Fast Every Day, Pray All Night

Fast and Prayer, probably the 2 most difficult things to do in Islam. We have to starve ourselves from dawn to sunset for fasting, and we have to get up 5 times a day (up to twice during the night occasionally), wash ourselves if need be, hold our bodily needs for 4 minutes while remembering and reciting stuff in arabic (which for many isn't their native language) and making sure we perform the prayer right. Compare that to zakat: a little bit of math and a cheque, and Hajj: (need I remind you we only HAVE to do this once?) fly overseas, go with the flow. 


This is probably why there's such great merit in fasting and prayer, so wouldn't it be marvellous if you could get the reward of fasting for a year, and praying all night without all the pesky fasting for a year and praying all night stuff? Turns out, you can!


Fasting all Year:


Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who observed the fast of Ramadan and then followed it with six (fasts) of shawwal. it would be as if he fasted perpetually.  (Muslim, Book #006, Hadith #2614)


Where by "perpetually" it's understood to mean "all year". 


Also, you don't have to fast them all together, just any six days throughout the month. Oh, and in case you didn't know, Shawwal is the month after Ramadan. 


But there's another way too!


Narrated Qatadah Ibn Malhan al-Qaysi: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) used to command us to fast the days of the white (nights): thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth of the month. He said: This is like keeping perpetual fast.  (Sunan Abudawud, Book #13, Hadith #2443)


Where the "white nights" are the 3 nights where the moon is fullest, and "perpetual fast" I'm pretty sure means "all year". Of course, I assume you'd have to do this every month, but it's sunnah to fast 3 days of every month anyway. 


Praying all night:


'Abd al-Rahman b. Abd 'Amr reported: 'Uthman b. 'Affan (narrated the mosque after evening prayer and sat alone. I also sat alone with him, so he said: 0, son of my brother, I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: He who observed the 'Isya' (Isha) prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed up to the midnight, and he who prayed the morning prayer in congregation, it was as if he prayed the whole night.  (Muslim, Book #004, Hadith #1379)


So, pray Isha in congregation and you get half a nights worth of prayer, pray fajr in congregation and you get half a nights worth of prayer, pray them both and you get a whole nights worth of prayer. Now when, ladies and gentlemen, is it MOST beneficial to pray all night???? What 10 special nights of the year are we recommended to spend in prayer??? The last 10 nights of Ramadan of course! Happy Praying! :D