Nafl prayer

Optional Islamic prayers

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

This article uses texts from within a religion or faith system without referring to secondary sources that critically analyse them. Please help improve this article. (February 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Nafl prayer" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article has an unclear citation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation and footnoting. (May 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

Part of a series on

Islamic jurisprudence
(fiqh)

Ritual

|  Shahada

Salah

* Raka'ah
* Qibla
* Turbah

* Sunnah prayer

* (Tarawih
* Tahajjud)

* Witr
* Nafl prayer

Sawm
Zakat
Hajj

* Ihram (clothing
* Mut'ah)
* Tawaf
* Umrah (and Hajj)

Political

* Islamic leadership

* Caliphate
* Majlis-ash-Shura
* Imamate
* Wilayat al-faqih
* Bay'ah
* Dhimmi
* Aman

Family

|  Marriage

* Contract
* Mahr

* Misyar
* Halala
* Urfi
* Mut‘ah

* Polygyny
* Divorce
* Khula
* Zihar
* Iddah
* Kafa'ah

* Adoption
* Breastfeeding

Sexual

* Awrah
* Abortion
* Baligh
* Haya
* Hygiene
* Rape
* Zina
* Masturbation

Criminal

* Hudud
* Blasphemy
* Maisir  (gambling)
* Zina  (illicit sex)
* Hirabah  (unlawful warfare and banditry)
* Fasad  ("mischief")
* Mofsed-e-filarz  ("spreading corruption")
* Fitna  ("sedition")
* Rajm  (stoning)

* Tazir  (discretionary)
* Qisas  (retaliation)
* Diya  (compensation)

Etiquette

* Adab
* Gender segregation (Purdah)
* Mahram
* Honorifics
* Toilet

Economic

|  History

Zakat

* Jizya
* Nisab
* Khums
* Sadaqah (Waqf)

* Bayt al-mal

Banking

* Riba
* Murabaha
* Takaful
* Sukuk

Inheritance

Hygiene

* Sexual
* Toilet
* Taharah
* Ihram
* Wudu
* Masah
* Ghusl
* Tayammum
* Miswak
* Najis
* Istinja

Dietary

* Dhabihah
* Alcohol
* Pork

* Comparison with kashrut

Military

* Jihad
* Ghanimah
* Hudna
* Istijarah (asylum)
* Prisoners of war

Social

* Haqq al-Nas (The right(s) of the people)

Islamic studies

* v
* t
* e

In Islam, a Nafl Prayer, (pl. nawafil) (Arabic: صلاة النفل, ṣalāt al-nafl) or optional prayer, is a type of a non-obligatory prayer. They are believed to give extra reward to the person performing them, similar to sunnah prayers.

According to the following tradition (hadith), performing nafl prayers help one to draw closer to Allah and attain success in the afterlife:

> Rabi'ah ibn Malik al-Aslami narrated that the Prophet said: "Ask."

> Rabi'ah said: "I ask of you to be your companion in Paradise."

> The Prophet said: "Or anything else?"

> Rabi'ah said: "That is it."

> The Prophet said: "Then help me by making many prostrations (i.e., nafl prayers)."[1]

## Tahiyyat al Masjid

[edit]

Tahiyyat al-masjid (lit., "greeting the mosque") is a Nafl prayer which is performed after entering the mosque, preferably before sitting down.

> Abu Qatadah narrated that the Prophet said: "If any one of you enters a mosque, he should pray two cycles before sitting down."

## Tahiyyat al Wudu

[edit]

Tahiyyat al-wudu (lit., "greeting the ablution") is a nafl prayer which is performed after completing ablution (wudu). It is a minimum of two cycles.[2]

> Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said to Bilal ibn Rabah: "O Bilal, tell me about the most hopeful act (for reward) which you have done since your acceptance of Islam, because I heard the sound of the steps of your shoes in front of me in Paradise." Bilal replied: "I do not consider any act more hopeful than that whenever I perform ablution at any time of the night or day, I offer prayer for as long as was destined for me to offer."[3]

## Ishraaq/Duha/Chasht Prayer

[edit]

Main article: Duha

The time for the Ishraq prayer begins fifteen to twenty minutes after sunrise and consists of two Raka'ahs.[4] Praying ishraq is considered to yield greater rewards than performing the lesser Umrah according to some traditions.[5] According to majority of scholars of Hadith and Fiqh, Duha Prayer and Al-Ishraq Prayer are all names of the same salah (ritual prayer). It is a recommended prayer without any fixed number of raka'ahs, and its time proper starts approximately fifteen minutes after sunrise and extends up to the time of the declining of the sun from the meridian.[citation needed]

