Which one is more virtuous: 10 rak’ahs in 10 minutes or 2 rak’ahs in 10 minutes?

- Is the night prayer (isha) of 10 rak’ahs (together with the sunnah prayers) performed in 15 minutes more virtuous or 4 rak’ahs of the fard prayer performed in 15 minutes?

Dear Brother / Sister,

There is no doubt that a prayer performed with tadil al-arkan is more virtuous than a prayer performed without tadil al-arkan.

- The time differences in the question indicates tadil al-arkan. That is, a prayer of two rak’ahs whose qiraah, ruku’, sajdah and other fards and sunnahs are performed in khushu is more virtuous than a 20-rak’ah prayer performed heedlessly. For, as it is stated in the chapter of al-Mulk (67/2), quality, rather than quantity, is essential in the eye of Allah. The quality of the prayer is more important than the number of rak’ahs.

- However, one should not make the following mistake: “I will not perform sunnah prayers; instead, I will pray fard prayers properly.”

Nevertheless, there are definitely some occasions where it is better to perform only the fard prayers by skipping the sunnah prayers based on time and place. For instance, if your plane is to leave in 20 minutes, we think it is better to perform the fard of the noon prayer in 10 minutes instead of performing 10 rak’ahs together with the sunnahs in 10 minutes because the importance of prayers is proportionate to the connection with Allah.

If the acts of prayer done accompanied by expressions of glorification, exaltation and sanctification do not deal with the same theme, the khushu’, khudu’ and peace of the prayer will be harmed. Fards are more important. The issue of “important-more important” is significant.

The following statement of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi sheds light on the issue:

“Some of those who are excessively bigoted concerning the Sufi path oppose the practices of the Prophet (UWBP) and give them up because of their preference for the customs, conduct, and recitations of the Sufi way, which they never give up. In this way, they become slack in practising the conduct of the Shari‘a, and fall into that abyss.” (Mektubat, p. 454)

Similarly, it is also a danger to abandon the fards, wajibs, sunnahs and manners of fard prayers for “rawatib sunnahs”.

Some people do not join the congregation in order to perform the sunnah prayer though a fard prayer is performed in congregation; thus, he becomes deprived of the thawab of congregation. In fact, the thawab of a prayer performed in congregation is 27 times more than a prayer performed individually. That is, a person gets thawabs as if he has performed 27 fard prayers.

Since every fard is equal to many sunnahs, it does not fit a conscious believer not to see how harmful that wrong deed is. Besides, it is possible to perform sunnah muakkadah prayers after the fard prayer too.

What is ideal is to perform both fard prayers and sunnah prayers with tadil al-arkan.

Questions on Islam