How to pray Alsunnah (supererogatory) prayers ?.

 How to pray Alsunnah ( supererogatory) prayers ?.

    Alsunnah prayers or supererogatory prayers are extra rakhahs before or after Obligatory prayers (Alfard), or independent prayers performed in different times such as: Alduha prayer, which is to be performed about 30 minutes after sunrise till about 15 minutes before Aldhuhr prayer, and the night prayers: the even and the odd ( Alshaf' wa Elwitr), Alqeyam, and Altahajoud.

     The night prayers are between Alishaa prayer and Alfajr prayer, if you performed the prayer immediately after Alishaa prayer it will be Alqeyam prayer or Alshaf' wa Elwitr, but if you went to sleep and got up for praying before Alfajr prayer and performed the prayer it would be Altahajoud prayer.

Our prophet (PBUH) says: "pray in your houses and do not make them like graves".

    Alsunnah prayers which associated with the five daily prayers are: 2 rakhahs before Alfajr prayer, 4 rakhahs before Aldhuhr prayer and 2 rakhahs after it, 2 rakhahs after Almaghrib prayer, and 2 rakhahs after Alishaa prayer.

     Alsunnah prayers are 12 rakhahs along the day and the night, and are called Alsunnan alrawateb.

Alduha prayer: 

There is a full Surah in the Holy Quran is called Alduha, And Allah Azza wa Galla swears by Alduha saying: "I swear by the forenoon". Our prophet Muhammad peace be upon Him said: "if anyone sits in his place of prayer when he finishes the fajr prayer till he prays the two rakhahs of the duha (forenoon), saying nothing but what is good, his sins will be forgiven even if they are more than the foam of the sea".

    When Ayesha radia Allahu anha was asked: "did the prophet resoul Allah (PBUH) perform the duha prayer?, she replied: yes He performed four rakhahs at least, and added to it the amount Allah Azza wa Galla willed.

    And about its reward, our prophet says: "in the morning of every day, alms are due to every body of you, every prayer is alms, every fast is alms, every pilgrimage is alms, every utterance of  glory to be Allah (Subhan Allah) is alms, every utterance of Allah is the most great (Allahu akbbar) is alms, every utterance of praise to be Allah (Alhamdu lellah) is alms, the Messenger (pbuh) recounted all such good works and said: two rakhahs which one prays in the duha serve instead of that" .

The night prayers:

 

    Our prophet Muhammad peace be upon Him says: the best prayer after obligatory prayer (fard) is the night prayer, and He says night prayers is offered as two rakhahs, followed by two rakhahs and so on, and if you want to finish it, pray only one rakhah which will be Witr for all the previous rakhahs, and He said: make Witr as your last prayer at night.

     Ayesha radia Allahu anha said that: "the prophet (pbuh) used to pray eleven rakhahs at night and that was the night prayer. And He also used to pray two rakhahs before the fajr prayer.

    Now many Muslims prays eleven rakhahs in the traweeh prayer in the month of Ramadan directly after the Ishaa prayer, from the night of the first day of Ramadan to the the last night of it.

     Notice that the day in the Islam ends at the Maghreb (sunset), and then the night of the second day begins. After Ramadan many Muslims performs all time the shaf' and the witr after performing the ishaa prayer and its sunnah.

The shaf' and the witr:

    The shaf' consists of two rakhahs and the witr is only one rakhah.