islem and Prayers

Witr and Dua e Qunoot

The word "Witr", in the Arabic language means "odd" (as in "odd number", as opposed to "even number").

The "Witr" prayer that the Muslims generally offer after "Isha" prayers are basically a part of the "Tahajjud" prayers, which were obligatory for the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) and are a "Naf'l" (supererogatory) prayer for other Muslims besides the Prophet (S.A.W.W.). The Prophet (S.A.W.W.) offered his Tahajjud prayers in such a way that the number of the rakaat totaled to an odd number. When some Muslims came to the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) informing him that it was very difficult for them to wake up in the middle of the night for their Tahajjud prayers, and inquiring from the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) regarding what should they do to earn the rewards of offering Tahajjud prayers, the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) allowed them to offer their "Witr" prayers, after `Isha.

The Prophet (S.A.W.W.) never exceeded eleven rakaat in this prayer;

"Qunoot" means 'obedience'. Thus, from a literal perspective, Du`a-e-Qunoot would mean the supplication expressing obedience to God. As a term, "Du`a e Qunoot" refers to supplications reported as having been recited by the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) during his prayers.

Du`a e Qunoot is an extremely beautiful and concise supplication expressing our love, respect, reverence, reliance and hope in God. It is reported that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) used to recite this supplication during his prayers. Thus, even though this supplication is not an essential part of the Sala'h, yet one may recite it any of his prayers.  As in other prayers, one may also recite this supplication in the Witr prayers. However, reciting it during the Witr prayers is not obligatory.

The Prophet (S.A.W.W.) said, “Witr is a duty, so whoever does not perform Witr is not of us,” and he repeated it three times. Witr can be offered with Isha namaz , if one is certain that he/she will wake up for Tahajjud then witr can be said with Tahajjud.

For common Muslims,  Tahhajud is an optional prayer and it is a great blessing for them if in following the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) they offer this prayer. It has been narrated that he would at most offer eleven rak'at in this prayer and would stand, kneel and prostrate for great lengths of time in it. Indeed some narratives do mention thirteen rak'at but two of them are the optional rak'at. Since the Tahajjud prayer was obligatory on the Prophet (S.A.W.W.), he prayed two optional rak'at before them much like the optional rak'at Muslims pray before or after the obligatory part of their prayer.

It is evident from Surah Bani Isra'il and Surah Muzzammil, the real time of this prayer is when one gets up at night, and for this reason it is called Tahajjud.

However, if a person is not able to reap the blessings of this prayer, he can offer this prayer before going to sleep. This inference is also evident from the verses of Surah Muzzammil which mention a reduction of the amount of the prayer in the following words:

[O Prophet! We had enjoined upon you to stand by night]. Your Lord, indeed, knows that sometimes you stand two thirds of the night and sometimes half and sometimes one third of it, and so does a group among your followers. And Allah alone [keeping in regard the need of people] appoints the day and night in due measure. He knew that you would not be able to follow this [routine]. So He turned towards you mercifully. Recite then from this Qur'an [in this prayer] as much as you are able to. He knows that there are among you who will be sick and others who will be traveling to seek the bounty of Allah and others who will be fighting for the cause of Allah; so, recite then from this as much as is possible for you. (73:20) 

The Prophet (S.A.W.W.) is reported to have said:

أيكم خاف أن لا يقوم من آخر الليل فليوتر ثم ليرقد ومن وثق بقيام من الليل فليوتر من آخره فإن قراءة آخر الليل محضورة وذلك أفضل

Whoever among you fears that he would not be able to get up in the last part of the night, he should offer the Witr; but he who is certain that he would be able to get up, he should offer this prayer in the last part of the night because the recital [of the Qur'an] at that time is in the presence of the Almighty and it is this which is more blessed. (Muslim 755)

How to Improve our Daily Prayers?

 by Abdullah Rahim

Following a number of tips that will be useful for those who are interested in improving their daily prayers. It should be emphasized that these are all based on practical experiences and are not derived from the Qur’ān, Sunnah or Hadīth, although many of them are supported by these sources Nevertheless, to the best of my understanding none of the following is opposed to or in conflict with the Qur’ān or Sunnah.

