Basicofislam
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Fajr prayer is only the two unit obligatory (fard) prayer. The Dhuhr prayer is only the four unit fard prayer. The `Asr prayer is only the four unit fard prayer. The Maghrib prayer is only the three unit fard prayer. The `Isha' prayer is only the four unit fard prayer. This is agreed upon by all Muslims of all schools of thought and is a matter of juristic consensus (ijma`).
Associated with each of these prayers are other prayers that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray with great regularity. Scholars differ as to the recommended number of these Sunnah prayers.
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever prays twelve units of prayer voluntarily in a day and night Allah will build him a house in Paradise" [Related by Muslim]. Al-Tirmidhi relates the same hadith with a good chain of narrators, wherein these twelve units are enumerated as follows: There are two Sunnah units before the Fajr prayer (sunnah mu`akkadah).
There are four Sunnah units before the Dhuhr prayer (performed as two separate prayers of two units each) and two Sunnah rakahs after it.
There are two Sunnah unit's after the Maghrib prayer.
There are two Sunnah unit's after the `Isha' prayer.
There are also Sunnah prayers of lesser importance mentioned in other hadith. There is a hadith about praying four units of prayer before `Asr. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "May Allah bless whoever prays four units of prayer before `Asr" [Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Khuzaymah who authenticated it]. Please note that these four units should be performed as two separate prayers of two units each.
There is also a two unit Sunnah prayer that may be prayed before the Maghrib prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Pray two units before the Maghrib prayer." He said this three times. After the third time, he said: "...for whoever wishes to do so. [Bukhari and Muslim]
It is also Sunnah Mu`akkadah to pray Witr prayer either at night before going to sleep or after waking up for Tahajjud before the time of Fajr. However, the Witr prayer is a prayer in its own right and is not associated with any of the five obligatory prayers.
There are many other recommended voluntary (nafl) prayers that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray, like two units before going to bed at night, but these are also completely independent of the five obligatory prayers. The most recommended of all voluntary prayers is the Tahajjud prayer at night which should be performed before the time of the Fajr prayer but after waking up from sleep.
In the Hanafi school of Law, the recommended prayers are as follows:
There are two Sunnah units before the Fajr prayer. There are four Sunnah units before Dhuhr prayer and two afterwards. The Hanafi scholars also recommend the performance of two voluntary (nafl) prayers after these Sunnah prayers.
There are four Sunnah units before the `Asr prayer.
There are two Sunnah unit's after the Maghrib prayer. The Hanafi scholars also recommend the performance of two voluntary (nafl) prayers after these Sunnah prayers.
There are four Sunnah units before the `Isha' prayer and two after it. The Hanafi scholars also recommend the performance of two voluntary (nafl) prayers after these Sunnah prayers.
The Hanafi scholars also encourage the performance of Witr prayer immediately after completing the `Isha' prayer and the other prayers associated with it. This is because the Witr prayer is considered obligatory (wajib) in the Hanafi school of Law, and it is feared that by delaying the Witr prayer, a person might fall asleep and miss it altogether.
The Hanafi scholars also recommend the performance of two voluntary (nafl) prayers after performing the Witr prayer, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in the habit of performing two units of prayer before going to sleep.
Ishraq (Prayer After Sunrise)
After completing Fajr salât, one does not move from one’s place and remains there reciting dhikr, tasbîh, Qur’ân, etc., avoiding participation in worldly affairs until the sun has fully risen (at least 15 minutes after sunrise). Then, one stands and offers two or four rak’âtnafl. This is called Salât-ul-Ishrâq. The Prophet ( saws) said:
“Whoever prays Fajr with the congregation (jamâ’at) and then sits and remembers Allâh until the sun rises and then prays two rak’ât, he will have the reward of a Hajj and ‘Umrah.” [T-567]
Salat ad Duha (Morning Prayer)
It is performed after the sun has risen high in the morning, after about one-third of the day has passed and it lasts until zawâl. One may perform 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 rak’ât of nafl.
Hadrat ‘Â’ishah (Allâh be pleased with her) was asked how much the Prophet (saws) used to pray for the Duhâ prayer. She said, “Four rak’ât or he increased it as Allâh wills.” [M-1235, from Muslim]
Also, the Prophet (saws) was reported as saying:
“Whoever prays 12 rak’ât for the Duhâ prayer, Allâh will built a golden castle for him in Paradise.” [M-1240, from Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]
Salat-ul-Awwabin (Prayer of the Repentent)
After performing the fard and sunnah of Maghrib, one may perform from 6 to a maximum of 20 rak’ât nafl. This prayer has been called as Awwâbîn. (This name is sometimes also applied to the morning prayer.)
