“And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.”(Surah Hud 11:114)

By Abdullahi Yusuf

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All perfect praise be to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, the Lord of the Worlds. We testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad (pbuh) is His slave and Messenger.

Introduction
Salat is not limited to the five obligatory prayers but extends to the Sunnah and Nafl prayers, which hold immense blessings. The Prophet (pbuh) regularly performed these prayers and encouraged his Ummah to do the same, as they serve as a means of drawing closer to Allah, seeking forgiveness, and attaining higher ranks in the Hereafter.

Allah commands: “And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.”(Surah Hud 11:114)

Sunnah prayers are those which the Prophet (pbuh) consistently performed and encouraged his followers to observe. Nafl prayers, while not obligatory, are highly meritorious and bring immense rewards.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “The first thing for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayer. If it is complete, he will be recorded as successful; but if anything is lacking, Allah will say: ‘See if My servant has any voluntary (nafl) prayers that can make up for the deficiency in his obligatory prayers.’” (Sunan Abu Dawood, 864)

Sunnah Mu’akkadah
The Prophet (pbuh) never abandoned these prayers and highly recommended them. Two Rak’ahs before Fajr: The Prophet (pbuh) said, “The two Rak’ahs before Fajr are better than the world and all that is in it.” (Sahih Muslim, 725)

Four Rak’ahs before and two after Dhuhr, Two Rak’ahs after Maghrib and Two Rak’ahs after Isha.

Sunnah Ghair Mu’akkadah
Additional prayers the Prophet (pbuh) performed occasionally, such as four Rak’ahs before Asr and two before Maghrib.

Nafl Prayers
Tahajjud: The night prayer, a practice of the righteous. Allah says: “And they who pass the night prostrating themselves before their Lord and standing.” (Surah Al-Furqan 25:64)

Salatul Duha: Performed after sunrise, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “It is charity on every joint of your body.” (Sahih Muslim, 720).
Salatul Awwabin: Six Rak’ahs after Maghrib.
Salatul Ishraq: Two Rak’ahs after sunrise.
Salatul Witr: The Prophe (pbuh) said, “Allah has prescribed for you a prayer by which He may increase your reward, and that is Witr.” (Sunan Tirmidhi, 453)

Hadiths
The Prophet (pbuh) reported that Allah said: “My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to Me with voluntary deeds until I love him.”(Sahih al-Bukhari, 6502)

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Whoever prays four Rak’ahs before and four after Dhuhr, the Hellfire will not touch him.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, 1269)

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Whoever prays twelve Rak’ahs voluntarily every day, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise.”(Sahih Muslim, 728)

Note: The Prophet taught that voluntary prayers compensate for deficiencies in obligatory prayers. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will first evaluate a person’s Fard prayers, and if they are lacking, Nafl prayers will make up for them. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “The first thing for which a servant will be brought to account on the Day of Judgment is his prayer. If it is sound, he will be successful and saved; but if it is incomplete, he will be ruined. If any deficiency is found in his obligatory prayers, Allah will say: ‘Look and see if My servant has any voluntary prayers to complete what is missing from his obligatory prayers.’” (Sunan Abi Dawood, 864)

Conclusion
Sunnah and Nafl prayers are not to be underestimated, they bring immense rewards. As we uphold our daily prayers, let us strive to perform these voluntary acts of worship with sincerity and devotion, following in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). May Allah grant us the ability to be steadfast in our prayers and make us among those who bow and prostrate to Him sincerely.

And Allah knows best…