Duha prayer begins after sunrise and ends at meridian, and is generally thought to include at least two raka'ahs, though in some traditions the number is four or even twelve.[6][7][8][9][10][citation needed] According to the Sunni thought, performing this prayer is believed to be effective in seeking forgiveness for one's sins.[11]

The Ishraq - Duha - Chasht prayer begins when the sun rises a quarter in the morning, and it ends before the time of Dhuhr prayer (i.e. obligatory prayer). It has been said that the one who performs chasht nafls, has a reward of 1 castle of Gold in Jannah. i.e. 1 Chasht prayer = 1 gold castle. Fatima used to be regular in this supererogatory prayer. The supererogatory morning prayer has been narrated from Muhammad, through paths that have reached mass-narration levels – from 19 to over 30 companions – according to Imam al-Tabari, al-`Ayni in `Umdat al-Qari, al-Haytami, al-Munawi, and al-Qari in Sharh al-Shama'il, Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, al-Kattani in Nazm al-Mutanathir, and as per the monographs compiled by al-Hakim and al-Suyuti as well as the recensions of Abu Zur`a al-`Iraqi in Tarh al-Tathrib, Ibn al-Qayyim in Zad al-Ma`ad, and al-Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar. According to the vast majority of the Ulema of the Salaf and Khalaf it is a desirable and recommended prayer.[citation needed]

## Awabeen Prayer

[edit]

Salat al-Awwabin - is the "prayer of the Oft-Returning" as specified by Muhammad and is offered between Maghrib prayer and Isha prayer. However, many scholars say the there are no sahih hadiths confirming that Salat al-Awwabin is to be prayed between Maghrib and Isha prayers and they are of the opinion that, in fact, it is the same prayer as Duha.

## Four Rak'aah Sunnah of Dhuhr

[edit]

Muhammad is reported to have said that whoever performs the four rakaats before or after the Dhuhr prayer with constancy, God makes the fire of Hell haram (forbidden) for him. [Mishkat,(Hasan-Chain) p. 104; Tirmizi, Abu Da'ud, Nisai 1814, Ibn Majah]

Muhammad is reported to have said that after the worshipper prays the four rakaats of Dhuhr salah, the doors of heaven are opened, i.e. the salah becomes accepted by God, and the cause of its acceptance comes down on the worshipper as rays of mercy. [Mishkat, p. 104]

'Aishah, the wife of Muhammad: The Prophet (ﷺ) never omitted four rak'ahs before the noon (Dhuhr) prayer, and two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer. (Abi Dawud - 1253)

## Four Rak'aah Sunnah of Asr

[edit]

Muhammad said: "May Allah have mercy on the one who offers four (rak'ahs) before 'Asr prayer." (Abu Dawud - 1273)

Muhammad said: "May Allah have mercy upon a man who prays four (rak'ahs) before Al-Asr." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi - 430)

## Two Rak'aah Sunnah of Maghrib

[edit]

Before prayer

Muhammad said: "Pray before Maghrib, pray before Maghrib" then he said at the third time, "Whoever wishes (to)". He said so, because he did not like the people to take it as a Sunnah. (Bukhari - 1183)[12]

After prayer

Muhammad said: "Whoever persists in performing twelve Rak’ah from the Sunnah, a house will be built for him in Paradise: four before the Zuhr, two Rak’ah after Zuhr, two Rak’ah after Maghrib, two Rak’ah after the ‘Isha’ and two Rak’ah before Fajr." (Sunan Ibn Majah - 1140)

## Two Rak'aah Sunnah of Isha

[edit]

After prayer

"I memorized from the Prophet (ﷺ) ten (voluntary) Rak'at - two Rak'at before the Dhuhr prayer and two after it; two Rak'at after Maghrib prayer in his house, and two Rak'at after 'Isha' prayer in his house, and two Rak'at before the Fajr prayer. " (Bukhari - 1180) (Muslim - 729)

## Forbidden times to pray

[edit]

According to some traditions, Muhammad forbade praying at certain times of the day in order to differentiate Muslims from the polytheists who worshipped during these times.

The different schools of thought (madhhabs) differ on these times. Below is a summary of their views.

The Hanafi school of thought

1. When the sun begins to rise until it completely rises.
2. When the sun is at the zenith.
3. When the sun turns pale until it completely sets (with the exception of the Asr prayer if one has not prayed it).

The Hanafi school forbids any type of prayer at these times, whether obligatory or voluntary. However, the other schools allow making up missed obligatory prayers at any time.

The Maliki school of thought

1. When the sun begins to rise until it completely rises.
2. When the sun is at its zenith.
3. When the sun begins to set until it completely sets.

