Excellence and Secrets Of The Night Vigil Volume I Picture Oil lamp ...

In Part I of this book, we hope to have inspired the reader. If that effort
was successful, we hope you then seek a master or sheikh to guide you.
While waiting for your sheikh, you may wish to read Volume II which
is an extract of Imam Ghazzali’s Ihya Ulumiddin Volume I Book 10.
This may be hard to follow which out a sheikh. So we introduced Part II
which tells you how to observe the Night Vigil in an orderly manner.
Before we begin, it is imperative that the seeker [murid] attempts a daily
routine that will make the observance of the Night Vigil manageable
and in accordance to the individual capacity. Insha Allah, the Exalted,
will cause us to overcome the odds and make this difficult task easier to
accomplish. This requires training of the self [nasf] and person.
If you recalled in Part I Chapter 5, the Imam Sheikh Fadhal gave us a
few tips on routines that will assist us. One of which is to observe and
liven up the period between sunset [Magrib] and after dusk or night
[Isha] with worships like additional prayers, mentioning Allah [zikr]
and/or Quran recitions [tilawah]. The other point to note is the amount
of food intake and actions in relation to that.
Do not forget to finish the night by reciting Surah 67 Al Mulk, Surah 32
AsSajdah and those sections of the Quran [Hizb] that you normally
practices. The most common but most effective is to recite Surah 112
Al-Ikhlas, Surah 113 Al-Falaq and Surah 114 An-Nas three times each.
And finally set the alarm to wake up. Try the sahar period, about half an
hour before Fajr. Remember! The devil [shaytan] will whisper to you to
go back to bed. (Refer back to Chapter I for the hadith).
For the beginners, setting the alarm clock is the most appropriate and
logical thing to do until your body clock is tune with your personal
spiritual ability. If you do not have a guide or companion to wake you
up then you need the alarm clock.
RL 4 – Part II - Introduction