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ASunnah prayer (Arabic:صلاة السنة,romanized: Salāt as-Sunnah) is a type of optional or non-obligatory ritual prayer performed byMuslims in addition to thefive daily obligatory prayers. These prayers are associated with the practices of the Islamic ProphetMuhammad and are considered commendable.
Sunnah prayers vary in form and timing: some are performed in connection with the daily obligatory prayers, others at specific times, such as late at night, or on particular occasions, such as during drought (Salat al-Istisqa).[1] Certain Sunnah prayers have distinct names, such asTahajjud, while others are identified by their position relative to an obligatory prayer, for example, “four units beforeDhuhr and two after.”[2] The number of units (Rak'a) in Sunnah prayers may differ depending on the prayer.[3][4]
While thefive daily salah arefard (obligatory), Sunnah prayer and other sunnah practices are consideredMustahabb (encouraged), performing is believed to earn spiritual reward (Thawab), whereas neglecting them does not incur punishment.
Sohaib Sultan states that thesteps for Sunnah prayer (Takbir, al-Fatihah, etc.) are exactly the same as for five daily obligatory (fard) prayers, but varying depending on the prayer are the number ofrakat[5] (alsorakʿah (Arabic:ركعةrakʿah,pronounced[ˈrakʕah]; plural:ركعاتrakaʿāt), which is a unit of prayer.
Tahajjud,Witr,[6] andTarawih are night prayers,Tarawih is only done duringRamadan. (see below)
Salat ul istasqa is a prayer to ask God for rain.Kusuf is done during a solar eclipse;Khusuf during a lunar eclipse. (see below)
According toSohaib Sultan, the Islamic prophet Muhammad performed Sunnah prayer "before and/or after every obligatory prayer" to gain more blessings and benefits fromAllah.[5] Examples of theseSunnah mu’akkadah or "confirmed" sunnah prayer, as established in theHanafi school of fiqh, (according to Faraz Rabbani) include:
These sunnah prayers don't have a special name; however, some Muslims call these prayersRawatib Prayers (Sholat Sunnah Rawatib in Bahasa). Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha are all names of compulsory prayers. Arakat—alsorakʿah (Arabic:ركعةrakʿah,pronounced[ˈrakʕah]; plural:ركعاتrakaʿāt) -- is the movement from standing, to bowing on the floor, to standing again, that is part of every salat prayer.[8]
Another division between non-obligatory prayers is whether they are "confirmed" or "unconfirmed":
These two kinds of prayer have "different terminology and rulings".
(When the prayers duplicate the confirmed sunnahs mentioned above they can be included with the confirmed sunnah prayers or not.)[7]
Sunnah prayer is not to be confused with Sunnahsof prayer. Not only are there obligatory and optionaltypes of prayer, but obligatory and optionalparts (words and actions) of a prayer (at least for conservative Salafi Muslims such asMuhammad Salih al-Munajjid).[11]
Examples of obligatory and "pillar" words and actions include:
i. Standing during obligatory prayers if one is able to do so;
ii. The opening takbeer, i.e. saying “Allaahu akbar”;
iii. Reciting al-Faatihah at the beginning of the rakat
Examples of sunnah words and actions include:
i. Saying after the opening takbeer, “Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bi hamdika, wa tabaaraka ismuka, wa ta’aala jadduka wa laa ilaaha ghayruka (Glory and praise be to You, O Allaah; blessed be Your name, exalted be Your Majesty, and there is no god but You).” This is called du’aa’ al-istiftaah (opening du’aa’)
ii. Seeking refuge with Allaah
iii. Saying Bismillaah
iv. Saying Ameen
Tahajjud (Arabic:صلاة التهجد) prayer is performed at night time, and it is recommended that it be performed after first going to sleep for a part of the night. Scholars have different opinions about whether sleeping first is absolutely required or not. InSaudi Arabia during the fasting month ofRamadan, there are many people who leave theTarawih prayers in the mainmasjid in a hurry so that they can go home, go to sleep, and then wake up to perform their Tahajjud prayers in the early morning. Others simply stay in the mosque and perform these optional prayers before going home.
The time for the Tahajjud prayers falls between the prayer times of theisha'a prayers and thefajr prayers. It is also recommended that the prayers be done in the last third of the night. Muslims believe that the reward is greater for those who do this prayer at a later time. (It is harder to wake up and pray early in the morning, making the person's effort greater, resulting in a greater reward fromGod.)
Each prayer for aMuslim is made up of repeated actions and at least onerakat. The Tahajjud prayer consists of a minimum of one rakat and a maximum number of 11. Some say 13 but any number more than 13 is a bidah (Innovation); for there is no hadeeth; that is saheeh (strong) showing that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) Muhammad exceeding more than 13 rakats (according to Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazee)[12]
Ahadith attributed toAisha reports:[13]
It is recommended that tahajjud be prayed during the last third of the night, but performing it at any other time is better than not performing it at all.
Tarawih (Arabic:صلاة التراويح) is a sunnah muakada night prayer during Ramadan.[14] It is prayer that is only done during theMuslim fasting month ofRamadan. It can be done alone, in a group, at home, or in a mosque or other public meeting area it does not matter. Typically, Muslims gather together and perform tarawih as a group, often amongst extended family members in one large house. Others may meet in their localmosque, a meeting hall, or even in an outdoor field. Depending on the country, the tarawih prayers might be done in mosque by men only, or by a mixture of men and women (although physically separated from each other). The number of rakat of Tarawih salah is Twenty. Muhammad was afraid that if he continued to perform the prayers in the mosque, then his followers might come to think that they were compulsory and not optional.[citation needed]
After Muhammad, Taraweeh was still prayed by 20 rakats. The issue that people make that he prayed 8 is about Tahajjud (salah ). In the main mosque in Mecca, theImam (prayer leader) performs twenty rakat and then you pray your ishawitr prayers. The total number of people joining thetarawih prayers in the main mosque in Mecca may reach 3-4 million. They fill up all levels inside themosque, the flat roof, outside in the courtyard, some nearby streets (which are closed off), and on occasions even using up space in the lobbies of some nearby hotels.[citation needed]
It is also customary for the Imam in any mosque to recite the entire contents of theQur'an during the fasting month by reading approximately one section per day. This practice of reading the Qur'an completely is known askhatm (complete recitation).
Tahiyyatul Masjid (lit. 'greeting the mosque') is a Sunnah prayer which is performed after entering themosque, preferably before sitting down.[15]
Abu Qatadah narrated that the Prophet said: "If any one of you enters a mosque, he should pray two cycles before sitting down."
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(June 2008) |
Salat ul istasqa (Arabic:صلاة الإستسقاء) is a prayer to ask Allah for rain. It consists of tworakat. According toIbn Qudaamah said "Prayer for rain is a confirmed Sunnah, proven by the practice of the Messenger of Allah ... and of his successors."
The imam prays, with the followers, two rakat during any time except those times in which it is not desirable to pray. In the first rakat, the imam recites Sura Al-A'la after SuraAl-Fatiha. And in the second rakat, he reads Sura Al-Ghashiyah after Al-Fatihah, and he delivers a khutbah before or after the salah. As soon as he finishes the khutbah (sermon), people face the qiblah (direction of prayer) and supplicate to Allah. It was first introduced inMedina in the month of Ramadan of 6th Hijrah.[16][17]
There are a number of hadith of Muhammad talking about praying for rain. Ash-Shaf'i states that it has been related from Salim ibn 'Abdullah, on the authority of his father that Muhammad would say for ishsqa':
"O Allah, give us a saving rain, productive, plentiful, general, continuous. O Allah, give us rain and do not make us among the despondent. O Allah, (Your) slaves, land, animals, and (Your) creation all are suffering and seek protection. And we do not complain except to You. O Allah, let our crops grow, and let the udders be refilled. Give us from the blessings of the sky and grow for us from the blessings of the earth. O Allah, remove from us the hardship, starvation, and barrenness and remove the affliction from us as no one removes afflictions save Thee. O Allah, we seek Your forgiveness as You are the Forgiving, and send upon us plenteous rains." Ash-Shaf'i said: "I prefer that the imam would supplicate with that (prayer)."[18]
Sa'd reported that for ishsqa', Muhammad would supplicate: "O Allah, let us be covered with thick clouds that have abundant and beneficial rain, frequently making a light rain upon us and sprinkling upon us with lightning. O Allah, You are full of majesty, bounty and Honour." This is related by Abu 'Awanah in his Sahih.[18]
'Amr ibn Shuaib relates from his father, on the authority of his grandfather, that for istisqa', Muhammad would say: "O Allah, provide water for Your slaves and Your cattle, display Your mercy and give life to Your dead lands." This is related by Abu Dawud.[18]
It is preferred for the one who is making this supplication to raise his hands with the back of his hands toward the sky. Muslim records from Anas that Muhammad would point with the back of his hands during ishsqa.[18]
It is also preferred, upon seeing the rain, to say: "O Allah, make it a beneficial rain", and he should uncover part of his body to the rain. On the other hand, if one fears that there is too much rain, one should say: "O Allah give us mercy and do not give us punishment, calamities, destruction or flooding. O Allah, make it upon the woods, farms and trees. Make it around us and not upon us."
