Photo: Collected
The many blows of life, sorrow and pain, anxiety and despair often make a lonely night unbearable. In the dead of night, when all the clamour ceases and a hushed silence descends on busy localities, countless memories and thoughts of painful days crowd the courtyard of the mind.
With every sigh, sleep too seems to vanish into thin air. On such an anguished night, prayer can be the believer’s best refuge. Falling in prostration before Almighty Allah, the believer can pour out everything in the heart, every pain. It is in this intimate conversation with the Most Exalted that relief from the anguish is found.
Why prayer is the best companion
On a sleepless night, prayer is the believer’s best companion. The reasons are:
1. Refuge in hard times: In days of danger, prayer is the believer’s refuge. Almighty Allah has said, ‘O believers! Seek help through patience and prayer. Surely Allah is with the patient.’ (Surah Baqarah, verse 153)
Essentially, people in distress lose their sleep because they cannot find shelter and support. And prayer gives a person a place in Allah’s shelter.
2. It removes restlessness: Prayer is a bridge between Allah and His servant. Through it, the servant’s weariness of mind, mental stress and restlessness are removed. For in prayer the servant surrenders himself to that Great Being who alone can remove all dangers and crises.
It is narrated from Huzaifa (RA), ‘Whenever any matter worried the Messenger of Allah (SAW), he would stand up in prayer.’ (Sunan Abi Dawud, hadith 1319)
3. Peace of mind: When sleep flees in the dead of night and peace cannot be found by any means, do not remain sunk in a sea of worry; perform ablution and stand on the prayer mat. For Allah has placed the peace of the believer’s heart in prayer. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used to say, ‘O Bilal! Give the iqamah for prayer, give us comfort through it.’ (Sunan Abi Dawud, hadith 4985)
4. Comfort of the eyes: When the scenes of shattered dreams simply will not be wiped from the canvas of memory and keep floating before the eyes, it is prayer that can draw a shade of peace over the eyes and wipe away the marks of pain. For the servant’s loving surrender before Allah gives him such unearthly peace that he can forget everything in the world. This is why the Prophet (SAW) used to say, ‘The comfort of my eyes has been placed in prayer.’ (Sunan Nasai, hadith 3939)
5. Nearness to Allah in prostration: The allure and attachments of worldly life throw people into anxiety. When a person attains nearness to Almighty Allah, he is freed from these attachments, and so the pain of the heart is also eased. And it is in prostration that the servant comes closest to Allah. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, ‘The servant is nearest to his Lord in prostration. So make supplication abundantly in prostration.’ (Sahih Muslim, hadith 482)
It is also learnt from this hadith that the best time for supplication and prayer to Allah is the prostration of nafl prayer. So those who believe that deliverance lies with Allah alone should fall in prostration in the solitude of the night and weep before Allah.
6. It removes despair: Prayer removes all despair and restlessness from the believer’s heart. It is stated in the Holy Quran, ‘Man has been created extremely restless. When adversity touches him he becomes one who laments, and when good touches him he becomes very miserly; but those who perform prayer are the exception.’ (Surah Maarij, verses 19-22)
7. The mind becomes lighter: The weariness and burden that build up in the believer’s heart from people’s words and behaviour are removed when he bows in prostration. Allah the Exalted says, ‘I know that your heart is constricted by what they say. So proclaim the purity and glory of your Lord along with His praise, and be among those who prostrate.’ (Surah Hijr, verses 97-98)
But it must be remembered that prayer becomes relief and healing for the servant only when there is firm faith in and love for Allah in his heart. Almighty Allah says, ‘Seek help through patience and prayer. It is certainly hard for all except the humble.’ (Surah Baqarah, verse 45)
May Allah grant us all the right knowledge. Ameen.
