Praying at Night in Ramadaan (Taraweeh)

Sahih al-Bukhari 2008

The Excellence of Night Prayer in Ramadan

This noble hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari establishes the immense virtue of performing night prayers during the blessed month of Ramadan. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) guarantees complete forgiveness of past sins for those who pray at night with two essential conditions: sincere faith (iman) and seeking reward solely from Allah.

Conditions for Acceptance

The phrase "out of sincere Faith" (imanan wahtisaban) requires the prayer to be performed with proper belief in Allah and His commandments, not for showing off or worldly recognition.

"Hoping for a reward from Allah" indicates the intention must be purely for divine pleasure, not mixed with any worldly motives or desires for praise from creation.

Scholarly Commentary

Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains in Fath al-Bari that "all his previous sins" refers to minor sins, as major sins require specific repentance. The night prayers referred to include both the Taraweeh prayers and Tahajjud prayers.

The scholars note that this forgiveness is contingent upon avoiding major sins during Ramadan and maintaining the proper conditions of prayer including sincerity, following the Sunnah in prayer performance, and avoiding invalidators of worship.

Practical Implementation

This hadith encourages Muslims to attend Taraweeh prayers in congregation and to perform additional night prayers throughout Ramadan. The reward is not limited to a specific number of rak'ahs but encompasses all night prayers performed with the proper intention and conditions.

The promise of forgiveness should motivate believers to increase their night worship, seeking this tremendous opportunity for spiritual purification that Allah has granted in this sacred month.