Are sunnah prayers to be performed as two rak’ahs?
Dear Brother / Sister,
The Prophet (pbuh) performed sunnah prayers before and after fard prayers and advised his ummah to do so. Therefore, regular (rawatib) sunnahs performed together with daily fard prayers should be performed as much as possible.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) states the following related to the sunnah prayers before and after fard prayers as follows:
“Allah will build a house in Paradise for a person who regularly performs twelve rak’ahs of nafilah prayers other than fard prayers every day: two rak’ahs before the morning prayer, four rak’ahs before the noon prayer, two rak’ahs after the noon prayer, two rak’ahs after the evening prayer and two rak’ahs after the night prayer.” (Muslim, Salatul-Musafirin, 101)
“May Allah have mercy on a person who performs four rak’ahs before the fard of the afternoon prayer!” (Abu Dawud, Tatawwu’, 8)
Hz. Aisha states the following:
"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never skipped the four-rak’ah prayer before the fard of the noon prayer and the two-rak’ah prayer before the fard of the morning prayer." (Nasai, Qiyamul-Layl, 56)
"The Prophet performed a four-rak’ah prayer before the fard of the night prayer." (Zaylai, Nasbur-Raya, II/145 ff. ash-Shawkani, Naylul-Awtar, III/18)
"The Prophet (pbuh) performed a four-rak’ah prayer before the Friday prayer and a four-rak’ah prayer after it. He did not salute after the second rak’ahs." (Zaylai, Nasbur-Raya, II, 206)
The Prophet gives the following glad tiding about the sunnah and nafilah prayers outside the fard and wajib prayers:
“The first thing about which a slave will be called to account on the Day of Judgment is prayer. If it is complete, he is successful and saved. Otherwise, Allah will say to the angels, ‘See if there are any supererogatory prayers of him.’ If there are supererogatory prayers, the deficiencies of fard prayers will be completed by them. Then, the rest of his deeds will be treated like that” (Abu Dawud, Salah, 151; Tirmidhi, Salah, 193)
Questions on Islam
- Is there a hadith about performing the first sunnah of the Friday prayer?
- Is it permissible to perform only the fards of the daily prayers and to abandon the sunnahs?
- Why do we need to read Subhanaka supplication when we stand up for the third rak’ah after the first sitting when we perform the sunnah prayers of the afternoon (asr) and night (isha) prayers?
- What should a person who forgets the number of rak’ahs he has performed or who makes a mistake about rak’ahs do?
- What should a person who forgot what rak’ah he was performing in a prayer do?
- Is it permissible to perform the last sunnahs of the noon and night prayers as four rak’ahs?
- Is it permissible to perform the sunnah prayers of the afternoon and night prayers as two rak’ahs?
- Are the last sunnahs of the noon, evening and night prayers, which are sunnah muakkadah, be performed as four rak’ahs? Is there a hadith about it?
- What are the hadiths related to sunnah/nafilah prayers and their virtues?
- If a musafir (traveler) who follows an imam who is a resident exits prayer by saluting after the second rak’ah though he has to perform four rak’ahs, is his prayer valid?
