All praise is due to Allah, and may exaltation and safety be granted to Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who aid them. To proceed:

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, may Allah protect him, mentioned:

 …Voluntary prayers in the house are more virtuous than in the Masjid because of the following positive outcomes that arise:

1. Praying voluntary prayers in the house is staying away from showing-off and causing people to be impressed. It is also a way to conceal actions from the people;

2. Praying voluntary prayers in the house is a cause for complete serenity and sincerity;

3. Praying voluntary prayers in the house establishes the remembrance of Allah and prayer therein; this causes the descent of mercy upon the residents of the house, and this causes Shaytaan to distance himself;

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention and grant him safety, said: “Perform some of your prayers in your homes, and do not turn them into graveyards (i.e. a place where prayer is not performed).”  [Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]

Additional Benefit: The Messenegr of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention and grant him safety, said:

The voluntary prayer of a man where people do not see him is worth twenty-five times more than in a place where people would see him. 


The Different Types of Voluntary Prayers

 
In addition to the five daily prayers, are nafl (optional/voluntary) prayers which can be recited. Those which are nawafil, or voluntary, include every extra prayer prayed in the times when prayer is allowed.

There is no limit to these nawafil, and the more nawafil one offers the greater will be the credit and reward for them. There have been such servants of Allah who used to offer Nafl prayers throughout the night and did not sleep. Nafl prayers were a regular and unchanging practice of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). Some of these are:


1. Salat al-Ishraq (Post-Sunrise Prayer)

Ishraq Prayer is a nafl prayer which is performed about 45 minutes (three quarters) after sunrise (according to the Hanafi school of thought) or 20 minutess after sunrise (according to the Shafi school).

RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) is reported to have said, 'He who performs Fajr Salat with Jamaat and remains seated in the same place while engaging in Dhikr until after sunrise and thereafter performs 2 Rakats Nafil Salat, (Ishraq), he will obtain the reward of one Hajj and one Umrah.'
[at-Tirmidhi]



2. Salat ad-Duha (Morning Prayer)

This prayer is also known as Chaasht salah/namaz. It is performed after the sun has risen high in the morning, after about one-third of the day has passed and it lasts until zawal. One may perform 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 rakat of nafl.

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was reported as saying, “Whoever prays 12 rakat for the Duha prayer, Allah will built a golden castle for him in Paradise.”
[at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]



3. Salat al-Awwabin (Prayer of the Oft-Repentant)

Awwabin are the plural of Awwab and this refers to the one who is obedient, or one who turns to obedience, or 'the one who submits himself to the worship of Allah by asking for forgiveness'.

After performing the fard and sunnah of Maghrib, one may perform from 6 to a maximum of 20 rakat nafl, in sets of 2 units. This prayer has been called as Awwabin. (This name is sometimes also applied to the morning prayer.) It is said that the one who recites this prayer is one of the Awwabin.

“Whoever prays, after the Maghrib, 6 rakat without talking of anything indecent in between them, it would be equivalent to 12 years of worship for him.”
[at-Tirmidhi]



4. Salat at-Tahajjud (Late-night prayer)

Of all the nafl prayers, that prayer which is offered in the middle of the night, known as Tahajjud or Salat al-Layl, is the most rewarding and beneficial.

Salat at-Tahajjud is offered after Isha prayer but before Fajr prayer (or 12 hours from the time of the Duhr prayer). The number of rakat prayed in tahajjud should be between 4 to 12 rakats, offered in even numbers, in units of two or four rakat each.

If one divides the night into six parts, the fourth and fifth part are the best for prayer. If divided in half, the second half is best. If into thirds, the middle part is best.

“As for the Righteous, they will be in the Gardens and fountains [of Jannah], with joy the rewards which their Lord gives them, before this [in the world] they were virtuous. They slept but little at night, and they prayed for forgiveness in the hours of early dawn." [51:15:18]

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, “There is a certain period of time in the night during which if a Muslim prays for anything beneficial to his life in this world or the next, it will be granted to him. And this time occurs every night.” [Muslim]


5. Salat at-Tasbih (Prayer of Glorification)

It Consisting of 4 units of prayer, the prayer format is slightly different.

The following tasbih is recited 75 times in each Rakat, totalling 300 times in all 4 Rakats:

SubhanAllahi walHamdulillahi wala ilaha illAllahu waAllahu Akbar (Glory be to Allah, all praise be to Allah, there is no god by Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no might nor power except with Allah

The method of this salah is as follows:
After beginning the salah by saying Allahu Akbar recite the thana', Surah al-Fatiha and a Surah followed by the above tasbih 15 times.
Then go into Ruku and after reciting the usual tasbih for ruku recite the above tasbih 10 times.
After standing up from ruku recite the usual 'Rabbana Lakal Hamd' and thereafter recite the tasbih 10 times.
Then go into Sajdah and after reciting the usual tasbih for sajda recite the above tasbih 10 times.
Then sit up from sajdah and recite the tasbih 10 times between the two sajdas. Thereafter go into sajdah again and after reciting the usual tasbih for sajdah recite the above tasbih 10 times. Then sit after the 2nd sajdah (i.e. before standing up for the second rak'ah) and recite the tasbih 10 times.
This adds up to 75 times in one rak'ah. Do the same for the remaining 4 raka'at.

It is recorded in Sunan Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and other books of hadith that RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) once said to his uncle Hadrat Abbas (radiAllahu anhu):
O Abbas! O my uncle! Shall I not give you a gift? Shall I not show you something by means of which Allah Ta'ala will forgive your sins, the first and the last of them, the past and recent, the unintentional and the intentional, the small and huge, the secret and open?

Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) then taught him the Salah al-Tasbih. Then he advised him that it be offered daily, if possible. If not then every Friday or once a month or once a year or at least once in a life time.
[abu Dawud 'Salat' 303; at-Tirmidhi 'Salat' 350]



6. Salat as-Safar (Journey Prayer)

It is said that one should offer 2 units of prayer before departing on a journey (salat al-khuruj ila’s-safar), and upon return from the journey (salat al-‘awda).

On the authority of Maqtam ibn al-Miqdam that he said, "The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, 'No one has left behind with their family anything better than two rakats offered at home when wanting travel.'"
[reported by al-Tabarani]


7. Salat al-Istikhara (Prayer for asking for Guidance/Advice)

This prayer requires 2 units with the intention to ask Allah for guidance in a matter.

According to a traditional report transmitted on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, it was Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (radiAllahu anhum) who said: "Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) used to teach us how to seek guidance in choosing the best option available in a practical enterprise [al-istikhara fi'l-amr], just as he would sometimes teach us a Chapter (Surah) from the Qur'an:

"'If one of you is concerned about some practical undertaking, or about making plans for a journey, he should perform two cycles of ritual prayer [rak'atain], not as an obligatory observance [farida], but voluntarily. Then he should say:

Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi ilmika wa-astaqdiruka biqudratika wa-as'aluka min fadhlika al-adheem. Fa innaka taqdiru wala' aqdiru. Wa ta'lamu wala a'alamu wa anta allaamul ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna [hadhal-amr] khayrun li fi deeni wa-ma'ashi wa-aqibat amri, fa'qdruhli wa-yasirh li thumma barik li feehi. Wa in-kunta ta'lamu anna [hadhal amr] sharrun li fi deeniy wa-ma'ashi was-'aqibat amri. Fa asrifh anni wa-srif 'anhu. Wa aqdurh liyal khayr hayth kana thumma a-rdhini bihi.

O Allah! I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah! If You know this affair [this matter] to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it. But if in Your Knowledge, You know [this matter] to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then drive it away from me and drive me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.



8. Salat al-Hajat (Prayer for the fulfilment of a need)

Salat al-Hajah is a prayer offered if one wants Allah Almighty to fulfill his particular purpose or need or want.

Abu Darda (radiAllahu anha) relates that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Whoever performs ablutions well and offers two voluntary rakahs and completes them to perfection will be granted by God whatever he prays for, either immediately or in God’s good time."
[Ahmad - Sahih]



9. Salat at-Tauba (Prayer for Repentance)

Make the appropriate minor or major ablution, offer a prayer of two rak‘ats, and ask for His forgiveness.

Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) related from the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) that he said, “There is no one who commits a sin, goes and performs ritual ablutions, and then prays two rakats after which they seek Allah’s forgiveness except that He forgives them.” After this, he (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) recited Allah Most High’s words,

“And those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins - Who forgives sins save Allah only? - and will not knowingly repeat (the wrong) they did.”
[3: 135]



11. Salat at-Tahiyatul Wudu (Prayer of the Oft-Repentant)

After performing wudu, one should pray 2 rak’at of nafl, known as Tahiyyat al-Wudu. Several hadith have mentioned the blessings and benefit of doing so. For example:

“There is no Muslim who performs wudu and performs it well and then stands and offers 2 units of prayer with devotion of heart and mind in the two of them, except that Paradise becomes guaranteed for him”
[Muslim #288]

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A very insighful post, JazakumLlahu Khayran.

Alhamdulillah jazakallah to you OP. May Allah continue to guide us all to the right path ameen

So we now have two types of prayers.voluntary and involuntary prayers
Which one i go dey operate sef

Learnt quite alot from this post. Jazakallah khayran brother.

agreed with all but salatul tasbih. I once overheard it on huda tv that it was an innovation.

Jazakallahu khayran OP. But I saw in the fataawa of Shaykh Uthaymeen that the Tasbih prayer has not been authentically reported from the Prophet (SAW).

may ALLAH make it easy for us all ...amin

Thanks for the post, You have increased me in knowledge and understanding.May Allah be you.

