The Day and Night Schedule of the Believer is a variety of daily practices based on the Qur’an and Sunna and centered around the remembrance of God. The purpose is to strengthen one’s relationship with God and advance in the journey to Him, while staying engaged in and making a positive impact on society. These practices include:
STARTING with the Night Prayer
Start at the last third part of the night with full concentration on God, seeking His help, guidance, support, mercy, and
forgiveness, displaying humbleness, showing one’s weakness and need, feeling His presence, and standing before Him in prayer.
Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may God be please with him, that Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Our
Lord, blessed and exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the night remains, and says: Who
supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give to him? Who asks for My forgiveness so that I
may forgive him?” (Abu-Dawud)
Obligatory Prayers
Narrated by Ibn Mas’ud, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad , may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “The most beloved deeds to God are to establish Salah [the daily 5 obligatory ritual prayers] on time, to treat ones’ parents kindly and respectfully, and then to make jihad in the path of God” (Bukhari).
Supererogatory Prayers
Narrated by ‘Aisha, may God be pleased with her, that Prophet Muhammad , may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever regularly performs prayers with a total of twelve units, God will build for them a House in Paradise: a pair of two-unit prayers before the Noon Prayer [dhuhr] and one two-unit prayer after; one two-unit prayer after the Sunset Prayer [maghrib], one two-unit prayer after the Evening Prayer [‘isha], and one two-unit prayer before the Dawn Prayer [subh]” (Nasa’i).
Seeking God’s Forgiveness
Narrated by Ibn Omar, may God be please with him, that verily we used to count for Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, at each session hundred times the saying of rabbi ghfirli wa tub ‘alaya innaka anta tawwabu rahim [my lord, forgive me and accept my repentance; verily, You are the Most-Relenting, the All-Merciful] (Sunan Abu-Dawud).
Supplication of the Spiritual Bond
God says, “And those who will come after them say, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren who preceded us in faith, and do not place any rancor in our hearts toward those who believe. Surely, Our Lord, You are Kind, Merciful!’” (Quran 59:10)
Post Dawn Sitting
At-Tirmidhī reported that God’s Messenger Muhammad (God bless him and give him peace) said: “If anyone performs the Dawn Prayer in congregation and then sits down to perform God’s ritual remembrance until sunrise, followed by a two-unit prayer, his reward shall be that of Hajj and ‘Umra. He (Anas bnu Mālik) said, God’s Messenger (God bless him and give him peace) said three times: (the reward shall be equal to) Hajj and ‘Umra.”
Seeking Protection from Evil
Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever says la ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharikalah, lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in qadir [there is no god but God, the One, having no partner with Him, Sovereignty belongs to Him and all the praise is due to Him, and He is Potent over everything] one hundred times will get the same reward as given for freeing ten slaves; and one hundred good deeds will be written in his accounts, and one hundred sins will be deducted from his accounts, and it will be a shield for him from Satan on that day till night, and nobody will be able to do a better deed except the one who does more than he” (Bukhari).
Glorifying God
Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever says subhānallahi wa bihamdih [glory and praise be to God] one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea” (Bukhari).
Recitation of the Qur’ān
Narrated by Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “The example of him who recites the Qur’an is like that of a citron which tastes good and smells good. And he who does not recite the Qur’an is like a date which is good in taste but has no smell. And the example of a dissolute wicked person who recites the Qur’an is like the rayhāna (sweet basil) which smells good but tastes bitter. And the example of a dissolute wicked person who does not recite the Qur’an is like the colocynth[i] which tastes bitter and has no smell” (Bukhari).
Memorization of the Qur’ān
Narrated by Ibn Amru, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “It is said to the bearer (by heart & action) of Qu’ran: read and ascend, and recite like you used to recite in the worldly life. Indeed your rank is up according to the last verse you recite” (Imam Suyuti).
Uttering the Blessed Statement Abundantly
Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: renew your faith [iman]. It was said: O Messenger of God, how can we renew our faith? He said: say lāilāha illallah [there is no god but God] abundantly” (Musnad Ahmad).
Asking God to Shed His Blessings upon Prophet Muhammad
Narrated by Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever wishes to have the delight of earning the Greatest Reward when he asks God to shed His blessings upon us, the People of the House, Āl al-Bayt, let him say: O Lord, shed Your blessings upon Muhammad the Prophet, his wives, i.e. Mothers of the Believers, his descendents and his family even as you have shed them upon the People of Abraham, for You are Worthy of all Praise, Worthy of all Glory” (Abu-Dawud).
FINISHING with Turning to God
Go to bed and finish your day by turning to God in repentance, by asking Him for forgiveness, by calling yourself to account with regards to how you spent your day and night, by remembering God, by renewing your intention to stand up in prayer at that night and start a better day and night in the presence of God and in the service of His creation. Some of the recommended supplications before going to bed are: “In Your name my Lord, I lie down and in Your name I rise, so if You should take my soul then have mercy upon it, and if You should return my soul then protect it in the manner You do so with Your righteous servants” (Bukhari). “In Your name my Lord, I live and die” (Muslim). “subhanallah [Glory be to God] (33 times), alhamdulillah [Praise be to God] (33 times), and allahuakbar [God is Greatest] (34 times)” (Bukhari).
For more detailed info, read or buy the book Day and Night Schedule of the Believer by Imam Abdessalam Yassine. You may also watch his video about the book.