Istikharaah means �Guidance Prayer�. It is to ask Allah to guide you to the path best for you concerning an affair with two halal options.

Many wrong notions exist concerning istikharaah. Many Muslims will pray, read the du'a, and run to bed expecting to see a dream showing them their future wife, what her favourite colour is, and some other weird fantasy. That is not the purpose of this salaat.

The results of an istikharaah can take many forms. Basically, you go by your feelings, whether you now feel more favourable or not. Also, you may notice events have changed, either for or against you. Note that you must follow the results of an istikharaah, because not doing so is tantamount to rejecting Allah's guidance once you've asked for it. Also, you should firstly clear your mind, not have your mind already decided, and then afterwards follow the results willingly.

It is a sunnah that, if one must choose between permissible alternatives, one may pray two non-obligatory rak'at, even if they are of the sunnah prayers or a prayer for entering the mosque, and so on, during any time of the day or night, and to recite therein whatever one wishes of the Qur'aan after reciting al-Fatihah. Then one praises Allah and sends salutations to the Prophet and recites the supplication in the Hadith below.

The description of Salaat-ul-Istikharah was narrated by Jaabir ibn �Abd-Allah al-Salami (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

�The Messenger of Allah used to teach his companions to make istikharaah in all things, just as he used to teach them surahs from the Qur�aan. He said: �If any one of you is concerned about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two rak�ahs of non-obligatory prayer, then say:

Allaahumma inni astakheeruka bi �ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as�aluka min fadlika, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta�lamu wa laa a�lam, wa anta �allaam al-ghuyoob. Allaahumma fa in kunta ta�lamu haadha�l-amra (then the matter should be mentioned by name) khayran li fi �aajil amri wa aajilihi (or: fi deeni wa ma�aashi wa �aaqibati amri) faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma baarik li fihi. Allaahumma wa in kunta ta�lamu annahu sharrun li fi deeni wa ma�aashi wa �aaqibati amri (or: fi �aajili amri wa aajilihi) fasrifni �anhu [wasrafhu �anni] waqdur li al-khayr haythu kaana thumma radini bihi.

�O Allah, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me both in this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me both in this world and the next), then turn me away from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it.� The Prophet, added that then the person should mention his need." [Sahih Al Bukhari]

Salaat-ul-Istikharaah is just two rakats of a non-obligatory prayer, prayed at anytime during the day, with a specific dua at the end. While reciting the dua, you should be thinking about the situation you want to be advised about with pure intentions and from the bottom of your heart. And Allah says that whenever he guides a heart aright it can never be misguided. Afterwards, you should �have a good feeling� about one of your options. Whatever option you feel is best right after you say the dua should be your decision. If you�re still in doubt, you can repeat.

An-Nawawi holds that "after performing the istikharah, a person must do what he is wholeheartedly inclined to do and feels good about doing and should not insist on doing what he had desired to do before making the istikharah. And if his feelings change, he should leave what he had intended to do, otherwise he is not completely leaving the choice to Allah, and would not be honest in seeking aid from Allah's power and knowledge. Sincerity in seeking Allah's choice, means that one should completely leave what he himself had desired or determined." Some people mistakenly wait for a dream to give a clear sign as to what decision to make, but this is not true, and often times it never really happens. In fact, dreams may lead you away from what Allah wants you to do, as Shaytaan might try to deceive you in your dreams.

Salat-ul-Istikharaah is for everybody. It�s a way for all of us to implore Allah for divine guidance and mercy. It is yet another invaluable resource from Allah to keep us on the straight and narrow Siraat al-Mustaqeem. The Prophet told all Muslims about Istikharaah, not just the scholars. Despite this gift, too many of us take the advice of our friends and parents, or accept the norms of our society and act without ever wondering what Allah wants us to do. We must stop looking to the dunya for guidance. We must begin to consult Allah. Allah says:

"....Put your trust in All�h, certainly, All�h loves those who put their trust (in Him)." (Aale-Imran 3:159)

I have a quick question pertaining to a Nafl salat. The name of it is Tashib salat, and in every rakat you say the tashib 75 times, you can say two rakats and the salam out or you can say four rakats and salam out, but you have to say four Rakats total saying the Tashib 300 times. My question is are suppose to sit for Tashhud and Darud or do leave both of them out. And if you do have to say both of them, do you say the Tashib before Tashhud and Darud, or do you not say it a all. Because if you say it when you sitting for Tashhud and Darud, you are saying the Tashib 20 extra times, and you are only suppose to say the Tashib 300 times. If you can please give me some help with this I would be very grateful for the help. Thank you for your time and may Allah bestow his wisdom and peace upon everyone.

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

�Salatul-tasbih is a highly controversial form of Salah. While considered by some to be a Nafl entailing great blessings, many scholars consider it as weak, dubious, and, therefore, not worthy of consideration. Those who uphold and advocate the benefits of this Salah have based their view on the following Hadith attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be on him:

'Ikrimah reports from Ibn 'Abbas that the Messenger of Allah said to 'Abbas ibn 'Abdal-Mutalib: "O 'Abbas, O Uncle, shall I not give you, shall I not present to you, shall I not donate to you, shall I not tell you ten things which, if you do, Allah will forgive your first and last sins, past and present sins, intentional and unintentional sins, private and public sins? The ten actions are: pray four rak'at, reciting in every rak'ah al-Fatihah and a surah. And when you finish the Qur'anic recitation of the first rak'ah, say, while standing, 'Subhanallah, wal-hamdulillah, wa la ilaha illallah, wa Allahu Akbar' ['Glory be to Allah. All praise is due to Allah. There is no God except Allah. Allah is the greatest.'] fifteen times. Then make ruku', and while you are in ruku', say the same ten times; then stand, and say the same ten times. Then go down and make sajdah, and while you're in sajdah, say the same ten times. Then sit after the sajdah, and say the same ten times. Then make sajdah, and say the same ten times. Then sit after the second sajdah, and say the same another ten times. That is seventy-five [repetitions of the phrases] in each rak'ah. Do that in each of the four rak'at. If you can pray it once a day, do so. If you cannot, then once every Friday. If you cannot do that, then once a year. And if you cannot do that then once in your life."

This is related by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzaimah in his sahih, and at-Tabarani. About this hadith al-Munzhiri says: "This hadith has been related through many chains and from a number of companions. The best of them is this one from 'Ikrimah. A group of scholars have graded it to be sahih, including al-Hafez Abu Bakr al-'Ajari, (al-Munzhiri's teachers), Abu Muhammad 'Abdurrahim al-Misri, and Abu al-Hassan al-Maqdisi." Ibn alMubarak says: "The tasbih prayer is a greatly desired act and it is desirable that one should punctually observe it and never neglect it.

The above report is not to be found in the Sahih of Bukhari or the Sahih Muslim or the Muwatta� of Imam Malik. It had been unknown to the great Imams such as Malik, Abu Hanifah and, presumably, to Imam Shafi`i, and it was considered strange and unworthy of consideration by Imam Ahmad.
The above Hadith is listed among the fabricated Hadiths by Ibn Al-Jawzi. According to Imam Ibn Hajar: �All of the chains of this Hadith are weak� Also, �It is contrary to the prescribed format of Prayer.� Ibn Hajar further added, �It had been declared as weak by both Ibn Taymiyyah and Al-Mizzi.� In the words of Ibn Al-`Arabi, �There is not a single authentic or sound Hadith on it.� Imam Nawawi has also joined the ranks of scholars questioning the nature of the report as well as the strange format of Salatul-Tasbih, and hence, considering it as unworthy of consideration.

In light of the above, it is only reasonable to state there is no authentic evidence to recommend the practice of Salatul-Tasbih. Besides, we have sufficiency in what has been authentically transmitted from the Prophet, peace and blessings be on him, and accepted by the Ummah at large - such as Salatul-Al-Hajah, Salatul-Istikharah, Salatul-Tawbah, etc, and thus we do not need to resort to such a highly contentious form of Salah. Moreover, we believe that the Prophet, peace and blessings be on him, has conveyed to us plainly and clearly everything we ought to do in this religion of Islam.�

Read Subhanallah, wal-hamdulillah, wa la ilaha illallah, wa Allahu Akbar' ['Glory be to Allah. All praise is due to Allah. There is no God except Allah. Allah is the greatest.']

Question:

Could you please tell me how to perform Salat al Hajja (Need)? Could you also explain the benefits of this prayer? Is this supplication, which may be offered for the accomplishment of a purpose which one needs badly?

Salat al-Haajah is a prayer that the Muslim is encouraged to perform when he/she is in need for a certain matter from God or from another human being. By doing it, the Muslim turns to God to help him/her out. You should perform it and make Dua (supplication) to God to help you out. There is no specific time to perform it. A person may need to do it early in the morning, in the after noon, or late at night. Thank you for asking and God knows best.