The Prophet ( saws) reportedly said:
“Whoever prays, after the Maghrib, six rak’ât without talking of anything indecent in between them, it would be equivalent to twelve years of worship for him.” [M1173, from Tirmidhi]
“The one who prays twenty rak’ât after Maghrib- Allâh will build for him a house in Paradise.” [M-1174, from Tirmidhi]
Tahajjud (Night Prayer)
Of all the nafl prayers, that prayer which is offered in the middle of the night, known as Tahajjud or Salât-ul-Layl, is the most rewarding and beneficial:
“The best salât after the prescribed (compulsory) prayers is the night prayer (ie. tahajjud).” [RS-1165, from Muslim]
“There is a certain period of time in the night during which if a Muslim prays for anything beneficial to his life in this world or the next, it will be granted to him. And this time occurs every night.” [RS-1178, from Muslim]
There are many other narrations mentioning the thawâb (reward) that is brought by engaging in this prayer.
The number of rak’ât prayed in tahajjud should be between 4 and 12 rak’ât. They can be performed in units of two or four rak’ât each. It is best to wake up in the middle of the night to perform the tahajjud. However, if one is not sure that one will be able to do so, then one can pray four rak’ât right after the 2 sunnah mu’akkadah of ‘Ishâ with the intention (niyyah) of tahajjud. Although the reward will be much less, the pious authorities of the religion have advised this method for those who find it difficult to wake up later in the night. The Witr prayer should be offered after the tahajjud.
There are many others such as Tasbih prayer (If you don't classify as Bidah) ..Tauba..Istikirah..etc. The above prayers should be on every muslims "to do" list daily.
The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that Allah Taala says,"My servant comes nearer to me by nafl worships upto this that I begin to love him and when I love him I become his ear by which he listens and I become his eyes by which he sees. (Bukhari)
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
__________________
"By the Lord of this [human] frame, I do love Death" ~Sufyan Thawri
My Pleasure is with you, Ibn Said!
You Stood (in Worship) when night fell,
Sad with tears and firm of heart.
Behold! Choose which castle you wish,
And Visit me; for I am not far from you!
"Woe to you, son of Adam! Can you fight Allah? Whoever disobeys Allah is fighting Him. By Allah! I have met seventy veterans of Badr. Most of their garments were wool. Had you seen them you would have said they are crazy, and had they seen the best among you they would have said: "Those people will have no part in the Hereafter." Had they seen the worst among you they would have said: "Those people do not believe in the Day of Reckoning." ~ Al Hassan Al Basri..
Associated with each of these prayers are other prayers that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray with great regularity. Scholars differ as to the recommended number of these Sunnah prayers.
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever prays twelve units of prayer voluntarily in a day and night Allah will build him a house in Paradise" [Related by Muslim]. Al-Tirmidhi relates the same hadith with a good chain of narrators, wherein these twelve units are enumerated as follows: There are two Sunnah units before the Fajr prayer (sunnah mu`akkadah).
There are four Sunnah units before the Dhuhr prayer (performed as two separate prayers of two units each) and two Sunnah rakahs after it.
There are two Sunnah unit's after the Maghrib prayer.
There are two Sunnah unit's after the `Isha' prayer.
There are also Sunnah prayers of lesser importance mentioned in other hadith. There is a hadith about praying four units of prayer before `Asr. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "May Allah bless whoever prays four units of prayer before `Asr" [Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Khuzaymah who authenticated it]. Please note that these four units should be performed as two separate prayers of two units each.
There is also a two unit Sunnah prayer that may be prayed before the Maghrib prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Pray two units before the Maghrib prayer." He said this three times. After the third time, he said: "...for whoever wishes to do so. [Bukhari and Muslim]
It is also Sunnah Mu`akkadah to pray Witr prayer either at night before going to sleep or after waking up for Tahajjud before the time of Fajr. However, the Witr prayer is a prayer in its own right and is not associated with any of the five obligatory prayers.
There are many other recommended voluntary (nafl) prayers that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray, like two units before going to bed at night, but these are also completely independent of the five obligatory prayers. The most recommended of all voluntary prayers is the Tahajjud prayer at night which should be performed before the time of the Fajr prayer but after waking up from sleep.
In the Hanafi school of Law, the recommended prayers are as follows:
There are two Sunnah units before the Fajr prayer. There are four Sunnah units before Dhuhr prayer and two afterwards. The Hanafi scholars also recommend the performance of two voluntary (nafl) prayers after these Sunnah prayers.
There are four Sunnah units before the `Asr prayer.
There are two Sunnah unit's after the Maghrib prayer. The Hanafi scholars also recommend the performance of two voluntary (nafl) prayers after these Sunnah prayers.
