Night Prayer · a Light

The last third of the night is when the door opens

The Prophet ﷺ said that each night, when the last third of it remains, our Lord descends to the nearest heaven and says: who is calling on Me, that I may answer him, who is asking of Me, that I may give him, who is seeking My forgiveness, that I may forgive him. Muslim scholars have argued for centuries about how the descent is to be understood, and have generally refused either to explain it away or to describe it physically. What is not disputed is the timetable. The report puts the best hour of the whole day at the point when nobody is watching, no congregation has gathered, and the only witness to a person getting up is the person himself.

Abu Hurayra · the last third of the night

Source · Bukhari 1145, Muslim 758