How to pray tahajjud, step by step
From waking up to the dua before Fajr: every step of the night prayer, with the dua the Prophet ﷺ said for tahajjud in Arabic, transliteration and English.
Tahajjud is the voluntary prayer at night after some sleep. Pray Isha, sleep with the intention of waking, and set an alarm for the last third of the night. See when the last third begins tonight.
When you wake, rub the sleep from your face and say:
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr. Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa subḥānallāh, wa lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh. Allāhummaghfir lī
There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things. All praise is for Allah, glory be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah. O Allah, forgive me.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1154, from Ubadah ibn al-Samit. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever wakes at night and says this, then asks forgiveness or makes dua, is answered, and if he makes wudu and prays, his prayer is accepted.
Make a full wudu. When the Prophet ﷺ got up for tahajjud he cleaned his mouth with the miswak (Sahih al-Bukhari 1136). A toothbrush does the same job.
The Prophet ﷺ said this when he stood at night for tahajjud. Say it as you stand to begin. Hanafi scholars also allow it inside a voluntary prayer, after the thana.
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ قَيِّمُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ لَكَ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ، وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ، وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ، وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ، وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّبِيُّونَ حَقٌّ، وَمُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ 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 الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
Allāhumma lakal-ḥamdu anta qayyimus-samāwāti wal-arḍi wa man fīhinn, wa lakal-ḥamdu laka mulkus-samāwāti wal-arḍi wa man fīhinn, wa lakal-ḥamdu anta nūrus-samāwāti wal-arḍ, wa lakal-ḥamdu antal-ḥaqq, wa waʿdukal-ḥaqq, wa liqāʾuka ḥaqq, wa qawluka ḥaqq, wal-jannatu ḥaqq, wan-nāru ḥaqq, wan-nabiyyūna ḥaqq, wa Muḥammadun ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa sallama ḥaqq, was-sāʿatu ḥaqq. Allāhumma laka aslamtu, wa bika āmantu, wa ʿalayka tawakkaltu, wa ilayka anabtu, wa bika khāṣamtu, wa ilayka ḥākamtu, faghfir lī mā qaddamtu wa mā akhkhartu, wa mā asrartu wa mā aʿlantu, antal-muqaddimu wa antal-muʾakhkhiru, lā ilāha illā ant
O Allah, to You belongs all praise. You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all who are in them. To You belongs all praise. Yours is the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all who are in them. To You belongs all praise. You are the Light of the heavens and the earth. To You belongs all praise. You are the Truth, Your promise is true, the meeting with You is true, Your word is true, Paradise is true, the Fire is true, the prophets are true, Muhammad ﷺ is true, and the Hour is true. O Allah, to You I submit, in You I believe, in You I put my trust, to You I turn, by You I argue, and to You I bring my case. So forgive me what I have done before and after, what I have kept hidden and what I have done openly. You are the One who brings forward and the One who puts back. There is no god but You.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1120, from Ibn Abbas: the Prophet ﷺ said this when he got up at night for tahajjud. Also in Sahih Muslim.
Intend in your heart to pray two rakahs of tahajjud. Say Allahu akbar, raising your hands so the thumbs are near the earlobes (women: to the shoulders), then fold them: men below the navel, women on the chest. Then say the thana quietly:
اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar
Allah is the Greatest.
سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَتَعَالٰى جَدُّكَ وَلَا إِلٰهَ غَيْرُكَ
Subḥānakallāhumma wa biḥamdika wa tabārakasmuka wa taʿālā jadduka wa lā ilāha ghayruk
Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god but You.
Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Aishah and Abu Said al-Khudri.
Recite Al-Fatiha, then any surah. Long recitation is the sunnah of the night prayer, so recite what you know well and recite slowly. You may recite aloud or quietly, as long as you do not disturb anyone.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ﴿١﴾ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣﴾ مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ﴿٤﴾ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ﴿٥﴾ ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿٦﴾ صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ﴿٧﴾
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem Alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil 'aalameen Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem Maaliki Yawmid-Deen Iyyaaka na'budu wa Iyyaaka nasta'een Ihdinas-Siraatal-Mustaqeem Siraatal-lazeena an'amta 'alaihim ghayril-maghdoobi 'alaihim wa lad-daaalleen
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds - The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. It is You we worship and You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path - The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.
