Part 18

The Duhé Prayer can be as long as eight rak ‘ahs, for Umm Hani’ (may Allah be pleased with her) said:

“On the day of the Conquest of Mecca, the Prophet (PBUH) performed eight rak‘ahs as the Duh Prayer.”

Imam Muslim also related on the authority of ‘ Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that:

“The Prophet (PBUH) used to perform the Duhé Prayer with four rak‘ahs and sometimes he used to perform as more rak‘ahs as Allah willed”

The time for the Duh Prayer begins when the sun is about a spear’s length above the horizon and it continues until the sun approaches the meridian. It is desirable to delay it until the sun has risen high and become hot. Imam Muslim relates that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“The prayer of those who are penitent is to be performed when the young (weaned) camel feels the heat of the sun.”°

That is, when it becomes so hot that the young (weaned) camels kneel down because of the heat of the sun.

4 Al-Bukhari (1103) [2/746]; Muslim (763) [2/252]; Aba. Dawid (1290) [2/44]; An-Nasa’i (225) [1/137] and Ibn Majah (614) [1/340].

The prostration of recitation is one of the Prophetic practices and it is thus called as it relates to the recitation of the Quran. It is an act of worship that is ordained by Allah and His Messenger to be done when reciting the verses of the Quran or listening to them, as a means of drawing near to Allah, subjecting oneself to His Majesty and showing submissiveness to Him.

This act of prostration is enacted as an act of the Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition) for both the one who recites and the one who listens to the Qur'an. Scholars unanimously agree on its legality, Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

“When the Prophet (PBUH) recited a surah of the Quran that contains the prostration, he would prostrate and we would do the same and some of us (because of the heavy rush) could not find a place for prostration.”"

Imam Ibnul-Qayyim, the great scholar (may Allah have mercy on him), said, “Positions of prostrations are what is reported to us and what is commanded for us to do.” That is, Allah tells us about the prostration of His creatures generally or at specific situations. So it is enacted, for the one who recites the Qur'an and the one who listens to it, to act like them (Allah's creatures) when reciting or listening to the verses of prostration, and with greater reason the verses that actually command prostrating.

Aba Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, as a marfii* (traceable) hadith, that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“When the son of Adam (Adam) recites a verse of prostration and then falls down in prostration, Satan goes into seclusion weeping and saying, ‘Woe unto me!’ The son of Adam is commanded to prostrate and he has prostrated, so Paradise is entitled to him, and I was commanded to prostrate, but I refused, so Iam doomed to Hell? ”*

The prostration of recitation should be performed by both the one reciting and the onelistening (to the Qur'an). Whatis stated in the previously mentioned hadith of Ibn ‘Umar, namely “When the Prophet (PBUH) recited a surah of the Quran that contains the prostration, he would prostrate and we would do the same,” proves the legality of the prostration of the one who is listening. As for the hearer (i.e. the one who is not attentively listening), it is not obligatory upon him to perform the prostration of recitation. AlBukhari related:

“Uthmdn (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by a reciter who recited a verse involving prostration to make ‘Uthmdn perform prostration along with him, but ‘Uthmén did not perform prostration and said, ‘The prostration should be performed by him who listens to it?”

The suras of the Qur'an that involve verses of prostration are Al-A ‘raf > (the Elevations), ArRa ‘d(the Thunder), AnNaht (the Bees), 7 ALIsra’ (the Night Journey), Maryam (Mary), Al-Hajj (the Pilgrimage), " Al-Furgan (the Criterion),' * AnNami (the Ants),"" As-Sajdah (the Prostration),’° Fussilat (Detailed),”* An-Najm (the Star),"

Al-Inshiqaq (the Split)" and Al-‘Alag (the Clinging Substance)". Concerning the prostration in the surah of Sad,”* there is disagreement between scholars, whether it is a prostration of thankfulness or recitation; and Allah knows best.

On performing the prostration of recitation, one should pronounce takbir (saying, “Allahu-Akbar” i.e. “Allah is the Greatest”). This act is stated according to the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar in which he said:

‘Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) used to recite the Quriéin to us and whenever he recited a verse that contains a prostration, he used to say takbir and prostrate, and we also used to prostrate along with him?”

One should say in prostration, “Subhdna Rabbiyal-A ‘la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), the same as one says when prostrating during performing prayer. If one says, “My face has prostrated before Allah, Who created and fashioned it, created in it hearing and vision by His Power and Might. O Allah! Reward me for it (the act of prostration), remove sins from me by it, reserve it for me, and accept it from me as You did from Your servant Dawtid (David),” it will be acceptable. To perform the prostration of recitation from the position of standing is better than performing it while sitting.

O Muslim, you should know that there are many ways of doing good acts, so make your best to follow them, and be loyal and faithful in both actions and words, that Allah may record you among the happy people.

