Besides the obligatory (fard) prayers, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) offered many voluntary (nafl) prayers, and he was instructed to do so. Should Muslims follow him in offering Sunnah prayers before and after the fard prayers, and does the hadith give guidance on them?

Yes, the hadith gives clear guidance on offering Sunnah prayers before and after the fard prayers. Some call these prayers sunnah muakkadah. The guidance is as follows.

Abdullah ibn Shaqiq narrates that he asked Aisha about the Prophet's voluntary prayers, and she said: "He would pray four rakats in my house before Zuhr, then go out and lead the people in the (fard) prayer, then come back to my house and pray two rakats. After leading the people in the Isha prayer he would come to my house and pray two rakats.

"He would also pray nine rakats at night, including the witr. He would pray at night for long periods standing and long periods sitting. When he recited standing, he bowed and prostrated from standing; when he recited sitting, he bowed and prostrated from sitting. When dawn broke he prayed two rakats, then went out and led the people in the Fajr prayer." (Muslim, Nasai, Abu Dawud)

Abdullah ibn Umar narrates that the Prophet prayed two rakats before and two rakats after Zuhr, and two rakats after Maghrib in his house. He prayed two rakats after Isha, and after the Jumu'ah (fard) prayer he came home and prayed two rakats. (Abu Dawud)

Aisha narrates that the Prophet never gave up the four rakats before Zuhr and the two rakats before Fajr. (Bukhari, Abu Dawud)

The Prophet gave great importance to the prayer before the Fajr fard. Aisha narrates that he was not more steadfast in any voluntary prayer than in the two rakats before Fajr. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud)

The merit of these voluntary (Sunnah) prayers before the fard prayers is great, as the Prophet declared in several narrations:

• Umm Habibah narrates that the Prophet said: "Whoever prays 12 rakats of voluntary prayer every day, a house will be built for him in Paradise in return." (Abu Dawud)
• Umm Habibah narrates that the Prophet said: "Whoever prays 12 rakats (of sunnah muakkadah), Allah will build a house for him in Paradise: four rakats before the Zuhr fard, two after the Zuhr fard, two before the Asr fard, two after the Maghrib fard and two before the Fajr fard." (Nasai)
• Umm Habibah narrates that the Prophet said: "Whoever prays 12 rakats in a day and night, a house will be built for him in Paradise: four rakats before Zuhr and two after, two after Maghrib, two after Isha and two before the dawn prayer of Fajr." (Tirmidhi)
• Umm Habibah bint Abu Sufyan narrates that the Prophet said: "Whoever prays 12 rakats (of Sunnah) in a day, a palace is built for him in Paradise."

Believers should therefore pray before and after the fard prayer of each time as the hadith directs, and act properly on the hadith when offering voluntary prayers.

May Allah grant the Muslim ummah the ability to offer the voluntary prayers described in the hadith before and after the fard prayers. Ameen.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.