Night Vigil (قيام الليل)
Qiyam al-Layl - The Peak of Devotion
The blessed night vigil prayers representing the pinnacle of Naqshbandi spiritual practice for those seeking the highest stations of divine closeness.
Timing and Preparation
Wake at least one hour before Fajr; at this time the gate of Divine Mercy opens and the shaykhs look at their murīds.
Sacred Timing
One should get up at least one hour before Fajr; this is when the gate of Allah's Mercy is opened and when the great shaykhs look at their murīds.
Preparation Steps
- Perform ablution (wuḍūʾ)
- Pray Taḥiyyatu 'l-Wuḍūʾ (2 rakʿāt)
- Stand facing the Qiblah
- Ask Allah to purify oneself from the anger of the ego (nafs)
Preparatory Dhikr
Invoke the Divine Names with presence and humility before beginning the prayers.
Yā Ḥalīm
يَا حَلِيمُ 100×
Yā Ḥalīm
O Forbearing One
Recite with the intention of purification from the anger of the ego
Yā Ḥāfiẓ
يَا حَافِظُ 100×
Yā Ḥāfiẓ
O Protector
Seek protection from internal and external enemies, and from heavenly and earthly misfortune
Teaching of the Masters
The virtue of pre-dawn vigilance.
“If a person gets up one hour before Fajr and does nothing, not even praying, not even making tasbīḥ, but gets up to drink something, such as coffee or tea, or eat a morsel of food, then he must also be raised with the vigilant people (ahl as-sahar).”
Whoever wishes to reach the station of the People of Determination must keep up these practices.
Salātu 'n-Najāt (Prayer of Salvation)
Two rakʿāt with foundational Qur’anic recitations and a post-prayer sujūd supplication.
First Rakʿah
Sūrat al-Fātiḥah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الْـحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ
غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ
وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
Bismillāhi 'r-Raḥmāni 'r-Raḥīm • Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi Rabbi 'l-ʿālamīn • ar-Raḥmāni 'r-Raḥīm • Māliki yawmi 'd-dīn • Iyyāka naʿbudu wa iyyāka nastaʿīn • Ihdinā 'ṣ-ṣirāṭa 'l-mustaqīm • Ṣirāṭa 'l-ladhīna anʿamta ʿalayhim • Ghayri 'l-maghdūbi ʿalayhim • wa lā 'ḍ-ḍāllīn
Āyatu 'l-Kursī (2:255)
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ، لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ، لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ، مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ، يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ، وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ، وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ، وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا، وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
Allāhu lā ilāha illa Huwa 'l-Ḥayyu 'l-Qayyūm... wa Huwa 'l-ʿAliyyu 'l-ʿAẓīm
Allah! There is no god but He — the Living, the Self-Subsisting... His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He is the Most High, the Supreme. God speaks the Truth.
Āl ʿImrān (3:18–19)
شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ، لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ. إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ
Shahid-Allāhu annahu lā ilāha illa Hu... Inna 'd-dīna ʿinda 'Llahi 'l-Islām
Allah bears witness that there is no god but He — and so do the angels and those of knowledge — upholding justice... Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam.
Āl ʿImrān (3:26–27)
قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ... وَتَرْزُقُ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
Qul 'illāhumma Mālika 'l-Mulk... wa tarzuqu man tashāʾu bi ghayri ḥisāb
Say: O Allah, Master of the Kingdom... You provide for whom You will without reckoning.
Second Rakʿah
Sūrat al-Fātiḥah (as above)
Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ (11×)
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Qul Huwa 'Llāhu Aḥad • Allāhu 'ṣ-Ṣamad • Lam yalid wa lam yūlad • Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan aḥad
Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah, the Eternal Refuge; He neither begets nor is born; and there is none comparable to Him.
Post-Prayer Duʿā (after Taslīm)
يَا رَبِّي كَمَا تَأْكُلُ النَّارُ الْحَطَبَ هَكَذَا الْحَسَدُ الْمُتَأَصِّلُ فِيَّ يَأْكُلُ جَمِيعَ أَعْمَالِي. يَا رَبِّي خَلِّصْنِي مِنْهُ وَمِنَ الْغَضَبِ النَّفْسَانِيِّ وَمِنْ نَفْسِ الطِّفْلِ الْمَذْمُومَةِ وَمِنَ الْأَخْلَاقِ الذَّمِيمَةِ يَا رَبِّي وَبَدِّلْ كُلَّ أَخْلَاقِي إِلَىٰ أَخْلَاقٍ حَمِيدَةٍ وَأَفْعَالٍ حَسَنَةٍ
Yā Rabbī, kamā taʾkulu 'n-nāru 'l-ḥaṭaba hakadhā al-ḥasadu 'l-muta'aṣṣilu fiyya yaʾkulu jamīʿa aʿmālī... wa baddil kulla akhlāqī ilā akhlāqin ḥamīdah wa afʿālin ḥasanah
O my Lord! Just as fire consumes firewood, the envy rooted in me consumes my actions. Purify me from it and from the anger of my ego; remove blameworthy traits and replace them with praiseworthy character and good actions.
Salātu 't-Tasbīḥ (Prayer of Glorification)
Four rakʿāt with a total of 300 tasbīḥ distributed throughout the prayer.
Structure
- Four rakʿāt with taslīm at the end of the 4th rakʿah
- 1st & 3rd rakʿāt: Sūrat al-Fātiḥah + two Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ
- 2nd & 4th rakʿāt: Sūrat al-Fātiḥah + one Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ
- Total tasbīḥ: 300 (75 per rakʿah)
Tasbīḥ Formula
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْـحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Subḥānallāh, wa 'l-ḥamdu li-llāh, wa lā ilāha illa-llāh, wa 'Llāhu akbar
Glory be to Allah! Praise be to Allah! There is no god but Allah, and Allah is Greatest.
Additional Formula
وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
Wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi 'l-ʿaliyyi 'l-ʿaẓīm
There is no power and no strength save in Allah, the Most High, the Great.
Recite after every 10–15 tasbīḥs
Tasbīḥ Distribution Schedule
| When Tasbīḥ is recited | Number of times |
|---|---|
| Before Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in the first rakʿah | 15 |
| After Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ (per guidance) | 10 |
| After each takbīr (except during sitting) | 10 |
Tasbīḥ is added to the regular parts of prayer, following the observed method from the Shaykh.
Benefits and Significance
Fruits of maintaining the night vigil and recommended approach.
- Purification of the heart from envy and negative traits
- Protection from internal and external enemies
- Elevation to the station of the People of Determination
- Connection with Divine Mercy during the blessed pre-dawn
- Spiritual supervision from the great shaykhs
- Daily consistency in waking before Fajr
- Sincere intention for spiritual purification
- Patience and perseverance in maintaining the practice
- Trust in Allah's mercy and the guidance of the masters
Prerequisites for Practice
Essential requirements before attempting the night vigil prayers.
Important Prerequisites
Foundation Requirements:
- • Master the five obligatory prayers correctly
- • Learn proper purification (ţahārah)
- • Understand correct intention (nīyyat)
- • Practice facing the qiblah accurately
Spiritual Readiness:
- • Established in basic daily practices
- • Guidance from an authorized teacher
- • Commitment to consistent practice
- • Understanding of proper movements
The Path to Spiritual Excellence
The night vigil represents the highest form of devotional practice in the Naqshbandi tradition. Begin with mastering the fundamentals before approaching these advanced practices.