Tahajjud, the late night prayers, or as I like to call it: the H-bomb of prayers.

I'm sure you've read about the benefits and recommendations of staying up late, or waking up late to pray. If not, here are a few:

Surat 25: Al-Furqan

63) And the (faithful) slaves of the Most Gracious (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they  reply back with mild words of gentleness.

64)  And those who spend the night in worship of their Lord, prostrate and standing.

Surat 51: Al-Dhariyat

15) Verily, the Muttaqun (the pious. See V.2:2) will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs (in the Paradise),

16) Taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Verily, they were before this Muhsinun (good-doers. See V.2:112).

17) They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allah) and praying, with fear and hope].

18) And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allah) for forgiveness.

Verily, the rising by night (for tahajjud prayer) is very hard and most potent and good for governing oneself, and most suitable for (understanding) the Word (of Allah). 
(  سورة المزمل  , Al-Muzzammil, Chapter #73, Verse #6)

And during night, prostrate yourself to Him (i.e. the offering of Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers), and glorify Him a long night through (i.e. tahajjud prayer). 
(  سورة الإنسان  , Al-Insan, Chapter #76, Verse #26)

So I am here today to tell you the whats and hows of this recommended prayer, so here's what you do:

1) You need to wake up, or plan to wake up. Waking up your family is recommended too.

Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who amongst you is afraid that he may not be able to get up at the end of the night should observe Witr (in the first part) and then sleep, and he who is confident of getting up and praying at night (i. e. tahajjud prayer) should observe it at the end of it, for the recitation at the end of the night is visited (by angels), and that is excellent.  (Book #004, Hadith#1651)

Also, Abu Ad-Darda has reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: "Whoever goes to his bed with the intention of getting up and praying during the night, and sleep overcomes him until the morning comes, for him will be recorded what he had intended, and his sleep will be a charity for him from his Lord." (Fiqh us Sunnah)

The best time, of course, is during the last 3rd of the night:

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: 'In the last third of every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost heaven and says; "Who is calling Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking Me so that may I grant him? Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?."' [Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith Qudsi]

2) Wipe your face, brush your teeth (Narrated Hudhaifa : Whenever the Prophet got up for tahajjud prayer he used to clean his mouth (and teeth) with Siwak.  (Book #21, Hadith #237)) , look to the sky and say:

There is no God but You. glory be to You. I seek forgiveness from You for my sins, and I ask for your mercy. O Allah, increase my knowledge and let my heart not swerve after you have guided me, and bestow upon me from Yourself. You are the Granter of bounties. All praise be to Allah who restored us to life after our death and unto Him is the resurrection. 

3) Whip out a copy of the Quran and recite the last 10 Ayahs of Surah Al-Imran, starting at #190.

4) Say:

O Allah, to You belongs the praise.

You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and what is therein.

And to You belongs the praise.

You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and whatever is therein.

To You belongs the praise.

You are the truth and Your promise is true.

And the meeting with You is true.

And Paradise is True.

And the Fire is true.

And the Prophets are true.

And Muhammad (SAW) is true.

And the Hour is true.

O Allah, to You have I submitted.

And in You have I believed. 

And in You have I put my trust.

And to You have I turned.

and by You I argue.

And to You do I turn for my decisions.

Forgive me my former and latter sins, and those done in private and those done in public. 

You are Allah, there is no God besides You.

5) Pray two quick Rak'ahs

Aishah says: "When the Prophet (SAW) prayed during the late night, he would begin his prayers with two quick rak'ahs." (Muslim)

Anas relates that the Prophet (SAW) said: "Prayer in my mosque is equal to ten thousand prayers (elsewhere). And prayer in the Sacred Mosque is equivalent to one hundred thousand prayers (elsewhere). And prayer in the battlefield is equivalent to one million prayers (elsewhere). And what is more than all of that is two rakahs by a servant (of Allah SWT) during the middle of the night. 

6) Pray whatever you'd like. 

There's no limit to the number of rakahs you can perform; tahajjud would count even if you just prayed one rak'ah of Witr, but whatever you pray, Witr should be the last payer. This means I'm going to have to explain what Witr is, doesn't it? 

