💌 7 Reasons why You should pray the Sunnah Prayers

🌸 Say, [O Muhammad ﷺ], “If you should love Allah , then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”’

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful Allah.

Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah, who says in His blessed Book:

وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي
Establish prayer for My remembrance. (20:14)

And who says:

إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَ

Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. (29:45)

Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet ﷺ who said:

صَلُّوا كَمَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي أُصَلِّي
Pray as you have seen me praying. (Bukhari, 631)

💰 Dear Muslim, the sunnah prayers have great virtues and tremendous benefits. They are a demonstration and practice of patience, a barrier and shield for the obligatory prayers, and part of the remembrance of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.

Here are seven reasons why you should pray them:

💝 1. Gain the love of Allah

Allah says:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Say, [O Muhammad ﷺ], “If you should love Allah , then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (3:31)

Offering the sunnah prayers is part of following the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. So do so to gain Allah’s blessed love.

💗 2. Come Closer to Allah through them.

Abu Huraira reported that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said that Allah said:

مَا 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 لَأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنِ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لَأُعِيذَنَّهُ

My slave does not come near to me with anything more beloved to me than what I have enjoined upon him;

📈 And My slave continues to draw near to me with nawafil (supererogatory) deeds until I love him.

Then when I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks;

Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give him; and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge. (Bukhari, 6502)

Thus the sunnah prayers become a way of getting closer to Allah , so perform them to come closer to Allah and gain His blessed love.

🌸 3. A Way of Making Up for Missed Fard (Obligatory) Prayers.

Abu Huraira reported that he heard Allah’s Messenger ﷺ saying:

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُحَاسَبُ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ صَلاَتُهُ فَإِنْ صَلُحَتْ فَقَدْ أَفْلَحَ وَأَنْجَحَ وَإِنْ فَسَدَتْ فَقَدْ خَابَ وَخَسِرَ فَإِنِ انْتَقَصَ مِنْ فَرِيضَتِهِ شَيْءٌ قَالَ الرَّبُّ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ انْظُرُوا هَلْ لِعَبْدِي مِنْ تَطَوُّعٍ فَيُكَمَّلَ بِهَا مَا انْتَقَصَ مِنَ الْفَرِيضَةِ ثُمَّ يَكُونُ سَائِرُ عَمَلِهِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ

Indeed the first of what a slave will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection from his deed will be his prayer.

If it is sound, then he is indeed successful and saved, and if it is defective, he has failed and lost.

So if something is deficient from his obligatory (prayers) then the Lord, Mighty and Sublime says:

‘Look, are there for my slave from voluntary (prayers)?’ So with them, what was deficient in his obligatory (prayers) will be completed.

Then the rest of his deeds will be (treated) like that. (Tirmizi, 413, sahih — Darussalam)

📈 4. Means of Rising in Degrees and Having Sins Removed

Thauban, the freed slave of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said that the he said:

عَلَيْكَ بِكَثْرَةِ السُّجُودِ لِلَّهِ فَإِنَّكَ لاَ تَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلاَّ رَفَعَكَ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْكَ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً

Make frequent prostrations for Allah, for you will not make one prostration without Allah raising you a degree because of it, and removing a sin from you because of it. (Muslim, 488)

🏡 5. Have a House Built for you in Jannah

Umm Habiba reported that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said:

مَنْ صَلَّى فِي يَوْمٍ ثِنْتَىْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً سِوَى الْفَرِيضَةِ بَنَى اللَّهُ لَهُ أَوْ بُنِيَ لَهُ بَيْتٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ

Whoever prays twelve rak’ahs in a day apart from the obligatory prayers, Allah will build for him, or there will be built for him, a house in Paradise. (Nasai, 1808, Sahih — Darussalam)

Aishah narrated that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said:

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

“Whoever persists upon 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.” (Tirmizi 414, Hasan — Darussalam)

🔥 6. Protection from Hellfire if You Do this:

In Nasai, we read from Umm Habibah that the Prophet ﷺ said:

‏ مَنْ صَلَّى أَرْبَعًا قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَأَرْبَعًا بَعْدَهَا لَمْ تَمَسَّهُ النَّارُ

Whoever prays four (rak’ahs) before Zuhr and four after it, the Fire will not touch him. (Nasai, 1817, Sahih — Darussalam)

🏞️ 7. Prayer is the Key to Paradise

Jabir bin ‘Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them, narrated that
Allah’s Messenger said:

مِفْتَاحُ الْجَنَّةِ الصَّلاَةُ

The key to Paradise is Salah (prayer). (Tirmizi, 4, Hasan — Darussalam)

So take the few extra minutes and pray them, and if you miss them make them up, for indeed,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

Surely Allah does not waste the reward of the good-doers, (9:120)