سَهَرsleeplessness

Example sentences

• رُبَّ صَائِمٍ لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ صَوْمِهِ إِلَّا الْجُوعُ وَالْعَطَشُ، وَرُبَّ قَائِمٍ لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ قِيَامِهِ إِلَّا السَّهَرُ

  'Perhaps a fasting person gains nothing from his fast except hunger and thirst, and perhaps one who prays gains nothing from his prayer except sleeplessness.'

  السَّهَرُ — sleeplessness. A definite noun, 'the staying-awake', the one thing exempted from the denial, carrying the attached 'the'. After 'except' it names what is in fact left of the night prayer.

  From: Empty Fasting, Empty Prayer →