4 Al-Bukhari (2/719) and *Abdur-Razz4q in his book ‘Al-Musanaf’. ‘ Abdur-Razziq related the same action about other companions such as ‘Umar, his son, Ibn Mas‘ dd and Ibn * Abbas. See; ‘Al-Musanaf” (3/344) and ‘Sunan Al-Bayhagi’ (2/458),

§ Chapter No. 17 of the Qur’an. 9 Chapter No, 19 of the Quran. 10 Chapter No. 22 of the Qur'an. 11 Chapter No. 25 of the Qur'an. 12 Chapter No. 27 of the Qur'an. 13 Chapter No. 32 of the Qur'an. 14 Chapter No. 41 of the Qur'an. 15 Chapter No. 53 of the Qur’in. 16 Chapter No. 84 of the Qur'an. 17 Chapter No. 96 of the Quran. 18 Chapter No. 38 of the Quran. 19 Abt Dawid (1413) [2/85].

The Compilers of the Suman related that the Prophet (PBUH) was asked which prayer was most excellent (concerning reward) after the prescribed ones. He (PBUH) said:

“Performing prayer in the middle of the night.”' He (PBUH) also said:

“There is an hour in the night during which no Muslim person asks Allah for good in this world and the Hereafter but Allah will grant it to him; and that applies to every night.”

‘Adhere to (the performance of) the night vigil supererogatory prayer, for it is the habit of the righteous people before you. Verily, the night vigil supererogatory prayer is a means of nearness

to Allah and the way by which sins are removed and one stops committing sins.”

Allah, Exalted be He, praises those who stand for the night vigil supererogatory prayer, as He says: “Indeed, they were before that doers of good. They used to sleep but little of the night, and in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness...” (Qur'an: Adh-Dhariyat: 16-18)

Praising such righteous servants, Allah, Exalted be He, also says: “Their sides part [i.e. they arise] from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend. And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for (the) eyes [i.e. satisfaction] as reward for what they used to do.” (Qur'an: As-Sajdah: 16-17)

So many are the religious texts that refer to the virtue of the night vigil supererogatory prayer. The night vigil supererogatory prayer is the most excellent act of worship among voluntary prayers. This is because the night vigil supererogatory prayer is characterized by more secrecy and is closer to sincerity. Moreover, it is to be performed while people are sleeping. In addition, it involves the preference of obedience to sleep or taking rest.

It is desirable to perform supererogatory prayers at all times, excluding the forbidden times. The night vigil supererogatory prayer is more preferable than that performed at the daytime, as mentioned before. The most preferable, concerning the night vigil supererogatory prayer, is that it is performed at the third of the night, which is directly after the middle of the night until the last sixth of the night. This is stated in Sahih Muslim (Muslim’s Authentic Book of

Hadith) as a marft (traceable) hadith, in which the Prophet (PBUH) says:

“The most beloved prayer to Allah is that of Dawttd (David). He used to sleep for (the first) half of the night, perform prayer during the third of it, and (again) sleep for the sixth of it?"

Dawid used to sleep for the first half of the night to have rest and then get up at the time when Allah calls saying, “Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him what he asks for?”* Then Dawid would sleep for the sixth part of the night to have rest to be fully active by the Fajr

(Dawn) Prayer. So this is the best time for one to perform the night vigil supererogatory prayer. However, the whole night is a time for performing the night vigil supererogatory prayer. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “One may perform the night vigil supererogatory prayer from the time of sunset to the break of dawn.” Accordingly, the supererogatory act (of prayer) performed between the Maghrib (Sunset) Prayer and the ‘Isha’ (Night) Prayer is considered among the night vigil supererogatory prayer, but it is better to delay performing the night vigil supererogatory prayer to the last part of the night as mentioned before. Allah, Exalted be He, says, “Indeed, the hours of the night are more effective for concurrence [of heart and tongue] and more suitable for words.” (Qur'an: Al-Muzzammil: 6) Here, the phrase “hours of the night” refers to performing the night vigil supererogatory prayer after sleeping.

A Muslim person should intend to perform the night vigil supererogatory prayer and he should (set some time to) get a share of (the reward for) performing the prayer at night, which he should keep to, even though it is a little. So when a Muslim gets up (to perform the night vigil supererogatory prayer), he should use the siwak (tooth-stick) and mention Allah saying:

“There is no deity but Allah Alone Who has no partner. To Him belongs dominion, and to Him belongs (all) praise, and He is over all things Omnipotent. All praise be to Allah, all glory be to Him and there is no deity but Allah, Allah is the Greatest and there is no power or might except with Allah.”

‘All praise be to Allah, Who gave me life after causing me to die (sleep) and to Him is the Resurrection. (All) praise be to Allah, Who restituted my soul back unto me and made my body sound and permitted me to mention Him.”

