In the final ten days of Ramadan, we are reminded of the intensity of worship by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Hazrat Aishara narrated:
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا دَخَلَ العَشْرُ شَدَّ مِئْزَرَهُ، وَأَحْيَا لَيْلَهُ، وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ
“When the last ten nights began, the Holy Prophetsa tightened his waist-belt, spent the night in worship and woke his family up.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1174)
This “tightening of the belt” signifies his resolve to engage in worship even more fervently than during the rest of the month.
As believers, apart from the mandatory prayers, nawafil (voluntary) prayers are among the most potent ways of following this noble example of the Holy Prophetsa and drawing closer to Allah the Almighty.
The importance of seeking nearness to Allah through voluntary worship is highlighted in a hadith-e-qudsi in which Allah the Almighty says:
مَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِي بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ
“My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me through nawafil until I love him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6502)
The Holy Prophetsa also emphasised the opportunity for voluntary prayer throughout the day:
بَيْنَ كُلِّ أَذَانَيْنِ صَلَاةٌ، بَيْنَ كُلِّ أَذَانَيْنِ صَلَاةٌ، بَيْنَ كُلِّ أَذَانَيْنِ صَلَاةٌ، ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ لِمَنْ شَاءَ
“Between every two calls (the Adhan and the Iqamah) there is a prayer; between every two calls there is a prayer; between every two calls there is a prayer.” Then he added, “for whoever wishes.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 624)
These narrations demonstrate that nawafil prayers are of great importance. Although omitting them is not sinful like abandoning the obligatory prayers, they protect and strengthen our worship and help structure our daily lives around remembrance of Allah.
Ramadan therefore presents the perfect opportunity to establish the habit of offering nawafil, especially Tahajjud, the pre-dawn prayer.
Nawafil compensate for deficiencies in obligatory prayer
Prayer is not only the purpose of our creation but will also be the first deed examined on the Day of Judgment. Allah says in the Holy Quran:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
“And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.” (Surah adh-Dhariyat, Ch.51: V.57)
The Holy Prophetsa said:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُحَاسَبُ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ الصَّلَاةُ
“The first thing for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Judgement will be his prayer.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1425)
The narration continues:
فَإِنْ كَانَتْ تَامَّةً كُتِبَتْ تَامَّةً، وَإِنْ كَانَ انْتَقَصَ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ قَالَ اللَّهُ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ: انْظُرُوا هَلْ لِعَبْدِي مِنْ تَطَوُّعٍ فَيُكَمَّلَ بِهَا مَا انْتَقَصَ مِنَ الْفَرِيضَةِ
“If it is complete, it will be recorded as complete. But if it is lacking, Allah will say: ‘Look and see whether My servant has any voluntary prayers and complete his obligatory prayers with them.’” (Ibid.)
Thus, voluntary prayers remove deficiencies from our obligatory prayers.
Speaking about this, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra in a speech (now compiled as a book entitled Zikr-e Ilahi [Remembrance of Allah]) said:
“The prudent and farsighted person does not restrict himself to the discharge of only obligatory matters, but rather he enters the field of Nawafil so that if there remained any shortcoming in the observance of the obligatory works, they may be compensated for in this way. […] for the person who also offers the Nawafil together with the obligatory Prayers, if some Prayer of his is not accepted, then the Nawafil can come in handy and may fulfil that deficiency.” (Remembrance of Allah, 2021, pp. 16-17)
He also gave the example of a student taking an exam. If only 50 marks are required to pass, a wise student will not attempt only 50 marks’ worth of questions because even a small mistake could cause failure. Instead, he answers as many questions as possible to ensure success. In the same way, believers should increase their voluntary prayers to ensure their spiritual success.
Similarly, he gave the example of travelling. If you calculate all the costs to be a certain amount and only take the calculated amount with you, what will happen if your calculation is wrong? What if there was an emergency? Of course, a sensible person would prepare beforehand. This is why nawafil are especially important.
Nawafil bring a believer closer to Allah
Even when our obligatory prayers are complete, nawafil prayers elevate our spiritual rank and strengthen our relationship with Allah. The Promised Messiahas said:
“It is only through the nafl that one can make his love for God perfect.” (Malfuzat, Vol. 2, pp. 199-200)
He also wrote:
“A man can attain very high spiritual ranks through nawafil, and he gets very near to God, so much so that he is included in the group of God’s friends. At this stage of his life, what happens to him is:
مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقْد آذَنْتهُ بِالْحَرْبِ
“Meaning: ‘He who opposes My friend for My sake, it is Me who fights with him.’
“[This] Hadith tells us that God pounces upon such a person (the enemy of God) like a lioness whose cub has been carried away by someone.” (Ibid.)
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has also stated:
“Along with the performance of obligatory prayers and sunnah mu‘akkadah, a person should also pay attention to offering nawafil to the best of their ability and capacity, for they are the best means of attaining nearness to Allah.” (“Answers to Everyday Issues – Part 100”, alhakam.org, 8 January 2026)
Tahajjud: The powerful night prayer
Tahajjud holds a special status among voluntary prayers. The Holy Quran states:
وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ عَسَىٰ أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُودًا
“And wake up for it in the latter part of the night as a supererogatory service for thee. It may be that thy Lord will raise thee to an exalted station.” (Surah Bani Isra’il, Ch.17: V.80)
At another instance, the Holy Quran states:
إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ وَطْئًا وَأَقْوَمُ قِيلًا
“Verily, getting up at night for prayer is the most potent means of subduing the self and most effective in speech.” (Surah Al-Muzzammil, Ch.73: V.7)
The Holy Prophetsa also highlighted the great virtue of the night prayer and said:
إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ صَلَاةُ اللَّيْلِ
“The most excellent prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1163a)
Regarding Tahajjud prayers, the Promised Messiahas said:
“If our entire lives are spent in worldly engagements, what will we have accumulated for the hereafter? Make a special effort to wake up for Tahajjud and offer it with fervour and joy.
“[…] No matter what work you are involved in – a trader in his trade, a farmer in his farming, or a king ruling from his throne of governance – everyone should keep God as his objective in all his engagements […].” (Malfuzat, 2018, Vol. 1, p. 5)
The final ten days of Ramadan are a precious opportunity to follow the example of the Holy Prophetsa by increasing our worship. Nawafil prayers act as a spiritual safeguard, compensating for shortcomings in our obligatory prayers while also serving as a potent means of attaining closeness to Allah.
Through nawafil prayers, a believer perfects his love for God. If we use these final nights to establish the habit of voluntary prayer, especially Tahajjud, it may remain with us long after Ramadan ends and become a source of continuous spiritual progress.