If you badly need something to be accomplished, then the advice given by the Prophet in an authentic Hadith that you do a good ablution, washing every organ well and making sure of adding what is recommended in a proper ablution, such as washing your face, arms and feet three times instead of once, etc. You then offer two voluntary raka'hs trying to concentrate well on your prayers. When you have finished, you do your supplication and request Allah to grant you your purpose, whatever it is, as long as it is something permissible.

According to the Hadith, Allah is certain to answer your prayers either immediately or at a later time of His choosing. In another Hadith, the Prophet tells us that if Allah chooses to defer answering a particular prayer of ours, He rewards us for it in the life to come. When we will see what He gives us instead, we should wish that He had not answered a single supplication of ours in this present life, but had stored it for us in the hereafter.

In the light of the foregoing, I can add a little word of advice. Although the purpose you may be keen to have accomplished is perfectly appropriate, it may be that its postponement (DELAYED) or non-accomplishment is better for you and the person concerned. While it is appropriate to continue to request it in your supplication, you must not feel downhearted if it is delayed. Allah is certain to choose for you what He knows to be better for you.

The Tahajjud prayer is performed after a person sleeps at night (after Isha') prayer and then wakes up to do it. It is different from the Qiyam al-Layl prayer which is done after a person prays Isha and before he/she sleeps, like the Taraweeh prayer in Ramadan. The Tahajjud prayer is performed in two rikaas sets, i.e., after each two rikaas, you say salam, and then you start over again.

As to the number of rikaas, it is a minimum of two and a maximum of 8 (for the Hanafi school) or a maximum of 10 (for the Maliki school) and unlimited (for the Shafii school) as long as it doesn't extend the whole night and miss the Fajr prayer.

There are no specific verses you should recite, but if you have memorized a lot of Surahs of the Qur'an, then , it is a sunna to read the long Surahs such as al-Baqarah, aal-Imran, etc., but if you don't know long Surahs, then the short ones are enough.

People who regularly offer Tahajjud prayers, they do not offer witr prayer after Isha prayer and pray that at the end of Tahajjud prayer, as recommended by prophet (PBUH).

Question:

In Taraweeh, are there 8 rakat or 20 rakat? Should we pray in congregation or alone? When in Ramadan is Lala-tul-Qadr? Can women pray Taraweeh?

Answer:

What the scholars agree upon about Taraweeh prayers is the Hadith of Aisha that prophet Muhammad (pbuh) 'didn't add to 11 rakaat', i.e., 8 taraweeh and 3 shafaa and witr. However, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: �The Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to encourage us to pray at night in Ramadaan, without making it obligatory. Then he said, �Whoever prays at night in Ramadaan out of faith and the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.�

This Hadith clearly shows that Qiyam is part of Ramadan and is the Taraweeh prayers. Whoever volunteers in these prayers, will get the reward insha'Allah, and nobody should limit the numbers of rakaat if they are done on a voluntary basis. As to the 8, 20, and 36 rakaat issue, the Muslim scholars have evidence from the companions of the prophet (pbuh) that they did all of them, therefore, all of them are valid. If you want to do only 8 rakaats, you may because it is a voluntary prayer and there is nothing wrong with leaving before others finish. But if you stay longer, you will gain more reward.

'Aishah reported that the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam would not pray more than eleven rak'at during Ramadan or otherwise. This is related by the group.

Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban have recorded in their sahihs on the authority of Jabir that the Prophet prayed eight rak'at and the witr prayer with the companions. Then, the next day, the people waited for him but he did not come out to them.

Abu Ya'la and at-Tabarani record, with a hasan chain, from Jabir that Ubayy ibn Ka'b came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have done something last night," (i.e. during Ramadan). The Prophet said: 'And what was that, O Ubayy?' He said: The women in my house said, 'We don't recite Qur'an [well or much] so can we pray behind you?' I prayed eight rak'at and the witr prayer with them. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was pleased with that and did not say anything."

This is the sunnah that has been related from the Messenger of Allah and nothing besides that is authentic. It is also true that during the time of 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali the people prayed twenty rak'at, and this is the opinion of the majority of the jurists of the Hanafi and Hanbali schools as well as that of Dawud.

At-Tirmizhi says: "Most of the people of knowledge follow what has been related from 'Umar and 'Ali and other companions of the Prophet, [i.e., that they prayed] twenty rak'at. And this is the opinion of al-Thauri, Ibn al-Mubarak, and ash-Shaf'i. And so I found the people of Makkah praying twenty rak'at."

Some of the scholars are of the opinion that the sunnah is eleven rak'at, including witr, and it is also preferred to pray the remainder [of the twenty rak'at].

The evidence indicates that the sunnah of the twenty rak'at is what the Prophet (PBUH) confirmed that he only prayed eleven rak'at, including the witr, as is stated in the two sahihs. According to the scholars, the sunnah is eight rak'at while it is preferred to pray twelve rak'at.

When the Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died, this is how things were (i.e., Taraaweeh was not prayed in congregation), and this is how they remained during the khilaafah of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), until the beginning of the khilaafah of �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).�

�Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhani said: �A man from Qudaa�ah came to the Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, �O Messenger of Allah! What do you think if I testify that there is no god except Allah, and that you, Muhammad, are His Messenger, and I pray the five daily prayers, and fast in the month (of Ramadaan), and pray at night in Ramadaan, and pay zakaah?� The Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever dies on that will be among the siddeeqeen (those who tell the truth) and the martyrs.��

�Whoever prays at night during Laylat al-Qadr {and manages to �catch� it} out of faith and the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.�

According to the most correct opinion, it is the twenty-seventh night of Ramadaan. Most of the ahaadeeth state this, such as the hadeeth of Zurr ibn Hubaysh, who said: �I heard Ubayy ibn Ka�b saying � and it was said to him that �Abd-Allah ibn Mas�ood said: �Whoever follows the Sunnah will �catch� Laylat al-Qadr!� � Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) said: �May Allah have mercy on him, he did not want people to take it for granted and only stay up to pray on one night. By the One besides Whom there is no other god, it is in Ramadaan � he was swearing without a doubt � and by Allah, I do know which night it is. It is the night in which the Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to pray (qiyaam). It is the night the morning of which is the twenty seventh, and the sign of it is that the sun rises on that morning white and without rays.��

In another report, this was attributed to the Prophet (PBUH). (Reported by Muslim and others).

It is allowed to pray qiyaam in congregation, indeed it is better than praying individually, because this is what the Prophet

(PBUH) did himself and explained its virtues. Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

�We fasted Ramadaan with the Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he did not lead us in qiyaam at all until there were only seven days left, when he led us in prayer until a third of the night had passed. When there were six days left, he did not lead us in qiyaam. When there were five days left, he led us in prayer until half the night had passed. I said, �O Messenger of Allah, I wish that you had continued until the end of the night.� He said, �If a man prays with the imaam until he finishes, it will be counted as if he prayed the whole night.� When there were four nights left, he did not lead us in qiyaam. When there were three nights left, he brought together his family, his wives and the people, and led us in qiyaam until we were afraid that we would miss al-falaah. I asked, �What is al-falaah?� he said, �Suhoor. Then he did not lead us in qiyaam for the rest of the month.�� (Saheeh hadeeth reported by the authors of Sunan).

Following is the reason why the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not continually lead the people in praying qiyaam in congregation.

The Prophet

(PBUH) did not lead them in qiyaam for the rest of the month because he feared that it would then become obligatory, and they would not be able to do it, as is stated in the hadeeth of �Aa�ishah reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere. Following the death of the Prophet

(PBUH), that fear was no longer a factor, because Allah had completed the religion. The reason for not praying qiyaam in congregation during Ramadaan no longer applied, and the previous ruling, that congregational prayer is something prescribed in Islam, remained in effect. So �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) revived the practice, as is recorded in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and elsewhere.

Women can attend the prayers too, as is stated in the hadeeth of Abu Dharr referred to above. Indeed, it is permissible to appoint an imaam just for them, apart from the imaam of the men. It was proven that when �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered the people to pray qiyaam, he appointed Ubayy ibn Ka�b to lead the men and Sulaymaan ibn Abi Hathmah to lead the women. �Arfajah al-Thaqafi said: � �Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) used to command the people to pray during the night in Ramadaan, and he would appoint an imaam for the men and an imaam for the women. I was the imaam for the women.�

This is fine so long as the mosque is big enough and there may be either separation by room or wall and men can�t see women and also both not disturb one another.

The number of rak�ahs is eleven, and it is preferable in our opinion not to exceed this number, following the practice of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), because he never did more than that in his life. �Aa�ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked about how he prayed in Ramadaan. She said, �The Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never prayed more than eleven rak�ahs (of qiyaam), whether during Ramadaan or any other time. He would pray four, and don�t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray four, and don�t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray three.� (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others).

A person may do less than that, even if it is only one rak�ah of witr, because of the evidence that the Prophet

(PBUH) did this and spoke about it. With regard to him doing it: �Aa�ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked how many rak�ahs the Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray in witr? She said, �He used to pray four and three, or six and three, or ten and three. He never used to pray less than seven, or more than thirteen.� (Reported by Abu Dawood, Ahmad and others).

As regards reciting from the Qur�aan during qiyaam, whether in Ramadaan or at other times, the Prophet

(PBUH) did not set a limit or state what was too much or too little. His recitation used to vary, sometimes it would be long, at other times short. Sometimes in every rak�ah he would recite the equivalent of �Yaa ayyuha�l-muzammil, which is twenty aayaat; sometimes he would recite the equivalent of fifty aayaat. He used to say, �Whoever prays at night and reads one hundred aayaat will not be recorded as one of the negligent.� According to another hadeeth: ��and reads two hundred aayaat, will be recorded as one of the devout and sincere believers.�

When he was sick, the Prophet

(PBUH) recited the seven long soorahs in his night prayers, i.e., al-Baqarah, Aal �Imraan, al-Nisaa�, al-Maa�idah, al-An�aam, al-A�raaf and al-Tawbah.

In the account of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan praying behind the Prophet (PBUH), in one rak�ah he recited al-Baqarah, al-Nisa� and Aal �Imraan, and he recited them in a slow and measured tone. It is proven with the soundest (most saheeh) of isnaads that when �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) appointed Ubayy ibn Ka�b to lead the people in praying eleven rak�ahs in Ramadaan, Ubayy used to recite aayaat by the hundreds, so that the people behind him would be leaning on sticks because the prayers were so long, and they did not finish until just before Fajr.

It is also reported in a saheeh account that �Umar called the readers during Ramadaan, and told the fastest of them to recite thirty aayaat, the moderate ones to recite twenty-five aayaat, and the slowest ones to recite twenty aayaat.

However, if a person is praying qiyaam by himself, he can make it as long as he wishes; if others agree with the imaam, he may also make it as long as he wishes. The longer it is, the better, but a person should not go to extremes and spend the whole night in qiyaam, except on rare occasions, following the example of the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who said: �The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad.�

If a person is praying as an imaam, he should make it only as long as is easy for the people behind him, because the Prophet

(PBUH) said: �If any of you leads the people in prayer, let him make it short, because among them are the young and the old, the weak, and those who have pressing needs. But if he is praying alone, let him make it as long as he likes.�

The time for praying qiyaam is from after �Isha until Fajr, because the Prophet

(PBUH) said: �Allah has added one more prayer for you, which is witr, so pray it between Salaat al-�Isha� and Salaat al-Fajr.�

Praying at the end of the night is better, for those who can manage it, because the Prophet

(PBUH) said: �Whoever is afraid that he will not get up at the end of the night, let him pray witr at the beginning of the night, but whoever feels that he will be able to get up at the end of the night, let him pray witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed [by the angels], and that is better.�

If it is the matter of choosing between praying in congregation at the beginning of the night and praying alone at the end of the night, it is preferable to pray with the jamaa�ah, because that is counted as if one had prayed the whole night through.

This is what the Sahaabah did at the time of �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). �Abd al-Rahmaan ibn �Abd al-Qaari said: �I went out with �Umar ibn al-Khattaab to the mosque one night during Ramadaan, and saw the people scattered throughout the mosque, some praying individually, and some praying in small groups. He said, �By Allah, I think that if I gathered all of them behind one reader it would be better.� So he resolved to do that, and he gathered them behind Ubayy ibn Ka�b. Then I went with him on another night, and the people were all praying behind their reader, and �Umar said, �What a good innovation this is. What they sleep and miss � meaning the latter part of the night � is better than what they are doing,� � the people used to pray qiyaam at the beginning of the night.�

Zayd ibn Wahb said: ��Abd-Allah used to lead us in prayer in Ramadaan, and he used to finish at night.�

The Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade praying witr as three rak�ahs, and explained this by saying: �Do not make it resemble Salaat al-Maghrib.� Therefore the person who wants to pray three rak�ahs for witr must find a way to make it different (from Maghrib). There are two ways he can do this: either by giving salaam after the first two rak�ahs, which is the best way; or by not sitting after the first two rak�ahs (i.e., praying three rak�ahs non-stop). And Allah knows best.

It is Sunnah to recite Sabbih bi ismi Rabbika al-�A�laa in the first rak�ah, Qul Yaa ayyuha�l-Kaafiroon in the second rak�ah, and Qul Huwa Allahu ahad in the third rak�ah. Sometimes Qul a�oodhu bi Rabbi�l-Falaq and Qul a�oodhu bi Rabbi�l-Naas may be added as well.

It was reported in a saheeh report that the Prophet

(PBUH) once recited one hundred aayaat of Soorat al-Nisa� in one rak�ah of witr.

A person may also humble himself before Allah by reciting the du�aa� which the Prophet

(PBUH) taught to his grandson al-Hasan ibn �Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), which is:

�Allahumma�hdinee fiman hadayta wa �aafinee fiman �aafayta wa tawallanee fiman tawallayta wa baarik lee fimaa a�tayta wa qinee sharra maa qadayt, fa innaka taqdee wa laa yuqdaa �alayk. Wa innahu laa yadhillu man waalayta wa laa ya�izzu man �aadayt. Tabaarakta Rabbanaa wa ta�aalayt. Laa majaa minka illa ilayk (O Allah, guide me along with those whom You have guided, pardon me along with those whom You have pardoned, be an ally to me along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless for me that which You have bestowed. Protect me from the evil You have decreed for verily You decree and none can decree over You. For surety, he whom You show allegiance to is never abased and he whom You take an enemy is never honored and mighty. O our Lord, Blessed and Exalted are You. There is no refuge from You except with You).�

Sometimes one may send blessings on the Prophet

(PBUH), and there is nothing wrong with adding other du�aa�s that are known from the Sunnah.

There is nothing wrong with reciting Qunoot after rukoo�, or with adding, curses against the kuffaar, sending blessings on the Prophet

(PBUH) or praying for the Muslims in the second half of Ramadaan, because it is proven that the imaam used to do this at the time of �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). At the end of the hadeeth of �Abd al-Rahmaan ibn �Ubayd al-Qaari mentioned above, it says: �� They used to curse the kuffaar in the middle, saying, �Allahumma qaatil al-kafarata alladheena yasuddoona �an sabeelik wa yukadhdhiboona rusulak wa laa yu�minoona bi wa�dik. Wa khaalif bayna kalimatihim wa alqi fi quloobihim al-ru�b wa alqi �alayhim rijzaka wa �adhaabak ilaah al-haqq (O Allah, destroy the kuffaar who are trying to prevent people from following Your path, who deny Your Messengers and who do not believe in Your promise (the Day of Judgement). Make them disunited, fill their hearts with terror and send Your wrath and punishment against them, O God of Truth).� Then he would send blessings on the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and pray for good for the Muslims as much as he could, and seek forgiveness for the believers.

After he had finished cursing the kuffaar, sending blessings on the Prophet, seeking forgiveness for the believing men and women and asking for his own needs, he would say: �Allahumma iyyaaka na�bud wa laka nusalli wa najud, wa ilayka nas�aa wa nahfud, wa narju rahmataka rabbanaa wa nakhaafu �adhaabak al-jadd. Inna �adhaabaka liman �aadayta mulhaq (O Allah, You do we worship, to You do we pray and prostrate, for Your sake we strive and toil. We place our hope in Your Mercy, O our Lord, and we fear Your mighty punishment, for Your punishment will certainly overtake the one whom You have taken as an enemy.� Then he would say �Allahu akbar� and go down in sujood.

�Allahumma innee a�oodhu bi ridaaka min sakhatika wa bi mu�aafaatika min �aqoobatika, wa a�oodhu bika minka. La uhsee thanaa�an �alayka, anta kamaa athnayta �ala nafsik (O Allah, I seek refuge in Your good pleasure from Your wrath, and in Your protection from Your punishment. I seek refuge with You from You. I cannot praise You enough, and You are as You have praised Yourself.�

When he gave salaam at the end of witr, he said: �Subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos, subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos, subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos (Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy), elongating the syllables, and raising his voice the third time.

A person may pray two rak�ahs after witr if he wishes, because it is proven that the Prophet

(PBUH) did this. Indeed, he said, �This travelling is exhausting and difficult, so after any one of you prays witr, let him pray two rak�ahs. If he wakes up, this is fine, otherwise these two rak�ahs will be counted for him�.

It is Sunnah to recite Idha zulzilat al-ard and Qul yaa ayyuha�l-kaafiroon in these two rak�ahs.

The most correct opinion is that the number of rak�ahs for Taraaweeh is eleven, but I pray in a mosque where they do twenty one rak�ahs. Can I leave the mosque after the tenth rak�ah, or is it better to complete the twenty one rak�ahs with them?

It is better to stay with the imaam until he finishes, even if he is doing more than eleven rak�ahs, because it is permissible to do the extra rak�ahs, as the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever prays qiyaam with the imaam until he finishes, Allah will record it as if he prayed the whole night� (reported by al-Nisaa'i and others. Sunan al-Nisaa'i, Baab Qiyaam Shahr Ramadaan), and because the Prophet

(PBUH) said: �Prayer at night should be two by two (rak�ahs), and when dawn approaches, pray one for witr.� (Reported by the seven; this version reported by al-Nisaa'i).

There is no doubt that adhering to the Sunnah of the Prophet

(PBUH) is better and brings more reward, so long as it is done properly and without haste, but if it is the matter of a choice between leaving the imaam because of the number of rak�ahs or going along with the extra that he does, it is better to go along with him, because of the ahaadeeth referred to above. At the same time, you should advise the imaam to follow the Sunnah.

Yes there are voluntary prayer prayers after sunrise. You can offer two or four voluntary prayer named as �Ashraq� after about 15 minutes from sunrise upto when sun is heated.

You can also offer two or four voluntary prayer named as �Chasht� after above time and before �Zawwal� time (mid day).

However if somebody could not offer Ashraq due to any reason, both can be offered together.

Qiyaam al-layl is Sunnah mu�akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah). Many texts of the Qur�aan and Sunnah encourage it and speak of its high status and great reward.

Qiyaam al-layl plays a great role in strengthening one's faith and helping one to do good deeds. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

�O you wrapped in garments (i.e. Prophet Muhammad) (1) Stand (to pray) all night, except a little (2) Half of it or a little less than that, (3) Or a little more. And recite the Qur�aan (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and) style (4) Verily, We shall send down to you a weighty Word (i.e. obligations, laws) (5) Verily, the rising by night (for Tahajjud prayer) is very hard and most potent and good for governing oneself, and most suitable for (understanding) the Word (of Allah)� (Al-Muzzamil 73:1-6)

�Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allah�s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them� (As-Sajdah 32:16)

�And those who spend the night in worship of their Lord, prostrate and standing� (Al-Furqaan 25:64)

Allah has described the pious in Soorat al-Dhaariyaat as having a number of characteristics � including praying qiyaam al-layl � by means of which they attain Paradise. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

�Verily, the Muttaqoon (the pious) will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs (in the Paradise) (15) Taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Verily, they were before this Muhsinoon (good‑doers) (16) They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allaah) and praying, with fear and hope]� (Al-Dhaariyaat 51:15-17)

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encouraged us to pray qiyaam al-layl in many ahaadeeth, such as the following:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is prayer at night.� Narrated by Muslim, 1163.

And he said: �You should pray qiyaam al-layl, for it is the custom of the righteous who came before you and it brings you closer to your Lord, and expiates sins and prevents misdeeds.� Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3549; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Irwa� al-Ghaleel, 452.

�The custom of the righteous� means it was their usual practice. �It brings you closer to your Lord� means, it is an act of worship by means of which one may draw closer to Allah. �and prevents misdeeds� means, it prevents one from committing sin. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

It was narrated that �Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhani said: A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from Qadaa�ah and said to him: �O Messenger of Allah, what do you think if I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that you are His Messenger, and I pray the five daily prayers, and fast the month (of Ramadaan), and pray qiyaam in Ramadaan, and pay zakaah?� The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever dies doing that will be one of the siddeeqs and martyrs.� Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah, 2212.

Al-Tirmidhi (1984) narrated that �Ali said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �In Paradise there are apartments the outside of which can be seen from the inside and the inside of which can be seen from the outside.� A Bedouin stood up and said: �Who are they for, O Messenger of Allah?� He said: �They are for those who speak good words, feed others, fast regularly and pray to Allah at night when people are sleeping.� Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

Al-Haakim narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Jibreel came to me and said: �O Muhammad, live as long as you want, for you will die. Love whomever you want, for you will leave him. Do whatever you want for you will be requited for it. Remember that the believer�s honour is his praying at night, and his pride is his being independent of people.� Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami�, 73.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever prays qiyaam reciting ten verses will not be recorded as one of the negligent. Whoever prays qiyaam reciting one hundred verses will be recorded as one of the devout. Whoever prays qiyaam reciting one thousand verses will be recorded as one of the muqantireen.�

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1398; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

The muqantireen are those who will be given a qintaar of reward. A qintaar is a large amount of gold, and most of the scholars of Arabic language are of the view that it is four thousand dinars.

And it was said that a qintaar is a bull�s hide full of gold, or eighty thousand, or a large but unspecified amount of wealth. See al-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb il-Hadeeth by Ibn al-Atheer.

What is meant by this hadeeth is to emphasize the greatness of the reward earned by the one who recites a thousand verses. Al-Tabaraani narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �A qintaar is better than this world and everything in it.� Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 638.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said: From Soorat Tabaarak [al-Mulk] to the end of the Qur�aan is one thousand verses.

Whoever prays qiyaam reciting from Soorat Tabaarak to the end of Qur�aan has prayed qiyaam with one thousand verses.

The meaning of I�tikaf is to seclude oneself in the masjid with the express intention (niyyah) of I'tikaf, for the remembrance of Allah. It can be for a day, days, hour, hourss, even though for a few seconds only. So it can be anytime in mosque, but mostly we talk about I'tikaf during Ramadan.

Ibn 'Abbas relates that the Messenger of Allah said: "The person performing I'tikaf remains free from sins and he is indeed given the same reward as all those who do righteous deeds (in spite of his not having done those deeds as a result of having been secluded in the masjid)."

It is also deduced from the various narrations that one of the major objects of I'tikaf during Ramadan is to search for Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power), What better manner can there be than to remain in ibadah at all times, whether one is awake or asleep, to obtain the reward of 1,000 months (over 83 years) of worship, Furthermore, in I'tikaf one is free from all daily tasks and thus has all the time devotes to dhikrullah (remembrance of Allah) and meditation.

I'tikaf becomes compulsory (wajib) when a person makes it obligatory upon himself. For instance, when a person makes a vow of thanks-giving to Allah that if Allah fulfills a certain wish of his, he will perform so many ... days of I'tikaf. In this case, the moment his wish is fulfilled, I'tikaf becomes compulsory. Or, a person may merely make an unconditional vow whereby he makes I'tikaf compulsory upon himself for a certain number of days. This becomes a duty on him from that moment onwards.

The basic principle is that i�tikaaf is Sunnah, not obligatory, unless one made a vow to do it, in which case it becomes obligatory, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him, and whoever vows to disobey Him, let him not disobey Him.� Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6696.

And �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: �O Messenger of Allah, during the Jaahiliyyah I vowed to observe i�tikaaf for one night in al-Masjid al-Haraam.� He said: �Fulfil your vow.� Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6697.

A wajib I'tikaf cannot be for less than one day and one night and has to be performed while fasting, irrespective of whether the fast is specifically for this purpose or not. If the intention is for several days then the same number of nights will also have to be spent in I'tikaf. The I'tikaf will thus begin before sunset and terminate at sunset after the avowed number of days has been completed. The night proceeds the day in Islamic reckoning. The intention for this type of I'tikaf must be pronounced, mere mental intention is not sufficient.

This I'tikaf was observed by Rasulullah (PBUH) in every year of his stay at Madinah Munawwarah. This I'tikaf means to seclude oneself inside the masjid for the last ten days of Ramadan. This I'tikaf is Sunnatul-mu'akkadah 'alal-kifayah: that is, if a few persons from the locality observe it, the rest will be exempted. If no one observes it then all the Muslims of that area will be sinful in neglecting this sunnah.

With regard to the Sunnah I'tikaf, there are many ahaadeeth, such as the hadeeth of �Aa�ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said that �the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to observe i'tikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadaan until Allah took his soul, then his wives observed i�tikaaf after he was gone� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2026; Muslim, 1172).

The main aim of itikaaf in Ramadan is to find the Night of Qadar and to seek forgiveness from Allah. The intention for Sunnah I'tikaf is that a firm intention should be made for this purpose before the sun sets on the 20th of Ramadan, in the masjid that is chosen for the I'tikaf. It terminates at sunset if the crescent is sighted on the 29th or on the 30th of Ramadan. There is no prescribed salah to be performed for this purpose. It is noteworthy that generally no Nafl salah should be performed after 'Asr salah until Maghrib.