There are four Sunnah units before the `Isha' prayer and two after it. The Hanafi scholars also recommend the performance of two voluntary (nafl) prayers after these Sunnah prayers.
The Hanafi scholars also encourage the performance of Witr prayer immediately after completing the `Isha' prayer and the other prayers associated with it. This is because the Witr prayer is considered obligatory (wajib) in the Hanafi school of Law, and it is feared that by delaying the Witr prayer, a person might fall asleep and miss it altogether.
The Hanafi scholars also recommend the performance of two voluntary (nafl) prayers after performing the Witr prayer, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in the habit of performing two units of prayer before going to sleep.
Ishraq (Prayer After Sunrise)
After completing Fajr salât, one does not move from one’s place and remains there reciting dhikr, tasbîh, Qur’ân, etc., avoiding participation in worldly affairs until the sun has fully risen (at least 15 minutes after sunrise). Then, one stands and offers two or four rak’âtnafl. This is called Salât-ul-Ishrâq. The Prophet ( saws) said:
“Whoever prays Fajr with the congregation (jamâ’at) and then sits and remembers Allâh until the sun rises and then prays two rak’ât, he will have the reward of a Hajj and ‘Umrah.” [T-567]
Salat ad Duha (Morning Prayer)
It is performed after the sun has risen high in the morning, after about one-third of the day has passed and it lasts until zawâl. One may perform 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 rak’ât of nafl.
Hadrat ‘Â’ishah (Allâh be pleased with her) was asked how much the Prophet (saws) used to pray for the Duhâ prayer. She said, “Four rak’ât or he increased it as Allâh wills.” [M-1235, from Muslim]
Also, the Prophet (saws) was reported as saying:
“Whoever prays 12 rak’ât for the Duhâ prayer, Allâh will built a golden castle for him in Paradise.” [M-1240, from Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]
Salat-ul-Awwabin (Prayer of the Repentent)
After performing the fard and sunnah of Maghrib, one may perform from 6 to a maximum of 20 rak’ât nafl. This prayer has been called as Awwâbîn. (This name is sometimes also applied to the morning prayer.)
The Prophet ( saws) reportedly said:
“Whoever prays, after the Maghrib, six rak’ât without talking of anything indecent in between them, it would be equivalent to twelve years of worship for him.” [M1173, from Tirmidhi]
“The one who prays twenty rak’ât after Maghrib- Allâh will build for him a house in Paradise.” [M-1174, from Tirmidhi]
Tahajjud (Night Prayer)
Of all the nafl prayers, that prayer which is offered in the middle of the night, known as Tahajjud or Salât-ul-Layl, is the most rewarding and beneficial:
“The best salât after the prescribed (compulsory) prayers is the night prayer (ie. tahajjud).” [RS-1165, from Muslim]
“There is a certain period of time in the night during which if a Muslim prays for anything beneficial to his life in this world or the next, it will be granted to him. And this time occurs every night.” [RS-1178, from Muslim]
There are many other narrations mentioning the thawâb (reward) that is brought by engaging in this prayer.
The number of rak’ât prayed in tahajjud should be between 4 and 12 rak’ât. They can be performed in units of two or four rak’ât each. It is best to wake up in the middle of the night to perform the tahajjud. However, if one is not sure that one will be able to do so, then one can pray four rak’ât right after the 2 sunnah mu’akkadah of ‘Ishâ with the intention (niyyah) of tahajjud. Although the reward will be much less, the pious authorities of the religion have advised this method for those who find it difficult to wake up later in the night. The Witr prayer should be offered after the tahajjud.
There are many others such as Tasbih prayer (If you don't classify as Bidah) ..Tauba..Istikirah..etc. The above prayers should be on every muslims "to do" list daily.
The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that Allah Taala says,"My servant comes nearer to me by nafl worships upto this that I begin to love him and when I love him I become his ear by which he listens and I become his eyes by which he sees. (Bukhari)
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
__________________
"By the Lord of this [human] frame, I do love Death" ~Sufyan Thawri
My Pleasure is with you, Ibn Said!
You Stood (in Worship) when night fell,
Sad with tears and firm of heart.
Behold! Choose which castle you wish,
And Visit me; for I am not far from you!
"Woe to you, son of Adam! Can you fight Allah? Whoever disobeys Allah is fighting Him. By Allah! I have met seventy veterans of Badr. Most of their garments were wool. Had you seen them you would have said they are crazy, and had they seen the best among you they would have said: "Those people will have no part in the Hereafter." Had they seen the worst among you they would have said: "Those people do not believe in the Day of Reckoning." ~ Al Hassan Al Basri..
