Winter Is the Spring of the Believer: Is It Authentic?

"Winter is the spring of the believer" is a famous saying, but the narration behind it is weak. Al-Albani graded it da'if, and Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut said its chain is weak, so it should not be quoted as a sahih hadith. Its meaning still stands: authentic texts praise night prayer, and winter nights are far longer.

You will also see it written as "winter is the believer's spring". This guide sets out where the narration comes from and what the hadith scholars said about it, so you can quote it honestly, then shows how to use the long nights: how much longer they are in the UK, how to find the last third of the night, a simple routine for night prayer, and how much Qur'an to recite in it.

Is "winter is the spring of the believer" a hadith?

"Winter is the spring of the believer" is reported as a saying of the Prophet ﷺ, but its chain is weak. Imam Ahmad and Abu Ya'la recorded it from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), and every route passes through one narrator, Darraj Abu as-Samh, reporting from Abu al-Haytham. Imam Ahmad himself said the hadiths of Darraj are munkar (quoted by Ibn al-Jawzi), and the later critics weakened this chain.

A longer wording reported by al-Bayhaqi adds: "its day is short so he fasts, and its night is long so he stands in prayer". It comes through the same weak chain. Another saying often quoted beside it, "fasting in winter is the cold booty", is in Jami' at-Tirmidhi 797; at-Tirmidhi himself called it mursal, because the narrator never met the Prophet ﷺ, and it is graded da'if on sunnah.com.

What does winter is the spring of the believer mean?

The meaning people take from "winter is the spring of the believer" is that winter is a season of easy worship. Spring is when grazing animals find fresh pasture and gain strength. In winter the believer finds long nights for prayer and short, cool days for fasting, so worship that feels heavy in July becomes light in December. Winter in Islam has no special rituals of its own; what it offers is time. None of that depends on the weak chain, because the Qur'an itself presents the turning of night and day as a gift for anyone who wants to remember Allah:

How much longer are winter nights in the UK?

Winter nights in the UK are more than twice as long as summer nights. Around the winter solstice in December, London gets under eight hours of daylight, and Glasgow about seven. From the end of September until the middle of March, the nights in the UK are longer than the days.

In June, the short night is squeezed further by a late 'Isha and an early Fajr, and many people give up on night prayer. In December, 'Isha comes early and Fajr comes late, so most people can sleep a full night and still wake before dawn. When the clocks go back on the last Sunday of October, every prayer time moves an hour earlier on the clock, a good moment to reset your routine.

What does the Qur'an say about praying at night?

The Qur'an commands night prayer with recitation in the opening of Surah al-Muzzammil. The Prophet ﷺ is told to stand for much of the night and to recite the Qur'an slowly and carefully, with tartil:

Notice the last part: the night is "more suitable for words". The house is quiet and the heart less scattered. Later in the same surah Allah says "And Allah determines [the extent of] the night and the day" and then, out of mercy, "so recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an" (73:20). The long winter night is Allah's measuring; what is easy is the amount you can keep up.

How do you work out the last third of the night?

The last third of the night is the final third of the time between sunset and the start of Fajr. IslamQA explains the method in its answer on prayer times: take the time from sunset to true dawn, then divide it. Half of it gives midnight; two thirds of the way through is where the last third begins. Take Maghrib and Fajr from your local mosque timetable and do the sum once a week, because both move every day.

In midwinter you can go to bed at 10pm, sleep a full seven hours, wake at 5am and still have an hour of the last third before Fajr. In midsummer the whole night is six hours, so waking for the last third means very little sleep. That is the practical meaning of a long night.

How to pray at night in winter: a simple plan

Night prayer (qiyam al-layl, or tahajjud) works best in winter as a small, fixed routine, not a burst of effort that collapses after a week. IslamQA's answer on ways to help yourself pray qiyam al-layl gives the same practical means as the steps below: sleep early, sleep in a state of wudu, and do not overeat at night.

How long should the prayer be? 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said the Prophet ﷺ never prayed more than eleven rak'ahs at night, in Ramadan or outside it, and that they were long and beautiful (al-Bukhari 1147). That is the summit, not the entry requirement. When the Prophet ﷺ was asked which deeds Allah loves most, he said: "The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few" (al-Bukhari 6465). Two rak'ahs and witr every night of winter beats eleven on night one and none by the second week.

How much Qur'an should you recite in night prayer?

Reciting even ten verses in night prayer keeps you from being recorded among the heedless, according to an authentic hadith. The hadith sets three levels, a ready-made target for a winter of night recitation:

Most learners should stay at the first level for a few weeks, then move towards the second. Night prayer is also the best place to revise what you have memorised: recite last week's surah from memory in the first two rak'ahs and you have joined your night prayer to your murajaah, the revision that keeps hifz alive. Many people choose Surah al-Mulk, whose authentic virtue is explained in our guide to Surah al-Mulk, the protector in the grave. Recite with tartil, as 73:4 commands: ten verses recited slowly and correctly beat thirty rushed ones.

Is winter a good time for voluntary fasting?

Winter is the easiest season for voluntary fasting in the UK, because the fast ends at a sunset that comes before 4pm in December. Abu Hurairah said the Prophet ﷺ advised him to fast three days every month, to pray two rak'ahs of Duha and to pray witr before sleeping (al-Bukhari 1981). Short days make the first easy to start, and the third is the safety net for anyone who fears sleeping through the night. Winter is also a sensible time to make up missed Ramadan fasts.

Even the cold has a reward attached. The Prophet ﷺ listed "performing the ablution thoroughly despite odds" among the deeds by which Allah wipes out sins and raises ranks (Muslim 251a). Making a complete wudu with cold water on a dark winter morning is exactly that kind of effort.

Common mistakes with winter night prayer

It helps to have someone listening. A teacher can correct the surahs you plan to recite at night, so you are not repeating a mistake two hundred times by spring. On My Tijarah you can find a Qur'an teacher of your choice for one-to-one lessons, including early mornings and evenings. To carry the habit forward, read our guide to building your Qur'an routine before Ramadan arrives, and for motivation on a cold night, what authentic hadith promise for reciting the Qur'an.