There is no special time or specific number of days for Nafl l'tikaf. A person may form the intention for any number of days at any time of the year, even for his whole life. While Imam Abu Hanifah (R) states that it cannot be for less than a full day, Imam Muhammad (R) states that there is no limit as to the minimum period of time. It could even be for just a few seconds. The fatwa is on this latter view. There is no fast associated with this type of I'tikaf. .It is desirable for anyone entering a masjid to make the intention for I'tikaf as long as he will remain in the masjid. So, while he is in 'ibadah (worship), he also gains the reward of I'tikaf.

It is advisable for everyone who comes to join the congregational prayers to form an intention of I'tikaf upon entering the masjid. This will mean that as long as he remains busy with salah, dhikr,' listening to religious lectures, etc. He also receives the reward for I'tikaf.

Females should perform I'tikaf in the room set aside for prayer inside their homes. Where, however, no such room exists, and the desire to observe I'tikaf is present, the room where salah is normally performed should be set aside for this seclusion. If salah is performed in the bedroom, I'tikaf could be performed there. The domestic duties should be carried out by the daughters or servants while the person in I'tikaf remains constantly in 'ibadah in her room.

I'tikaf is a much easier task for women, for in fact, she remains in the confines of her room at home and receives the same great rewards of I'tikaf. It is very unfortunate that in spite of this ease, our womenfolk still remain deprived of the blessings of I'tikaf. Generally this Sunnah is neglected so much so that many have not even heard of it!

Additional Rules for Females in I'tikaf In addition to the general rules of I'tikaf that apply to men, there are some rules that apply to women only:

b. A woman must have the permission of her husband for I'tikaf. Once the husband has consented to his wife's I'tikaf, he then cannot withdraw his permission.

c. If there is no person to serve her meals during I'tikaf, the woman is allowed to go to the kitchen to prepare a quick simple meal.

d. If, during the I'tikaf, the woman has her monthly menses, the I'tikaf is nullified. She has to observe make-up of the remaining days after she is pure again. This is if the I'tikaf was a wajib or Sunnah, in which the vowed number of days was fixed. In the case where the Itikaf was a wajib in which the days vowed for were not fixed in number, she will have to observe make-up of the full I'tikaf.

e. A woman is allowed to sleep on her bed and use a chair while she is in Itikaf. She could also walk around in the room for a short while to relieve the stiffness in her limbs.

The Mu'takif (a person in I'tikaf) could leave the defined masjid area for the following reasons only.

If he/she leaves for any reason other than the under mentioned then the I'tikaf will terminate forthwith. When going out for these necessities do not spend more time than is absolutely required. Return as soon as possible and do not talk to anyone. If someone greets you, it is wajib to only answer.

a. To answer the call of nature when necessary.

b. To perform wudu when the wudu' terminates (breaks). It is not permissible to leave the masjid to perform wudu' when one still has wudu'. When out of the masjid for these necessities it is permissible for one to greet others and to reply to their Salam.

c. To perform the wajib bath (due to a wet dream). If one leaves the masjid to have a shower to cool off on a hot day or a bath for Friday, the I'tikaf will be nullified. When going out for wudu' it is permissible to have a wash while performing wudu', provided it is done in the same time during which wudu' is made.

d. To perform Jum'ah salah if it is not performed in that masjid. It is only permissible to leave for Jum'ah just prior to the commencement of the khutbah. One must return immediately after performing the Sunnah rak'at succeeding the Jum'ah.

When a Mu'takif cannot leave the Masjid or place of I'tikaf, allowed to leave the defined masjid area for the under mentioned reasons. If he does leave, even though for a few seconds, either intentionally or unintentionally, his I'tikaf will be nullified.

e. To wash hands, gargle, and brush teeth or to expectorate (spit). (These should all be done while performing wudu').

[Note: in situations (a) and (d) it will be permissible to leave the masjid but the I'tikaf will be nullified and for example, if it is a wajib I'tikaf, then quad will be necessary.]

d. To recite the Our'an aloud or recite tasbih or dhikr with a raised voice if it does not disturb others.

e. To have religious discussions and lectures and to speak about lawful matters.

What is disallowed during I�tikaf?

Aa�ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: �The Sunnah for the mu�takif is not to visit any sick person, or attend any funeral, or touch or be intimate with any woman, or go out for any reason except those which cannot be avoided.� Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2473.

All the time spent in I'tikaf should be beneficially used for 'ibadah. This is the opportunity when one is able to observe all those devotions that could not be normally carried out. The fard salah should be performed with meticulous care and humbleness and without haste. The most virtuous act is reciting the Our'an, thereafter du'a, istighfar, and nafl salah.

There is undoubtedly a great link between the month of Ramadan and the Holy Our'an. Almost all Allah's Divine Scriptures were revealed in this month. Therefore for those in sunnah I'tikaf the most virtuous act, after the fardh salah, is the recitation of Allah's final Book to humanity - the Our'an. An effort should be made to complete at least one khatam during the sunnah I'tikaf. One should also try to memorize more and more of Quran�s chapters.

I'tikaf is the opportune time to communicate with Allah, to beseech of Him, to ask Him for forgiveness and to ask Him for all one's needs. In the hadith it is said: "Du'a is the essence of' ibadah." For forgiveness of sins the Sayyidul-Istighfar should be recited as many times as possible.

Is any voluntary prayer named Tahayyatul Masjid? How about its praying when you entered in mosque at zawal time?

Yes there is nafl prayer named Tahayyatul Masjid, which one can pray when he enters mosque. It is two rakat.

However offering any voluntary prayer at the time when the sun is rising or setting, and also at �zawal� time is not allowed.

11. PRAYER WITR

Witr prayer is one of the greatest acts of worship that draw one closer to Allah Subhanahoo Wa Ta�aala. Some of the scholars � the Hanafis � even thought that it is one of the obligatory prayers, but the correct view is that it is one of the confirmed Sunnahs (Sunnah mu'akkadah) which the Muslim should observe regularly and not neglect.

Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasallam said: "Allah has prescribed for you a prayer (by which He may increase your reward), which is Witr; Allah has enjoined it for you during the time between 'Isha' prayer until dawn begins." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 425; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

The Sunnah indicates that if a person thinks he will be able to get up at the end of the night, it is better to delay it, because prayer at the end of the night is better and is witnessed (by the angels). But whoever fears that he will not get up at the end of the night should pray Witr before he goes to sleep, because of the hadeeth of Jaabir (Radhi Allaahu anhu) who said: Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasallam said: "Whoever fears that he will not get up at the end of the night, let him pray Witr at the beginning of the night, but whoever thinks that he will be able to get up at the end of the night, let him pray Witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels) and that is better." Narrated by Muslim, 755.

The minimum number of rak'ahs for Witr is one rak'ah, because the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasallam said: "Witr is one rak'ah at the end of the night." Narrated by Muslim, 752.

Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasallam said: "The night prayers are two (rak'ahs) by two, but if one of you fears that dawn is about to break, let him pray one rak'ah to make what he has prayed odd-numbered." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 911; Muslim, 749.

If a person limits himself to praying one rak'ah, then he has performed the Sunnah. But Witr may also be three or five or seven or nine.

If a person prays three rak'ahs of Witr this may be done in Two Ways, both of which are prescribed in sharee'ah:

1 � To pray them one after another, with one Tashahhud, because of the hadeeth of 'Aa'ishah (Radhi Allaahu anha) who said: Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasallam used not to say the Tasleem in the (first) two rakahs of Witr. According to another version: "He used to pray Witr with Three rak'ahs and he did not sit except in the last of them." Narrated by al-Nasaa'i, 3/234; al-Bayhaqi, 3/31. al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo' (4/7): it was narrated by al-Nasaa'i with a hasan isnaad, and by al-Bayhaqi with a saheeh isnaad.

2 � Saying the Tasleem after Two Rak'ahs, then Praying One Rak'ah on its own, because of the report narrated from Ibn 'Umar (Radhi Allaahu anhu), that he used to separate the two Rak'ahs from the single Rak'ah with a Tasleem, and he said that the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasallam used to do that. Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan (2435); Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath (2/482): its isnaad is qawiy (strong).

The less perfect way in Witr is to Pray Two Rak'ahs and say the Tasleem, then to Pray One Rak'ah and say the Tasleem. It is permissible to say one Tasleem, but one should say one Tashahhud not two, as stated above.

In the first rak'ah one should recite Sabbih isma rabbika al-'a'la (Soorat al-A'la 87). In the second one should recite Soorat al-Kaafiroon (109), and in the third Soorat al-Ikhlaas (112).