Quran 1:1-7 (Surah Al-Fatiha), translation by Sahih International.
Make the ruku and the two sajdahs long and calm. In a voluntary prayer you may add duas from the Quran and Sunnah in the sajdah.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيْمِ
Subḥāna rabbiyal-ʿaẓīm (3 times)
Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent.
Sahih Muslim 772, from Hudhayfah.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلٰى
Subḥāna rabbiyal-aʿlā (3 times)
Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.
Sahih Muslim 772, from Hudhayfah.
Complete the second rakah with the tashahhud, salawat, a dua and the salam. Then pray more if you can, two rakahs at a time. The Prophet ﷺ usually prayed eight rakahs and then witr (Sahih al-Bukhari 1147). Two is enough to count as tahajjud.
اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.
Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Ibn Masud.
If you did not pray witr after Isha, pray it now: three rakahs in the Hanafi school. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Make the last of your prayer at night witr" (Sahih al-Bukhari 998). See how to pray witr. If you already prayed it, do not repeat it.
The last third of the night is when Allah asks: "Who is calling on Me, that I may answer him?" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1145). Ask for what you need in any language, and seek forgiveness, as the people Allah praises did:
كَانُوا۟ قَلِيلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ ﴿١٧﴾ وَبِٱلْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ ﴿١٨﴾
kaanoo qaleelam minal laili maa yahja'oon Wa bilashaari hum yastaghfiroon
They used to sleep but little of the night, And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness,
Quran 51:17-18 (Surah Adh-Dhariyat), translation by Sahih International.
- Time
- After Isha until Fajr
- Best time
- The last third of the night. Tonight's time
- Rakahs
- 2 or more, in pairs. The Prophet ﷺ usually prayed 8, then witr
- Ruling
- Sunnah, one of the most rewarded voluntary prayers
The method shown first is the Hanafi one. Where the other madhhabs differ, the guide below explains how. Use the arrow keys to move between steps.
Guide
Tahajjud, the prayer of the night
To pray tahajjud, sleep after Isha, wake in the night, make wudu and pray at least two rakahs, then more in pairs if you can, and end with witr. The best time is the last third of the night, before Fajr. Allah told the Prophet ﷺ:
وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةًۭ لَّكَ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًۭا مَّحْمُودًۭا ﴿٧٩﴾
Wa minal laili fatahajjad bihee naafilatal laka 'asaaa any yab'asaka Rabbuka Maqaamam Mahmoodaa
And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.
Quran 17:79 (Surah Al-Isra), translation by Sahih International.
The dua for tahajjud
Ibn Abbas reported that when the Prophet ﷺ got up at night for tahajjud he said this dua. It is the one most people mean by "the tahajjud dua".
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ قَيِّمُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ لَكَ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ، وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ، وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ، وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ، وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّبِيُّونَ حَقٌّ، وَمُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ 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 الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
Allāhumma lakal-ḥamdu anta qayyimus-samāwāti wal-arḍi wa man fīhinn, wa lakal-ḥamdu laka mulkus-samāwāti wal-arḍi wa man fīhinn, wa lakal-ḥamdu anta nūrus-samāwāti wal-arḍ, wa lakal-ḥamdu antal-ḥaqq, wa waʿdukal-ḥaqq, wa liqāʾuka ḥaqq, wa qawluka ḥaqq, wal-jannatu ḥaqq, wan-nāru ḥaqq, wan-nabiyyūna ḥaqq, wa Muḥammadun ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa sallama ḥaqq, was-sāʿatu ḥaqq. Allāhumma laka aslamtu, wa bika āmantu, wa ʿalayka tawakkaltu, wa ilayka anabtu, wa bika khāṣamtu, wa ilayka ḥākamtu, faghfir lī mā qaddamtu wa mā akhkhartu, wa mā asrartu wa mā aʿlantu, antal-muqaddimu wa antal-muʾakhkhiru, lā ilāha illā ant
O Allah, to You belongs all praise. You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all who are in them. To You belongs all praise. Yours is the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all who are in them. To You belongs all praise. You are the Light of the heavens and the earth. To You belongs all praise. You are the Truth, Your promise is true, the meeting with You is true, Your word is true, Paradise is true, the Fire is true, the prophets are true, Muhammad ﷺ is true, and the Hour is true. O Allah, to You I submit, in You I believe, in You I put my trust, to You I turn, by You I argue, and to You I bring my case. So forgive me what I have done before and after, what I have kept hidden and what I have done openly. You are the One who brings forward and the One who puts back. There is no god but You.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1120, from Ibn Abbas: the Prophet ﷺ said this when he got up at night for tahajjud. Also in Sahih Muslim.
