Sacred timesA sacred time

The last third of the night

ثلث الليل الآخر

Every night, when the last third remains, Allah calls out: who will ask Me, that I may give him?

When: Every night

What it holds

Abu Hurayrah reports in al-Bukhari that the Prophet ﷺ said our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and asks who will call on Him that He may answer, who will ask that He may give, and who will seek His forgiveness that He may forgive.

islamweb's fatwa says supplication in the last third is recommended and among the times of answer, and adds at-Tirmidhi's hadith that the supplication most heard is in the depth of the night and after the obligatory prayers. Asking again and again, it says, is good, for Allah loves those who persist in asking.

Evidence

Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari 1145

Grades
Grader	Verdict
al-Bukhari	Sahih (included by al-Bukhari in his Sahih) (Sahih)

Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، وَأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَغَرِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الآخِرُ يَقُولُ مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?

View on sunnah.com

Scholarly opinionRepeating supplication in the last third of the night (islamweb fatwa 488692)islamweb.net

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