2 Rakah of Nafl prayer after Duhr, Maghrib and Isha
Prayer
Asked on 8th March 2023
Question
Assalam Allaikum,
sheikh in my home country India, I have seen people offering 2 rakah of voluntary prayer after Dhuhr, Maghrib, and Isha prayers other than moqada and ghair moqada prayers. Is there any basis or hadith to offer that prayer. Also, they offer witr prayer like maghrib prayer except they include duae Qunoot after takbeer in 3rd rakah. however, I found the Hadith of offering witr prayer in a different way.
jazak Allahu Khair, Barak Allah fik
Answer
Assalaamou'alaikoum Wa Rahmatullah
The Sunan to be prayed after Dhuhr is(2 raka'ah or 2 by 2 raka'ah as mentioned in the hadeeth)
After Maghrib is only 2 and after Esha is only 2.
As for the Witr,
It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Witr in different ways. He prayed one rak’ah, and three, and five, and seven, and nine. And he prayed three rak’ahs in two different ways, either continuously with one tashahhud, or saying salaam after two rak’ahs and praying one rak’ah and saying salaam after it. He did not pray it like Maghrib, with two tashahhuds and one salaam. Rather he forbade doing that, and said: “Do not pray Witr with three rak’ahs like Maghrib.” Narrated by al-Haakim, 1/403; al-Bayhaqi, 3/31; al-Daaraqutni, p. 172. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari (4/301): Its isnaad fulfils the conditions of the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim).
Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen said:
It is permissible to pray Witr with three rak’ahs, or with five, or with seven, or with nine. If a person prays Witr with three, it may be done in one of two ways, both of which are prescribed in sharee’ah:
1 – Praying the three rak'ahs continually with one tashahhud.
2 – Saying salaam after two rak’ahs, then praying one rak’ah on its own.
Both of these are narrated in the Sunnah, so if a person does it one way sometimes and the other way sometimes, that is good.
The Sunan to be prayed after Dhuhr is(2 raka'ah or 2 by 2 raka'ah as mentioned in the hadeeth)
After Maghrib is only 2 and after Esha is only 2.
As for the Witr,
It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Witr in different ways. He prayed one rak’ah, and three, and five, and seven, and nine. And he prayed three rak’ahs in two different ways, either continuously with one tashahhud, or saying salaam after two rak’ahs and praying one rak’ah and saying salaam after it. He did not pray it like Maghrib, with two tashahhuds and one salaam. Rather he forbade doing that, and said: “Do not pray Witr with three rak’ahs like Maghrib.” Narrated by al-Haakim, 1/403; al-Bayhaqi, 3/31; al-Daaraqutni, p. 172. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari (4/301): Its isnaad fulfils the conditions of the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim).
Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen said:
It is permissible to pray Witr with three rak’ahs, or with five, or with seven, or with nine. If a person prays Witr with three, it may be done in one of two ways, both of which are prescribed in sharee’ah:
1 – Praying the three rak'ahs continually with one tashahhud.
2 – Saying salaam after two rak’ahs, then praying one rak’ah on its own.
Both of these are narrated in the Sunnah, so if a person does it one way sometimes and the other way sometimes, that is good.