The Shafi'i school of thought

1. After praying the Fajr prayer until the sun completely rises.
2. When the sun is at the zenith.
3. After praying the Asr prayer until the sun completely sets.

The Shafi'i school allows for any prayer to be performed at any time if it is due to a legislated reason, such as making up a missed prayer, praying to greet the mosque, praying after completing ablution, etc. This is also one opinion in the Hanbali school.

The Hanbali school of thought

1. After the break of dawn until the sun completely rises.
2. When the sun is at the zenith.
3. After praying the Asr prayer until the sun completely sets.

[13][14][15]

## See also

[edit]

* Sunnah salah
* Ghufayla Prayer
* Jumu'ah Salah

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hadith - The Book of Prayer - Bulugh al-Maram - Sunnah.Com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم), sunnah.com/bulugh/2/253. Accessed 2 Sept. 2023.
2. ^ Shabbir, Yusuf. “What Is the Ruling and Virtue of Performing Tahiyyatul Wudhu?” IslamQA, 5 Aug. 2019, islamqa.org/hanafi/islamicportal/118193/what-is-the-ruling-and-virtue-of-performing-tahiyyatul-wudhu/. /
3. ^ Sahih Al-Bukhari 1149 - Prayer at Night (Tahajjud) - كتاب التهجد - Sunnah.Com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم), sunnah.com, sunnah.com/bukhari:1149. Accessed 2 Sept. 2023.
4. ^ Mohammad, Mamdouh N. (2003). Salat: The Islamic Prayer from A to Z. Dr Mahmdouh N Mohammad. p. 14\. ISBN 978-0-9652877-4-6.
5. ^ Targhib p. 427. vol. I ref. Abu Yate ba Isnad-e-Sahib
6. ^ Al-Sunan al-Sughra #1,659
7. ^ Sahih Muslim #1,175
8. ^ Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal #23,317
9. ^ Sunan Ibn Majah #1,371
10. ^ Mishkaat pg.116
11. ^ Sunan al-Tirmidhi #438
12. ^ Fiqh Us Sunnah
13. ^ "Times when prayer is forbidden - Fiqh". 23 July 2021.
14. ^ فتح الباري. Archived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
15. ^ نهاية المحتاج Archived 2016-10-25 at the Wayback Machine

* v
* t
* e

Salah (Islamic prayer)

Islamic prayers \- Prayer compensation \- Woman prayer

Categories and types|

| Regular mandatory prayers|

* Fajr (Fajr nafl prayer, Qunut)
* Zuhr
* Asr
* Maghrib
* Isha (Chafa'a, Witr)
* Jumu'ah (weekly Friday prayer)

|

Communal mandatory prayers|

* Salat al-Janazah
* Prayers for the absent
* Eid prayers (according to some Islamic scholars)

Congregational prayers|

* Jumu'ah
* Tarawih
* Eid prayers
* Rain prayer
* Eclipse prayer

Supererogatory prayers|

* Prayers of the tradition
* Voluntary prayers
* Duha
* Ishraq
* Tahajjud
* Night nafl prayer [ar]
* Tarawih
* Tawassul
* Chafa'a
* Witr
* Tahiyyat masjid [ar]

Occasional prayers|

* Salat al-Istikharah
* Salat al-Tawba
* Sick prayer [ar]
* Need prayer [ar]
* Fear prayer [ar]
* Tasbih prayer [ar]
* Eid prayers
* Tarawih (Ramadan)

Prayer unit (raka'ah) and
its constituents|

* Intention (Niyyah)
* Basmala
* Takbir
* Al-Fatiha
* Standing (Qiyam)
* Recitation
* Qira'at
* Proper pronunciation (Tajwid)
* Tilawa
* Loud prayer [ar]
* Silent prayer [ar]
* Supplication (Qunut)
* Bowing (Ruku)
* Prostration
* Sujud
* Sujud Sahwi
* Sujud Shukr
* Sujud Tilawa
* Sitting in salah (Tashahhud)
* Peace greeting (Taslim)
* Reverence (Khouchouâa [ar])
* Contentment

Mosque|

* Mihrab
* Podium (Minbar)
* Sermon (Khutbah)
* Prayer hall (Musalla)
* Prayer rug (sajjādah)

Conditions|

* Prayer call
* Adhan
* Iqama
* Salah times
* Prayer forbidden times
* Prayer direction (Qibla)
* Islamic hygienical jurisprudence
* Ritual purity in Islam
* Junub
* Menstruation in Islam
* Istihadha
* Najis
* Bath (Ghusl)
* Ablution (Wudu)
* Dry ablution (Tayammum)
* Screen or barrier (Sutrah)

Category

Authority control databases |

* İslâm Ansiklopedisi

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template