Al-Nasaa'i (1729) narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka'b said: Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu �layhi-e-Wasallam used to recite in Witr Sabbih isma rabbika al-'a'la (Soorat al-A'la 87), Qul yaa ayyuha'l-kaafiroon (Soorat al-Kaafiroon 109) and Qul Huwa Allaahu ahad (Soorat al-Ikhlaas 112). Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa'i.

All these ways of offering Witr prayer have been mentioned in the Sunnah, but the best way is not to stick to one particular way; rather one should do it one way one time and another way another time, so that one will have done all the Sunnahs.

Whoever prays 4 rakas sunnah before and 4 rakas sunnah after salatul Zuhr, hell fire is not allowed to touch his skin. Is this correct hadith?

Yes, it is proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said: �Whoever regularly prays four rak'ahs before Zuhr and four after it will be forbidden to Hell.� Narrated by Abu Dawood (1269) and al-Tirmidhi (428); classed as saheeh by al-Nawawi in al-Majmoo� (4/7) and al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

To offer any voluntary prayer at the time when the sun is rising or setting, and also at �zawal� time is not allowed. However there is no restriction after Maghrib adhan, if some body is in mosque or entered in it.

Therefore, offering two rakat voluntary prayer (Tahayyatul Masjid) after Maghrib adhan and before Maghrib congregation is allowed (if somebody wants and there is time).

After Maghrib prayer, there are nawafal prayers named �Awwabeen� which are minimum six and maximum twelve rakat.

You have stated in various answers given by you that by not observing a sunnah, a Muslim does not commit a sin or an act of disobedience. As you realize, sunnah is divided into "muakkadah" and "non-muakkadah." The first is compulsory, and the second voluntary or recommended. Obviously, non-observance of the type of sunnah which is "muakkadah" is an act of disobedience. Please comment.

When the Prophet gives us an express order to do something or avoid another, that order must be obeyed. The sanctity of obligation is clearly stated in the Qur'an when Allah commands us to act on whatever the Prophet bids us and refrain from whatever he forbids us. This divine order is contained in Verse 7 of Surah 59, "Al-Hashr." The Prophet, however, has done or said certain things without specifying that these were compulsory. On the other hand, he may have defined a compulsory part. Such a definition means that what is extra is not compulsory.

When he does or encourages something which is other than the obligatory part, then we can only say that it is recommended. We have this particular case in prayer when the Prophet tells us for example, that Allah has made it obligatory to us to offer five prayers a day in a certain fashion and according to a particular time schedule. Obviously, the Prophet offered more prayers than those obligatory ones. The effect of this is that what we define as obligatory remains so and what goes beyond it remains recommended. This latter part can be divided into sunnah muakkadah and non-muakkadah, as you have correctly pointed out.

What is "muakkadah" is that which the Prophet regularly did [and encouraged]. The other he did occasionally. Now we cannot describe either type as compulsory. Both are recommended. However, the muakkadah which was done regularly by the Prophet carries more weight and has more stress placed on it. But if a Muslim does not do it, he does not commit a sin or an act of disobedience. He simply loses the chance of earning the reward placed on it.

May I refer you to the authentic Hadith related by Al-Bukhari which reports that a certain man came to the Prophet and asked him: "What prayers Allah has made obligatory to me?" The Prophet answered: "The five (daily prayers) unless you wish to volunteer something." The man asked him about the obligatory part of fasting, zakah, and other acts of worship. Every time the Prophet answered pointing out the obligatory part and adding the proviso "unless you wish to volunteer something." When the man finished his question, he said: "By Him who has sent you with the message of truth, I shall volunteer nothing. I will do these obligatory actions without omission or addition." When the man went away, the Prophet said: "He will prosper if he keeps his word." I feel that this authentic Hadith clarifies your query and shows that what is sunnah cannot be described as compulsory. Otherwise, its omission incurs punishment, which is not the case.

Is it permissible to offer naafil prayers in congregation, such as qiyaam al-layl or Duha prayer?

There is nothing wrong with offering naafil prayers in congregation, but that should not be done on an ongoing basis, rather it may only be done sometimes.

Voluntary prayers done in congregation are of two types, one of which it is Sunnah to do in congregation, such as the eclipse prayer, prayers for rain, and qiyaam during Ramadaan (Taraweeh). These are always done in congregation as is the Sunnah.

The second type are not done in congregation, such as qiyaam al-layl, the regular Sunnah prayers, Duha prayer, tahiyyat al-masjid (greeting the mosque) and so on. But if they are done in congregation occasionally, that is permissible. As for doing them in congregation on an ongoing basis, that is not prescribed, rather it is a reprehensible innovation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Sahabaah and Taabi�een were not accustomed to offering naafil prayers in congregation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) only rarely offered voluntary prayers in congregation. He used to pray qiyaam al-layl on his own, but when Ibn 'Abbaas stayed overnight with him, he prayed with him. On another occasion, Hudhayfah prayed with him, and on another occasion Ibn Mas�ood prayed with him. Similarly he also prayed at the house of �Utbaan ibn Maalik al-Ansaari, in a place that he (�Utbaan) took as a prayer place for himself, so he prayed with him, and he also led Anas and his mother and the orphan in prayer, but in general his voluntary prayers were offered alone. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn �Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on offering naafil prayers in congregation, such as Duha prayer?

There is nothing wrong with offering naafil prayers in congregation occasionally, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led his companions in naafil prayers on some nights. On one occasion �Abd-Allah ibn �Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed with him, and on another occasion �Abd-Allah ibn Mas�ood (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed with him, and on one occasion Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed with him. Hudhayfah narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited al-Baqarah, al-Nisa� and Aal �Imraan, and he did not reach a verse that spoke of seeking refuge with Allah but he sought refuge with Him, and he did not reach a verse that spoke of mercy but he asked for mercy. �Abd-Allah ibn Mas�ood prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) one night, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood for a long time; �Abd-Allah ibn Mas�ood said: Until I thought of something bad. It was said: What is the bad thing that you thought of? He said: Sitting down and leaving him � that was because he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood for such a long time. �Abd-Allah ibn �Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) stood and prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) one night, standing on his left, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took hold of his head and made him stand on his right.

There is nothing wrong in offering some naafil prayers in congregation, but this should not be a regular habit such that every regular Sunnah prayer is offered in congregation, because that is not prescribed. End quote.

Praying Regular Sunnah in congregation is contrary to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

If someone comes to the masjid for the Zuhr prayer and misses the 4 Sunnan Rakah(which are offered before the Fard) can he repeat these 4 Sunnan Rakah after he offers his 4 Fard and 2 Rakah Sunnah (which are offered after the Fard)?

It is mustahabb to make up the regular Sunnah prayers if one misses them, according to the correct scholarly view. This is the Shaafa�i view and the well known opinion of the Hanbalis, in contrast to the Hanafis and Maalikis, because of the hadeeth of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed two rak�ahs after �Asr. He was asked about them and he said: �O daughter of Abu Umayyah, you asked about the two rak�ahs after �Asr. That is because some people from �Abd al-Qays came to me and distracted me from the two rak'ahs that come after Zuhr; these are they (i.e., I prayed them just now).� Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1233) and Muslim (834).

The correct view in our opinion is that it is mustahabb to make up the regular naafil prayers. This was the view of Muhammad, al-Muzani and Ahmad according to one opinion narrated from him. Abu Haneefah, Maalik and Abu Yoosuf, according to the most well known view narrated from him, said that they should not be made up. Our evidence is these saheeh ahaadeeth. End quote.

Al-Mardaawi al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The words �whoever misses any of these Sunnahs, it is Sunnah for him to make it up� � this is the well known view of our companions.

Al-Majd supported this in his commentary and it was the view favoured by Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen � i.e., Ibn Taymiyah. End quote from al-Insaaf (2/187).

Making up regular Sunnah prayers is Sunnah if one misses them. The evidence for that is that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) slept and missed Fajr prayer, and did not wake up until after the sun had risen, he prayed the Sunnah prayer of Fajr first, then he prayed Fajr after that. End quote.

Liqaa�aat al-Baab il-Maftooh (no. 74, question no 18). See also al-Mawsoo�ah al-Fiqhiyyah (25/284).

If he wants to make up the Sunnah prayer that comes before Zuhr after offering the fard Zuhr prayer, should he pray the Sunnah prayer that comes before Zuhr first, and then the Sunnah prayer that comes after Zuhr, or vice versa?

It seems that this matter is broad in scope, whether he starts with the Sunnah prayer that comes before or that which comes after, because what matters is doing it, whether it is done sooner or later.

The scholars said: If you miss the two rak�ahs that come before Zuhr, then pray them after the prayer, because you were excused from doing them before the prayer. This happens all the time: a person comes to the mosque and finds that they have already started the prayer. In this case, he should make them up after he prays Zuhr.