It is more desirable for the Muslim to begin his optional night prayer with two light (short) rak ‘ahs (units of prayer) for it is narrated by Abo Hurayrah that Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said:

“When any of you stands up at night to perform the night vigil supererogatory prayer, let him begin his prayer with two short rak ahs,”

Moreover, one performing the night vigil supererogatory prayer should pronounce taslim (i.e. final salutations in prayer) at the end of every two rak ‘ahs, as the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“The night vigil supererogatory prayer should be performed two rak ‘ahs after two.”

Thus, the night vigil supererogatory prayer is to be performed in two rak ‘ahs by reciting Tashahhud and pronouncing taslim at the end, as it is a two-rak ‘ah prayer.

Furthermore, a Muslim should prolong the night vigil supererogatory prayer when standing, bowing and prostrating. In addition, the night vigil prayer should be performed at one’s home. Scholars unanimously agree that supererogatory prayers are better to be performed at home, as the Prophet (PBUH) used to perform them at home. The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“.. Perform (supererogatory) prayer at your homes, for the best prayer of a person is the one which he performs at home, except the compulsory (congregational) prayer.”

To perform the supererogatory prayer while standing is better than performing it while sitting with no excuse. The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Whoever performs prayer sitting gets half the reward of that who performs prayer while standing.”

However, he who performs the supererogatory prayer while sitting, but with an excuse, will get reward similar to that of the one who performs it while standing. The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“When the servant (of Allah) falls ill or travels, then he will get reward similar to that he gets for good deeds practiced in residence when in good health.”

There is a unanimous agreement on the permissibility of performing supererogatory prayers in the sitting position though being able to perform it standing.

The one performing night vigil supererogatory prayer should end it with Witras the Prophet (PBUH) used to end his prayer at night by performing Witr

prayer '. Moreover, he commanded, in several hadiths, that it (Witr) should be performed. It is desirable for the one who misses the optional night prayer to perform it before noon. This came in the hadith stating:

“Whoever is overpowered by sleeping and misses the (regular) portion (of prayer or recitation) and he performs it in the period between the Fajr Prayer and the Zuhr Prayer, it will be recorded for him as reciting it during night?”

O Muslim brother, do not deprive yourself of (the reward for) the night vigil supererogatory prayer. You should get a share of it, even though it is a little, for yourself that you may keep in order to get the reward of those who stand (for night vigil prayer) and seek forgiveness (from Allah) before dawn. That which is little may lead you to have much (reward) and do much acts of obedience, for Allah does not allow the reward of the doers of good to be lost.

6 Muslim (1804) [3/296], Ahmad (9155) [2/525] and Aba Dawtd (1323) [2/55].

7 Al-Bukhari (990) [2/615], Muslim (1745) [3/272], Ahmad (4849) [2/41], Abd Dawad (1326) [2/55], Al-Tirmidhi (437) [2/300], An-Nasa'i (1693) [2/259] and Ibn Majah (1319) [2/118].

12 As it was related in Al-Bukhari (998) [2/628] and Muslim (1752) [3/274].

We have introduced above some of the rulings on the supererogatory prayers and now we are going to point out that there are certain times at which prayer is forbidden as narrated to have been pointed out by the Prophet (PBUH). However, there are some exceptions concerning this judgment.

1The first time starts from the second (the factual) time of dawn to sunrise. The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“When the dawn breaks, no prayer is to be performed except the two rak‘ahs (units of prayer) of the Fajr Prayer (i.e. the supererogatory rak ‘ahs of the Fajr Prayer).”’

Therefore, when the dawn breaks, one should not perform any supererogatory prayer except the two rak ‘ahs of the Fajr Prayer.

2The second time starts from the time of sunrise until the sun reaches the height of a spear, in one’s sight, above the horizon.

3The third time starts from the time when the sun is at its height at midday until it passes over the meridian. This time is known as the time when ‘shade stops’ i.e. it does not increase nor does it decrease; until it starts moving toward the west. ‘Uqbah Ibn * Amir narrated,

“There are three times at which Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) forbade us to perform prayer, or bury our dead (and they are) (i) when the sun begins to rise until it is fully up; (ii) when the sun is at its height at midday until it passes over the meridian; (iii) and when the sun draws near to setting until it sets.”

4The fourth time starts from the time of the ‘Asr (Afternoon) Prayer until the sun sets, as the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“No prayer should be performed after the Fajr Prayer until the sun rises, and no prayer should be performed after the ‘Asr Prayer until the sun sets.”

5The fifth time starts from the time when the sun starts setting until it sets.

The Muslim person should know that it is permissible for one to make up for missed prayers at such (forbidden) times. This is based on the Prophet's hadith: