Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Voluntary Prayers

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone keeps on praying regularly four rak'ahs before and four after the noon prayer, he will not enter the Hell-fire.

Abu Dawud said: Al-'Ala' bin Al-Harith and Sulaiman bin Musa reported it from Makhul with his chain, similarly.

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.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: May Allah show mercy to a man who prays four rak'ahs before the afternoon prayer.

That the Prophet (ﷺ) used to pray two rak'ahs before the 'Asr prayer.

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)

The Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited to offer prayer after the afternoon prayer except at the time when the sun is high up in the sky.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would offer two rak'ahs after every obligatory prayer except the dawn and the 'Asr prayer.

Some reliable people testified before me, and among them was Umar ibn al-Khattab, and most reliable in my eyes was Umar: The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) said: There is no prayer after the dawn prayer until the sun rises; and there is no prayer after the 'Asr prayer until the sun sets.

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.

We bear witness that 'Aishah said: Not a day passed but the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed two rak'ahs after the 'Asr prayer

Dhakwan, the client of Aisha, reported on the authority of Aisha: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray after the afternoon prayer but prohibited others from it; and he would fast continuously but forbid others to do so.

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.

I offered two rak'ahs of prayer before the Maghrib prayer (i.e. obligatory) during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I (narrator al-Mukhtar b. Fulful) asked Anas: Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) se you ? He replied: Yes, but he neither commanded us nor forbade us (to do so).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Between the two adhans there is a prayer, between the two adhans there is prayer for one who desires (to offer).

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.

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 ?

While we were present with Abu Dharr, he said: In the morning, alms are due for him, ever fast is alms, every pilgrimage is alms, every utterance of "Glory to be Allah" is alms, every utterance of "Allah is most great" is alms, every utterance of "Praise be to Allah" is alms. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recounted all such good works. He then said: Two rak'ahs which one prays in the Duha serve instead of that.

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.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Prayer followed by a prayer with no idle talk between the two is recorded in Illiyyun.