But he should offer the regular Sunnah prayer that comes after Zuhr before the regular Sunnah prayer that comes before.

A man comes and the people are praying, and he is not able to offer the Sunnah prayer of Zuhr. When he has prayed Zuhr, he should pray two rak'ahs with the intention of offering the regular Sunnah prayer that comes after Zuhr, then make up the regular sunnah prayer that comes before. This was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in a hadeeth narrated by Ibn Majaah.

What is the importance of 15 Shaban? Is it the night in which the fate of every one is decided for the next year?

The especial night mentioned in surah Dukhan means which night, is it the shaban or Qadar?

Laylat al-Nusf min Sha�baan (the 15th of Sha�baan) is like any other night, and there is no sound report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to indicate that on this night the fate or destiny of people is decided.

�We sent it (this Quran) down on a blessed night. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship] (3) Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments� (Al-Dukhaan 44:3-4)

Ibn Jareer al-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the commentators differed concerning that night, i.e., which night of the year it is. Some of them said that it is Laylat al-Qadr, and it was narrated from Qurtaadah that it is Laylat al-Qadr. Others said that it is the night of the 15th of Sha�baan. The correct view is the view of those who say that it is Laylat al-Qadr, because Allah has told us of that when He says, �Verily, We are ever warning� (Al-Dukhaan 44:3) (Tafseer al-Tabari, 11/221)

With regard to the phrase, �Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments�: Ibn Hajar said in his commentary on Saheeh al-Bukhaari: �What this means is that the decrees for the year are decided on that night, because Allah says: �Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments�. And al-Nawawi said: the scholars said that it is called Laylat al-Qadr because on this night the angels write down the decrees (aqdaar), because Allah says, �Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments�. This was also narrated by �Abd al-Razzaaq and other mufassireen with saheeh isnaads from Mujaahid, �Ikrimah, Qutaadah and others. Al-Toorbashti said that the word used in the Quran is qadr, whereas people think it is qadar (decree); the word qadr refers to the detailed manifestation of the decree.

Laylat al-Qadr brings great reward for the one who does good deeds and strives in worship on that night.

�Verily, We have sent it (this Quran) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree). (1) And what will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is? (2) The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months). (3) Therein descend the angels and the Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allah�s Permission with all Decrees, (All that night), (1) there is peace (and goodness from Allah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn� (Al-Qadr 97:1-5)

There are many ahaadeeth which speak of the virtue of that night, such as the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari from Abu Hurayrah, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and hoping for reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven, and whoever fasts Ramadaan out of faith and hoping for reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.� (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Sawm, 1768).

When traveling we have to short the prayers, however are the sunnah prayers to be omitted or not? Give details by hadiths.

Can we pray in the car if there is no mosque/prayer room facility available or must we pray outside?

It was the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when traveling to pray the obligatory prayers only, and it was not narrated that he used to pray the regular Sunnah prayers either before or after the fard prayers.

It was narrated that �Aasim ibn �Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: �I accompanied Ibn �Umar on the way to Makkah. He led us in praying two rak�ahs of Zuhr prayer, then he left and we left with him until he came to where his luggage was. He sat down and we sat with him, then he looked towards the place where we had prayed, and he saw some people standing and he asked, �What are these people doing?� I said, �They are praying voluntary prayers.� He said, �If I wanted to pray (naafil or Sunnah prayers) after the fard prayer I would have completed my prayer (i.e., not shortened it).� O son of my brother, I accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) whilst travelling and he did not add anything to these two rak�ahs until Allah took him (in death); and I accompanied Abu Bakr and he did not add anything to these two rak�ahs until Allah took him (in death); and I accompanied �Umar and he did not add anything to these two rak�ahs until Allah took him (in death); and I accompanied �Uthmaan and he did not add anything to these two rak�ahs until Allah took him (in death). And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

�Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow....� [Al-Ahzaab 33:21]

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This demonstrates his understanding, may Allah be pleased with him. For Allah has reduced the four-rak�ah prayers for the traveller by half. If it were prescribed to pray the two rak�ahs (of Sunnah prayer) before and after, it would be more appropriate to pray the fard prayer in full.

Another factor which indicates that it is prescribed to omit the regular Sunnah prayers whilst travelling is the saheeh report from Ibn �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: �The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) combined Maghrib and �Isha prayer in Jam� (i.e., Muzdalifah), reciting the iqaamah for each of them, and he did not pray Sunnah in between or after either of them.� Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1673.

And it was narrated that Jaabir ibn �Abd-Allah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) traveled until he reached �Arafah, where he found that the tent had been set up for him in Namirah. He stayed there until the sun had passed its zenith, then he called for al-Qaswa� (his camel) to be saddled, and he rode to the bottom of the valley, where he addressed the people. Then he told Bilaal to give the adhaan (call to prayer) then the iqaamah, then he prayed Zuhr, and then Bilaal recited another iqaamah and he prayed �Asr, and he did not pray anything in between.� Narrated by Muslim, 1218.

But an exception is made from the above in the case of the regular Sunnah prayer of Fajr, which is to be performed when travelling just as it is performed when one is not travelling. Ibn al-Qayyim said:

�It was the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when travelling to pray only the obligatory prayers, and it was not narrated that he used to pray the regular Sunnah prayers either before or after the fard prayers, apart from Witr and the Sunnah of Fajr, which he never omitted whether he was travelling or not.� Zaad al-Ma�aad, 1/473

�His adherence to praying the Sunnah of Fajr was stronger than with all other naafil prayers, so he did not omit it or Witr whether he was travelling or not. When he was travelling he would still pray the Sunnah of Fajr and Witr and adhere to that more than all other naafil prayers. It is not narrated that he prayed any other regular Sunnah prayer when he was traveling.�

It was narrated that Abu Qutaadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: �The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was on a journey and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stopped to rest and I stopped with him. He said, �Look!� I said, �Here is one rider, two riders, three�� until there were seven of us. He said, �Make sure that we do not miss our prayer� � meaning Fajr prayer. But they slept deeply and nothing woke them but the heat of the sun. Then they got up and traveled on for a while, then they stopped and did wudoo�, and Bilaal gave the adhaan and they prayed two rak�ahs of Fajr then they prayed Fajr, then they rode on. They said to one another, �We have been negligent concerning our prayer.� The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, �There is no negligence in sleep, rather negligence comes when one is awake. If one of you forgets his prayer, let him pray when he remembers.�� Narrated by Muslim, 681

In the chapter called Kitaab Salaat al-Musaafireen wa qasriha (The prayer of travelers and shortening the prayer) (no. 724), Imam Muslim narrates from �Aa�ishah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not more keen to pray any naafil prayers regularly than the two rak�ahs before Fajr.

Similarly it is prescribed for the traveler to continue to pray Witr, qiyaam al-layl (naafil prayers at night), Duha prayer and all prayers done for a reason such as praying after each wudoo�, salaat al-tawbah (prayer of repentance), tahiyyat al-masjid (greeting the mosque), two rak�ahs following Tawaaf, etc. Similarly, it is not forbidden to pray naafil at all.

1 � It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: My dear friend [the Prophet] (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined three things upon me which I will not give up whether I am traveling or not: two rak�ahs of Duha prayer, fasting three days of each month and not going to sleep until I have prayed Witr.� Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 1269.

2 � It was narrated that Ibn �Umar said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray qiyaam al-layl atop his camel when he was traveling, no matter what direction it was facing, gesturing to represent the movements of the prayer, apart from the obligatory prayers, and he would pray Witr atop his camel. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1000.

According to another report: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray naafil prayers atop his camel, no matter what direction it was facing, and he would pray Witr like that too, but he did not pray the prescribed prayers like that. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1098.

3 � It was narrated that Jaabir ibn �Abd-Allah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray atop his camel, no matter what direction it was facing, but when he wanted to pray an obligatory prayer, he would dismount and face the qiblah. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 400.

4 � It was narrated from al-Nadr the freed slave of �Umar ibn �Ubayd-Allah that Abu Murrah the freed slave of Umm Haani� bint Abi Taalib told him that he heard Umm Haani� bint Abi Taalib say, �I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) during the year of the Conquest [of Makkah] and I found him doing ghusl and his daughter Faatimah was screening him. So I greeted him with salaam and he said, �Who is that?� I said, �Umm Haani� bint Abi Taalib.� He said, �Welcome, Umm Haani�.� When he had finished doing ghusl he stood up and prayed eight rak�ahs, wearing a single garment wrapped around his body. When he finished, I said, �O Messenger of Allah, my brother said that he is going to kill a man to whom I have given protection, So and so the son of Hubayrah.� The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, �We will give protection to the person to whom you have given protection, O Umm Haani,�� and that was at the time of Duha (forenoon).� Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 357

The point is that it is prescribed to omit the regular Sunnah prayers for those who are travelling, and to limit it to the two Sunnah rak�ahs of Fajr. It is also prescribed for the traveller to continue to pray Salaat al-Witr, qiyaam al-layl, Duha and prayers done for specific reasons, and naafil prayers in general. From this you may understand that what some people say, that part of the Sunnah whilst travelling is not to pray Sunnah, is wrong. Apart from the fact that this does not make sense, it also goes against the saheeh Sunnah narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The correct view is that not praying Sunnah whilst travelling refers to the regular Sunnah prayers that are done before and after Zuhr, and after Maghrib and �Isha�. And Allah knows best.

