Is it permissible to perform the sunnah prayers of the afternoon and night prayers as two rak’ahs?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Sunnah Ghayr Muakkadah Prayers:

1. The four-rak’ah prayer performed with one salutation before the fard of the afternoon prayer. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following about this prayer:

"May Allah have mercy on a person who performs a prayer of four rak’ahs before the fard of the afternoon prayer!" (Tirmidhi, Salah, 301)

2. The four-rak’ah prayer performed before the fard of the night prayer:

"The Prophet performed a prayer of four rak’ahs before the fard of the night prayer." (Zaylai, ibid, II/145, etc.; ash-Shawkani, ibid, III/18)

There are also narrations showing that the Prophet (pbuh) performed the sunnah of the afternoon prayer as two rak’ahs. According to the narration of Nasai from Hz. Ali,

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) performed a prayer of two rak’ahs before the fard of the afternoon prayer.”

According to those hadiths, it is mandub to perform four rak’ahs before the afternoon and night prayers. It is a deed of worship with great thawabs and virtues. Imam Muhammad regards the sunnah prayers to be performed before the afternoon and night prayers as two or four rak’ahs. That is, the sunnah of the afternoon prayer can be performed as two rak’ahs too. However, the other imams of Hanafi madhhab regard performing it as four rak’ahs better.  

According to what is written in the fiqh book called Muhit, the Prophet (pbuh) performed the sunnah of the afternoon prayer and the night prayer sometimes as four rak’ahs and sometimes as two rak’ahs.

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