Noble Prophetic Guidance for "Qiyaam ul layl" (Night Prayer)
Narrated 'Ubada bin As-Samit:
The Prophet (ﷺ) "Whoever gets up at night and says:
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
"There is no deity worthy of worship except for Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs the praise, and He is Able to do all things. All praise belongs to Allaah, Allaah is free from imperfection, there is no deity worthy of worship except for Allaah and Allaah is the Greatest. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah."
Laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer. Al-hamdu-lillaah wa subhaan-Allah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allah wa Allahu akbar, wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah
ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي. أَوْ دَعَا اسْتُجِيبَ، فَإِنْ تَوَضَّأَ وَصَلَّى قُبِلَتْ صَلاَتُهُ
Then he says: “O Allaah, forgive me”, or he makes Dua, his Dua will be answered. If he performs Wudu and prays, his prayer will be accepted.” [Narrated by al-Bukhari 1154]
Ibn Batta said: Allaah has promised—on the tongue of His Prophet (ﷺ) that -- whoever awakens from his sleep proclaiming with his tongue, the Tawheed of his Lord, submitting to Him according to His sovereignty, acknowledging His favors, praising Him for that, declaring Him free from that which is not befitting of Him by glorifying Him, humbling oneself before Him by stating that He is the Greatest, surrendering to Him by acknowledging his weakness and inability without His help and aid; that if they supplicate their Dua will be answered and if he prays his prayer will be accepted.
Therefore whoever this Hadith reaches, it is a must that they seize the opportunity to work according to it, and purify their intention solely for their Lord the Glorified and Exalted.
Taken from the Explanation of Sahih Al Bukhari by ibn Hajr
'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas said "When the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ), rose to pray in the middle of the night, he would say,
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ قَيَّامُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ، وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ، وَلِقَاؤُكَ الْحَقُّ، وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ، وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ. اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ، وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ، وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ، وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ حَاكَمْتُ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ، وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ، أَنْتَ إِلَهِي، لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنْتَ.
"O Allaah, Yours is the praise. You are the light of the heavens and the earth and whoever is in them. Yours is the praise. You are the Lord of the heavens and the earth and whoever is in them. You are the Truth and Your promise is true and the meeting with You is true. The Garden is true and the Fire is true and the Hour is true. O Allaah, I have surrendered to You and I have believed in You. I have trusted in You and I repent to You. I argue by You and I have come to You for judgement. Forgive me my past and future wrong actions, what I conceal and what I show. You are My God. There is no god but You."
[Sahih-Al Adab al Mufrad Book 31, Hadith 697]
الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ
"Praise is to Allah Who gives us life after He has caused us to die and to Him is the return"
Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 11/113; Muslim 4/2083
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ. سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ للهِ، ولَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ العَلِيِّ الْعَظيِمِ، ربِّ اغْفِرْلِي
"There is none worthy of worship but Allah alone, Who has no partner, His is the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is able to do all things. Glory is to Allah. Praise is to Allah. There is none worthy of worship but Allah. Allah is the Most Great. There is no might and no power except by Allah's leave, the Exalted, the Mighty. My Lord, forgive me"
Whoever says this will be forgiven, and if he supplicates Allah, his prayer will be answered; if he performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted.
Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 3/39, among others. The wording here is from Ibn Majah 2/335
الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي فِي جَسَدِي، وَرَدَّ عَلَيَّ رُوحِي، وَأَذِنَ لِي بِذِكْرِهِ
"Praise is to Allah, Who gave strength to my body and returned my soul to me and permitted me to remember Him"
At-Tirmithi 5/473. See Al-Albani's Sahih Tirmiihi 3/144
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ ۞ الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ ۞ رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ مَنْ تُدْخِلِ النَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ ۞ رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلْإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآمَنَّا رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ ۞ رَبَّنَا وَآتِنَا مَا وَعَدْتَنَا عَلَى رُسُلِكَ وَلَا تُخْزِنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ ۞ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّي لَا أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى بَعْضُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ فَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا وَأُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَأُوذُوا فِي سَبِيلِي وَقَاتَلُوا وَقُتِلُوا لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ثَوَابًا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ وَاللهُ عِنْدَهُ حُسْنُ الثَّوَابِ ۞ لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي الْبِلَادِ ۞ مَتَاعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ ۞ لَكِنِ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا نُزُلًا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللهِ وَمَا عِنْدَ اللهِ خَيْرٌ لِلْأَبْرَارِ ۞ وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَاشِعِينَ للهِ لَا يَشْتَرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ إِنَّ اللهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ۞ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Qur'an Aal-'Imran 3: 190-200; Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 8/237; Muslim 1/530