Ehya (, ) or Vigil night (spending the night in prayer) is one of the most important traditions among

Shia Muslims Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

. According to most commentators, vigil for the purpose of night prayer, as it appears from

Surah A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into ayah, verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' (al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while ...

Al-Muzzammil Al-Muzzammil (, “The Enshrouded One”, “Bundled Up”, “Enfolded”) is the seventy-third chapter () of the Quran, containing 20 verses (), which are recognized by Muslims as the word of God (Allah). The last Ruku of this surah contains on ...

of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

was obligatory for about a year at the beginning of Islam, and Muslims performed it alongside the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. According to most Islamic jurists and commentators, after about a year, according to verse 21 of the same surah,

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

reduced this ruling and replaced it with

tahajjud Tahajjud, () also known as the "night prayer" or "Qiyam-u-lail", as well as "Namaaz-e-Shab" (نماز شب) in Persian (later borrowed into Urdu and Hindi) is a voluntary prayer performed by followers of Islam. It is not one of the five oblig ...

. Muslims observe Ehya or Vigil night on the nineteenth, twenty-first and twenty-third nights of the

Islamic month The Hijri calendar (), also known in English as the Islamic calendar, is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to determine the proper days of Islamic holidays and rituals, such as the ann ...

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

Meaning

''Ehya'' in a special term means staying awake and vigil on certain nights of the year, the most important of which is

Laylat al-Qadr In Islamic belief, Laylat al-Qadr () or Night of Power is an Islamic holidays, Islamic festival in memory of the night when the Quran was first sent down from Heaven in Islam, heaven to the world, the first Waḥy, revelation the Islamic proph ...

(the nineteenth, twenty-first and twenty-third nights of Islamic month of

). Also, in a narration of

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

, it is recommended to vigil four nights, i.e. the first night of the Islamic month of

Rajab Rajab () is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of the classical Arabic verb ''rajaba'' is "to respect", which could also mean "be awe or be in fear", of which Rajab is a derivative. This month is regarded as one ...

, the night of

Mid-Sha'ban Mid-Sha'ban ( or ''laylat niṣf min šaʿbān'' "night on the half of Sha'ban") is a Muslim holiday observed by Shia and Sunni Muslim communities on the eve of 15th of Sha'ban (i.e., the night following the sunset on the 14th day) — the s ...

, the night of

Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main Islamic holidays, festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide becaus ...

and the night of

Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second of the two main festivals in Islam alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the ...

. It has been narrated from

that the heart of whoever keeps the vigil on the

Muslim holidays There are two main holidays in Islam that are celebrated by Muslims worldwide: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The timing of both holidays are set by the lunar Islamic calendar, which is based upon the cycle of the moon, and so is different from the ...

(

and

) will survive on the day when hearts die. A similar narration has been included about vigiling on the night of

Specifications

''Ehya'' is a ritual that can be held individually or collectively. One can do ''Ehya'' oneself at home or join with a group in mosque. ''Ehya'' can be done on all nights of the year, but certain nights are more recommended by religious leaders. ''Ehya'' can be accomplished simply by staying awake during the night and reciting

dhikr (; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific ...

or praying at night. It is also possible to use the more specialized prayers and traditions mentioned in the book

Mafatih al-Janan ''Mafatih al-Jinan'' (), by Sheikh Abbas Qumi, is a Twelver Shi'a compilation of Qur'anic Chapters, Dua's, Taaqeebat (acts of worship after daily prayers), acts during Islamic months and days, supplications narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt and the ...

for ''Ehya''. ''Ehya Night'' means spending the entire night in worship and prayer and not sleeping. It is one of the important traditions of

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. Shab-e Qadr is a series of nights in the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

month,

, and that is a kind of ''Ehya Night''. As it has been said, the ''Ehya Night'' or ''

Qadr Night In Islamic belief, Laylat al-Qadr () or Night of Power is an Islamic festival in memory of the night when the Quran was first sent down from heaven to the world, the first revelation the Islamic prophet Muhammad received from the angel Gabrie ...

'' probably is one of the odd days of

month of

, which according to

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

Shittes, the inferred important dates of it, is

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics Nineteen is the eighth prime number. Number theory 19 forms a twin prime with 17, a cousin prime with 23, and a sexy prime with 13. ...

21st 21 (twenty-one) is the natural number following 20 and preceding 22. The current century is the 21st century AD, under the Gregorian calendar. Mathematics Twenty-one is the fifth distinct semiprime, and the second of the form 3 \times q whe ...

or 23rd of the month,

. The first ''Ehya Night'' of the

month

specially in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and some other Muslim countries, is the date 19 Ramadan. In the 19 Ramadan of the year 40 AH, the first

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

of the

Shiites Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

, was attacked while he performing morning prayers and a poisoned sword was stabbed in the crown of his head by

Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam Abd al-Rahman ibn Amr ibn Muljam al-Muradi (), commonly known simply as Ibn Muljam, was a Kharijite dissident known primarily for assassinating, ‘Alī ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate and the first Imam of the Sh ...

in the

Great Mosque of Kufa The Great Mosque of Kufa (), or Masjid al-Kufa, is located in Kufa, Iraq and is one of the earliest surviving mosques in the world. The mosque, built in the 7th century, was home to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the 4th Rashidun caliph; and contains the s ...

died two days later, on the 21st of Ramadan. Therefore, the first ''Ehya Night'' for

, especially for

Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Muslims in

, coincides with the 19th of Ramadan and the anniversary of the struck of their first Imam,

. They perform the first ''Ehya Night'' in 19 Ramadan of every year and mourn because of the injuring of their first Imam,

. The second ''Ehya Night'' of the month of Ramadan for Shiite Muslims, especially Iranians, namely the 21st of Ramadan, also coincides with the death of their first Imam,

, and on this night every year, in addition to performing the ''Ehya Night'' traditions, they also hold mourning ceremonies for the death of their first

. The last ''Ehya Night'' for Shiite Muslims, especially Iranians, is the night of the 23rd of Ramadan, when they also strive to hold mass worship ceremonies. Of course, in some Islamic books and sources, some nights after the 21st night of Ramadan have also been speculated to be the Shab-e Qadr, but the most important customs of the ''Ehya nights'' of the month

, especially in

, are as mentioned above.

Rewards

It has been mentioned in many narrations of

and

The Fourteen Infallibles The Fourteen Infallibles (, '; , ') in Twelver, Twelver Shia Islam are the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima Zahra, Fatima, and Twelve Imams, the Twelve Imams. All are considered to be ismah, infallible under the theological conce ...

that ''whoever vigiling the nights of Qadr, his/her sins will be forgiven''. It is also said ''His/her livelihood has increased and he/she sees openness in his works''. According to the text of the

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

of the Imams, staying awake for part of the night and

praying File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

and reciting the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

is very spiritual rewarding in Islam. Other attributes are also mentioned in Islamic texts, including: ''with ''Ehya'', the disease leaves the body''. ''Makes a person's face bright and beautiful''. ''Makes the house and the place where the ''Ehya'' took place illuminated''. ''It causes continuous and long efforts in the day''. ''Guarantee of a hassle-free day''. ''It is an opportunity to relax the nerves and relieve fatigue, depression and irritation of body and soul''. ''An opportunity for pray with the Creator of the universe and the culmination of nearness to God''. ''It builds and strengthens the spirit and transfers power to individual from the source of science and power''. ''It improves the relations between people''.موسوى همدانى، سید محمد باقر؛ ترجمه تفسیر المیزان، دفتر انتشارات اسلامى جامعه‌ى مدرسین حوزه علمیه قم - قم، چاپ پنجم، ۱۳۷۴ ش، ج‌۲۰، ص ۹۴.

References

{{Authority control Shia Islam Islamic terminology

Meaning

Specifications

Rewards

See also

References