The time for Salatul Layl begins after midnight until the time for Fajr (morning) prayers. The best time for it is as close to the Fajr prayer as possible. When there is not enough time, it is recommended to at least recite the last three raka’ats, or even just the last rak’ah of Salatul Witr.
Salatul Layl consists of a total of 11 raka’ats, divided into the following prayers:
1. Nafilah of Layl: 8 raka’ats
2. Salaat al-Shaf’a: 2 raka’ats
3. Salaat al-Witr: 1 raka’at
Nafilah of Layl:
The 8 raka’ats of Nafilah are divided into four prayers of two units each.
It is recommended to recite Sura al-Ikhlas after Sura al-Hamd in the first unit, and Sura al-Kafirun after Sura al-Hamd in the second unit. It is recommended to recite qunoot in the second rakaat.
Salaat al-Shaf’a:
This is a 2 raka'at prayer with no qunoot. In the first unit, after Sura al-Hamd recite Sura an-Nas, and in the second unit recite Sura al-Falaq after Sura al-Hamd
Salaat al-Witr:
This is a 1 raka'at prayer with a qunoot. After Sura al-Hamd, recite the following Suras
After completing the suras, raise your hands for qunoot and recite the following:
Then perform ruku, and stand up.
Then end the prayer as normal
Excerpt from 'Salatul Layl':
'Whoever has been granted the chance to recite Salatul Layl, a male servant or a female one, and he(or she) rises for Allah sincerely, does proper wudhu , prays salaat for Allah with a true intention, a sound heart, a humble body and a tearful eye, Allah will place behind him nine rows of angels. The number of angels in each row cannot be counted except by Allah. One side of each row is in the East, and the other is in the West. Then when he completes his prayer, he gets the reward of all of the angels in the rows.
Holy Prophet (SAW)