It is important that a person makes ruku� and sajdah properly in his or her prayer. During travel it is permissible to pray in the sitting position inside the car, bus, train or plane. While you are not traveling, you should not pray inside your car. You should find a place that is safe for you and have a proper covering. You can also pray outside.

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19. The virtue of reciting some verses of Quran just before going to sleep

Question

I heard a hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the meaning of which is, Whoever recites ten verses of Quran at night before going to sleep, will not be recorded as one of the heedless.

Is this hadeeth saheeh? If it is saheeh, then is it correct to recite Aayat al-Kursiy and Soorat al-Ikhlaas and al-Mi�wadhatayn by heart? Thus I will have recited my wird, and I will have recited more than ten verses. Or must it be ten verses read from the Mus-haf?.

Answer: Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

The text of the hadeeth referred to by the questioner is:

It was narrated that:

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever recites ten verses at night will not be recorded as one of the heedless.� Narrated by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (1/742), and he said: This hadeeth is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim although they (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) did not narrate it. It was also narrated by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (2/81)

It was also narrated that this was the view of a number of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them):

It was narrated that Ibn �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever recites ten verses at night will not be recorded as one of the heedless.

A similar report was narrated from Tameem al-Daari (may Allah be pleased with him). Both were narrated by al-Daarimi in his Musnad (2/554-555).

Secondly:

Is what is meant in the hadeeth reciting these verses in one�s prayer at night, or can this virtue be attained simply by reciting these verses at night, whether during prayer or otherwise?

Both are possible. The former is supported by the report narrated by Abu Dawood (1398) from �Abd-Allah ibn �Amr ibn al-�Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever prays qiyaam reciting ten verses will not be recorded as one of the heedless. Whoever prays qiyaam reciting one hundred verses will be recorded as one of the devout. Whoever prays qiyaam reciting one thousand verses will be recorded as one of those who collected a great deal of reward.� Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood (1264).

It says in �Awn al-Ma�bood: What is meant here is qiyaam al-layl. Hence Ibn Hibbaan narrated this hadeeth in the chapters on qiyaam al-layl in his Saheeh (4/120), and gave it the title: �Statement that the one who prays qiyaam reciting ten verses is not heedless.�

This is also supported by the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) which says: �Whoever prays at night reciting one hundred verses will not be recorded as one of the heedless, and whoever prays at night with two hundred verses will be recorded as one of the sincere and devout.� Narrated by al-Haakim (1/452) and classed as saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim. But al-Albaani was of the view that it is da�eef, as it says in al-Saheehah (2/243) and Da�eef al-Targheeb (1/190).

In the report narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah (2/180) it says: �The one who offers these prescribed prayers regularly will not be recorded as one of the heedless, and whoever recites one hundred verses at night will not be recorded as one of the heedless.�

Al-Albaani said in al-Saheehah (643): Its isnaad is saheeh according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim).

The fact that recitation is mentioned alongside the prescribed prayer suggests that the command is to recite it during the prayer, i.e., the night prayer.

Hence Ibn Khuzaymah narrated that hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in a chapter called �The virtue of reciting one hundred verses in the night prayer, because the one who recites one hundred verses in the night prayer will not be recorded as being among the heedless.� It was also narrated by Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi in his book Qiyaam al-Layl (164) in the chapters that speak of reciting in the night prayer.

And this virtue may also be attained by the one who recites this number of verses at night in general, whether that is during prayer or otherwise, before going to sleep or after waking up, if he wakes during the night. This general meaning was understood by many of the scholars when they narrated the hadeeth in their collections of hadeeth. Al-Daarimi (may Allah have mercy on him) included it in a chapter called �The virtue of one who recites ten verses� (2/554).

Al-Haakim included it in his Mustadrak (1/738) in a chapter called �Reports concerning the virtue of the Quran in general.�

Al-Mundhiri included it in al-Targheeb wa�l-Tarheeb (2/76) in a chapter called �Encouragement to recite Quran in prayer and at other times, and the virtue of learning it and teaching it.�

He mentioned it a second time in a chapter entitled �Encouragement to recite adhkaar to be said by night and by day, not just in the morning and in the evening� (2/116).

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Adhkaar (1/255):

Reciting Quran is the most important of adhkaar, which should be done regularly. No day or night should be without it and it may be attained by reciting a few verses.

Then he mentioned a number of ahaadeeth including the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah that we have quoted above. End quote.

It is hoped that the one who recites ten verses at night will not be recorded among the heedless, whether he recites them during his night prayer or otherwise, for the bounty of Allah is great indeed.

In Saheeh Muslim (789) it is narrated from Ibn �Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �If the companion of the Quran persists in reciting it by night and by day, he will remember it, but if he does not do that he will forget it.�

The apparent meaning of the hadeeth is that what is meant by qiyaam here (idha qaama = if [he] persists) is broader in meaning than the idea of praying qiyaam.

Al-Manaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: i.e., if he commits himself to reading Quran at night and during the day, and does not neglect that� This is a recommendation to read Quran constantly, without singling out a specific time or place. End quote.

Thirdly:

In the Sunnah it is recommended for the Muslim to recite certain verses when he goes to bed.

Among the soorahs and verses which we are recommended to recite are the following:

1 � Aayat al-Kursiy (al-Baqarah 2:255)

It says in a mu�allaq report narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari (2311) that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) appointed me to guard the zakaah of Ramadaan, then someone came and started rummaging in the foodstuff � and at the end of the hadeeth he said: �When you go to your bed, recite Aayat al-Kursiy, for there will remain with you a guardian from Allah, and no devil will approach you, until morning comes.� The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �He told you the truth although he is a liar. That was a devil.�

2 � The last two verses of Soorat al-Baqarah

It was narrated from Abu Mas�ood al-Ansaari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: �Whoever recites the last two verses of Soorat al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice him.� Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5009) and Muslim (2714). Ibn al-Qayyim said in al-Waabil al-Sayyib (132): They will suffice him against any evil that may harm him.

It was narrated that �Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

�I did not think that any sane person could sleep without reciting the last three verses of Soorat al-Baqarah.�

In al-Adhkaar (220), al-Nawawi attributed it to the report of Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawood, then he said: It is saheeh according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim.

3, 4 � Soorat al-Isra� and Soorat al-Zumar

It was narrated that �Aa�ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not go to sleep until he had recited Bani Israa�eel (Soorat al-Isra�) and al-Zumar.

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3402) who said: it is a hasan hadeeth. It was also classed as hasan by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Nataa�ij al-Afkaar (3/65), and it was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

5 � Soorat al-Kaafiroon

It was narrated that Nawfal al-Ashja�i (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: �Recite Qul yaa ayyuha�l-kaafiroon then go to sleep at the end of it, for it is a disavowal of shirk.�

Narrated by Abu Dawood (5055) and al-Tirmidhi (3400); classed as hasan by Ibn Hajar in Nataa�ij al-Afkaar (3/6); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

6, 7, 8 � al-Ikhlaas and al-Mi�wadhatayn [i.e., the last three soorahs of the Quran]

It was narrated from �Aa�ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to bed every night, he would hold his hands together and blow into them, and recite into them Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad, Qul a�oodhu bi rabb il-falaq and Qul a�oodhu bi rabb il-naas. Then he would wipe them over whatever he could of his body, starting with his head and face and the front of his body, and he would do that three times. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5017).

It was narrated that Ibraaheem al-Nakha�i said:

They regarded it as mustahabb to recite these soorahs every night three times: Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad and al-Mi�wadhatayn. Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar (221): its isnaad is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim.

Fourthly:

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Adhkaar (221):

It is better for a person to do all that has been narrated of this matter, but if he cannot do that he should do whatever he is able to do. End quote.

It is not essential to read from the Mus-haf. It is sufficient for the Muslim to recite whatever he can from memory of the passages mentioned above, and Allah will decree for him what He has promised.

And Allah knows best.

Excerptedfrom: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/72591/the-virtue-of-reciting-some-verses-of-quraan-just-before-going-to-sleep

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