Okay, without going in to great detail (and believe you me there is a lot of ways to do witr. In fact, I just found out I have been doing it wrong! ToT)

Right, for a 3 rukaa'd Witr, it's going to be just like any other prayer, except you don't sit for at-tahiyat in the second rukah: you just stand up again, and in the third rukah, there is a Quranic recitation after Al-Fatiha, and then there is a special dua called the Qunut to be said. So, from the beginning:

1) "Allahu Akbar"

2) Opening Dua

3) Al Fatiha

4)Quran

5) Bow

6) rise

7) Prostration 1

8) sit

9) Prostration 2

10) stand up

11) Al Fatiha

12) Quran

13) bow

14) rise

15) Prostration 1

16) sit

17) Prostration 2

18) STAND UP.

19) Al Fatiha

20) QURAN

21) Raise your hands and make takbir (say: "Allahu akbar")

22) Fold your arms like usual

23) Recite the Qunut:

"O Allah, guide me aright among those You guide aright,

and grant me health and pardon among those You grant health and pardon.

And care for me among those You care for

And bless me in what You have given

and protect me from the evil of what You have predestined.

You alone decrees, and none decrees against You.

He is not abased whom You befriend.

Blessed are You, O Lord and You are Most High.

And Allah's blessings be on (His) Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

24) Raise your hands and make takbir (say: "Allahu Akbar")

25) bow

26) rise

27) Prostration 1

28) sit

29) Prostration 2

30) sit

31) Finish the prayer (recite At-tahiyat and whatever else you normally do, then say the salams to the right and left.)

7) Recite:

Glory be to the Master, the Holy

Glory be to the Master, the Holy

Glory be to the Master, the Holy

Lord of the angels and the spirits

O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger.

And I seek refuge in Your granting well being from Your punishment.

And I seek refuge in You from You.

I cannot reckon Your praise: You are as You have praised Yourself.

8) Now that that's all done and finished with, I like to take this time to make Dua for whatever; good health, pass exams, forgiveness. If it's the last third of the night, and you did all that, I'd imagine you'd be in pretty good standing to have your prayers answered! :D

A Quran reciter, searcher, explorer, translator, educator!

It has about 15 or so reciters, and an English speaker as well.  If you hover over any ayat, you can get the English translation. It even has a feature I’ve never seen before: you can change the complexity of the Arabic script to be simple (no phonetics), intermediate (some phonetics) or regular (all the phonetics and pauses, etc.). It’s got a nice simple easy to use interface so if you’re looking for an online Quran without all the bulk, this might be the one for you!

http://www.tanzil.info/

Or, you could use this handy little tool I found:

http://www.memorizenow.com/

It's not specifically designed for Quran, but find your favorite transliteration, actually It'll probably even support arabic text, copy and paste it into the box, and let the memorizing begin! This little web app will gradually cut down what is shown to you, taking out words and leaving blank spaces that you can mouse over to get  a hint. Is it effective? Well, I've heard an 8 ayat long Surat about 5 times, 2 months ago, but of course the general sound pattern remains in your head (The Quran is weird that way). I put it into the box and 30 minutes later, I have the thing memorized! :)

He's Here, But a Bit Tied Up.

This is one of the most interesting hadith I've ever read. Basically what it amounts to is that somewhere on this planet there is an island on which both the Antichrist and Jassasa (the hairy beast) reside.

When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit smiling and said: Every worshipper should keep sitting at his place. He then said: Do you know why I had asked you to assemble? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: By Allah. I have not made you assemble for exhortation or for a warning, but I have detained you here, for Tamim Dari, a Christian, who came and accepted Islam, told me something, which agrees with what I was-telling, yuu about the Dajjal. He narrated to me that he had sailed in a ship along with thirty men of Bani Lakhm and Bani Judham and had been tossed by waves in the ocean for a month. Then these (waves) took them (near) the land within the ocean (island) at the time of sunset. They sat in a small side-boat and entered that Island. There was a beast with long thick hair (and because of these) they could not distinguish his face from his back. They said: Woe to you, who can you be? Thereupon it said: I am al-Jassasa. They said: What is al-Jassasa? And it said: O people, go to this person in the monastery as he is very much eager to know about you. He (the narrator) said: When it named a person for us we were afraid of it lest it should be a Devil. Then we hurriedly went on till we came to that monastery and found a well-built person there with his hands tied to his neck and having iron shackles between his two legs up to the ankles. We said: Woe be upon thee, who are you? And he said: You would soon come to know about me. but tell me who are you. We said: We are people from Arabia and we embarked upon a boat but the sea-waves had been driving us for one month and they brought as near this island. We got Into the side-boats and entered this island and here a beast met us with profusely thick hair and because of the thickness of his hair his face could not be distinguished from his back. We said: Woe be to thee, who are you? It said: I am al- Jassasa. We said: What is al-Jassasa? And it said: You go to this very person in the monastery for he is eagerly waiting for you to know about you. So we came to you in hot haste fearing that that might be the Devil. He (that chained person) said: Tell me about the date-palm trees of Baisan. We &aid: About what aspect of theirs do you seek information? He said: I ask you whether these trees bear fruit or not. We said: Yes Thereupon he said: I think these would not bear fruits. He said: Inform me about the lake of Tabariyya? We said: Which aspect of it do you want to know? He said: Is there water in it? They said: There is abundance of water in it. Thereupon he said: I think it would soon become dry. He again said: Inform me about the spring of Zughar. They said: Which aspect of it you want to know? He (the chained person) said: Is there water in it and does it irrigate (the land)? We said to him: Yes, there is abundance of water in it and the inhabitants (of Medina) irrigate (land) with the help of it, He said: Inform me about the unlettered Prophet; what has he done? We said: He has come out from Mecca and has settled In Yathrib (Medina). He said: Do the Arabs fight against him? We said: Yes. He said: How did he deal with him? We informed him that he had overcome those in his neighbourhood and they had submitted themselves before him. Thereupon he said to us: Had it actually happened? We said: Yes. Thereupon he said: If it is so that is better for them that they should show obedience to him. I am going to tell you about. myself and I am Dajjal and would be soon permitted to get out and so I shall get out and travel in the land, and will not spare any town where I would not stay for forty nights except Mecca and Medina as these two (places) are prohibited (areas) for me and I would not make an attempt to enter any one of these two. An angel with a sword in his hand would confront me and would bar my way and there would be angels to guard every passage leading to it; then Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) striking the pulpit with the help of the end of his staff said: This implies Taiba meaning Medina. Have I not, told you an account (of the Dajjal) like this? 'The people said: Yes, and this account narrated by Tamim Dari was liked by me for it corroborates the account which I gave to you in regard to him (Dajjal) at Medina and Mecca. Behold he (Dajjal) is in the Syrian sea (Mediterranian) or the Yemen sea (Arabian sea). Nay, on the contrary, he As In the east, he is in the east, he is in the east, and he pointed with his hand towards the east. I (Fatima bint Qais) said: I preserved It In my mind (this narration from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him).  (Muslim: Book #041, Hadith #7028)

A Great Big Apocalyptic Hadith:

