CONCERNING THE SPECIAL QUALITY OF [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED DURING

THE NIGHT OF SUNDAY [SALAT LAILAT AL-AHAD].

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be well pleased with him) is reported as having said:  "I once heard
Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) say:

"'If someone performs twenty [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer ['ishrin rak'a] on a Sunday night-
reciting in each cycle "Al-hamdu li'llahi... [Praise be to Allah...']" one time, "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad
[Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" fifty times, and the Two Pleas for Divine Refuge [al-Mu'awwidhatain] 
three times--and if he begs forgiveness of Allah (Glory be to Him) one hundred times, and begs
forgiveness of Allah for himself and his parents one hundred times, and invokes Allah's blessing on
the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) one hundred times, and renounces all personal
claim to power and strength [tabarra'a min al-hawli wa 'l-quwwa], and takes refuge in the power and
strength of Allah --and if he then says:

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,

ashhadu an la ilaha illa 'llah :

and I bear witness that Adam is the Choice of Allah, and His Creation,
wa ashhadu anna Adama Safwatu 'llahi wa Fitratu-h :

and Abraham is the Bosom Friend of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He),
wa Ibrahima Khalilu 'llahi ('azza wa jall) :

and Moses is the Interlocutor of Allah (Exalted is He),

wa Musa Kalimu 'llahi (ta'ala) :

and Jesus is the Spirit of Allah (Glory be to Him),

wa 'Isa Ruhu 'llahi (subhana-h) :

and Muhammad is the Beloved of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He).

wa Muhammadan Habibu 'llahi ('azza wa jall).

--he will be entitled to as many grants of recompense and reward as the total figure arrived at by
counting all those who call Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) a "Son," as well as all those who do
not call Him a "Son."  On the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama], Allah (Exalted is He) will
bring him back to life in the company of those who have nothing to fear [al-aminin], and it will be
an obligation [haqq] incumbent upon Allah to admit him to the Garden of Paradise in the company
of the Prophets [an-Nabiyyin].
 CONCERNING [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED ON A SUNDAY [SALAT YAWM AL-
AHAD].

According to a traditional report transmitted on the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be well
pleased with him), the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:

If someone performs four cycles of ritual prayer [salla arba'a raka'at] on a Sunday--reciting the
Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] in each cycle, and [the passage that begins with]
"Amana 'r-Rasulu... [The Messenger believes...]" one time --Allah (Exalted is He) will record in
his favor a number of good deeds, a number corresponding to the total figure arrived at by
counting every Christian man and Christian woman [Nasrani wa Nasraniyya].  He will grant him
the spiritual reward of a Prophet [Nabi].  He will record a Pilgrimage [Hijja] and a Visitation
['Umra] in his credit column. 

For each cycle [rak'a], He will credit him with a thousand ritual prayers [alf salat].  Then, for every
letter [in the words of his Qur'anic recitation], Allah (Exalted is He) will grant him, in the Garden
of Paradise, a city constructed from the most fragrantly aromatic musk. 

According to another traditional report, this one transmitted on the authority of [the Caliph] 'Ali
ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him
peace) once said:

Affirm the Oneness of Allah (Exalted is He) by performing the ritual prayer [salat] frequently on
Sunday, for He is Single [Wahid], without any partner [la sharika la-h].  If someone performs four
[voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [salla arba'a raka'at] on a Sunday, after the noon prayer [salat az-
zuhr] that is strictly obligatory [farida] and that which is customary [sunna]-reciting, in the first
cycle, the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] and the Sura of Prostration [as-Sajda],
which begins with "Alif-Lam-Mim...," and, in the second cycle, the Opening Sura of the Book
[Fatihat al-Kitab] and the Sura of Sovereignty [al-Mulk], which begins with "Tabaraka... [Blessed
is He...];" then pronouncing the testimony and the salutation [yatashahhad wa yusallim];  then
standing up and proceeding to perform the last two cycles, reciting in both of them the Opening
Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] and the Sura of the Congregation [Surat al-Jumu'a];  and
asking [in his supplication] for his need to be satisfied-it will be an obligation [haqq] incumbent
upon Allah (Exalted is He) to satisfy his need, and to declare him innocent of the errors committed
by the Christians [Nasara].
 CONCERNING [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED ON A MONDAY [SALAT YAWM AL-
ITHNAIN].

