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:

Assalamu alikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakattu

(1) I have heard from a friend of mine that kissing one on his or her`s eyes

is "karahath". Is this true.

(2) I would like to know about the sunnah prayers before and after every 5 prayers and all the other type of sunnah prayers.

(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:

Kiss eyes and sunnah nafl

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 none 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: I have heard from a friend of mine that kissing one on his or her`s eyes is

karahath". Is this true.

Although it was not a general practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to greet or honor his loved ones by kissing them on their eyes, because the act of kissing another is only a natural extension of one’s love for that person, there is evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (saws) kissed his loved ones, and allowed others to kiss him.

Al-Muwatta Hadith 18.15

Yahya related from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Atika bint Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl, the wife of Umar ibn al-Khattab, used to kiss Umar ibn al-Khattab's head while he was fasting.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.27 Narrated by Aisha

A Bedouin (desert Arab) came to the Prophet (saws) and said, "You (people) kiss the boys! We don't kiss them!" The Prophet (saws) said, "I cannot put mercy in your heart after Allah has taken it away from it."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.149 Narrated by Aisha

The Prophet (saws) used to kiss and embrace (his wives) while he was fasting, and he (saws) had more power to control his desires than any of you.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 5205 Narrated by Usayd ibn Hudayr,

Usayd ibn Hudayr, a man of the Ansaar (tribe), said that while he was given to jesting and was talking to the people and making them laugh, the Prophet (saws) poked him under the ribs with a stick. He said: ‘Let me take retaliation!’ The Prophet (saws) said: ‘Take your retaliation.’ He said: ‘You are wearing a shirt but I was not!’ The Prophet (saws) then raised his shirt and the man embraced him and began to kiss his side. Then he said: ‘This (to kiss you) is what I wanted, O Messenger of Allah!’

There is a consensus among scholars regarding the permissibility of kissing a dead person. The Prophet (saws) kissed his companion Uthman ibn Mazun after his death. Similarly, when the Prophet (saws) died, Abu Bakr leaned over him and kissed him between his eyes saying: "O my Prophet! O my best friend!"

To the best of our knowledge there is absolutely nothing in the authentic and established Sunnah which prohibits the kissing of one’s loved ones eyes as an extension of their love or respect for that person, if one indeed wishes to do so. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Your Question: I would like to know about the sunnah prayers before and after every 5 prayers and all the other type of sunnah prayers.

Indeed brother, there are only two types of prayers: ‘fard’ (obligatory) and ‘nafl’ (supererogatory). The ‘nafl’ prayers which were performed by the Messenger of Allah (saws) are known as his (saws) Sunnah for the believers.

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 or extra 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.

Thus every ‘nafl’ or voluntary prayer offered by the Noble Prophet (saws) will be considered ‘Sunnah’ prayers for the believers. Amongst all 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 supererogatory 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 supererogatory 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’.

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