Question:
Assalamualaikum SS Dato’ Seri Mufti. I hope that you are always in great health. What is qailullah and its time? My staff always sleep before their rest time. They would sleep after twelve o’clock and sometimes will sleep until three. Hope for an explanation from you.
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam. Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Qailulllah is an Arabic word originated from the root word قَالَ-يَقِيلُ-قَيلا-قَيلُولَة. Ibnu Manzur stated that qailullah is sleep in the middle of the day. (Refer: Lisan al-Arab, 11/572)
Imam al-San’ani said that the meaning of qailullah is resting in the middle of the day even if one is not sleeping. (Refer: Subul al-Salam Syarh Bulugh al-Maram, 2/396)
The meaning of qailullah can be understood from the hadith of the Prophet PBUH from Ibnu Mas’ud RA, where the Prophet PBUH said:
مالي ولِلدُّنيا إنَّما مَثَلي ومَثَلُ الدُّنيا كمثل راكبٍ قالَ في ظلِّ شجرةٍ ثم راحَ وتركها
"What have I to do with the world? I am like a rider who had sat under a tree for its shade, then went away and left it."
Sunan al-Tirmizi (2377) and Sunan Ibnu Majah (4109)
The scholars agreed that qailullah is sunnah. This is in accordance with the hadith of the Prophet PBUH from Ibnu Abbas from the Prophet PBUH:
قِيلُوا فَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَا تَقِيلُ
“Perform qailullah for the shaytan never rests.”
Narrated by al-Tabarani in Al-Mu’jam Al-Awsat
Simply put, qailullah is a short rest even if one is not sleeping.
Fiqh scholars have differing opinions regarding the time for qailullah. We include their opinions as the following:
- Al-Khatib al-Syarbini said that the time for qailullah is before the sun passes the zenith which is before zohor. It is sunnah for those who always pray tahajjud to take a nap before zohor. It is a preparation for qiamullail. Qailullah’s time before zohor is the same as the time of sahur for fasting. (Refer: Al-Iqna’ Fi Hilli Alfaz Abi Syuja’,1/106). He presented this opinion in his book Al-Mughni Al-Muhtaj (Refer: Al-Mughni Al-Muhtaj, 3/167)
اسْتَعِينُوا بِطَعَامِ السَّحَرِ عَلَى صِيَامِ النَّهَارِ ، وَبِالْقَيْلُولَةِ عَلَى قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ
“Seek help by eating Suhur for fasting that day, and by taking a brief rest (at midday) for praying at night.”
Sunan Ibn Majah (1693)
- Al-Munawi stated that qailullah is a nap at noon when the sun passes the zenith or the approximate time before or after the sun passes the zenith. (Refer: Faidh al-Qadir Syarh al-Jami’ al-Saghir,7/256)
- Al-Bujairimi said that qailullah is a break time before the sun passes the zenith. And the famous opinion is qailullah is a nap before or after the sun passes the zenith (which is after zohor). (Refer: Hasyiah al-Bujairimi ‘ala Al-Khatib, 6/453)
- Imam al-Nawawi said that qailullah is a nap at noon.
- Syeikh Syamsul Haq al-‘Azim al-Abadi cited the words of Ibnu Qutaibah. Ibnu Qutaibah said: It is not named as Ghada’ (noon) and qailullah is after the sun passes the zenith. Refer: Aun Al-Ma’bud Syarh Sunan Abi Daud(25/23)
- Syeikh Dr Wahbah al-Zuhaili said that qailullah is rest at noon even when one is not sleeping, whether it is in a cold or hot weather. Refer: Al-fiqh Al-Islami Wa Adillatuhu(1/414)
- There is an opinion that states the time for qailullah is after the sun passes the zenith. This is according to the statement of Sahl, where he said:
مَا كُنَّا نَقِيلُ وَلَا نَتَغَدَّى إِلَّا بَعْدَ الْجُمُعَةِ
“We did not take a Qailulah nor eat Ghada’ until after Friday (prayer).”
Sahih al-Bukhari (839) and Sahih Muslim (2028)
From the above statement, this means that the time of qailullah is after the Friday prayer which is equivalent of after zohor.
To conclude, we are inclined towards the opinion that qailullah is a rest time or a nap before the sun passes the zenith which is after zohor. We advised those who are working to use the rest time allocated for qailullah to motivate oneself to continue on working. However, do not exceed the set time for we are all bound to our work responsibility. Do not betray the trust we are given to do our work.
May Allah SWT give us the strength to continue with our responsibilities the best we could.
Wallahua’lam.