Mu'meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I came across an article regarding salat-ut-tarawih in a book entitled "fiqh-us-sunnah".It said that the eight rakahs are sunnah and the rest are "mustahab".what is the meaning of "mustahab"?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Meaning of sunnah Mustahab

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Mustahab is a ‘Fiqh’ or Islamic Jurisprudence term which means a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) which is highly recommended and desirable for the believers to follow; but if one does not do it, there is no sin upon the person. It means a deed which the Messenger of Allah (saws) recommended the believers to do, but did not make it fard or obligatory.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother in Islam,

Burhan