1. There is a vast difference between a prayer which is offered on time and one that is delayed. No matter how effective the postponed prayer is, we can be assured that it could be many times more effective if we offered it on time. Part of improving and purifying our soul is to allow the prayer to interrupt our daily affairs rather than allow our daily affairs to interrupt our prayer times.

2. We should let our life (e.g. daily affairs) be oriented around our prayer. Instead of thinking that life is spending 24 hours a day during which we offer 5 prayers, we should consider that life is 5 prayers a day in the middle of which we are living.

3. We should not mind our daily work to be interrupted by prayers; rather we should be keen on interrupting it with prayers (of course when this can be done with no undesired consequences for yourself or others). What is one of the most enjoyable things that we do not like to be interrupted from? Watching a movie? Being with friends? Playing games? Studying Islam? Debating with others? We should improve our spiritual position and make our selves less relying on worldly affairs by willingly interrupting these affairs with an on-time prayer. We need to recite the prayer with its normal speed and with full concentration on these occasions. On the other hand, when there is really an important task that is needed to be done promptly, if possible, we should still offer the prayer on time but make it as short as possible. We will gradually get used to offering prayers even if they fall in the middle of our tasks without losing our concentration when we come back to them. We will find that this can also bring some blessings in the task we are engaged in.

4. Optional prayers (Nafal) have many effects on one’s soul. Two of these effects are:
a. They can be seen as a practice and a rehearsal for the obligatory prayer much like the practice we do for our exam or for a sports match.
b. They compensate for obligatory prayers which are not offered in a proper manner.
It has been practically proved that offering a routine amount of optional prayers every day eventually has a significant effect in improving our daily obligatory prayers. (The emphasis is on “routine amount” not “extensive amount”)

5. Although it is not obligatory, but in order to improve our prayer, it is always better to refresh our ablution (Wudu) even if it is still valid from our last prayer.

6. Ablution (Wudu) is primarily for physical cleansing. I think it is also a symbol of our spiritual cleansing. Try to feel this. For example when washing our face we may also intend to purify our face (including eyes, mouth) from any sinful and useless act. The same can be said for the hands and feet. When wiping our head we may also intend to purify our self from any sinful or useless thoughts.

7. When we make your ablution (Wudu), it is like brushing our teeth. We won’t eat chocolate immediately after brushing teeth. So we should not engage our selves in worldly affairs (good or bad) after making ablution. We should go directly to offer our prayer.

8. There are a number of milestones in our prayer that can take us from a spiritual state to an improved spiritual state. It is helpful to be aware of the ascending transmission of our spiritual condition throughout these points in our prayer: 
● Commence the prayer with takbīr

This is a stage in which we are saying a temporary good bye to the outside world and is the point from which direct communication with our Creator will begin. It is like shutting down the door to any disruptions and disturbance in the way of our communication with our lord. It is interesting that the movement of hands at this stage (from ears down) is very much inline with this intention.● Arriving at the words: iyyāka na‘budu wa iyyaka nasta‘īn
In Sūrah Fātihah, we start our prayer by addressing God in the third person. The first place we address God as the second person is when we say the above words. We should consider this as the point where we reach the climax of what we want to achieve by reciting Sūrah Fātihah in our prayers. We need to make this phrase the warning and awakening signal in the prayer so that when you we them we feel compelled to focus more. If we feel like it, we can repeat the phrase till we are satisfied (there is no problem in doing so from the point of view of sharī‘ah).● Kneeling (Ruku‘)
Kneeling is a sign of doing away with our selfishness after appreciating the presence of a superior and glorious Being. Idealistically going to the kneeling position should be regarded as a natural reaction to a stronger feeling of humility in front of our Creator. In other words, one should reach a stage in which one finds no other choice but to kneel in front of the superior and glorious Being in front of him. Of course, not everyone can reach this level of prayer. However, even being aware of this will help to work towards that level.● Prostration (Sajdah)
Prostration is a higher degree of humility before Allah. Here, even kneeling is not enough to show the humble feelings of a Muslim. Falling on the ground in the state of prostration is the only way to express this level of humility. All that was said above about kneeling applies here but on a much greater scale.● Tashahhud
We should not take the last part of our prayer lightly. Tashahhud is in fact the concluding part of the prayer. After a divinely guided spiritual journey, we are now renewing our allegiance to Allah and His messenger. This (if done correctly) can have a tremendous effect on reinforcing our faith. Once we do this and finish our prayer, potentially we can start our life afresh as a better person.

9. Prayer is talking to Allah. We normally dress decently when speaking to another person. So we must do our best when we want to talk with Allah. Our attire should be decent and clean. Our hair should be combed. It is preferable that we brush our teeth and moderately perfume ourselves. All this will help us believe and appreciate that we are going to enter into a dialogue rather than talking alone to our own selves.

10. The entire earth has been made a worshipping ground for Muslims. When the prayer time comes and we are not at a convenient or private place, it may be wise to wait till we get to a comfortable place to pray. However, to work on our faith and strengthen it, it is also good to carry on with our prayers in the first possible place (being in a park, a corner of a street or a shop, a peaceful area at the work place - if there are no prayer rooms). Of course this is with the condition that (if applicable) the owner of the place does not mind our praying at his/her place and also that our prayer in public does not cause any inconvenience or annoyance to the people present. In any case, if we wait to reach a more appropriate place, this should only be for the sake of having a better prayer and not because of being shy or lazy.

11. Like an airplane that needs to speed down the runway before taking off, our spirits too need preparation for reaching their maximum capacity in getting closer to Allah. Saying iqāmah with concentration and doing istigfār before the prayer can be considered as part of this preparation.

12. While in the standing position of the prayer, we should not take away our eyes from the place of prostration. In the sitting position, we must not take away our eyes from our knees or the pointed finger (of course unless we are saying salām). This will help us focus and help bring more respect andhumility within the prayer.

13. We should always try to avoid making excessive movements during the prayer. If we need to move our hands (for instance to scratch the face), we should do so with humility and respect in order not to disturb the very formal atmosphere that is established. This might further help us find ourselves in the presence of God.

14. One of the things that prevents us from making the most out of our prayer is that the prayer become a ritual habit for us. To avoid this, we need to bring some variation in the prayer every now and then, like reading another version of Tashahhud or reading a new sūrah after Fātihah or shortening or lengthening one of the rukū‘ and/or prostration.

15. In general and as a routine, we should make the prayer a little bit longer than what we would consider a comfortable length of prayer. However, we need to keep in mind the previous point regarding shorter prayers. It is sometimes very helpful (for an improved prayer experience) to temporarily change the routine and to offer the prayer faster (or much faster) than usual.

16. The rather short pause after rukū‘ before going to prostration and the one between the two prostrations are very important. These can help us appreciate the different stages of the prayer that we are going through (refer to point 8). It is narrated that the Prophet (S.A.W.W.) used to stay for a while in these postures.

17. In the prayer, we enter into a dialogue with God. Like any dialogue, our focus should be on the other side of the dialogue (God) and not the means of dialogue (words uttered). We must not concentrate on the words, we must concentrate on the one for whom these words are uttered for then the concentration on words will naturally follow. When we are talking with a person, we automatically say speak without too much attention to the words we utter. It is the appreciation that the person is listening to us that makes us use appropriate words and not the other way round. The same analogy can be found in prayers. The best focus in the prayer is one where we are focusing on the fact that God is present and is hearing what we are saying. If, instead of this, we only try to focus on the words we utter, we will end up finishing the prayer without really feeling that we actually talked with someone.

18. Following from the previous point, we should not worry about a few gaps in our concentration and should stick to the main focal point. We need to make sure that we are not focusing on concentration, but that we are focusing on God.

19. Relevant to the above, and in particular if we do not understand the Arabic, we need to know the meaning of the words we are saying. However, it should be noted that the prayer is not the place for practicing the meanings of the words. This should be done when we are not praying.

20. The prayer is not an opportunity to read the Qur’ān beautifully. We should avoid giving even minor attention to this aspect. Humility is the main point in offering the prayer which is not necessarily the same as reading the Qur’ān beautifully. Of course, there is nothing wrong with reading beautifully; it is in fact highly recommended. The point, however, is that it is not the aim of offering the prayer and it should not be the main point of attention in the prayer. Interestingly enough, the most beautiful recitations are those that come naturally when one feels humility during the prayer.

21. Unless we are in congregational prayer, we need to avoid being in a disruptive place.

22. The Qur’ān says that the prayer restrains people from shameful (fahshā) and unjust (munkar) deeds. Two lessons can be learnt from this:
a. If we can offer the prayers with a clear conscience while being in a state of sin, then our prayer is not a satisfactory prayer.

b. We must avoid shameful and unjust deeds to be able to have better prayers.

23. The relationship between hypocrisy and the prayer is like the relation between fire and water. One of the signs of hypocrisy could be that we feel that our prayers in the presence of others are better than those offered alone. The real amount of our progress in prayers is what we can feel when praying alone and not what we feel when praying in the presence of others.

24. It is highly recommended that the obligatory prayers should be offered in congregation. Some of the above points might be irrelevant to a prayer that is offered in congregation. Nevertheless all the above equally apply to the optional prayers.

Salah Terminology

*Takbir (تَكْبِير) : The Arabic term for the phrase Allāhu Akbar (الله أكبر). It is usually translated "God is [the] Greatest," or "God is Great". It is a common Islamic Arabic expression. It is used in various contexts by Muslims: in formal prayer, as an informal expression of faith, in times of distress, to express celebration or victory, and to express resolute determination or defiance (especially in politically charged contexts).
The form Allāhu is the nominative of Allah "God". The form akbar is the elative of the adjective kabīr "great", from the root k-b-r. As used in the takbir it is usually translated as "greatest", but some authors prefer "greater". The term takbīr itself is the stem II verbal noun (tafʿīlun) of the triliteral root k-b-r "great".



*Ruku (bowing) (رُكوع‎) : It refers to the bowing down following the recitation of the Qur'an in the standing position while praying according to Islamic ritual (Salah). The position of ruku is established by bending over, putting one's hands on one's knees, and remaining in that position until the individual attains "calmness". In Al-Ghazali's book Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship, he wrote about the ruku' by saying:

Bowing (ruku') and prostration (sujud) are accompanied by a renewed affirmation of the supreme greatness of Allah. In bowing you renew your submissiveness and humility, striving to refine your inner feeling through a fresh awareness of your own impotence and insignificance before the might and grandeur of your Lord. To confirm this, you seek the aid of your tongue, glorifying your Lord and testifying repeatedly to His supreme majesty, both inwardly and outwardly.

Then you rise from bowing, hopeful that He will be merciful towards you. To emphasize this hope within you, you say sami'a-llahu liman hamidah, meaning 'God hears those who give thanks to Him'. Acknowledging the need to express gratitude, you immediately add, Rabbana laka-lhamd - 'Grateful praise to You, our Lord!' To show the abundance of this gratitude, you may also say mil'u-lsamawati wa-mil'ul'ard - 'as much as the heavens and earth contain.



*Sajdah (prostration) (سجدة‎ / سُجود‎) : Prostration to Allah in the direction of the Kaaba at Mecca which is usually done during the daily prayers (Salah). While in Sujud, a Muslim is to praise and glorify Allah. The position involves having the forehead, nose, both hands, knees and all toes touching the ground together.

Sujud is one of the main pillars of daily prayer in Islam. A single act of sujud is called a sajdah (plural sajadāt). Muslims do sujud several times in each prayer, depending on the number of raka'at of prayer: two sajadat are performed every raka'ah, and prayers vary in obligatory length between two and four raka'at. A raka'ah is a unit of set actions that have to be performed in a prayer. The shortest farZ (obligatory) Muslim prayer is that of Fajr, it consists of two raka'ah. The raka'ah can be described as follows:

• Standing and saying Allahu akbar, reciting surah al-Fatiha, and often reciting a short passage of the Qur’an such as Surah al-Ikhlas.
• Performing ruku' (bowing down) with hands resting on knees, while reciting additional phrases to glorify Allah.
• Standing up from bowing, and reciting further.
• Going in prostration (Sajdah) once, while reciting additional specific phrases to glorify Allah.
• Lifting the face up from prostration but sitting on the ground in a special position.
• Performing a second prostration (Sajdah).
• Rising for the second, third, or fourth raka'ah. In the last raka'ah, the Muslim remains sitting and recites the Tashahhud, and then performs the Taslim by turning the head to the right and saying, as-salamu alaikum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatuh ("may the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you"), and then turning the head to the left and repeating the blessing to conclude the prayer.



*Tashahhud : The Tashahhud (Arabic: تشهد‎) is the portion of Salah (obligatory prayer) where the Muslim kneels are on ground and facing Kabba. Raise your finger between middle & thumb of right hand from where black highlighted words (i.e alla) starts & put your finder down at end of blach highlighted words(i.e hu)

At-taḥiyyātu lillāhi, waṣ-ṣalawātu waṭ-ṭayyibātu. As-salāmu ālaikā ayyuhā n-nabiyyu wa-raḥmatu llāhi wa-barakātuh. As-salāmu 'alaynā wa-'alā 'ibādi llāhi ṣ-ṣāliḥīn. Ashhadu allā ilāha illā llāhu wa-ashhadu anna Muḥammadan 'abduhū wa-rasūluh.
التحيات لله والصلوات والطيبات، السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة لله وبركاته، السلام علينا و على عباد الله الصالحين، أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، وأشهد أن محمدا عبده و رسوله.



*Darood (درود): Durood or Darood Shareef  is an invocation which Muslims make by saying specific phrases to compliment the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Islamic view is to say Durood whenever a Muslim reads, speaks or hears the name of Muhammad. Durood, which is a kind of prayer and is mentioned in Hadith as well as in Qur'an, are also recited in the form of Wazifa.

Durood has various other names like Durood Sahreef, Salawat, Salat ala Nabi, Salat-un-Nabi.

Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
—Qur'an, Sura 33 (al-Ahzab, ayah 56

In this verse of the Qur'an, God, the Mala'ikah and the Muslims have been mentioned as sending Durood upon Muhammad. So, Durood Shareef is actually a Dua in praise of Muhammad. When God sends Durood and Salaams upon Muhammad, He is actually blessing him. When the angels and the Muslims send Durood and Salaams to Muhammad, they are actually showing God their respect for Muhammad.

He who reads a single Durood upon me, Almighty Allah blesses him ten times, ten of his sins are forgiven, and he is increased ten times in stages (internally).
—Anas ibn Malik

On the Day of Qiyamah, the closest to me from among the people will be those who have read the most amount of Durood Shareef"
—Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud

*Taslim (تسليم) : The concluding portion of the Muslim prayer (Salah).

Reciting the salam facing the right direction Reciting the salam facing the left direction

Tahajjud Prayer (1)

Salatul layl 

(Night Prayer)

Performing this special Tahajjud prayer will require you to have a short deep sleep before you even perform it, as the name of the prayer, which means wake up, suggests. This prayer can be done anytime between Isha' and Fajr. However, it is best done between midnight to Fajr, preferrably in the last third of the night. Make it part of your daily routine and God willing, He will return you with good fortune and health.

Tahajjud Prayer does not entail a specific number of rak`ahs that must be performed, nor is there any maximum limit that may be performed. It would be fulfilled even if one prayed just one rak`ah of Witr after `Isha'; however, it is traditionally prayed with at least two rak'atwhich is known as shif'a followed by Witr as this is what Muhammad did. Abdullah ibn Umar narrated that Muhammad said:

"Salatul Layl (Night Prayer, i.e. Tahajjud) is offered as two rak'at followed by two rak'at and (so on) and if anyone is afraid of the approaching dawn (Fajr prayer) he should pray one rak'at and this will be a Witr for all the rak'at which he has prayed before." 【Bukhari, Hadith 539】

“And (during part) of the night, abandon sleep and keep vigil to pray Salat, in addition to the regular obligatory prayer. Your Rabb (the Sustainer) may (as a reward) elevate you to the position of High Distinction, Glory and Praise.”

【Al Qur’an 17:79】

There are so many narrated Hadiths (Our Prophet’s (S.A.W) sayings and deeds) about the virtue of the Tahajjud prayer. One of the meanings of a Hadith among them is as follows:

“When one third of the night remains, every night, Our Lord, Allah, the All-Mighty says as follows till the dawn to break:
‘Whoever wants me something, I shall give. Whoever supplicates to me, I shall accept his/her pray. Whoever repents, I shall forgive him/her.’”

The narrator of that Hadith Hazrath Ebu Hurayra (may Allah grant him peace) adds the following sentence:

“For this reason, the companions of Our Prophet (pbuh) used to prefer performing prayer at the end of the night rather than before the night.” (Ibni Mace, Ikamatu’s-Salat: 182).

