Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

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

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother Assalaam Waelikum

My question is regarding Qasr Namaz I am working at sea for 6 to 7 months. Can u please give in detail format of Qasr namaz for all 5 times.

Also can we let go Sunnat namaz or we have to do Qasar for Sunnat and Nafl please explain.

Also i have read that sunnat nmaz is voluntary prayer meaning no reward if we do not pray but no sin if we do not pray, but benefical to compensate any shortcomings in farz prayer. Is this true?

Then what is Mukaddah Sunnah & Gair Mukkadah Sunnah.

Also please correct me if my understanding about Jummah prayer is wrong i.e on entering the mosque we read 2 rakkat masjid Sunnah, then 2 rakkats farz in congregation, then 2 rakkats sunnat & lastlt 2 rakkats nafl, totalling 8 rakkats, am i correct ?

Please answer quickly as i am to join ship soon n require your answer quickly. May Allah bless you for your Good Work, Aamin.

Your Brother In Faith

(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:

Prayer clarifications

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.

Your Question: Can u please give in detail format of Qasr namaz for all 5 times.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 101:

When you go on a journey, there is no harm, if you shorten your salaat, (especially) when you fear that the disbelievers might harass you, for the disbelievers are openly bent upon enmity against you.

When traveling, the ‘fajr’ and ‘magrib’ prayers are to be prayed in full as normal; and it is only the ‘dhuhr’, ‘asr’ and ‘isha’ prayers which are normally four rakahs each, which are shortened to two rakahs when one is traveling and praying ‘qasr’ or shortened prayers.

There is an allowance in Shariah and in the authentic and established Sunnah, that if one wishes one may combine the ‘dhuhr’ and ‘asr’ shortened prayers together, and the ‘magrib’ and shortened ‘isha’ prayer together when traveling.

The format of the prayer remains exactly the same, except that when the ‘dhuhr’, ‘asr’, and ‘isha’ prayers are shortened, one is to recite only two rakahs instead of the customary four rakahs of these prayers when traveling.

Your Question: Also can we let go Sunnat namaz or we have to do Qasar for Sunnat and Nafl please explain.

Firstly, please allow us to clarify the difference between Fard, Sunnah and Nafl prayers.

Fard prayers: These are the five obligatory prayers at their appointed times of the day. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there will be a severe accounting and punishment.

Nafl prayers: These are the voluntary prayers. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there is no sin.

Sunnah prayers: These are the Nafl or voluntary prayers which were prayed by the Messenger of Allah (saws), and thus they become his (saw’s) Sunnah for us. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there is no sin. The most that can be said of one who does not pray the Sunnah prayers is that he lost a great opportunity to earn huge rewards from Allah Subhanah.

There is absolutely no harm if one, who is traveling and offering ‘qasr’ prayers wishes to offer Sunnah or Nafl supererogatory prayers, but there is no shortening in any of the supererogatory prayers. The supererogatory Sunnah or Nafl prayers when traveling are offered exactly the same as they are offered at one’s place of residence.

Your Question: Also i have read that sunnat nmaz is voluntary prayer meaning no reward if we do not pray but no sin if we do not pray, but benefical to compensate any shortcomings in farz prayer. Is this true?

Your statement is absolutely true and in accordance with the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet (saws) said: "The first thing that the people will be called to account for on the Day of Resurrection will be the prayers. Our Lord will say to the Angels although He knows better: 'Look into the ‘Salah’ of My servant to see if he observed it perfectly or been negligent in it.’ So if he observed it perfectly it will be recorded to his credit, but if he had been negligent in it in any way, Allah would say: ‘See if My servant has any supererogatory (nafl) prayers.’ Then if he has any supererogatory prayers, Allah would say: ‘Make up the deficiency in My servant's obligatory prayer with his supererogatory prayers.' Thereafter all his actions will be examined in like manner"

Related by Abu Dawud.

Your Question: Then what is Mukaddah Sunnah & Gair Mukkadah Sunnah.

Amongst the Sunnah prayers offered by the Prophet (saws), the scholars of Jurisprudence have divided them into two categories:

1. Sunnah Muaqqeda
2. Sunnah Ghayr-Muaqqeda

Ref: Sunnah Muaqqeda: The term ‘Muaqqeda’ itself means something which is stressed or emphasized. The non-obligatory prayers which were constantly stressed and emphasized by the Messenger of Allah (saws) by his acts or his words like the two rakahs before Fajr, four rakahs before and two rakahs after Dhuhr, two rakahs after Magrib, two rakahs after Isha, the witr prayers, etc. are known as Sunnah Muaqqeda or non-obligatory prayers which were almost always offered by the Prophet (saws).

Ref: Sunnah Ghayr-Muaqqeda: The non-obligatory prayers which were sometimes offered by the Prophet (saws) like two rakahs before Asr, or two rakahs before Magrib, etc. are termed as Sunnah Ghayr-Muaqqeda.

Your Question: Also please correct me if my understanding about Jummah prayer is wrong i.e on entering the mosque we read 2 rakkat masjid Sunnah, then 2 rakkats farz in congregation, then 2 rakkats sunnat & lastlt 2 rakkats nafl, totalling 8 rakkats, am i correct ?

If one goes for Jumuaa prayers to the mosque, then he must pray a two rakah ‘tahiyat-ul-masjid’ prayer as soon as one enters the masjid. While waiting for the ‘imam’ to arrive to deliver the sermon, one may pray any number of ‘nafl’ or voluntary prayers, or recite the Glorious Quran, or do ‘dhikr’ and praise and glorify Allah Subhanah.

When the ‘imaam’ arrives to deliver the sermon, one must leave everything and listen attentively to the sermon, at the end of which the two-rakah Jumuaa prayers will be prayed in congregation.

After the Jumuaa prayers, it was the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) that he (saws) would pray a four rakahs voluntary prayer if he prayed in the mosque, or a two rakah voluntary prayer if he prayed at home.

Ibn al-Qayyim says: "After the Prophet (saws) finished the Jumu'ah, he would enter his house and pray two rak'at; and he ordered those who prayed the Jumu'ah to pray four rak'at after it (if prayed in the mosque).”

Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet (saws) said: "Whoever is to pray after the Jumu'ah should pray four rak'at (if prayed in the mosque)."

Related by Muslim, Abu Dawud, and at-Tirmidhi.

There is absolutely no limit to the number of nafl (voluntary) prayers one may pray after the Jumua prayers until ‘asr’ prayers on Fridays, or between the start of the ‘dhuhr’ time and the ‘asr’ prayers on all other days of the week….one may pray as little as two rakahs of ‘nafl’ prayers or as numerous as one wills or is easy for them between these times.

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan