Voluntary Prayers
صلاة التطوعOptional prayers performed beyond the obligatory prayers
Qur'an
القرآن الكريموَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةًۭ لَّكَ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًۭا مَّحْمُودًۭا
And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.
Translation: Saheeh International
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًۭا وَقِيَـٰمًۭا
And those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer]
Translation: Saheeh International
Hadith
الحديث النبويعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ، وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ عَبْدِي بِشَىْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَىَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطُشُ بِهَا وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا، وَإِنْ سَأَلَنِي لأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنِ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لأُعِيذَنَّهُ، وَمَا تَرَدَّدْتُ عَنْ شَىْءٍ أَنَا فَاعِلُهُ تَرَدُّدِي عَنْ نَفْسِ الْمُؤْمِنِ، يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ وَأَنَا أَكْرَهُ مَسَاءَتَهُ ".
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah said, 'I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him; (i.e. give him My Refuge) and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him."
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " رَكْعَتَا الْفَجْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا " . عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ فِي شَأْنِ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ عِنْدَ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ " لَهُمَا أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا جَمِيعًا " .
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger as saying:
The two rak'ahs at dawn are better than this world and what it contains.
'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said about the two (supererogatory) rak'ahs of the dawn:
They are dearer to me than the whole world.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ ثَابَرَ عَلَى ثِنْتَىْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً مِنَ السُّنَّةِ بَنَى اللَّهُ لَهُ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَرْبَعِ رَكَعَاتٍ قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَهَا وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْفَجْرِ " .
Aishah narrated that Allah's Messenger (S) said:
"Whoever is regular with twelve Rak'ah of Sunnah (prayer), Allah will build a house for him in Paradise: Four Rak'ah before Zuhr, two Rak'ah after it, two Rak'ah after Maghrib, two Rak'ah after Isha, and two Rak'ah before Fajr."
عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ فَأَحْسَنَ وُضُوءَهُ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ لاَ يَسْهُو فِيهِمَا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ " .
Zaid b. Khalid al-Juhani reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying:
Anyone who performs ablution and performs his ablution well, and then he offers two rak’ahs of prayers in a way that he does not forget ( anything in it), will be forgiven all his past sins.
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِي قَالَ بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَرِيَّةً فَغَنِمُوا وَأَسْرَعُوا الرَّجْعَةَ فَتَحَدَّثَ النَّاسُ بِقُرْبِ مَغْزَاهُمْ وَكَثْرَةِ غَنِيمَتِهِمْ وَسُرْعَةِ رَجْعَتِهِمْ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَلَا أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى أَقْرَبَ مِنْهُ مَغْزًى وَأَكْثَرَ غَنِيمَةً وَأَوْشَكَ رَجْعَةً مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ ثُمَّ غَدَا إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ لِسُبْحَةِ الضُّحَى فَهُوَ أَقْرَبُ مَغْزًى وَأَكْثَرُ غَنِيمَةً وَأَوْشَكُ رَجْعَةً
Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, once dispatched a company. They acquired spoils and rushed back to tell people how close their battle was, how many their spoils were, and how quickly they returned. The Prophet said, “Shall I not tell you what is closer than a battle, more plentiful than spoils, and a swifter return? One who performs ablution, then goes to the mosque in the morning to glorify Allah in the forenoon. It is a closer battle, more plentiful spoils, and a swifter return.”
وعن سالم بن عبد الله بن عمر بن الخطاب، رضي الله عنهم، عن أبيه: أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قال: "نعم الرجل عبد الله لو كان يصلي من الليل" قال سالم: فكان عبد الله بعد ذلك لا ينام إلا قليلا.
Salim bin 'Abdullah bin 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with them) reported, on the authority of his father, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "What an excellent man 'Abdullah is! If only he could perform optional prayers at night." Salim said that after this, (his father) 'Abdullah slept very little at night.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ لِبِلاَلٍ عِنْدَ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ " يَا بِلاَلُ حَدِّثْنِي بِأَرْجَى عَمَلٍ عَمِلْتَهُ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ، فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ دَفَّ نَعْلَيْكَ بَيْنَ يَدَىَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ ". قَالَ مَا عَمِلْتُ عَمَلاً أَرْجَى عِنْدِي أَنِّي لَمْ أَتَطَهَّرْ طُهُورًا فِي سَاعَةِ لَيْلٍ أَوْ نَهَارٍ إِلاَّ صَلَّيْتُ بِذَلِكَ الطُّهُورِ مَا كُتِبَ لِي أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
At the time of the Fajr prayer the Prophet (ﷺ) asked Bilal, "Tell me of the best deed you did after embracing Islam, for I heard your footsteps in front of me in Paradise." Bilal replied, "I did not do anything worth mentioning except that whenever I performed ablution during the day or night, I prayed after that ablution as much as was written for me."
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَرَفُ الْمُؤْمِنِ صَلَاتُهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَعِزُّهُ اسْتِغْنَاؤُهُ عَمَّا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The nobility of a believer is in his prayer at night, and his honor is in his independence from what belongs to people.”
Statements of the Salaf
أقوال السلفIt has been said that among the character of the prophets and chosen elect is the purity of their hearts. They are three characteristics: forbearance, penitence, and a portion of prayer in the night.
Source: Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ 11718