During the time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, prayers were
essentially of two kinds: Ṣalāt al-Maktūbah—the obligatory (Farḍ) prayers—and Ṣalāt al-Taṭawwuʿ—the voluntary
(Nafl) prayers. There was no separate category known as “Sunnah
prayers.”
In reality, however, they remain voluntary (Nafl) prayers. If a
person offers them, they become a great means of drawing closer to Allah. If a
person does not offer them, he has not neglected an obligation.
This is why the Prophet ﷺ gave glad tidings that whoever
regularly performs these voluntary (Nafl) prayers (12 rakʿahs of regular voluntary prayers) along with the obligatory
prayers will be rewarded by Allah with a house in Paradise. The 12 rakʿahs are:
- 2 before Fajr
- 4 before Dhuhr
- 2 after Dhuhr
- 2 after Maghrib
- 2 after Isha
Total = 12
rakʿahs (Note there
are no Nafals with Asar)
The
hadith states: “Whoever prays twelve rakʿahs during the day and night, a
house will be built for him in Paradise.” This narration is found in Sahih Muslim.
[Some
narrations mention 2 before Dhuhr instead of 4 before Dhuhr, but the commonly
cited total that reaches twelve is: 2 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 12 rakʿahs.]
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