After the prayer, make any dua you like, in your own language. The hadith of the Lord's descent in the last third of the night is a promise of an answer.1
How many rakats is tahajjud?
There is no fixed number. The least is two rakahs. Aishah said the Prophet ﷺ did not pray more than eleven rakahs at night, in Ramadan or outside it, which was eight rakahs of night prayer and three of witr.2 Pray what you can keep up: two rakahs every night are better than twelve once a month.
Tahajjud and witr
Tahajjud is a sunnah. Witr is wajib and is three rakahs with one salam. If you trust yourself to wake, delay witr until after tahajjud, as the last prayer of the night. If you are not sure, pray witr after Isha and pray tahajjud later in pairs without repeating witr. Abu Hanifa held that four rakahs with one salam are best for night prayer, and the two companions, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, held that two at a time are best.3
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Tahajjud is a confirmed sunnah, prayed in twos. Witr is a confirmed sunnah, from one to eleven rakahs, and is usually prayed as two rakahs then one.
- Maliki
- Night prayer is in pairs, and witr is a single rakah after them. Witr is a confirmed sunnah.
- Hanbali
- Night prayer is in pairs with a salam after every two. Witr is a confirmed sunnah, one to eleven rakahs.
Can you pray tahajjud without sleeping?
Many scholars say tahajjud proper is prayer after sleeping, because the word comes from leaving sleep. Prayer after Isha without sleeping is still qiyam al-layl, the night prayer, and is rewarded. If you cannot wake, pray two or four rakahs before you sleep and witr after them.
Tips for waking up
- Sleep early and make wudu before bed.
- Set an alarm for the last third: the tahajjud time tool works it out for your location and can add a 30-night alarm to your calendar.
- Start with two rakahs once or twice a week.
- If you wake close to Fajr, pray two quick rakahs rather than none.
Tahajjud time in your city
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1145; Sahih Muslim 758.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1147; Sahih Muslim 738.
- Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Bab al-Witr wa al-Nawafil; al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know
How do I pray tahajjud step by step?
Sleep after Isha, wake in the night, make wudu, and pray two rakahs like any sunnah prayer. Pray more in pairs if you can, then witr if you have not prayed it. Make dua before Fajr.
What is the dua for tahajjud?
Allahumma lakal-hamdu anta qayyimus-samawati wal-ard... from Sahih al-Bukhari 1120. The Prophet ﷺ said it when he got up at night for tahajjud. The full Arabic, transliteration and meaning are on this page.
How many rakats is tahajjud?
At least two. The Prophet ﷺ usually prayed eight rakahs, then three rakahs of witr, eleven in all.
What time should I wake up for tahajjud?
Any time after Isha until Fajr counts, but the best is the last third of the night. The tahajjud time tool shows when it begins tonight where you live.
Do I have to pray witr after tahajjud?
Pray witr once a night. If you already prayed it after Isha, do not pray it again after tahajjud. If you have not, make it your last prayer before Fajr.
Can I pray tahajjud without sleeping first?
Prayer at night after Isha is rewarded either way. Many scholars say the name tahajjud is for prayer after sleep, so sleeping first is better if you can.