Prayer

Sunnah Prayers: Rawatib, Witr and Duha

Beyond the five obligatory prayers, the Prophet ﷺ prayed voluntary prayers regularly. They make up for shortcomings in the obligatory prayers and raise one’s rank: “Whoever prays twelve rak‘ahs in a day and night, a house will be built for him in Paradise” (Sahih Muslim).

The twelve confirmed rawatib

2 rak‘ahs before Fajr.
4 before Dhuhr (in two pairs) and 2 after it.
2 after Maghrib.
2 after Isha.

The two rak‘ahs before Fajr are the most emphasised: the Prophet ﷺ said they are better than the world and all it contains (Sahih Muslim), and he did not leave them even when travelling. Other narrations mention ten rak‘ahs, with two before Dhuhr.

The witr prayer

Witr is an odd-numbered prayer that closes the night prayer, between Isha and Fajr. It can be one rak‘ah, three, five or more. Most schools consider it a confirmed Sunnah; the Hanafi school considers it wajib. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Make witr the last of your prayers at night” (Sahih al-Bukhari).

Whoever fears not waking up should pray witr before sleeping; whoever expects to wake should delay it to the last part of the night, which is better (Sahih Muslim).

The duha prayer

Duha is prayed after the sun has risen well, about 15 minutes after sunrise, until shortly before Dhuhr; its best time is when the heat of the day rises. It is at least two rak‘ahs and may be up to eight or more. Every joint of the body owes a charity each day, and two rak‘ahs of duha suffice for all of it (Sahih Muslim).

Other voluntary prayers

Tahiyyat al-masjid: two rak‘ahs on entering the mosque before sitting.
Two rak‘ahs after wudu.
Four rak‘ahs before Asr, for which the Prophet ﷺ prayed for mercy (Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi).
The night prayer (qiyam al-layl), the best prayer after the obligatory ones.

Praying the Sunnahs at home

The Prophet ﷺ encouraged praying voluntary prayers at home: “The best prayer of a person is in his house, except the obligatory prayer” (Sahih al-Bukhari). This brings blessing to the home and teaches children by example.

The Friday prayer and the prayer between the two calls

Before the Friday prayer there is no fixed number: the Prophet ﷺ encouraged praying whatever one can until the imam comes out (Muslim). After it, he said: “Whoever of you prays the Friday prayer, let him pray four rak‘ahs after it” (Muslim), and he himself prayed two at home (al-Bukhari, Muslim).

He also said: “Between every two calls there is a prayer” (al-Bukhari), meaning between the adhan and the iqamah of every prayer. These two short rak‘ahs fill the waiting time in the mosque with worship.

In brief

Twelve confirmed rak‘ahs a day earn a house in Paradise.
The two rak‘ahs before Fajr are the most emphasised.
Witr closes the night prayer with an odd number of rak‘ahs.
Duha is prayed in the morning, from two to eight rak‘ahs or more.
Voluntary prayers are best prayed at home.

Questions and answers

Can I pray Sunnah prayers while travelling?

The Prophet ﷺ usually left the rawatib while travelling, except the two rak‘ahs before Fajr and witr, which he kept.

May I pray voluntary prayers sitting down?

Yes. The voluntary prayer of someone able to stand is valid seated, with half the reward (al-Bukhari); someone unable to stand receives the full reward.

Useful tools

Duas and adhkar