ShahnazZ
Striving2BeAStranger
:salam2: I hope you're all in the best state of health and iman.
I have a question about nafil prayers and it's something that's been crossing my mind quite frequently these days.
Fard - obligatory
Sunnah - based on the Prophet's (SAW) own actions
Nafil - VOLUNTARY
Okay.
These are the basics. Every madhab varies in the number of nafil and Sunnah prayers completed but the Fard is the same. Now, since Pakistan is a state mostly following the Hanafi madhab and my parents are Pakistani, I was raised to always pray nawafil as well to the point that it's become an obligatory habit. However, after practicing the TRUE Islam minus the cultural influences, my current concern focuses on the implementation of Nafil salat.
My question is this: If nafil prayers are voluntary, then is it okay to pray them as if they're obligatory? For example, my Arab friend prays Isha the following way: 4 raka'ats of Sunnah, 4 of Fard, 2 of Sunnah and then Witr. Whereas I was raised to pray Isha in the following way: 4 raka'ats of Sunnah, 4 of Fard, 2 of Sunnah, 2 of Nafil, Witr, and then 2 more Nafil. Growing up, if I ever missed the Nawafil or was too tired to pray it, I would be reprimanded as if I missed a Fard prayer.
I know there's nothing wrong with praying Nawafil and I hope to keep doing so inshAllah. But I don't want to implement something into the deen that wasn't there before and if Nafil is voluntary then it shouldn't be implemented as if it's obligatory.
The great scholar Abdur-Rahmaan ibn 'Amr Al-Awzaa'ee stated that: "Practice Sunnah with patience: Stop where the companions had stopped, say as they had said and abstain from what they had abstained from. What was sufficient for them, can be sufficient for you."
I hope no one's confused by what I'm asking. I have no problem with nafil. But I do have a problem with biddah. And what I'm asking is if fixing a pattern of a particular number of nawafil in our salawat constitutes as some type of biddah. If the Prophet SAW had prayed these nawafil prayers, then wouldn't they be considered Sunnah prayers? And if not, then why are we fixing patterns of Nawafil prayers in Salat if he didn't do it?
If anyone needs clarification please let me know. I'm starting to confuse myself. :shymuslima1:
I have a question about nafil prayers and it's something that's been crossing my mind quite frequently these days.
Fard - obligatory
Sunnah - based on the Prophet's (SAW) own actions
Nafil - VOLUNTARY
Okay.
These are the basics. Every madhab varies in the number of nafil and Sunnah prayers completed but the Fard is the same. Now, since Pakistan is a state mostly following the Hanafi madhab and my parents are Pakistani, I was raised to always pray nawafil as well to the point that it's become an obligatory habit. However, after practicing the TRUE Islam minus the cultural influences, my current concern focuses on the implementation of Nafil salat.
My question is this: If nafil prayers are voluntary, then is it okay to pray them as if they're obligatory? For example, my Arab friend prays Isha the following way: 4 raka'ats of Sunnah, 4 of Fard, 2 of Sunnah and then Witr. Whereas I was raised to pray Isha in the following way: 4 raka'ats of Sunnah, 4 of Fard, 2 of Sunnah, 2 of Nafil, Witr, and then 2 more Nafil. Growing up, if I ever missed the Nawafil or was too tired to pray it, I would be reprimanded as if I missed a Fard prayer.
I know there's nothing wrong with praying Nawafil and I hope to keep doing so inshAllah. But I don't want to implement something into the deen that wasn't there before and if Nafil is voluntary then it shouldn't be implemented as if it's obligatory.
The great scholar Abdur-Rahmaan ibn 'Amr Al-Awzaa'ee stated that: "Practice Sunnah with patience: Stop where the companions had stopped, say as they had said and abstain from what they had abstained from. What was sufficient for them, can be sufficient for you."
I hope no one's confused by what I'm asking. I have no problem with nafil. But I do have a problem with biddah. And what I'm asking is if fixing a pattern of a particular number of nawafil in our salawat constitutes as some type of biddah. If the Prophet SAW had prayed these nawafil prayers, then wouldn't they be considered Sunnah prayers? And if not, then why are we fixing patterns of Nawafil prayers in Salat if he didn't do it?
If anyone needs clarification please let me know. I'm starting to confuse myself. :shymuslima1: