Optional Prayer - Section 1

Abu Huraira reported that God's Messenger said to Bilal at the dawn prayer, “Tell me, Bilal, of the action you have done since becoming a Muslim which is most calculated to cause hope in you, for I heard the sound of your sandals in front of me in paradise.” He replied, “I have done no action more calculated, in my opinion to cause hope than that I have never performed ablution at any hour of the night or day without immediately praying what was ordained for me to pray.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِبِلَالٍ عِنْدَ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ: «يَا بِلَالُ حَدِّثْنِي بِأَرْجَى عمل عملته فِي الْإِسْلَام فَإِنِّي سَمِعت دق نعليك بَين يَدي الْجَنَّةِ» . قَالَ: مَا عَمِلْتُ عَمَلًا أَرْجَى عِنْدِي أَنِّي لم أتطهر طهُورا مِنْ سَاعَةٍ مِنْ لَيْلٍ وَلَا نَهَارٍ إِلَّا صَلَّيْتُ بِذَلِكَ الطُّهُورِ مَا كُتِبَ لِي أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ

Jabir said :

God’s Messenger used to teach us how to ask God’s guidance about matters just as he used to teach as a <i>sura</i> of the Qur’an, saying: When any of you intends to do something he should pray two <i>rak'as</i> which are not compulsory, then say, “O God, I ask Your guidance by Your knowledge, I ask You for power by Your power, and I ask You out of Your great abundance, for You have power and I have none, You knowest and I did not, and You are the One who is aware of the unseen. O God, if You knowest that this matter is good for me regarding my religion, my livelihood, and my future wellbeing (or he said, “my affairs in this world and the next”), ordain it for me and make it easy for me, then bless me in it. But if You knowest that this matter is bad for me regarding my religion, my livelihood, and my future wellbeing (or he said, “my affairs in this world and the next”), turn it away from me, turn me away from it, ordain good for me wherever it is, then make me pleased with it.” He said that he should name what he required. Bukhari transmitted it.

عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُعَلِّمُنَا الِاسْتِخَارَةَ فِي الْأُمُورِ كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنَا السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ يَقُولُ:

إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالْأَمْرِ فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْفَرِيضَةِ ثُمَّ لْيَقُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّك تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أقدر وَتعلم وَلَا أعلم وَأَنت علام الغيوب اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي - أوقال فِي عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ - فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي - أَوْ قَالَ فِي عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ - فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقَدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ

. قَالَ: «ويسمي حَاجته» . رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيّ

‘Ali said:

Abu Bakr told me, and Abu Bakr spoke the truth, that he heard God’s Messenger say, “No man will commit a sin, then get up and purify himself, then pray, then ask God’s foigiveness without God forgiving him.” Then he recited, "And those who, when they do something to be ashamed of, or who wrong themselves, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins” (Al-Qur’an; 3:135). Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but Ibn Majah did not mention the verse.

وَعَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَصَدَقَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ. قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: " مَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ يُذْنِبُ ذَنْبًا ثُمَّ يَقُومُ فَيَتَطَهَّرُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ إِلَّا غَفَرَ الله لَهُ ثمَّ قَرَأَ هَذِه الاية: (وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذكرُوا الله فاستغفروا لذنوبهم) رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَابْنُ مَاجَهْ إِلَّا أَنَّ ابْنَ مَاجَه لم يذكر الْآيَة

Hudhaifa said that when anything distressed the Prophet (ﷺ) he prayed. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

وَعَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ قَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا حَزَبَهُ أَمْرٌ صَلَّى. رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُد

Buraida told how one morning God’s Messenger called Bilal and said, "What did you do to get to paradise before me? I have never entered paradise without hearing the rustling of your garments in front of me.” He replied, "Messenger of God, I have never called the <i>adhan</i> without praying two <i>rak'as</i>, and no impurity has ever happened to me without my performing ablution on the spot and thinking that I owed God two <i>rak'as</i>.” God’s Messenger said, "It is because of them.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

وَعَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ قَالَ: أَصْبَحَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَدَعَا بِلَالًا فَقَالَ: «بِمَ سَبَقْتَنِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ مَا دَخَلْتُ الْجَنَّةَ قَطُّ إِلَّا سَمِعْتُ خَشْخَشَتَكَ أَمَامِي» . قَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا أَذَّنْتُ قَطُّ إِلَّا صَلَّيْتُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَمَا أَصَابَنِي حَدَثٌ قَطُّ إِلَّا تَوَضَّأْتُ عِنْدَهُ وَرَأَيْتُ أَنَّ لِلَّهِ عَلَيَّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «بِهِمَا» . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيّ

‘Abdallah b. Abu Aufa reported God’s Messenger as saying:

If anyone wants something from God, or from a human being, he should perform ablution and do it well, then pray two <i>rak'as</i>, then extol God most high and invoke blessing on the Prophet, then say, "There is no god but God, the Clement and Generous. Glory be to God, the Lord of the mighty throne. Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe. I ask You for words which will guarantee Your mercy, actions which will make certain Your forgiveness, a supply of every virtue, and freedom from every offence. Do not leave me a sin which You dost not pardon, a care which You dost not remove, or a want that meets with Your pleasure which You dost not supply, O most merciful of the merciful ones.” Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Tirmidhi said this is a <i>gharib</i> tradition.

وَعَنْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ حَاجَةٌ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَوْ إِلَى أحد من بني آدم فَليَتَوَضَّأ فليحسن الْوُضُوءَ ثُمَّ لْيُصَلِّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لْيُثْنِ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَلْيُصَلِّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ لْيَقُلْ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ أَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ وَالْغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ وَالسَّلَامَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ إِثْمٍ لَا تَدَعْ لِي ذَنْبًا إِلَّا غَفَرْتَهُ وَلَا هَمًّا إِلَّا فَرَّجْتَهُ وَلَا حَاجَةً هِيَ لَكَ رِضًى إِلَّا قَضَيْتَهَا يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ

. رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَابْنُ مَاجَهْ وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: هَذَا حَدِيث غَرِيب