| This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(June 2008) |
Ṣalātul-Kusūf (Arabic:صَلَاةُ ٱلْكُسُوْف) is a prayer offered during asolar eclipse, andṢalātul-Khusūf (Arabic:صَلَاةُ ٱلْخُسُوْف) is performed during alunar eclipse. They are both Nafl (non-obligatory) with two rakat prayers that should be performed by the Muslim community in congregation.[19][20]
Two or four Rakat (Units) of Khusuf salah are offered in a Jama'ah (Group) or individually, with individual prayers preferred.[21] Neither Adhan (Call for Prayers) nor Iqamah (Second Call for Prayers) is called for Khusuf salah. Recitation of the Quran during Khusuf salah can be done either silently or loudly.
During the time of Muhammad, there was asolar eclipse. People hurried to link this to a worldly event, namely, the death of Muhammad's son,Ibrahim. Muhammad explained the truth of this matter to them. In his Sahih (authentic hadith),Imam Muslim reported that`A'ishah (rali) said:
There was a solar eclipse in the time of the Messenger of Allah. He stood up to pray and prolonged his standing very much. He then bowed and prolonged very much his bowing. He then raised his head and prolonged his standing much, but it was less than the (duration) of the first standing. He then bowed and prolonged his bowing much, but it was less than the duration of his first bowing. He then prostrated and then stood up and prolonged the standing, but it was less than the first standing. He then bowed and prolonged his bowing, but it was less than the first bowing. He then lifted his head and then stood up and prolonged his standing, but it was less than the first standing. He then bowed and prolonged bowing, and it was less than the first bowing. He then prostrated himself; then he turned about, and the sun had become bright, and he addressed the people. He praised Allah and lauded Him and said: "The sun and the moon are two signs of Allah; they are not eclipsed on account of anyone's death or on account of anyone's birth. So when you see them, glorify and supplicate Allah, observe the Prayer, give alms. O Ummah of Muhammad, none is more indignant than Allah when His servant or maid commits fornication. O people of Muhammad, by Allah, if you knew what I know, you would weep much and laugh little. O Allah, witness, I informed them."[22]
TheDuha prayer (Arabic: صَلَاة الضحى,Ṣalāt aḍ-Ḍuḥā) is thevoluntary Islamic prayer between the obligatory Islamic prayers ofFajr andDhuhr. The time for this prayer begins when the sun has risen to the height of a spear, which is fifteen or twenty minutes after sunrise until just before the sun passes its zenith (after which the time for thedhuhr prayer begins).
Salat al-Istikhaara (Arabic: صلاة الاستخارة), which translates as Prayer of Seeking Counsel, is a prayer recited byMuslims who seek guidance fromGod when facing a decision in their life. The prayer, known assalah in Arabic is performed in two units of prayer orraka'ah followed by thesupplication ofSalat al-Istikhaara. It was revealed as a permissible substitute ofbelomancy, which is illegal in Islam, and was common in pre-Islamic Arabia.
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