Why this on frontPage? We need to learn how to move forward as a society not how to remain backwards

I didnt know of salatul ishraq and there is controversy on salatul tasbih.

May Allah guide us aright and make worship easy for us. amin.

eminikan soso: This prayer from Sheik Kamaldeen Aly Adabiy RTA to Moulana Sheik Raheem Abata (Oniwasi Agbaye)
24 Rakats
12 Salamons
1st rakat; surat fatia and any Other surat
2nd rakat; surat fatia and any Other surat
1st salamon
Allahumon soliala seyina muhamadin waselim 33, Astagafurullahi 33, Alhamudulilai33, Lahilla illalahu 33
Bismillahir Ramon Rohim 1000.
This you repeat for 12 times and total 12000 Bismillahir Ramon Rohim
Offering #20 * 7 plus 7 sachets of salt to 7 beggars
This prayer I have try and withness the good result.
I swear by my life

If it is not from the prophet, it is not acceptable.

ok

hi all

kind of like the write up but would be intrested in the times if stated in ordinary language and the titles of such prayer.
this is for general knowledge and possible practice.

eminikan soso: This prayer from Sheik Kamaldeen Aly Adabiy RTA to Moulana Sheik Raheem Abata (Oniwasi Agbaye)
24 Rakats
12 Salamons
1st rakat; surat fatia and any Other surat
2nd rakat; surat fatia and any Other surat
1st salamon
Allahumon soliala seyina muhamadin waselim 33, Astagafurullahi 33, Alhamudulilai33, Lahilla illalahu 33
Bismillahir Ramon Rohim 1000.
This you repeat for 12 times and total 12000 Bismillahir Ramon Rohim
Offering #20 * 7 plus 7 sachets of salt to 7 beggars
This prayer I have try and withness the good result.
I swear by my life

kan this be explained in plain english

eminikan soso: This prayer from Sheik Kamaldeen Aly Adabiy RTA to Moulana Sheik Raheem Abata (Oniwasi Agbaye)
24 Rakats
12 Salamons
1st rakat; surat fatia and any Other surat
2nd rakat; surat fatia and any Other surat
1st salamon
Allahumon soliala seyina muhamadin waselim 33, Astagafurullahi 33, Alhamudulilai33, Lahilla illalahu 33
Bismillahir Ramon Rohim 1000.
This you repeat for 12 times and total 12000 Bismillahir Ramon Rohim
Offering #20 * 7 plus 7 sachets of salt to 7 beggars
This prayer I have try and withness the good result.
I swear by my life

An alfa once told me to do something similar.I only laughed(in my mind though)wen I left,I said to mysef"hey alfa,U̶̲̥̅̊ jst spoke to d wrong person".I dnt subscribe to tinx of such

kadree:
An alfa once told me to do something similar.I only laughed(in my mind though)wen I left,I said to mysef"hey alfa,U̶̲̥̅̊ jst spoke to d wrong person".I dnt subscribe to tinx of such

Lesson to learn- Beware of Alfas

Tanks! Very nice. May Allah RewaRd u for shaRing with Us. I ave leaRnt something New.

I WAS TOLD DAT MALES ARE EXPECTED TO PERFORMED THEIR VOLUNTARY PRAYER IN THE MOSQUE AND NOT IN THE HOUSE

Asalam brothers and sisters men of little.faith keep yr little knowledge about Rasulullah SAW,while men of strong faith i believe u ,nafilats are not out of islam ,there good tins we do its call optional not compulsory .only weak people discourage people from doing extra nafilats to receive Allah's mercy.pls lets maintain peace.we need more extra tin

Topsonluv: I WAS TOLD DAT MALES ARE EXPECTED TO PERFORMED THEIR VOLUNTARY[b][/b] PRAYER IN THE MOSQUE AND NOT IN THE HOUSE

No. It is the COMPULSORY prayers (5 daily) that males are expected to observe in the mosque while women are recommended to observe theirs at home. NAWAFIL (voluntary) prayers which encompasses al OP has mentioned are recommended and expected to be observed at home, tho there are some you perform at the mosque like the 2 rakahs (Tahiyattul masjid) which you perform upon entering the mosque if the compulsory salat has not commenced.

May Allah guide us aright.

Jazakallah khayran.

umarumuazu:
Asalam brothers and sisters men of little.faith keep yr little knowledge about Rasulullah SAW,while men of strong faith i believe u ,nafilats are not out of islam ,there good tins we do its call optional not compulsory .only weak people discourage people from doing extra nafilats to receive Allah's mercy.pls lets maintain peace.we need more extra tin

u de mind them. They are people who don't understand. They don't understand islam. And they undermined such ulama a lot. Better not to argue with them.