Sunnah Prayers
Know Nafl Muqayyad and Nafl Mutlaq
Times where praying Two Rak’a is Sunnah
Types of Nafl Salaat recommended to pray in Jama’a
Sunnah Prayers (الصَّلَواتُ المسنُونة)
Sunnah Prayers
Praying Sunnah prayers (صَلاَة النَّفْل) is the best of all Sunnah actions. They are voluntary prayers that if a believer did any one of them he will get abundant reward from Allah. One who misses Sunnah prayers is really losing a great opportunity to gain rewards.
Fard prayer has seventy times more rewards than Sunnah prayers.
Nafl (Sunnah) prayers are of two types: نَفْل مُطْلَق and نَفْل مُقَيَّد
Nafl Mutlaq
نَفْل مُطْلَق is general type of Sunnah Salaat that are not related to any specific time or reason. نَفْل مُقَيَّد is strictly tied either to a time or to a reason.
نَفْل مُطْلَق could be performed any time other than five non-recommended (الأوْقَات المَكْرُوهَة) times. The minimum is to pray One Rak’a prayer. There is no limit for its maximum number. However, the best practice is to say Salam after each two Rak’a. Praying مُطْلَق in Jama’a (جَمَاعَة) is not recommended.
Nafl Muqayyad
نَفْل مُقَيَّد has two types:
Those Salaat which are recommended to pray in Jama’a
- Those Salaat which are not recommended to pray in Jama’a
Salaat which are recommended to pray in Jama’a - Two Eid Prayers (صَلاَةُ العِيدَيْن).
- Two eclipse Prayers (صَلاةُ الكُسُوفَين).
- Rain Seeking Prayer (صَلاَةُ الاِسْتِسْقَاء).
- Taraweeh Prayer (صَلاةُ التَّرَاوِيح).
- Witr prayer (صَلاَةُ الوِتْر) in Ramadan.
Salaat which are not recommended to pray in Jama’a - Rawatib prayer (الروَاتِب).
- Dhuha prayer (صَلاَةُ الضُّحَى).
- Tahiyyat Prayer (صَلاَة التَّحِيَّة).
- Istikhara prayer (صَلاَةُ الاسْتِخَارَة).
- Awwabeen Prayer (صَلاَةُ الأَوَّابِين).
- Tahajjud prayer (صَلاَة التَّهَجُّد).
Before the following things, it is Sunnah to pray two Rak’a prayer - Ihram. (الإحْرَام)
- Travel.
- Nikaah (النِّكَاح)
- Requesting for a need (صَلاَةُ الحَاجَة).
- Going out from the house.
After the following things, it is Sunnah to pray two Rak’a prayer - Tawaf (طواف).
- Wudu (الوضُوء).
- Quran memorization (الحفظ).
- Sunrise.
- Traveler arriving the destination.
- Traveler arriving home.
- Entering house.
- Exiting from toilet.
- Mid-day (الزوال).
- On wedding night after the consummating.
This is excerpts from the book Salaat (Brief rulings of Prayer in Shafi Madh’hab) by Abdu Shaheed Azhary. To download the full chapter click the below link. To support us, please consider acquiring the digital copy of the book from Amazon