Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Voluntary Prayers
كتاب التطوع
Chapter 10: Those Who Allowed These Two Rak'ahs To Be Prayed If The Sun Is Still High
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would offer two rak'ahs after every obligatory prayer except the dawn and the 'Asr prayer.
Chapter 12: The Duha Prayer
The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: In the morning alms are due for every bone in man's body. His salutation to everyone he meets is alms, his enjoining good is alms, his forbidding what is evil is alms, the removal of harmful thing from the way is alms, to have sexual intercourse with one's wife if alms, and two rak'ahs which one prays in the Duha serve instead of that.
Abu Dawud said: The tradition narrated by 'Abbad is more perfect (than the version narrated by Musaddad). Musaddad did not mention in his version "the command (of good) and the prohibition (of evil)". Instead, he added in his version saying: "Such and such." Ibn Ma'na added in his version: "They (the people) said: Messenger of Allah, how is that one of us fulfills his desire and still there are alms for him (i.e. is rewarded)? He replied: What do you think if you had unlawful sexual intercourse, would he not have been a sinner ?
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone sits in his place of prayer when he finishes the dawn prayer till he prays the two rak'ahs of the forenoon, saying nothing but what is good, his sins will be forgiven even if they are more than the foam of the sea.
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Allah, the Exalted, says: Son of Adam, do not be helpless in performing four rak'ahs for Me at the beginning of the day: I will supply what you need till the end of it.
No one told us that the Prophet (ﷺ) had offered Duha prayer except Umm Hani. She said that the Prophet (ﷺ) had taken bath in her house on the day of the Conquest of Mecca and prayed eight rak'ahs. But no one saw him afterwards praying these rak'ahs.
I asked Jabir b. Samurah: Did you sit in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ? He replied: Yes, very often. He would not stand from the place he prayed the dawn prayer till the sunrise. When the sun rose, he would stand (to pray Duha).
Chapter 1: Chapters Regarding The Voluntary And Sunnah Prayers
The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone prays in a day and a night twelve rak'ahs voluntarily (supererogatory prayer), a house will be built from him in Paradise on account of these (rak'ahs).
The Prophet (ﷺ) never omitted four rak'ahs before the noon prayer, and two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer.
Chapter 2: On The Two Rak'ahs Of Fajr
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was more particular about observing the supererogatory rak'ahs before the dawn prayer than about observing any of the other supererogatory prayers.
Chapter 3: Making Them Brief
The Prophet (ﷺ) would pray two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer lightly so much so that I would say: Did he recite Surah al-Fatihah in them.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not omit them (the two rak'ahs before the dawn prayer) even if you are driven away by the horses.
Chapter 4: Lying Down On One's Side After It
When the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer, he would lie down if I was asleep; in case I was awake, he would talk to me.
Chapter 7: The Four Rak'ahs Before And After Dhuhr
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The gates of heaven are opened for four rak'ahs containing no taslim (salutation) before the noon prayer.
Abu Dawud said: Yahya b. Sa'id al-Qattan said: If I were to narrate any tradition from 'Ubaidah, I would narrate this tradition.
Abu Dawud said: 'Ubaidah is weak.
Abu Dawud said: The name of the narrator Ibn Minjab is Sahm.
Chapter 9: The Prayer After 'Asr
That 'Abd Allah b. Abbas, 'Abd al-Rahman b. Azhar and al-Miswar b. Makhramah sent him to 'Aishah, wife of the Prophet (ﷺ). They said: Convey our regards to her from all of us and ask her about the two rak'ahs after the 'Asr prayer, and tell her that we have been informed that she prays them, and we are told that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited them. I entered upon her and told her that for which they had sent me to her. She said: Ask Umm Salamah. I returned to them (Ibn 'Abbas and others) and informed them about her opinion. They sent me back to Umm Salamah with the same mission for which they had sent me to 'Aishah. Umm Salamah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibiting them, but later on I saw him praying them. When he prayed them, he had offered the 'Asr prayer. He then came to me while a number of women from Banu Haram from the Ansar were sitting with me. He prayed these two rak'ahs. I sent a slave girl to him and I told her: Stand beside him and tell him that Umm Salamah has asked: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I heard you prohibiting these two rak'ahs (after the afternoon prayer) but I see you praying them yourself. If he makes a sign with his hand, step backward from him. The slave girl did so. When he finished prayer, he said: O daughter of Abu Umayyah, you asked about the praying of two rak'ahs after the 'Asr prayer, in fact, some people of 'Abd al-Qais has come to me with the news that their people had embraced Islam. They hindered me from praying the two rak'ahs after Zuhr prayer. It is those two rak'ahs (which I offered after the 'Asr prayer)
Chapter 10: Those Who Allowed These Two Rak'ahs To Be Prayed If The Sun Is Still High
I asked: Messenger of Allah, in which part of night the supplication is more likely to be accepted?
He replied: In the last part: Pray as much as you like, for the prayer is attended by the angels and it is recorded till you offer the dawn prayer; then stop praying when the sun is rising till it has reached the height of one or two lances, for it rises between the two horns of the Devil, and the infidels offer prayer for it (at that time). Then pray as much as you like, because the prayer is witnessed and recorded till the shadow of a lance be- comes equal to it. Then cease prayer, for at that time the Hell-fire is heated up and doors of Hell are opened.
When the sun declines, pray as much as you like, for the prayer is witnessed till you pray the afternoon prayer; then cease prayer till the sun sets, for it sets between the horns of the Devil, and (at that time) the infidels offer prayer for it. He narrated a lengthy tradition.
Abbas said: AbuSalam narrated this tradition in a similar manner from AbuUmamah. If I have made a mistake unintentionally, I beg pardon of Allah and repent to Him.
Yasar, the client of Ibn Umar, said: Ibn Umar saw me praying after the break of dawn. He said: O Yasar, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us while we were offering this prayer. He (the Prophet) said: Those who are present should inform those who are absent: Do not offer any prayer after (the break of) dawn except two rak'ahs.
Chapter 11: The Prayer Before Maghrib
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Pray two rak'ahs before the Maghrib prayer. He then said (again): Pray two rak'ahs before the Maghrib prayer, it applies to those who wish to do so. That was because he feared that the people might treat it as sunnah.
Ibn 'Umar was asked about praying two rak'ahs before the Maghrib prayer. He replied: I did not see anyone praying them during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (Ibn Umar) permitted to pray two rak'ahs after the Asr prayer.
Abu Dawud said: I heard Yahya b. Ma'in say: The correct name of the narrator Abu Shu'aib is the Shu'aib. Shu'bah made a mistake in narrating his name.
Chapter 12: The Duha Prayer
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed on the day of the Conquest (of Mecca) eight rak'ahs saluting after every two rak'ahs.
Abu Dawud said: Ahmad b. Salih said that the Messenger of Allah offered prayer in the forenoon on the day of the Conquest of Mecca, and he narrated something similar. Ibn al-Sarh reported that Umm Hani said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered upon me. This version does not mention the prayer in the forenoon.