What is Sunnah?
Sunnah is the name given to the deeds of the Prophet apart from fard and wajib that he himself did, that he told others “to do” and that he consented to. Sunnahs are classified under the heading of “supererogatory” (nafilah).
Sunnahs are divided into two:
1 – Sunnah al-muakkada,
2 – Sunnah ghayr muakkada.
• Sunnah al-Muakkada:
They are the sunnahs that our Prophet generally did but rarely abandoned. It means strong sunnah; like the sunnah prayers of the morning, noon and evening prayers. Sunnahs like adhan, iqamah, praying in congregation, which are regarded as fundamentals of Islam, are sunnah al-muakkada. They are also called sunnah al-Huda.
• Sunnah Ghayr Muakkada:
They are the sunnahs that the Messenger of Allah sometimes did with the intention of worshipping and sometimes abandoned; like the first sunnah prayers of the afternoon and night prayers.
The normal daily activities of the Messenger of Allah like eating, drinking, dressing, sitting, standing and his deeds relating to the good manners are included in Sunnah ghayr muakkada. They are also called Sunnah az-zawaid.
The sunnah also has parts like ayn and kifaya just like fard. For instance, performing itikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan, performing the tarawih prayer in congregation, performing tarawih with khatm are sunnah al-kifaya. Performing fard prayers in congregation are sunnah al-ayn.
- What is the decree for performing salah in congregation according to the madhhabs?
- Jama’ah Salah (Prayer in Congregation)
- How is Tarawih Prayer Performed?
- What is the number of rak'ahs of Tarawih prayer; how many rak'ahs can be offered with one salutation?
- Sunnah
- What is the Judgment for a Sunnah?
- Tarawih Prayer
- Is it obligatory to perform prayers in congregation (Jamaat)?
- Is hell rendered forbidden (haram) to those who perform the last sunnah of the noon prayer as four rak'ahs?
- If a person cannot perform the first sunnah of the noon prayer before the fard prayer, which one should he perform after the fard first; the first sunnah or the last sunnah? What should be the order like?