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Our Mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.

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"O ‘Aishah, get up and pray the Witr."

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The night prayer (qiyam al-layl) is among the most noble of voluntary acts of worship by which a servant draws near to their Lord.

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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said regarding it:

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"And know that the honor of the believer is their standing in prayer at night."

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Just as the Prophet, peace be upon him, informed us about it:

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That it was the habit of the righteous before us.

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It is the Muslim’s private retreat with their Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He.

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In it, they whisper to Him and pour out their complaints.

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It is an individual act of worship between the servant and their Lord.

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However, in Ramadan, it is performed in congregation.

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Thus, the Muslim trains themselves to perform the night prayer for the duration of one month.

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Perhaps it will continue with them thereafter,

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having tasted its delight and sweetness during this blessed month.

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The minimum of the night prayer

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is for the Muslim to maintain the Witr prayer.

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They may pray it immediately after the Isha prayer,

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or delay it until the end of the night before they sleep.

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As for the Witr prayer, the least that can be said is that it is a confirmed Sunnah.

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The Prophet, peace be upon him, never abandoned it, whether traveling or at home.

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He urged the Muslims to maintain it.

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For this reason, the scholars disliked for a Muslim to abandon the Witr prayer,

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praying it only during Ramadan.

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It was part of the upbringing provided by the Prophet, peace be upon him,

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to ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

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that he would wake her to pray Witr at the end of the night.

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‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says:

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"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would pray at night,

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and when he reached the Witr, he would say, 'Get up and pray Witr, O ‘Aishah.'"

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Narrated by Muslim.

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Educating one’s spouse to perform acts of obedience through voluntary worship

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is among the husband’s responsibilities,

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especially if Allah has guided him and granted him success

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in such righteous deeds,

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and he has preceded his spouse in that regard.

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This is among her rights upon him.

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Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, has commanded the Muslims

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to protect themselves and their families from the Fire.

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He, the Exalted, said:

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"O you who have believed, protect yourselves..."

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"...protect yourselves and your families from a Fire..."

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"...whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded."

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Part of a man’s protection of his spouse from the Fire is to nurture her in the obedience of Allah.

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Maintaining the performance of the rituals of Allah is something that is obligatory upon the Muslims,

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or it is an act of devotion by which Muslims draw near to Allah, the Exalted.

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In the action of the Prophet, peace be upon him, with ‘Aishah in this hadith,

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there is an education for us, the community of Muslim husbands, in several aspects.

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First:

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If Allah has granted a husband success in a righteous deed and he has excelled in it,

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it is not appropriate for him to demand that his spouse reach the same level he has attained.

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For the wife is a human soul;

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she may be predisposed to a different righteous deed than the one in which the husband excels.

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Therefore, the husband should not demand that she perform the same righteous deeds he does,

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such as if he is granted success in frequent fasting,

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or long standing in prayer,

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or frequent charity,

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or frequent recitation of the Qur’an.

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It is not appropriate here for the husband to demand that his wife reach the same level he maintains in such deeds.

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Second:

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That the husband, in nurturing his wife toward righteous deeds,

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must encourage and assist her in performing these good works,

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at a minimum level, as much as possible.

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Third:

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That the husband should consider his wife’s inclinations toward righteous deeds

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and assist her in them.

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For human souls have different temperaments and inclinations.

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Some people are inclined toward a deed other than what others are inclined toward,

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and both are upon goodness.

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Fourth:

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That cooperation between spouses in righteous deeds

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has been indicated by many hadiths.

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Among them is his saying, peace be upon him:

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"May Allah have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays,

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and wakes his wife;

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and if she refuses,

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he sprinkles water on her face.

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May Allah have mercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays,

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and wakes her husband;

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and if he refuses,

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she sprinkles water on his face."

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Narrated by Abu Dawud.

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This cooperation in the night prayer

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was praised by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

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for whichever spouse initiates it,

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and he prayed for mercy upon them.

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Fifth:

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The righteous wife

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is the one who responds to her husband

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when he calls her to that which is for her benefit and righteousness.

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This response will leave its mark on the husband,

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just as it leaves its mark on herself.

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As for its effect on the husband:

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When the husband finds responsiveness from his wife,

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it encourages him to continue assisting her in righteous deeds

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and to diversify these deeds for her,

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and the wife’s status in his heart increases.

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As for its effect on herself:

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This is a preparation for her to persevere in righteous deeds

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and to increase in them,

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just as it happened for our Mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

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for she became one who would consistently perform the night prayer

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and prolong her standing.

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Sixth:

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We also benefit from this story regarding

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the humanity of the Companions, both men and women.

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For ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her,

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was a human who would get tired, exhausted, and sleep,

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and she needed someone to wake her for prayer.

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So, it should not be imagined that we can create a righteous society devoid of human characteristics.

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A husband might strive to wake his wife for the night prayer,

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but she may be unable and apologize to him,

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or he may invite her to fast on a certain day,

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and she may apologize to him due to her inability and weakness.

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It is not appropriate in such a situation

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for the man to be annoyed with his wife because she did not respond to him.

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Finally:

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We are in a time where trials and pressures on the family to corrupt it have multiplied,

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and pressures on the man to break him before the woman have multiplied,

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and pressures on the woman to rebel against the husband in particular,

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and against men in general, have multiplied.

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Nothing saves one from these pressures

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except holding fast to Allah and His firm rope.

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If a husband is granted a righteous wife who assists him in the obedience of Allah,

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then he is the successful one,

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and the world has been gathered for him.

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And if a woman is granted a righteous husband who assists her in the obedience of Allah,

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then she is the successful one.

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So, let them cooperate and obey one another in the obedience of Allah;

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otherwise, this is a loss of an opportunity presented to them on a silver platter,

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in a time when such opportunities have become scarce.

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O Allah, rectify our souls and rectify our spouses for us.

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We will continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills.

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And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

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Our Mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.