 32:16 Their sides forsake their beds as they call on their Lord in fear and hope.
- Sahih Muslim 1163 The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the prayer at night.
Shia view (Jafari)
- Quran 17:79 And in part of the night, pray Tahajjud as an extra prayer for you; perhaps your Lord will raise you to a praised station.
- Quran 73:1-4 Stand in prayer at night, half of it or a little less or more, and recite the Quran slowly.
The Tahajjud prayer: rak‘ahs
Sunni view (Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali)
- Sahih al-Bukhari 990, Sahih Muslim 749 The night prayer is two by two, and when you fear dawn, pray one rak‘ah of Witr.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1147, Sahih Muslim 738 Aisha: he ﷺ did not pray more than eleven rak‘ahs at night, in Ramadan or at other times.
Shia view (Jafari)
- 11 rak‘ahs: 8, then 2 (shaf‘), then 1 (witr).
- Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 4, p. 46 The daily prayers are 51 rak‘ahs, 17 obligatory and 34 nafilah, the night prayer among them.
Hadith numbers follow sunnah.com. Jafari sources are named by book, volume and chapter.
References for the other prayers
Last updated: Tuesday, 6 October 2026