An-Nawwas b. Sam'an reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) made a mention of theDajjal one day in the morning. He sometimes described him to be insignificant and sometimes described (his turmoil) as very significant rand we felt) as if he were in the cluster of the date-palm trees. When we went to him (to the Holy Prophet) in the evening and he read (the signs of fear) in our faces, he said: What is the matter with you? We said: Allah's Messenger, you made a mention of the Dajjal in the morning (sometimes describing him) to be insignificant and sometimes very important, until we began to think as if he were present in some (near) part of the cluster of the date-palm trees. Thereupon he said: I harbour fear in regard to you in so many other things besides the Dajjal. If he comes forth while I am among you, I shall contend with him on your behalf, but if he comes forth while I am not amongst you, a man must contend on his own behalf and Allah would take care of every Muslim on my behalf (and safeguard him against his evil). He (Dajjal) would be a young man with twisted, contracted hair, and a blind eye. I compare him to 'Abd-ul-'Uzza b. Qatan. He who amongst you would survive to see him should recite over him the opening verses of Sura Kahf (xviii.). He would appear on the way between Syria and Iraq and would spread mischief right and left. O servant of Allah! adhere (to the path of Truth). We said: Allah's Messenger, how long would he stay on the earth? He said.. For forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days. We said: Allah's Messenger, would one day's prayer suffice for the prayers of day equal to one year? Thereupon he said: No, but you must make an estimate of time (and then observe prayer). We said: Allah's Messenger, how quickly would he walk upon the earth? Thereupon he said: Like cloud driven by the wind. He would come to the people and invite them (to a wrong religion) and they would affirm their faith in him and respond to him. He would then give command to the sky and there would be rainfall upon the earth and it would grow crops. Then in the evening, their posturing animals would come to them with their humps very high and their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. He would then come to another people and invite them. But they would reject him and he would go away from them and there would be drought for them and nothing would be lef t with them in the form of wealth. He would then walk through the waste, land and say to it: Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures would come out and collect (themselves) before him like the swarm of bees. He would then call a person brimming with youth and strike him with the sword and cut him into two pieces and (make these pieces lie at a distance which is generally) between the archer and his target. He would then call (that young man) and he will come forward laughing with his face gleaming (with happiness) and it would at this very time that Allah would send Christ, son of Mary, and he will descend at the white minaret in the eastern side of Damscus wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two Angels. When he would lower his head, there would fall beads of perspiration from his head, and when he would raise it up, beads like pearls would scatter from it. Every non-believer who would smell the odour of his self would die and his breath would reach as far as he would be able to see. He would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would kill him. Then a people whom Allah had protected would come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in Paradise and it would be under such conditions that Allah would reveal to Jesus these words: I have brought forth from amongst My servants such people against whom none would be able to fight; you take these people safely to Tur, and then Allah would send Gog and Magog and they would swarm down from every slope. The first of them would pass the lake of Tibering and drink out of it. And when the last of them would pass, he would say: There was once water there. Jesus and his companions would then be besieged here (at Tur, and they would be so much hard pressed) that the head of the ox would be dearer to them than one hundred dinirs and Allah's Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would supplicate to Allah, Who would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in the morning they would perish like one single person. Allah's Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then come down to the earth and they would not find in the earth as much space as a single span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. Allah's Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then again beseech Allah, Who would send birds whose necks would be like those of bactrin camels and they would carry them and throw them where God would will. Then Allah would send rain which no house of clay or (the tent of) camels' hairs would keep out and it would wash away the earth until it could appear to be a mirror. Then the earth would be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, there would grow (such a big) pomegranate that a group of persons would be able to eat that, and seek shelter under its skin and milch cow would give so much milk that a whole party would be able to drink it. And the milch camel would give such (a large quantity of) milk that the whole tribe would be able to drink out of that and the milch sheep would give so much milk that the whole family would be able to drink out of that and at that time Allah would send a pleasant wind which would soothe (people) even under their armpits, and would take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked would survive who would commit adultery like asses and the Last Hour would come to them.  (Book #041, Hadith #7015)

Important Times

I would like to first say that some people believe that unless the date was explicitly said to have been celebrated (in hadith, so for example: the Eid’s) we should not celebrate it or do anything on it and that any celebrations on these days is innovation and sinful.

See, for instance, this article: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=111

Maybe your family does something different, maybe your country likes to hold celebrations, WHATEVER. I’m just here to report the dates, and any recommended stuff that we ought to do.

Islamic New Year (Al-Hijra)

1^st of Muharram

The day when the first muslims moved from Makkah to Medina and set up the first Islamic State. The first holy month in which It is forbidden to hold wars.

Ashura Day

10^th of Muharram

This is the day the Allah (SWT) helped Musa (AS) save the people of Israel from pharaoh, so as a sign of his gratitude, Musa (AS) fasted. So fasting is recommended to us too:

Abu Qatada al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was asked about fasting on the day of 'Ashura (10th of Muharram), whereupon be said: It expiates the sins of the preceding year.  (Book #006, Hadith #2603)

Prophet Muhammad (SAW)’s Birthday (Mawlid an-Nabi)

12^th of Rabi-al-Awwal

This date is pretty self explanatory.

