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What of him who spends the night hours in prayer, prostrat-
ing and standing up, mindful of the Hereafter, hoping for the
mercy of his Lord? Say: "Are they the same—those who know
and those who do not know?" It is only people of intelligence
who pay heed. (Surat az-Zumar: 9)
In this way, believers will have put into practice the Sunnah
of our Prophet (saas) who spent a part of each night in prayer, con-
templation and in worship. This is mentioned in one verse:
Your Lord knows that you stay up nearly two-thirds of the
night or half of it, or a third of it and a group of those with
you… (Surat al-Muzzammil: 20)
The tradition has been passed down to us that our Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed that Allah
would give him good character and conduct; it is said that he
prayed in these words:
"OAllah, make my constitution and conduct good. OAllah, save
me from bad character and conduct."
(Imam Ghazali's Ihya Ulum-
Id-Din)
It must not be forgotten that, as we stated earlier, sleep is like
death and, if Allah willed, a person would not wake up again. For
this reason, the last minutes before falling asleep may be the last
occasion a person has to ask for forgiveness. Allah reveals this in
the Qur'an:
Allah takes back people's selves when their death arrives and
those who have not yet died, while they are asleep. He keeps
hold of those whose death has been decreed and sends the
others back for a specified term. There are certainly Signs in
that for people who reflect. (Surat az-Zumar: 42)
A believer who lives according to the teachings of the Qur'an
knows the value of this opportunity granted to him—perhaps his
last—before falling asleep. He keeps this in mind and sincerely
24 Hours in the Life of a Muslim
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