10- SUPEREROGATORY PRAYER
SUPEREROGATORY PRAYER
The prayer is the best of the body’s spiritual works (prayer referring to the prescribed prayer, and body excluding worship connected with the heart, such as faith in Allah, which is better than the works of the body), and supererogatory prayers are the best of voluntary spiritual works (0: though scholarly work in Islamic religious knowledge, meaning beyond what is obligatory to ensure the validity of one’s worship, is superior to non-obligatory prayer because it fulfils a communal obligation (fard alkifaya).
Supererogatory prayers that the Sacred Law stipulates be prayed in groups, such as the prayer on the two ‘Eids, the prayer at solar and lunar eclipses, and the drought prayer, are better than those it does not stipulate be prayed in groups, namely, all others besides these. But the Sunna rak’as before and after the prescribed prayers (whether confirmed Sunna (Sunna mu’akkada, def: below) or otherwise) are superior to the group prayer that is Sunna on the nights of Ramadan (tarawih).
THE SUNNA PRAYERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE PRESCRIBED PRAYERS
It is Sunna to diligently perform the non-obligatory prayers that are offered before and after the prescribed ones.
The optimal number of these is two rak’as before the dawn prayer (subh), four before and after the noon prayer (zuhr), four before the mid-afternoon prayer (‘asr), two after the sunset prayer (Maghrib), and two after the nightfall prayer (‘isha).
The confirmed sunnas of these (confirmed (mu’akkada) meaning those which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not omit whether travelling or at home) consist of ten rak’as:
(1) Two before the dawn prayer (subh);
(2) Two before and after the noon prayer (zuhr);
(3) Two after the sunset prayer (Maghrib);
(4) and two after the nightfall prayer (‘isha).
It is recommended to pray two rak’as before the sunset prayer.
The Sunna of the Friday prayer (jumu’a) are the same as those of the noon prayer (zuhr).
The time for the non-obligatory rak’as that come before prescribed prayers is that of the prescribed prayers. It is proper (adab) to pray such a Sunna before the prescribed prayer, though if prayed after it, it is still a current performance (not a makeup. and one must intend it, for example, as the Sunna before noon prayer (zuhr». The time for non-obligatory rak’as that come after the prescribed prayer begins when one has performed the prescribed prayer and ends with the end of the prayer’s time.
WITR (THE FINAL PRAYER AT NIGHT
The minimal performance for witr (lit.”odd number”) is one rak’a (even if one omits the sunnas after the nightfall prayer (‘isha». (A witr of at least three rak’as is obligatory (wajih) in the Hanafi school, and one should never omit it.) The optimal way is to perform eleven rak’as, and (if one performs more than three) one should finish with Salams after every pair. The least considered optimal is three rak’as, (and one separates them by) finishing two times with Salams (i.e. by finishing two rak’as with Salams and then performing the final rak’a). One recites al-A’la (Quran 87) in the first rak’a, al-Kafirun (Quran 109) in the second, and al Ikhlas, al-Falaq, and al-Nas (Quran 112, 113, and 114) in the third.
It is permissible to (n: serially) join all the rak’as of any witr prayer that has from three to eleven rak’as by finishing them once with Salams (in the final rak’a. In that case and also when one’s witr is only a single rak’a, one merely intends witr, whereas in other witrs prayed in pairs (until one reaches the last one), one intends each pair as twa rak’as afwitr).
When joining the rak’as of witr one may limit oneself to a single Testification of Faith (Tashahhud) (in the final rak’a), or may recite two Testifications, one in the last rak’a and one in the next to the last, and to thus recite two Testifications is superior (A: if one separates the final two rak’as from one another by finishing the next to the last rak’a with Salams (N: before praying the final rak’a by itself), for otherwise it is better to recite a single Testification, as making witr resemble the sunset prayer (maghrib) is offensive). More than two Testifications (in a joined witr) invalidates the whole prayer.
The best time for witr is just after the sunna rak’as that follow the nightfall prayer (‘isha), unless one intends to offer the night vigil prayer (tahajjud; to rise at night after having slept, to pray some non-obligatory rak’as), in which case it is best to pray witr after the night vigil prayer (provided that one usually manages to get up when one has made such an intention. If not, then it is better to perform witr after the sunnas of the nightfall prayer (‘isha».
When one has already performed witr, but decides to pray the night vigil prayer (tahajjud), one performs the latter’s rak’as two by two, and there is no need to repeat the witr, or “make it an even number” by performing one rak’a before the night vigil prayer. However, it is recommended not to intend performing prayers between witr and dawn.
TARAWIH
It is recommended to perform tarawih, which is twenty rak’as of group prayer on each night of Ramadan. (As well as being Sunna to pray tarawih alone, it is also Sunna to pray it in a group.) One finishes each pair of rak’as with Salams.
It is recommended to pray witr in a group after tarawih, unless one intends the night vigil prayer (tahajjud), in which case one should postpone witr until after it. During the second half or Ramadan, in the last rak’a (of witr), it is recommended to supplicate as one does in the dawn prayer, and then one adds: “0 Allah, we ask Your help, Your forgiveness, and Your guidance. In You we believe, on You we rely, You we praise with every good, we are grateful to You and not ungrateful, and disown and abandon him who commits outrages against You. 0 Allah, You alone do we worship, to You we pray and prostrate, You we strive for and hasten to obey, hoping for Your mercy and fearing Your punishment. Truly, Your earnest punishment shall overtake the unbelievers.”
