How to Pray Tahajjud: Time, Rakats and Steps

How to pray tahajjud: after Isha, ideally after some sleep and in the last third of the night, pray two rakats at a time for as long as you can, then end with witr. Tahajjud is the voluntary night prayer, which the Quran describes as additional worship for the Prophet ﷺ (Quran 17:79).

When to pray tahajjud

You can pray it any time after Isha until Fajr begins. The best time is the last third of the night:

Our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who is calling on Me, that I may answer him? Who is asking of Me, that I may give him? Who is seeking My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?

Bukhari 1145, Muslim 758

To work out the last third, take the time from Maghrib to Fajr, divide it by three, and count that back from Fajr. With Maghrib at 6:00 pm and Fajr at 6:00 am, the night is 12 hours long and its last third starts at 2:00 am. Your city's Maghrib and Fajr are on the prayer times page.

Some scholars use the word tahajjud only for night prayer after sleeping. Prayer at night before you sleep still counts as night prayer (qiyam al-layl).

How many rakats?

There is no fixed number. The Prophet ﷺ usually prayed eleven rakats at night, including witr (Bukhari 1147, Muslim 738), and on some nights thirteen (Bukhari 1138, Muslim 764).

How to pray tahajjud

1. 1

   Wake up and make wudu. The Prophet ﷺ would wipe the sleep from his face and recite the closing verses of Surah Al Imran, from 3:190 (Bukhari 183, 4569).

2. 2

   Start with two light rakats. He began his night prayer with two short rakats and told others to do the same (Muslim 767, 768).

3. 3

   Pray in twos. Pray two rakats, end with salam, and repeat. "The night prayer is two by two" (Bukhari 990, Muslim 749).

4. 4

   Take your time. Recite at length if you can, with long bowing and prostration (Bukhari 1147).

5. 5

   Make dua. A servant is nearest to his Lord in sujud (Muslim 482), and the last third of the night is a time of answered prayer (Bukhari 1145).

6. 6

   End with witr. "Make witr the last of your prayer at night" (Bukhari 998, Muslim 751). If you're not sure you'll wake up, pray witr after Isha instead (Muslim 755). See how to pray witr.

Checked against its sources on 2026-10-17. Where the schools of fiqh differ, follow the one you practise.