Is it necessary to perform nafilah worshipping secretly? Is it better to perform nafilah prayers at home or in the mosque?

There are some people who say nafilah prayers need to be performed at home and that it can be show off (hypocrisy) if they are performed in the mosque. However, in the mosques, 1. everybody performs Sunnah prayers; 2. some people read the Quran; 3. some people say kalima at-tawhid and other tasbihat; 4. some people perform awwabin prayer. Are all of them regarded as show off since all actions are based on intentions and if they are done for the sake of Allah though others see them as insincere? Can nafilah deeds of worshipping be performed in the mosque?

Dear Brother / Sister,

If a person does a deed of worshipping that he does not generally perform just to show it to others, not for Allah’s sake and for an interest is called hypocrisy (show off). A person who worships for Allah’s sake does not commit hypocrisy. For, he does not do it for a worldly interest.

Besides, thoughts like that coming to your mind are delusions of Satan. It is not appropriate to abandon worshipping by taking them into consideration.

All kinds of nafilah deeds of worshipping can be performed in the mosque. Hypocrisy is not necessarily in question in them. However, we are advised to perform them secretly in case hypocrisy occurs.

In our age, sunnahs have started to be forgotten; therefore, it is better to perform them openly than secretly. For, those deeds of worshipping have started to be forgotten. There is no drawback to performing those sunnahs, which have started to be forgotten, openly in order to spread them among Muslims. If you ask, "What is Awwabin prayer?", very few people know about it. Let alone performing it, there are a lot of Muslims who have never heard of it.

Everybody knows in his conscience whether hypocrisy is involved in his worshipping. If hypocrisy is involved, it is better for him to perform it secretly. However, it is necessary not to be very scrupulous about it. For, Satan suggests man that his worshipping includes hypocrisy by causing delusions in order to drive him away from worshipping. It is necessary not to be deceived by the delusions of Satan.

Questions on Islam