how to perform sholat tahajud

Make your intention to pray known. As you start your prayer, make a definitive mental declaration to yourself that you are about to perform the Tahajjud. Decide that you are going to complete the Tahajjud in the specific way you have chosen and decide why you are saying the Tahajjud — for instance, to glorify God or ask for His forgiveness. You don't have to make this declaration out loud — God knows your thoughts, so your intentions will be clear to him as long as they are clear to you.

• The Tahajjud is typically performed by repeating multiple rakats (cycles) of Salah, the ritual that Muslims use for their required daily prayer. For the Tahajjud, the rakats are usually performed in pairs, so you'll also want to decide exactly how many rakats you intend to say at this time. See below for more information.

Perform two rakats. To begin your Tahajjud, start by performing two rakats (cycles) of Salah. Salah begins by standing and reciting verses from the Holy Quran. Then, the person praying continues by bowing low with his hands on his knees as if waiting for God's orders, prostrating on the ground with his forehead, nose, and palms on the floor and his elbows raised, sitting on his knees with his feet folded under him, and finally standing and reciting "Allahu Akbar." This description of Salah is a generalization — if you're not sure how to perform Salah properly, learn this fundamental Muslim skill before attempting the Tahajjud.

• To emulate the practices the Prophet Muhammad used to recite the Tahajjud, consider reciting the following surahs after each rakat:^[5]
  • After reciting the Al-Fatihah the first rakat, recite the surah "Al-Kafirun".
  • After reciting the Al-Fatihah for the second rakat, recite the surah "Al-Ikhlas". 
  Repeat rakats as you wish. Generally, two rakats is seen as the minimum necessary for a proper Tahajjud. However, it's possible to repeat as many more as you wish. For instance, according to the Hadiths, the Prophet Muhammad frequently prayed up to thirteen rakats during his Tahajjud.^[6] For most Muslims, Tahajjud rakats are said in pairs and eight rakats is seen as plenty. In other words, most Muslims will say two, four, six, or eight rakats, though more is not necessarily discouraged.
  • Following in the example of the Prophet Muhammad, if you notice dawn approaching while you say your Tahajjud, you may end by performing one rakat as Witr (an optional pre-dawn prayer said before the required Fajr).^[7]

 Add your own prayers after the rakats. After you've completed the number of rakats you set out to pray, you may add whichever of your own prayers that you wish as long as they're sincere, respectful, and done in complete devotion to God. You may want to offer additional thanks and praise to God, pray for strength and guidance, or make a special request. For instance, after completing your rakats, you may ask for good fortune for a friend or another individual who's suffering through difficult times. Any prayer you offer will be heard, and, Allah willing, your prayer will be answered in kind.

IF you become too tired to complete the Tahajjud, go back to bed. Because the Tahajjud interrupts your normal sleep, it's not unlikely that you may be somewhat tired when you attempt the prayer. If, however, you're so tired that you find yourself forgetting what you're saying as you recite your prayers or you doze off in the middle of your Tahajjud, don't attempt to complete the prayer. In this case, according to the Hadiths, God notes your sincere willingness to complete the Tahajjud. You may go back to sleep without any need to be embarrassed or ashamed.