Question
What is the virtue of reading the Qur’aan at night when people are asleep?.
Answer
Praise be to Allaah.
It is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that the Qur’aan will intercede for those who read it at night, as Ahmad (6626) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fasting and the Qur’aan will intercede for a person on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, ‘O Lord, I deprived him of his food and his desires during the day, so let me intercede for him.’ And the Qur’aan will say: ‘I deprived him of his sleep at night so let me intercede for him.’ Then they will intercede.” Narrated by Ahmad; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 3882.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that reading the Qur’aan at night is one of the blessings that the believer is to be envied for. He said: “There should be no envy except in two cases: a man to whom Allaah teaches the Qur’aan, so he recites it during the night and during the day, and his neighbour hears him and says, ‘Would that I had been given what So and so has been given and I could do what he does, and a man to whom Allaah gives wealth so he spends it all for the sake of the truth, and a man says, ‘Would that I had been given what So and so has been given and I could do what he does.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4738.
Reading Qur’aan at night saves one from negligence, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever reads ten verses at night will not be recorded as one of the negligent.” Narrated by al-Haakim, who said it is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim. Al-Albaani said in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (640): It is saheeh because of corroborating reports.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever observes these prescribed prayers regularly will not be recorded as one of the negligent, and whoever reads one hundred verses in a night will be recorded as one of the devout.” Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh, and by al-Haakim, who said it is saheeh according to the conditions of both (al-Bukhaari and Muslim). It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 640.
Allaah has described the pious as follows (interpretation of the meaning):
“They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allaah) and praying, with fear and hope].
18. And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allaah) for forgiveness”
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:17, 18]
And Allaah knows best.
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