This prayer may be performed as between 2 and 8 rakahs. That is to say, according to the capability, it can be performed as two, four, six or eight rakahs. There is no compulsion like as “it must be absolutely eight rakahs”. As one can perform this prayer at his/her home, so can perform it at suitable places and time, such as at work, at the company etc. where s/he works at night.

The time for praying Salatul-Layl is from midnight (midnight is reckoned as the time which is exactly half the time between sunset and the actual dawn) to the time of Adhan for Fajr prayers. However, it can be prayed at anytime after Isha prayers but it is better to pray during the last part of the night near to the time of Fajr prayers. If it is not possible to pray after midnight or before Fajr, then it can be prayed in the morning or any part of the day with the niyyah (intention) of Qadha. It is better to pray with the niyyah of Qadha during the day time than to pray in the early part of the night. 

With the deed of getting up at night and performing the night prayer, it is meant the deed of Tahajjud which is mentioned in a verse of Isra chapter concerning the subject. The word of “Tahajjud” which can be used as both “to sleep” and “to wake up”, after having been used in the Qur’an with that usage, it, henceforth, has been used as “to get up at night and to perform prayer”.

How to Perform the Tahajjud Prayer

Steps

1. Make sure that you have woken up from a sleep and also that you are now in a time between Ish'a Prayer and Fajr Prayer.

2. Perform wuzu. It is a ritual ablution before you pray or handle the Holy Quran.

3. Walk into a perfectly clean place. This step should be done because the names of God is pure. Thus we have to speak of His name in a clean place. Sit down on a prayer mat facing the Qiblah. It is the direction of the Holy Kabah.

4. Erase all worldly worries from your heart. Make yourself calm. If you are having trouble over someone else, ignore it. Just think that nothing ever happened. Try to be in the state of awareness. Try to expel negative feeling or thought. Lightly close your eyes and bring your attention to the region of your heart.

5. Perform the voluntary prayer. The Tahajjud prayer is encouraged to be performed but it is not obligatory. It is a set of two cycles of prayer. You can repeat doing the two cycles of prayer as many as you want because there is no limit. Eight rakats is considered optimal.

Salatul-Layl is made up of Eleven Rak’ats.

 Ø      The first eight Rak’ats are prayed as normal in pairs of two each with the niyyah of Nawafilatul-Layl.

 Ø      The next two Rak’ats are prayed with the Niyyah of 'Salatul Shaf’a'.

Ø      The remaining one Rak’at is prayed with the Niyyah of 'Salatul Witr.'

 (In the last one Rak’at, Qunoot is recited before Rukuu and the Salat is completed as usual with Tashahud and Salaam) 

  After reciting the Al-Fatihah for each first cycles, recite a surah named Al-Kafirun.

  After reciting the Al-Fatihah for each second cycles, recite a surah named Al-Ikhlas.

  During sujood(prostration) for each second cycle of prayer, recite this three times.

Rabbi adkhilnii mudkhala sidqiwwa akhrijnii mukhraja sidqi waj'allii minladunka sultaanan nasiiraa.
"O God, have me enter from the door of truth, and also have me exit from the door of truth too, and provide me with assitance from you."

6. Ask from God, after you have completed the set of two cycles of prayer, good health and fortune for you are a benevolent individual. God willing, He will grant your wishes.

Quick Note

You have to leave Witar of Isha                                                       

During Isha timing,you will only say Isha farz and sunnah or nafal (optional)

You will say Witar with Tahajjud prayer

In Tahajjud

You will say 8 Nawafil =2+2+2+2 separate with niyyat of each (I am saying 2 nawafil of Tahajjud)

And three Witar=3 (with Dua e Qunoot in thrid rakha as u normally do in Witar)

so they become 11=8+3

Before saying Tahajjud You should sleep after Isha, even for 30 mint, its more rewarding

You can say without sleeping, but u can get more rewards by napping for a bit or more

Still it doesn’t matter if u can’t sleep, just go for Tahajjud, no worries, its not compulsion

If u think u can’t say Tahajjud tonight, say ur complete Isha with Witar

And at night if u think you should say Tahajjud

So u can only say 8 Rakahs of Tahajjud, no problem in it