Some Sunnah Prayers

Some more Sunnah Prayers

1- Twelve Rakaahs(Units) of Sunnah Prayer:

 These are as follows:

Rakkah	Time
2	before Fajr (Dawn)
4	before Zuhr (Noon)
2	After Zuhr (Noon)
2	After Al-Maghreb (Sunset)
2	After Isha (Evening)

Benefits of 12 Rakaah Sunnah:

l A house in paradise: Dear friends do you fancy a palace in Paradise? Messenger of Allah (SAWW) said: “There is no Muslim slave who prays twelve rak‘ahs to Allah each day, voluntarily, apart from the obligatory prayers, but Allah will build for him a house in Paradise.” (Al Muslim 728)

Preserve this Prophetic advice, pray twelve rak’as other than the obligatory prayers and earn a palace in Jannah.

l Sunnahs of Fajr is better then the world: Prophet (SAWW) said : “The two rakaats before dawn (fajr) prayer are better than the world and all that it contains.” (Narrated by Muslim 725).

(Note:The one who misses the Sunnah prayer before Fajr may offer it after Fajr prayer.because “The Prophet (SAWW) did not adhere more firmly to any naafil prayer than the two rak’ahs of Fajr.” According to al-Bukhaari, 1163; Muslim, 724. )

l Sunnahs of Zuhr are shield from fire: Prophet (SAWW) said : “Whoever, observes the practice of offering four rak’ahs before Duhr prayer and four rak’ahs after it. Allah will shield him against the fire of hell.” (Al Nasai1817 and At-Tirmithi 428).

1-Ad Duha (forenoon) prayer:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) reported: My beloved (the Prophet SAWW) advised me to do three things, which I will never abandon so long as I live: to fast three days of each month, to pray two rakʿahs of Duha prayer, and not to sleep until I pray Witr. (Sahih al-Bukhāri 1981).

Recommended time of Duha prayer:

Starts	15 minutes after sunrise,
Ends	15 minutes before Dhuhr prayer
Best Time	The hottest part of the day, when the sun has reached nearly its zenith (its highest point),just before Zawal time.

Number of Rakaahs:

The minimum for Duha prayer is 2 rakʿahs according to scholars.

Most preferable is to pray at least 4 rakʿahs, as two individual units, but one can pray more than that as well, based on the following narrations:

Aishah (may Allāh be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allah(SAWW) used to observe four rakʿahs in the forenoon prayer and he sometimes observed more as Allah pleased.” (Sahih Muslim 719)

 It was narrated from Umm Hāni’ bint Abu Tālib that “On the day of the Opening (of Makkah), the Messenger of Allah (SAWW) prayed Duha with eight rakʿahs, saying the salaam after each two rakʿahs” .(Sunan Ibn Mājah 1323).

Difference between And Duha and Al Ishraq(Shorouq): In many classical books of fiqh, it is stated that there is no difference between the two prayers, since any prayer between sunrise and Zawal time falls under the category of “Duha”, and Allah knows the best.

Benefits of Duha prayer:

l Sadqa ( charitable deeds ) of every joint in the body:

The Prophet (SAWW) said:

“In the morning, every single joint of yours must pay a sadaqah (charity). Every SubhanAllah is a sadaqah, every Alhamdulillāh is a sadaqah, every La Ilaha Illa Allah is a sadaqah, every Allahu Akbar is a sadaqah, every commanding good is a sadaqah, and every forbidding evil is a sadaqah, and all this is accomplished through two rakʿahs one can pray in Duha (prayer).”[Sahih Muslim 720]

This hadith emphasizes the status and virtue of Duha prayer, two rakʿahs of which is sufficient as a charity on behalf of every joint(360 joints) in the body, and a sign of genuine gratitude to Allah (swt).

l Reward equivalent to Hajj and ʿUmrah:

The Prophet(SAWW) said:

“Whoever prays the Fajr prayer then sits in his place of prayer remembering Allah until sunrise, then prays two rakʿahs, shall be rewarded as if he had performed Hajj and ʿUmrah, with a reward that is complete, complete, complete.”(at-Tirmidhi 586)

(Note: This doesn’t fulfil the requirement to perform Hajj.)

l Forgiveness of one’s sins:

 The Prophet(SAWW) also said:

“If anyone sits in his place of prayer when he finishes the dawn prayer till he prays the two rakʿahs of the forenoon prayer, saying nothing but what is good, his sins will be forgiven even if they are more than the foam of the sea.”.Abu Dāwūd (1287)

l Allah will suffice you:

The Prophet(SAWW) said:

“Allah the Exalted says: ‘O Son of Adam, do not be heedless of praying 4 rakʿahs for Me in the beginning of your day and (as a result) I shall be your sufficiency at its end.”  (Abu Dāwūd 1289, at-Tirmidhi 475)

2-Tahiyah tul masjid:

It is mustahabb to greet the mosque, and it is makrooh to sit down without greeting it with no excuse. So if anyone enters a mosque, he should offer two raka’ah before sitting.

