Is it sunnah to abandon ghayr-muakkadah sunnahs deliberately?

The Details of the Question

Is it sunnah to abandon ghayr-muakkadah sunnahs deliberately?

The Answer

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is not said "it is sunnah to abandon"; it is said, "it is sunnah to perform them from time to time". That is, a person cannot expect thawab of sunnah because he abandons them.

Ghayr-muakkadah sunnahs are the deeds that the Prophet (pbuh) sometimes did and sometimes abandoned. One gains thawabs when he fulfills those sunnahs but when he abandons them, he is not punished, condemned or scolded. (Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjani, at-Ta'rifat, Beirut 1403/1983, p. 122; Ibn Nujaym, al-Bahrur-Raiq, Cairo 1311, I, 17-18)

The first sunnahs of the night (isha) and afternoon (asr) prayers are sunnah ghayr-muakkadah. Zawaid sunnahs that are related to the dressing, sitting, combing hair, wearing shoes, etc. of the Prophet (pbuh) are included in this category. (Ibn Abidin, Raddu-Muhtar, Cairo 1272-1324, I, 321)

(Şamil İ.A., item Sünnet-i Müekkede)

Questions on Islam

Was this answer helpful?
In order to make a comment, please login or register