Rajab

The second Holy month.

Night Journey to Heaven (Israa’ / Me’raj)

The Evening of the 26^th of Rajab

This is the night in which it was said that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was taken from Makkah to Jerusalem, then up to the heavens where he saw some incredible things. For more details see:

http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/isra/Israa_Miraj_Hadith.shtml

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0608-3086

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0110-352

Sha'aban

Usamah Bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), ‘Why do you fast in Sha’aban more than any other month?’ He (peace be upon him) replied, ‘People are negligent between Rajab and Ramadan. During Sha’aban the deeds are presented to the Lord of all the worlds. Therefore I desire to be fasting when my deeds are lifted.” (Ahmed, 5/200, An-Nasa’i, 2357, authenticated by Al-Albani)

Narrated 'Aisha: The Prophet never fasted in any month more than in the month of sha'ban. He used to say, "Do those deeds which you can do easily, as Allah will not get tired (of giving rewards) till you get bored and tired (of performing religious deeds)." The most beloved prayer to the Prophet was the one that was done regularly (throughout the life) even if it were little. And whenever the Prophet offered a prayer he used to offer it regularly .  (Book #31, Hadith #191)

The Night of Salvation (Lailatul-Bara’at)

The evening of the 14^th of Sha’ban

DISCLAIMER: I can’t quote any hadiths, or find articles on the websites I know (Islamicity.org) and some people even say that there are no strong hadith’s about this night, but I ask you: since when has staying up late at night asking for forgiveness ever been a bad thing? :P

This night is supposedly a night in which a great deal of forgiveness is handed out by Allah (SWT).

Sayyidna Mu'adh ibn Jabal, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said: "Allah Almighty looks upon all those created by Him in the middle Night of Sha'ban and forgives all those created by Him, except the one who associates partners with Him or the one who has malice in his heart (against a Muslim)".  

More info here:

http://www.albalagh.net/general/shaban.shtml

Ramadan

1^st of Ramadan

If you don’t know about Ramadan then you, my friend, have problems. Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed and we fast every day from sunrise to sunset.

The Night of Power (Lailatul-Qadr)

One of the nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan (20^th of Ramadan to 30^th of Ramadan)

From Surat 97: Al-Qadr

1)              Verily, We have sent it (this Qur'an) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree).             

2)              And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is?

3)              The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83         years and 4 months).

4)              Therein descend the angels and the Ruh [Jibril (Gabril)] by Allah's Permission with all Decrees,

5)              (All that night), there is Peace (and Goodness from Allah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn.

There’s way too much literature about this night, so take a look here.

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/action.lasso.asp?-Search=search&-database=Services&-Table=Magazine&-noresultserror=error.asp&-Response=search.asp&-MaxRecords=10&-SortField=Pdate&-SortOrder=Descending&-op=eq&PFlag=X&-op=cn&S=I&-op=cn&search=night+of+power&-Search.x=0&-Search.y=0

Eid-al-Fitr

1^st of Shawwal

The first major celebration of our year, marking the end of Ramadan. There’s an eid sermon in the morning, followed by a short eid prayer, maybe some more sermons, some gift giving, meeting with friends, eating food. It’s easily the most feel-good day of our year! :)

Dhul Qida

The third holy month

Dhul Hijja

The fourth holy month

The Days of Hajj

1^st of Dhul Hijja to 10^th of Dhul Hijja

I thought these days were only special for those making the pilgrimage. Apparently I was wrong:

                “Indeed, its days are the most excellent of all the days with Allâh. It has been confirmed in Sahîh al-Bukharî from Ibn Abbas (radhi Allâhu anhu) that the Messenger of Allâh (sallAllâhu alaihi wa-sallam) said:

“No deed are more virtuous than deeds on these days.”

The companions asked: 'Not even Jihad (fighting in Allâh's Cause)?' He (sallAllâhu alaihi wa-sallam) replied: “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allâh, unless a man goes out risking himself and his wealth for the sake of Allâh, and does not come back with anything.”

[Sahîh al-Bukharî vol: 2, no: 457]

Ahmad and at-Tabarani record from Ibn'Umar that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu'alaihi wa sallam) said, "There is no day more honorable in Allaah's sight and no acts more beloved therein to Allaah than those in these ten days. So say tahlil (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah : Laa ilaaha illallaah), takbir (Allaah is the greatest Allaahu Akbar) and tahmid (All praise is due to Allaah : alhumdulillaah) a lot [on those days]." [Reported by Ahmad, 7/224; Ahmad Shaakir stated it is saheeh]

Fasting and praying tajahhud during this time is also recommended:

Abu Hurairah relates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu'alaihi wa sallam) said, "There are no days more loved to Allaah for you to worship Him therein than the ten days of Dhul Hijja. Fasting any day during it is equivalent to fasting one year and to offer salatul tahajjud (late-night prayer) during one of its nights is like performing the late night prayer on the night of power. [i.e., Lailatul Qadr]." [This is related by at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Baihaqi]

Day of Arafat (Yowm-al-Arafah)

9^th of Dhul Hijja

This is the day on which the pilgrims stand on the plains of Arafat, and pray and ask for forgiveness. Anyone who is not attending hajj is recommended to fast:

Abu Qatada al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was asked about fasting on the day of 'arafa (9th of Dhu'I-Hijja), whereupon he said: It expiates the sins of the preceding year and the coming year. (Muslim, Book #006, Hadith #2603)

Eid-al-Adha

10^th of Dhul Hijja

This celebration marks the end of Hajj, and is most known for the sacrifices during it. Yes sacrifices, and not give up food and drink sacrifice, but good old fashioned slaughter sacrifice. It’s a celebration of the occasion when Allah (SWT) wished to test Ibrahim (AS)’s faith by ordering him to sacrifice his son, which he was willing to do when Allah (SWT), content that Ibrahim (AS) was being obedient, told him to sacrifice a lamb instead. So, anyone who wants to can sacriice a lamb, or goat or cow, but I also think it’s permissible to pay someone else to do it. Then, the meat is shared around with friends and family, with bonus points for those who give it to the poor. ;)

  

Late at Night, Especially the Last Third of the Night

(Tomorrows Fajr- Today’s Isha) X 2/3 + Todays Isha= last third of the night.

Find the number of hours between today’ isha Prayer and tomorrow’s fajr prayer, multiply it by 2/3 and add that number of hours to the time of today’s isha prayer to find the time of the last third of the night.

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: 'In the last third of every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost heaven and says; "Who is calling Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking Me so that may I grant him? Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?."' [Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith Qudsi]

So, during this time, you could wake up, make dua, then fall back asleep

OR you could whip out the heavy artillery and make Tajahhud (late night prayer). For information on the Tajahhud, I recommend checking out Fiqh us-Sunnah by As-Sayyid Sabiq.

Between the Adthan and iqamah

Between the first call to prayer, and the second call to prayer (right before prayer begins)

This is an ideal time to make dua (supplication) for stuff:

Anas (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: 'A supplication made between the Adhan and Iqama is not rejected.'

[Ahmad, abu Dawud #521, at-Tirmidhi #212, Sahih al-Jami #3408, an-Nasai and Ibn Hibban graded it sahih (sound)]

Fridays

Some unknown hour.

There is an hour on Fridays (some say it is between the time the Imam enters the masjid to after the Friday prayer, and some say it is between Asr and Maghrib) during which if you happen to be praying and ask for something, you will get it.

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah’s Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said: 'There is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah (SWT), then Allah (SWT) will definitely meet his demand.' And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his hands.[Sahih al-Bukhari]

Mondays and Thursdays

All day

These are the two days when our deeds go in for a performance review and fasting on these days was a practice of the Prophet (SAW) as he said:

“The deeds of the worshippers are presented before Allah on Monday and Thursday, I like my deeds to be presented while I am fasting.” (Nasa’I)

For good times to make dua: http://www.islamawareness.net/Dua/best.html

There are probably a lot more special times and dates, so if you know any I missed lets hear 'em! :D