The time for witr and tarawih is between the nightfall prayer (‘isha) and dawn.
THE MIDMORNING PRAYER (DUHA)
It is recommended to pray the midmorning prayer (duha), which minimally consists of two
rak’as, is optimally eight rak’as, and maximally twelve. One finishes each pair of rak’as with Salams.
Its time is after the sun is well up until just before the noon prayer (zuhr). (The preferable time for its performance is after a quarter of the day has passed.)
When one misses (even intentionally) any supererogatory prayer that has a specified time, such as the two ‘Eids, duha, witr, or the sunnas before and after the prescribed prayers, it is recommended to make it up at any time afterwards.
If one misses a supererogatory prayer that is contingent upon some passing event, such as the eclipse prayer, drought prayer, greeting the mosque, or the prayer for guidance (istikhara, one does not make it up.
THE NIGHT VIGIL PRAYER (TAHAJJUD)
Supererogatory prayer at night is a confirmed Sunna, even if one can only do a little. Wholly supererogatory prayers (meaning those unconnected with a particular time or reason) at night are better than during the day.
If one divides the night into six parts, the fourth and fifth part are the best for prayer. If divided in half, the second half is best. If divided into thirds, the middle part is best. Praying the entire night, every night, is offensive.
It is recommended to begin one’s night vigil prayers (tahajjud) with two brief rak’as, to have intended the night vigil prayer before going to sleep, and not to make a practice of more prayer than one can regularly perform without harm to oneself.
(It is Sunna to recite the suras of the night vigil prayer sometimes aloud, sometimes to oneself.)
One (who is performing wholly supererogatory prayers, whether in the night or day) finishes every two rak’as with Salams, though one may also:
(1) Join three or more rak’as by finishing but once with Salams:
(2) Pray a single supererogatory rak’a by itself;
(3) Recite the Testification of Faith (Tashahhud) every two rak’as (without finishing them with Salams), or every three, or every four, even if the Testifications of Faith grow very numerous (before finishing the series of rak’as with Salams). (This is if not praying witr);
(4) Or confine oneself to just one Testification of Faith (Tashahhud) in the final rak’a (in which case one recites a sura in each of the rak’as and finishes with Salams after the abovementioned final Testification of Faith), though it is not permissible to recite the Testification of Faith in every rak’a (without finishing with Salams).
When one’s intention (in a wholly supererogatory prayer) is to perform a specific number of rak’as (four or more), then one may change one’s mind as to the number and pray fewer rak’as, or more, provided one changes the intention before (having added or subtracted any). Thus, it is permissible to intend four but finish after two, if one intends to subtract two, though it invalidates the prayer to purposely finish it after two without having made the intention to curtail the planned four rak’as. If one absentmindedly finishes with Salams, one goes on to complete the four and performs the forgetfulness prostration at the end.
GREETING THE MOSQUE
It is recommended for whoever enters a mosque to greet the mosque by praying two rak’as each time he enters, even if many times within an hour. One is no longer entitled to pray it after sitting. It is accomplished anytime one enters a mosque and prays two rak’as, whether one intends merely performing two supererogatory rak’as, fulfilling a vow, the sunna rak’as before or after a prescribed prayer, the prescribed prayer alone, or the prescribed prayer together with the intention of greeting the mosque.
(If one enters the mosque when one does not have ablution (wudu), it is Sunna to say four times, “Allah is far exalted above any limitation, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is greatest.”)
It is offensive to begin any non-obligatory prayer, whether greeting the mosque, the Sunna rak’as before a prescribed prayer, or other, when the imam has begun the prescribed prayer or the muezzin has begun the call to commence (iqama).
THE GUIDANCE PRAYER (ISTIKHARA)
(the translator has added the following text from Imam Nawawi’s Riyad al-salihin:)
Jabir (Allah be well pleased with him) relates that “the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to teach us the guidance prayer (istikhara) for all matters, as he would a sura of the Quran, saying:
“‘When a matter concerns one of you, pray two nonobligatory rak’as and say:
“0 Allah, I ask You to show me what is best through Your knowledge, and bring it to pass through Your power, and I ask You of Your immense favor; for You are all-powerful and I am not, You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of the Unseen. 0 Allah, if You know this matter to be better for me in my religion, livelihood, and final outcome [or perhaps he said, “the short and long term of my case”], then bring it about and facilitate it for me, and bless me with abundance therein. And if You know this matter to be worse for me in my religion, livelihood, and final outcome [or perhaps he said, “the short and long term of my case”], then keep it from me, and keep me from it, and bring about the good for me whatever it may be, and make me pleased with it,” and then one should mention the matter at hand.’ ”
(Riyad al-salihin (y107), 325-26)
A non-obligatory prayer at home is superior to one performed at the mosque.
It is offensive for one to single out the night before Friday (lit. “Night of Friday,” i.e. Thursday night, since in Arabic the night of a given date comes before its day) as a special night for prayer.
It is an offensive, blameworthy innovation (bid’a) to perform any of the following spurious prayers:
(1) Twelve rak’as between the sunset prayer (Maghrib) and nightfall prayer (‘isha) on the first Thursday night of the month of Rajab;
(2) one hundred rak’as in the middle of the month of Sha’ban;
(3) (two rak’as after each of three times of reciting Ya Sin (Koran 36) on the night of mid-Sha’ban;
(4) or the so-called prayer of’ Ashura’ on 10 Muharram.)
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