The virtue of reading Quran at night when people are asleep

Praise be to Allah.

It is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that the Quran will intercede for those who read it at night, as Ahmad (6626) narrated from ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Fasting and the Quran will intercede for a person on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, ‘O Lord, I deprived him of his food and his desires during the day, so let me intercede for him.’ And the Quran will say: ‘I deprived him of his sleep at night so let me intercede for him.’ Then they will intercede.” Narrated by Ahmad; classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 3882. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated that reading the Quran at night is one of the blessings that the believer is to be envied for. He said: “There should be no envy except in two cases: a man to whom Allah teaches the Quran, so he recites it during the night and during the day, and his neighbour hears him and says, ‘Would that I had been given what So and so has been given and I could do what he does, and a man to whom Allah gives wealth so he spends it all for the sake of the truth, and a man says, ‘Would that I had been given what So and so has been given and I could do what he does.’” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 4738. 

Reading Quran at night saves one from negligence, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever reads ten verses at night will not be recorded as one of the negligent.” Narrated by al-Haakim, who said it is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim. Al-Albani said in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (640): It is saheeh because of corroborating reports. 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever observes these prescribed prayers regularly will not be recorded as one of the negligent, and whoever reads one hundred verses in a night will be recorded as one of the devout.” Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh, and by al-Haakim, who said it is saheeh according to the conditions of both (al-Bukhaari and Muslim). It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 640. 

Allah has described the pious as follows (interpretation of the meaning): 

“They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allah) and praying, with fear and hope].

18. And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allah) for forgiveness”

[al-Dhaariyaat 51:17, 18] 

And Allah knows best.