I have a question I know how many rakaats are in the prayers fard and sunna but I usually only do thfard. I f I want to do the sunna do you follow tha same pattern as the fard? For example for zhuhr it 4 sunna 4 fard so would I do the exact same thing in the sunna as I do in the fard, and when I finish the sunna rakaats do I say Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah twice, then just get up and start all over again for the fard rakaats?
In 4 sunnah, you recited surah/verses of Quran after Fatihah in each rakah.
In fard you recite the quran surah/verses after Fatihah in the first two rakah, but in the next two rakah you only recite surah Fatihah and not any surah/verses after that.
You have to say AssalaamuAlaikum WaRa7matullah to both angels in case of Fard and Sunnah both.
>>when I finish the sunna rakaats do I say Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah twice, then just get up and start all over again for the fard rakaats?
Yes, Exactly. There is gap between each sunnah prayer and fard. Gap means you are not in the form of prayer but you can talk or look around if necessary or even can go for any neccessity and come back. But any way its better you stay there after finishing Sunnah and do not talk extra but remember Allah, and Then you start Fard. After finishing Fard you can offer Sunnah (in case of Zuhr, Maghrib and Isha).
Allah Knows the best.
Wassalaam,
VE