Benefits of The Remembrance of Allah
Ibn Rajab Al-Hanabali
Taken from “Jami Al Uloom wal Hikam” of Ibn Rajab Al-Hanabali
Hadith No. 50 (Continued)
1. Allah ordered us to remember Him five times during every day and night by performing the prayer in its appointed time period.
2. He added to that many forms of remembrance, which are naafilah. This word means ‘extra’ or ‘additional’. Some of them are tied to the five prayers. It is preferable to prayer these prayers in the house over praying them in the Masjid. They can be ‘made up’ later if one is in the habit of doing them and misses one. The most important of them are (a) through e) are the most important):
a) Witr prayer which consists of an odd number of rakaat and is performed between Isha and Fajr preferably after sleeping and making an even number of rakaats (in pairs) of the night prayer or tahajjud.
b) Two rakaat before Fajr prayer – after the time comes in but before the Fajr prayer.
c) Two or four rakaat before the Dhuhr prayer. The Prophet (sas) did both. If doing four, it preferable to do two sets of two, but four all together is also permissible.
d) Two rakaat after Maghrib prayer.
e) Two rakaat after the Isha prayer.
f) Two rakaat between the adhan and the iqama (any of the 5 prayers).
g) Two rakaat to ‘greet’ the masjid – should always be made upon entering the Masjid before sitting down.