The time of Tahajjud: is prior sleep required

Question

When does [a prayer] count as Tahajjud? A certain person says that if someone does not sleep the whole night, the Tahajjud prayer does not apply to him; he says that the prayer counts as Tahajjud only after one has had a sleep. Is this correct?

Answer

Generally people sleep after Isha and then rise and pray, and that is what is called Tahajjud. But this does not mean that the one who stays awake the whole night, occupied in prayer, has a reward less than that of ordinary Tahajjud; rather, the reward is greater.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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