 According to a traditional report transmitted by Abu 'z-Zubair, on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdi
'llah [al-Ansari] (may Allah be well pleased with him and with his father), Allah's Messenger
(Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:

 If someone performs two [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [rak'atain] at daybreak on a Monday-
reciting the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] once in each cycle, the Verse of the
Throne [Ayat al-Kursi]  one time, "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" one time, and
the Two Pleas for Divine Refuge [al-Mu'awwidhatain]  one time each-and if, when he pronounces
the salutation [idha sallama], he appeals ten times to Allah for forgiveness, and invokes His
blessing upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) ten times-Allah will forgive him
all his sins.

 According to another traditional report, this one transmitted by Thabit al-Bunani, on the authority
of Anas ibn Malik  (may Allah be well pleased with him), Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and
give him peace) once said:

 If someone performs twelve [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [salla ithnatai 'ashrata rak'a] on a
Monday, reciting the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] in each cycle, and the Verse of
the Throne [Ayat al-Kursi] one time-and if, when he has concluded his performance of the prayer
[salat], he recites "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" twelve times, and seeks
forgiveness twelve times-an angelic voice will call for him on the Day of Resurrection [Yawm al-
Qiyama], saying:  "Where is So-and-so, the son of So-and-so?  Let him step forward to receive his
reward from Allah (Exalted is He) !"  He will then be given, as the first part of his reward, a
thousand fine articles of clothing.  A crown will be placed upon his head, and he will be told: 
"Enter the Garden of Paradise!"  A thousand angels will bid him welcome, each angel bearing a
gift, and they will escort him on a tour of a thousand palaces constructed from glittering light.
CONCERNING THE SPECIAL QUALITY OF [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL
PRAYERPERFORMED DURING THE NIGHT OF MONDAY [SALAT LAILAT AL-
ITHNAIN]. 

(It should be noted that in Islam the night of Monday is Sunday night).

According to a traditional report, transmitted on the authority of al-A'mash, Anas ibn Malik (may
Allah be well pleased with him) stated that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace)
once said:

If someone performs four [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [raka'at] on a Monday night-reciting in
the first cycle "Al-hamdu li'llahi... [Praise be to Allah...']" one time, and "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad
[Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" ten times, and in the second cycle "Al-hamdu li'llahi... [Praise be to
Allah...']" one time, and "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" twenty times, and in the
third cycle "Al-hamdu li'llahi... [Praise be to Allah...']" one time, and "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say:
'He is Allah, One!']" thirty times, and in the fourth cycle "Al-hamdu li'llahi... [Praise be to Allah...']"
one time, and "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" forty times--and if he then
pronounces the testimony and the salutation [tashahhada wa sallama], and recites "Qul Huwa'llahu
Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" seventy-five times, and begs forgiveness of Allah for himself and
his parents seventy-five times, and invokes Allah's blessing on the Prophet (Allah bless him and
give him peace) seventy-five times, and then asks [in his supplication] for his need to be satisfied--
it will be an obligation [haqq] incumbent upon Allah (Exalted is He) to satisfy his need.

This is actually called the Ritual Prayer of Need  [salat al-haja].

