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We're going to talk about the night prayer, when people are struggling with the five obligatory prayers.

I ask myself that question as well.

If someone is struggling with the Qur'an, how can they even begin to entertain Qiyamuddin, to entertain the idea of praying at night?

And the Ramadan is of course an exception.

You find people that, just like people fast Ramadan, that struggle with other obligations in the deen.

And we ask Allah to make Ramadan the fasting of Ramadan a means for them to fulfill the other obligations.

But just as people can fast Ramadan but they can't do a lot of those other things throughout the year.

In many ways people sort of relegate this practice to this special ten nights and that's it.

And we don't really touch it and maybe one day my faith will get to the point that I feel connected enough to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that I can start to entertain that conversation.

And then once I start to dive into the books and I start to read about the way that the salaf, the way that the pious predecessors viewed Qiyamuddin seemingly as an obligation, not an obligation in a technical sense which we'll get to.

But as an obligation on themselves for spiritual health, it can be demoralizing and depressing because you read that and you say where am I?

And these people who would blame themselves so much for missing one night of Qiyamuddin and I don't remember the last time that I prayed a meaningful night.

And when you talk about coming close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, it is true that matah qarrab ilayya abdhi bi shaytin that no taratuhu alayhi, then what I have already made obligatory upon them.

You can't prioritize the Nawafid over the Farad, you can't prioritize the voluntary deeds over the obligatory deeds.

However, if a person tastes the sweetness of certain voluntary deeds, not only can it help them be more consistent with the obligatory deeds, it can help revive the spirit of those obligatory deeds.

In fact, which is what Aaysh ala l-Yallahu ta'ala an-Hassad about Surat-un-Wazzammal.

If you read Surat-un-Wazzammal, the third revelation to the Prophet ﷺ is a page and a half.

The second half is one Aayah, is one Aayah.

And Aaysh ala l-Yallahu ta'ala an-Hassad that Allah withheld the second part of al-Muzzammal for an entire year from us, meaning what?

When Allah first revealed to us, Ya Ayyuh al-Muzzammal.

To stand up in prayer at night, to stand up in prayer a significant portion of the night, and to recite a significant portion of what was revealed.

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