A
Compilation of Some Neglected Sunan
- By Shaykh Al-Albaani
Here
are some abandoned Sunan that are missing among many people of today. Consider
them carefully and try to practice them in order to get the rewards in this
life and the next:
1.
Salaatud-Dhuhaa: and especially during the time when the sun is very hot.
Allaah’s Messenger (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ
ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) said: The prayer of those
who are penitent is observed when your weaned camels feel the heat of the
sun.[Muslim]
2.
Lengthening the time of uplifting after Rukoo’ and the time of sitting between
the two prostrations. This is clear in the hadeeth narrated by Anas
(radiAllaahu ‘anhu) who said: “I spare no effort to make the Salaat of the
Prophet (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) amongst you and (teach) you (to) offer it as I saw him
offering it amongst us.“ He (Anas) said: “The Prophet (ŲµŁŁ
Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) did something which is
missing amongst you. He used to stand after the bowing for such a long time
that one would think that he had forgotten, and he used to sit in between the
prostrations so long that one would think that he had forgotten the second
prostration.“ [Bukhaaree]
3.
Performing the Iq’aa (setting up one’s feet (on the toes) placing the buttocks
on the heels) while sitting between the two prostrations. It is narrated from
Abee Zubair that he heard Tawoos saying: We asked Ibn ‘Abbaas (radiAllaahu
‘anhumma) about Iq’aa, and he said: “This is the Sunnah.” [Muslim]
This
Iq’aa is different from the one warned against, wherein the man sits placing
his buttocks on the ground and setting up his feet on the toes.
4.
Du’aa after the final Tashahud and before the (Tasleem) salutation ending the
prayer. It is desirable to do so, invoking for what one wishes of the good of
this life and the next. The Messenger of Allaah (ŲµŁŁ
Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) said to his Companions
when he taught them how to say the Tashahud: “Then he (the one praying) may
choose what pleases him of supplication and offer it.” [Muslim]
5.
Offering Salaatun-Nafl at home. This Sunnah is proved by the hadeeth of Ibn
‘Umar (radiAllaahu ‘anhumma) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) said: “Offer some of your prayers (Nawafil) at home,
and do not take your houses as graveyards.” [Bukhaaree]
Ibn
al-Qayyim (d. 751H, rahimahullaah) said in his book Za’adul-Ma’aad: “And he
(the Prophet) would offer all of the Sunan and the voluntary prayers at home,
especially the two Rak’at of Maghrib which he was not reported to have done in
the mosque.”
6.
Offering the voluntary prayers on the horse back (this nowadays includes the
car and all the modern means of transportations). ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar would
offer the voluntary prayer during travel on his horseback. Wheresoever it went
(in whatever the direction the horse went), he would make an indication with
his head (indicating ruku’s, sujood, etc.). He (Ibn ‘Umar) said that the
Messenger of Allaah (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ
ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) did the same.
7.
Reciting Soorat al-Ikhlaas and al-Kafiroon in the optional Fajr (the two
rak’ahs before the obligatory Fajr prayer). Aboo Hurairah (radiAllaahu ‘anhu)
said: “The Prophet would recite during the two rak’ah of Fajr: Say (oh Muhammad
to them): Oh disbelievers…(Soorat al-Kafiroon) and Say (oh Muhammad to them):
He is Allaah, The One…(Soorat al-Ikhlaas).“
8.
Offering two-rak’ah prayer by the one who returns back from a journey and
before he meets his family.
Jaabir
ibn ‘Abdullaah (radiAllaahu ‘anhumma) reported: “The Messenger of Allaah (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) bought a camel from me. When he came back to Madina,
he ordered me to come to the mosque and observed two rak’ah of prayer.“
Imaam
Nawawee (d. 676H, rahimahullaah), explaining this hadeeth, said: “This hadeeth
encourages for offering two rak’ah in the mosque immediately after arriving
from a journey.“
9.
Offering prayers between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa:
It
is narrated from Hudhaifah (radiAllaahu ‘anhu), who said: “I came to the
Prophet (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) and offered the Maghrib prayer with him, and then he
continued praying untill ‘Ishaa.” [Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan]
10.
Going to bed after making the ablution:
It
is narrated from Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu ‘anhu), who said: The Prophet (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) said: “He who goes to bed Taahiran (pure; purified
from ritual impurities by means of wudu` or ghusl) after making ablution, then
an angel shall sleep under his quilt invoking Allaah: ‘Oh Allaah: Forgive the
sins of your servant so-and-so, for he slept pure.‘ The angel would do so at
any moment the sleeping person wakes up during his sleep.“ [The Hadeeth is
Hasan, as-Silsilah as-Saheehah no. 2539]
11.
Offering prayers with one’s shoes on:
This
is a neglected sunnah that can hardly be seen nowadays, and not to mention that
if you see someone doing so, you might (sadly, ignorantly) disapprove of what
he did.
It
was narrated from Shaddaad bin ‘Aws that the Prophet (ŲµŁŁ
Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) said: Act differently
than the Jews, for they do not offer prayers with their shoes and slippers on.
[The Hadeeth is Saheeh, Saheehul-Jami' no. 3210]
In
this Hadeeth, the Prophet (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ
ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) commanded his Companions
and then us to offer prayers with shoes on.
It
was also narrated from Sa’eed Ibn Zaid (radiAllaahu ‘anhu) that he said: I said
to Anas Ibn Malik (radiAllaahu ‘anhu): Did the Prophet (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) offer prayers while he had his shoes on? He (Anas)
said: “Yes.” [Bukhaaree]
12.
Not to offer the nafal (the voluntary prayer) after the obligatory prayer
except after he speaks or changes his place.
Mu’aawiyyah
(radiAllaahu ‘anhu) narrated: The Prophet (ŲµŁŁ
Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) ordered them not to
attach a prayer to another until they speak or leave (their place).[Reported by
Muslim]
Abu
Hurairah (radiAllaahu ‘anhu) narrated: The Messenger of Allaah (ŲµŁŁ Ų§ŁŁŁ Ų¹ŁŁŁ ŁŲ³ŁŁ
) said: When it is Friday, the Angels stand at every
door of the mosque and write down the names in the order of their arrival. When
the Imaam sits on the pulpit for delivering the Khutbah, they fold up their
sheets (record book) and listen to the Dhikr. The early comer is like one who
offered a she-camel as a sacrifice, the next like one who offered a cow, the
next a ram, the next a chicken, the next an egg.[Saheeh Muslim (7/406)]
Source:
From an article by Imaam al-Albaanee titled “Sunan Mahjooran,”
