“Verily, the righteous will be in the midst of gardens and springs, taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Indeed, they were good-doers. They used to sleep little at night, and in the hours before dawn, they were found asking for Forgiveness, and in their wealth was a right for the beggar and the poor.”[1]

Ibn Kathīr (may Allāh have Mercy on him) said: "His Saying {"... joy in the things which their Lord has given them..."} means that the righteous, since they are in gardens and delight, are enjoring what their Lord has given them of happiness, delight, and bliss. His Saying {"...Indeed, they were..."} is in regards to the worldly life, and {"...good-doers..."} is like His Saying: {"Eat and drink in relaxation because of what you did before in days past!"}  [2] Then, He shows us what they used to do, Saying: {"... They used to sleep little at night..."} Ibn Jarīr at-Tabarī said: "Their rest and sleep took up a very small portion of the night." Al-Hasan al-Basrī said: "They would spend the night in prayer, and would not sleep except for a short time. Then, when they had some energy, they would make istighfār until dawn." Qatādah said that Al-Anhaf bin Qays would say: "They would sleep for only a little while," and then say: "I am not from those described in this verse." Ibn 'Abbās (may Allāh be Pleased with him) and Ibrāhīm an-Nakha'ī said: "They would sleep very little." [3] As-Sa'dī (may Allāh have Mercy on him) said: "They were good-doers, and they would only rest and sleep for a short amount of time. As for the majority of the night, they would spend it concentrating on their Lord, whether that was in prayer, recitation of the Qur'ān, dhikr, supplication, humbling themselves before Him, etc. Before the dawn, they would ask Allāh's Forgiveness. So, they would extend their prayers until dawn, and would then sit and seal off their night prayer with istighfār- the istighfār of sinner for his sins." [4] In conclusion, excessive sleep is not from the character of the seeker of knowledge, and they should be as far from this characteristic as possible. Rather, they should be serious and committed, and the believer will never be satisfied with whatever good he has done until he makes it to Paradise. _____ continuation from [previous post] _____ F.N. [1] Adh-Dhārīyāt: 15-19 [2] Al-Hāqqah: 24 [3] 'Tafsīr Al-Qur'ān Al-'Adhīm' | 4/233 [4] 'Tafsīr Al-Karīm ar-Rahmān' | 8/23 _____ SOURCE:  آداب طالب العلم  The Manners of the Knowledge Seeker  Chapter 5 | Eat, Sleep and Speak as Seldom as Possible  Abū 'Abdillāh Muhammad Sa'īd Raslān