Tahajjud has no fixed length in minutes; it has a fixed window of time and a flexible number of rak‘ahs, so it can be very short or quite long depending on you.

When is Tahajjud prayed?

  • Tahajjud is a voluntary night prayer prayed after ‘Isha and before Fajr.
  • The best time is the last third of the night – for example, if Maghrib is around 7 pm and Fajr at 5 am (10 hours), each third is about 3 hours 20 minutes, so the last third would be roughly from 1:40 am to 5:00 am.
  • Many scholars and guides recommend praying it closer to Fajr, ending at least a short time before Fajr begins.

A practical tip people share in forums: calculate the time between Maghrib and Fajr, divide by three, then count one third back from Fajr to find the start of the last third.

How many rak‘ahs and how long?

  • There is no fixed duration ; Tahajjud can be as brief as two rak‘ahs or extended with many rak‘ahs and long recitation.
  • Many guides recommend:
    • Minimum: 2 rak‘ahs.
    • Common practice: 8 rak‘ahs in sets of two, then Shaf‘ and Witr (often making 11 in total in some traditions).
  • One contemporary explanation: you may pray “as much as you feel comfortable,” with the focus on sincerity and concentration , not length.

In real life, for most people:

  • A very short Tahajjud (2 short rak‘ahs with brief recitation and du‘a) might take 5–10 minutes.
  • A more extended Tahajjud with 8 rak‘ahs, slower recitation and longer du‘a can easily take 30–60 minutes or more , depending on how long you recite and make du‘a. (This time estimate is just a practical example based on normal prayer pace, not a fixed rule.)

What is considered “good” in terms of length?

Islamic sources and many teachers emphasize quality over quantity :

  • Even two sincere, focused rak‘ahs in the last third of the night are described as valuable and not to be underestimated.
  • Some narrations and scholarly explanations mention that reading more Qur’an at night (e.g., 10 verses, 100 verses, 1000 verses) increases the reward and status of the worshipper, but this is about effort and devotion , not a mandatory length.
  • Modern guides encourage starting small and consistent (for example, two rak‘ahs a few nights a week) and only then slowly increasing.

Simple way to think about it

  • Time window : After ‘Isha, best in last third of the night, ending before Fajr.
  • Minimum length : 2 rak‘ahs – can be just a few minutes if prayed briefly.
  • No maximum : Pray as long as you can with a present heart and unhurried du‘a.

If you are just starting:

  1. Work out your last third of the night using the Maghrib–Fajr method above.
  1. Aim for 2–4 rak‘ahs at first, with calm recitation.
  2. Sit after the prayer and make heartfelt du‘a, even if it is only a few minutes.

Mini HTML table on key points

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Aspect Summary
Time window After ‘Isha until Fajr, best in last third of the night.
Minimum rak‘ahs 2 rak‘ahs, like other sunnah prayers.
Maximum rak‘ahs No set limit; many pray 8 rak‘ahs plus Shaf‘ and Witr (often totalling 11).
Fixed duration? No fixed duration; depends on length of recitation and du‘a.
Practical length From about 5–10 minutes (very short) to 30–60+ minutes for a longer, unhurried Tahajjud (practical estimate).
**TL;DR:** Tahajjud does not have a fixed number of minutes; it must be prayed after ‘Isha and before Fajr (best in the last third of the night), for at least two rak‘ahs, and can be as long as your heart and energy allow.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.