Is hell rendered forbidden (haram) to those who perform the last sunnah of the noon prayer as four rak'ahs?
Is hell rendered forbidden to him who performs the last sunnah of the noon prayer as 4 rak'ahs?
Is hell rendered forbidden to him who performs it only once, or to him who performs it regularly until he dies?
Dear Brother / Sister,
The meaning of the hadith in question is as follows:
"Whoever continues to pray four rak'ahs before and after the noon prayer (that person) becomes forbidden to hell fire." (Abu Dawud Tatawwu' 7; Ibn Majah, Iqamah 105; Tirmidhi, Mawaqit, 200, 198; Nasai, Qiyamul-Layl 67, 56)
The word we translate as "continues" lexically means "to inspect", but it means to take care of the fulfillment of a deed of worship as a shari’ah term, by constantly obeying its parts, conditions, wajibs and sunnahs.
The definite article “al” at the beginning of the word “nar” (“fire”) indicates that what is meant by the fire is the hell fire. Therefore, we translated it as hell fire because that is the meaning of it in shari’ah. As a matter of fact, it is used in the same sense in the following verse: “Burnt soon will he be in a Fire of Blazing Flame.” (al-Masadd 111/3)
The term "to be forbidden to fire" is an allusion in the meaning of "getting rid of fire".
However, it is possible that it was used in the lexical meaning of "not to be thrown into hell".
In conclusion, the meaning to be understood from the text is as follows:
"Whoever performs a prayer of four rak'ahs before the fard of the noon prayer in accordance with all parts and manners of it and continues to perform the last sunnah as four rak’ahs by adding two more rak'ahs to it, Allah will save his body from the fire of Hell or forbid him from being thrown into hell."
However, as it is known, the first four rak'ahs performed before the fard of the noon prayer are performed with a single salutation. It is appropriate to perform the four rak'ahs after the fard of the noon prayer with a single salutation, but it is better to perform it with two salutations as two plus two rak’ahs because the first two rak’ahs are sunnah al-muakkada. The last two are sunnah ghayr muakkada.
"How is it possible for a person who cannot stay away from major sins to get rid of the fire by praying four rak'ahs before and after the noon prayer though he commits so many sins?" If such a question comes to mind, it can be answered as follows:
The phrase "getting rid of fire” here can mean “to be saved from remaining in hell forever".
It can also be said that it means it is a glad tiding that those who continue these prayers will die as believers and that they will be saved from remaining eternally in hell thanks to this belief. (Imam Birghiwi, Sharhul-Ahadithil-Arbain, 144-146)
Questions on Islam
- 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?
- Is it permissible to perform the last sunnahs of the noon and night prayers as four 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?
- Is it permissible to perform only the fards of the daily prayers and to abandon the sunnahs?
- What are the hadiths related to sunnah/nafilah prayers and their virtues?
- Is it permissible not to perform the sunnah prayers? We are sometimes very tired. They say the Prophet (pbuh) sometimes abandoned the sunnahs of the afternoon and night prayers. Is it true? How often did he abandon them?
- Are sunnah prayers to be performed as two rak’ahs?
- Is it permissible to perform the sunnah prayers of the afternoon and night prayers as two rak’ahs?
- Is it permissible for a person who is performing a fard or sunnah prayer individually to stop performing that prayer in order to catch up with the congregation?
- Why do we read Salli and Barik supplications in the first sitting of the first sunnah prayers of the afternoon and night prayers?
