Heading to God in the Dead of Night

There is a great impact for the night isolation on the heading of a man's self to God and receiving His mercy in a way that he doesn’t feel in other times. God, glorified, has provided in the late hours of the night blessings and mercy that cannot be received at other times during the day or night.
Those who think in the Islamic texts will conclude that not all times of the day are equal where mercy doors are opened for a man in some hours more than other times and other times where God descends his mercy more than other times. Among the best of these times, and the most fortunate of God's mercy, is the last half of the night.

God, glorified, said:” O you Enwrapped, Stand vigil at night, except a little, Half of it, or reduce it a little, Or add to it—and recite the Quran slowly and rhythmically, We are about to give you a heavy message, The vigil of the night is more effective—and more conducive to recitation”. 1

It was narrated by Al Mofdel bin Amro that Abo Abdallah Al Sadek (pbuh) said:” “Among what God has invoked Mousa bin Imran for a group of people, He said to him: O Ibn Imran, whoever sleeps and leaves me when the night comes then claims that he loves me has lied. Doesn’t every lover love the isolation with his beloved? Here I am, O Ibn Imran, seeing my loved ones; if I come to them at night, I turn their eyes into their hearts and my punishment is present before their eyes, they talk to me about watching it, and they talk to me about attending.

O ibn Imran, give me the humility of your heart, obedience of your body, tears of your eyes, ask me for your needs in the darkness of night and you will find me near you, granting you your needs”. 2

In this text, there are many points to think deeply about, but we don’t want to stop for a long time. A night shelters the righteous people, protects them from life’s crowds and issues, and takes out a man from man’s concerns that make him occupied away from heading to God. Thus, this is the change of night time when a man isolates himself with his God, away from every occupant and is able to devote himself to Him.

Whoever sleeps and leaves me when the night comes then claims that he loves me has lied. Doesn’t every lover love the isolation with his beloved?

The crowd of the day and its many preoccupations distract our eyes and ears, so if the night comes and takes us from the crowd of life, our sight and hearing (dispersed by the day) are gathered again and are headed from outside to inside, and from the crowd of life during the day to the inside of the heart, the source of insight and light in a man’s life. God at that time opens in the heart of man the doors of insight and light (if the night overtakes them, they turn their eyes to their hearts) so a man sees himself existent in the attendance of God where he witnesses the anger and mercy of God almighty present before his eyes. In that case, he talks with God with witness and presence not with absence (And they tell me about their witness) and talks with Him with presence not with absence (and they tell me about presence). At that time, God’s almighty punishment and anger will be present before a man’s eyes (and my punishment was present before their eyes) so the interest with the presence of the lover, being isolated with him and the fear from the punishment will deprive him from the sleep comfort. How can a man who’s present with his lover, talking with him and begging him sleep? How can he fall asleep when he sees the torment of God present before his eyes?

This is a normal case that results from the transformation of the eyes from the outside life to the inside and being spiritually gathered after being shattered during the day.

The Prince of the Believers describes in his speech, which is known as “The Speech of the Pious (Al Mottakin), this case of the spiritual transformation of sight from outside into the heart saying:” In the night, they stand in rows reciting the parts of the holy Quran with measured rhythmic recitation, feel sad with it, and attract by it the cure of their pain. If they pass through a verse of fondness, they stop lusting (for God’s goodness), their souls looked to it with longing, and they thought that it was in front of their eyes; if they passed by a verse with intimidation, they listened to it with the ears of their hearts, and they thought that the sighs and inhales of Hellfire were in the origins of their ears while they were tender on their circles, sprawled on their foreheads, their palms, their knees and the ends of their feet, asking God Almighty to untie their necks. As for the day, they are wise, righteous, pious and scholars…”. 3

In Nahj al-Balagha, the Prince of the Believers said to Nuf al-Bakali in his description of the night: “Oh Nuf, David, peace be upon him, rose at an hour like this of the night and said: It is an hour in which if any servant request his God for something, he will be answered” .4

The Messenger of God (pbuh) said: “If it is at the end of the night, God Almighty says: Is there anyone who requests me for his needs so that I may answer him? Is there a questioner, so I give him his question? Is there anyone asking for forgiveness to forgive him? Is there one repentant to excuse him?".

Supplication of Ahl Al Bayt (Family of the Prophet) pbuh, His eminence Al Shaikh Mohammad Mahdi Al ‘Asfi

([1])Al Mozzamel 1-6
([2]) Majalis by al-Mufid: 214, Wasa’il al-Shi’ah 4: 1125, volume: 8781.
([3]) Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon No. 193.
([4]) Nahj al-Balagha, Part Two, pg. 165.