The Prophet (SAWW) said;

“When one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit down until he has prayed two rak‘ahs.” (Al Bukhari, 1167; Al Muslim, 714)

3-Tahiyah tul Wudhu:

Tahiyah Tul Wudhu is Two Raka’ak prayer after doing ablution/wudhu.

Benefits of Tahiyah Tul Wudhu:

l  Abu Huraira (R.A) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAWW) said to Bilal (R.A), “Tell me about the most hopeful act (i.e one which you deem the most rewarding with Allah) you have done since your acceptance of Islam because I heard the sound of the steps of your shoes in front of me in paradise.” Bilal said : “I do not consider any act more hopeful than that whenever I make ablution (wudoo) at any time of night or day, I offer salah (prayer) for as long as was destined for me to offer.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Tahajjud, Hadith no. 1149)

l The Messenger of Allah (SAWW) said, “ Whoever performs Wudoo in the way that I perform it then prays two rak’ahs of prayer without allowing his thoughts to be distracted, all his previous sins are forgiven.” ( Bukhari 159 and Muslim226).

l The Prophet (SAWW) said, “Whoever performs Wudhu diligently and performs two Rakʿah with sincerity and devotion, Paradise becomes obligatory for him.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 906)

4-Salatul Tawbah

The reason for the Salatul Tawbah or Prayer of Repentance is if a Muslim falls into sin (intentionally or unintentionally), whether it is a major or minor sin, he has to repent from it straight away and it is recommended for him to pray these two rak’ahs of repentance. So he may draw close to Allah Subhan wa Talla by means of this in the hope that Allah may accept his repentance and forgive his sin.

As Allah Ta’ala says :

“Say: ‘O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Never loose hope of Allah’s mercy( so do not abstain from seeking forgiveness thinking that you will not be forgiven); verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful’. (Surah Zumar 39:53).

Rasulullah (SAWW) said, “The one who repents from sin is like the one who never sinned.” (Ibn Maja .3240)

There is another beautiful hadith about repentance:

“All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of sinners are those who repent often.”  (At Timidhi 2499, Ibn Majah 2451)

As Allah says in Quran:

“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his death)”

[Ta-Ha 20:82]

How shall I perform the Salahtul Tawbah?

1: Make Whudu perfectly

2: Offer 2 Raka’at Salat

3: Remembers Allah and focuses well, then asks Allah for forgiveness .

4: After the prayer it is best to make supplication with the Prophetic invocations.

Abu Dawood narrated that Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAWW) say: “There is no one who commits a sin then purifies himself well and stands and prays two rak’ahs, then asks Allaah for forgiveness, but Allaah will forgive him. Then he recited this verse: 

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

‘And those who, when they have committed Faahishah (an open immoral act) or wronged themselves with evil, they remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins; and none can forgive sins but Allaah and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know’ [Aal ‘Imraan 3:135].”

(Abu Dawood 1521)

Some more points to remember:

Conditions for Repentance

1) Stop doing the sin immediately;

2) Sincere regret and repentance for the commission of sin;

3) Make a firm resolution to never return to the sin.

4) If the sin relates to the rights of another person, then compensate or to return the rights or property one wrongly took.

5)Increase in doing things that are pleasing to Allah.

l Salahtul tawbah and istikhaarah prayer should not be delayed

l This prayer may be offered at any time, including times when prayer is disallowed.

l It is mustahabb for the penitent to do some good deeds along with this prayer, such as charity etc.

l It is prescribed for the one who is repenting to pray alone, because it is one of the naafil prayers that it is not prescribed to offer in congregation.

“ Nafal before Magrib:

These two raka’ahs are offered after the adhan of Maghrib and before the fard.

Narrated `Abdullah Al-Muzni:

The Prophet (SAWW) said, "Pray before the Maghrib (compulsory) prayer." He (said it thrice) and on the third time, he added, "For those who wish."

(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 1183)

Prophet(SAWW) said so because he did not like the people to consider it as a regularly established sunnah or constant practice (like the other sunnah salahs before/after the fard salahs ).

So he initially commanded it thrice which would've actually made it wajib, but his final comment proved that it is not wajib.