Question:
During the month of Ramadan, when people perform Qiyam al-Layl (night prayer), in some mosques they switch off the lights and conduct the prayer in darkness. “Is it correct for mosques to switch off the lights during Qiyam al-Layl in Ramadan to increase concentration and fear of Allahﷻ ?
Answer:
First point to understand; If we look at the time of Prophetﷺ Muhammad, the prayers that were performed at night were actually done in darkness.
Why? Because at that time there were no electric lights. Even in homes and mosques, lamps were very limited. Most night prayers naturally took place in darkness.
So, if someone asks: “Is it allowed to pray in darkness?” the question itself does not arise.
Because during the Prophetﷺ’s time, night prayers were naturally performed in darkness. But that does not mean that praying in darkness is something that must be deliberately arranged today.
Evidence from hadith: There is a narration from Aisha (Mother of believers)
She said that she would lie down in the room while the Prophetﷺ prayed at night. Sometimes she would lie across the prayer space. When the Prophetﷺ wanted to perform prostration, he would gently touch her foot with his finger. She would then move her legs so that he could complete his sujood.
This narration is found in Sahih al-Bukhari 382.
Now think about it: why did he need to touch her foot with his finger?
Because the room was dark. There was no lamp to clearly see where she was lying.
Another narration from Aisha (Mother of believers) describes a night when she woke up and did not find the Prophetﷺ beside her. She began searching in the darkness by feeling around with her hands. Eventually her hand touched the Prophetﷺ’s feet while he was in prostration.
That narration appears in Sahih Muslim.
This clearly shows that night prayers were performed in darkness, because there was no lighting.
Example from the Fajr prayer: Even the Fajr prayer during the Prophetﷺ’s time was performed in darkness. The sky would only begin to lighten slightly in the east, while the rest of the environment remained dark.
Aisha (Mother of believers) said that women used to attend the Fajr prayer, and after finishing they would leave, but people could not recognize each other because of the darkness.
This narration appears in Sahih al-Bukhari 867 and 872.
Another narration in Bukhari 599 mentions that when the prayer began, people could not recognize the person standing beside them. By the time the prayer ended, daylight would begin to appear, and then people could see each other.
Why? Because the Prophetﷺ used to recite long passages—sometimes 60 to 100 verses—so by the time the prayer ended the light of dawn had spread.
What does this teach us? It shows that praying in darkness is not wrong.
But we should not claim that praying in darkness is more pious or that it automatically produces greater fear of Allahﷻ . The reason prayers were done in darkness during the Prophetﷺ’s time was simply because there was no lighting available. Today we have electricity and lighting everywhere. If you use lights while praying, that is also perfectly permissible.
If someone reduces the brightness of the lights to create a calmer environment, that is also fine. But deliberately turning off all lights and claiming that it is a special Sunnah or that it increases spirituality would be incorrect. The real reason people prayed in darkness in the past was simply lack of resources, not a religious instruction. So, the ruling is simple
You may pray with lights on or with dim lights or even in darkness. There is no problem with any of these.
But turning off lights specifically and saying “this produces more piety” should not be presented as a religious rule.