According to another traditional report, this transmitted on the authority of Abu Umama (may Allah
be well pleased with him), Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:

If someone performs two [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [rak'atain] on a Monday night-reciting
in the each cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] one time, and "Qul Huwa'llahu
Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" fifteen times--and if he recites the Verse of the Throne [Ayat al-
Kursi]  fifteen times after the salutation [taslim], and begs forgiveness of Allah (Glorified and
Exalted is He) fifteen times--Allah (Exalted is He) will include his name among the names of those
who belong to the Garden of Paradise, even if he is one of those who [would otherwise] belong to
the Fire of Hell, and  He will forgive him his sins of flagrant wrongdoing.  For every Qur'anic verse
[aya] he recites, He will credit him with a Pilgrimage [Hijja] and a Visitation ['Umra], and if he dies
between that Monday and the next Monday, he will die as a martyr  [shahid]. 
 4. Concerning [voluntary] ritual prayer performed on a Tuesday
[salat yawm ath-thalatha'].

According to a traditional report transmitted by Yazid ar-Raqashi, on the authority of Malik ibn
Anas (may Allah be well pleased with him), Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him
peace) once said:

If someone performs ten [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [raka'at] on a Tuesday, in the middle of
the day--reciting the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] once in each cycle, the Verse of
the Throne [Ayat al-Kursi]  one time, and "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" three
times--no sinful error will be recorded in his debit column for seventy days.  Then, if he dies
before the seventy days are up, he will die as a martyr [shahid], and he will be forgiven the sins of
seventy years.

CONCERNING THE SPECIAL QUALITY OF [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER

PERFORMED DURING THE NIGHT OF TUESDAY [SALAT LAILAT ATH-THALATHA'].

(it should be noted that the night of Tuesday is Monday night as we know it in the West).

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:

If someone performs twelve [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [ithnatai 'asharata rak'a] on a
Tuesday night-reciting in each cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] one time,
and "Idha ja'a nasru 'llahi... [When the help of Allah comes...']" five times-Allah (Exalted is He)
will build him a house in the Garden of Paradise, and each of the dimensions of that house will be
ten times the size of this lower world.
 CONCERNING [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED ON A WEDNESDAY
[SALAT YAWM AL-ARBA'A'].

According to a traditional report transmitted by Abu Idris al-Khawlani, on the authority of Mu'adh
ibn Jabal (may Allah be well pleased with him), Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him
peace) once said:

If someone performs twelve [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [ithnatai 'asharata rak'a] on a
Wednesday, at the high point of the day-reciting the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab]
in each cycle, the Verse of the Throne [Ayat al-Kursi] one time, "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He
is Allah, One!']" three times, and the Two Pleas for Divine Refuge [al-Mu'awwidhatain] three
times-an angel will call out to him from beside the Heavenly Throne ['Arsh] :  "O servant of Allah,
you may now set to work with a clean slate, for all your previous sins have been forgiven!"  Allah
will exempt him from the torment of the tomb, and from its narrowness and gloom.  He will also
exempt him from the terrible hardships of the Resurrection, and He will accept his day's work with
the honor conferred on the work of a Prophet [Nabi].

CONCERNING THE SPECIAL QUALITY OF [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYERPERFORMED DURING

THE NIGHT OF WEDNESDAY [SALAT LAILAT AL-ARBA'A'].

(It should be noted that the night of Wednesday is Tuesday night as we know it in the West).

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported as having said:

If someone performs two [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [rak'atain] on a Wednesday night--
reciting in the first cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] one time, and "Qul
a'udhu bi-Rabbi 'l-Falaq [Say: I take refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak']" ten times, and in the
second cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] one time, and "Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbi
'n-Nas [Say: I take refuge with the Lord of Mankind']" ten times--seventy thousand angels will
come down from every heaven, recording the reward in his credit column until the Day of
Resurrection [Yawm al-Qiyama]. 

 
 CONCERNING [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED ON A THURSDAY [SALAT YAWM
AL-KHAMIS].

 According to a traditional report transmitted by 'Ikrima, on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may
Allah be well pleased with him and with his father), Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give
him peace) once said:

 If someone performs two [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [rak'atain] on a Thursday, at some
point between the [obligatory prayers of] noon [az-zuhr] and afternoon [al-'asr]-reciting in the
first cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] one time, and the Verse of the Throne
[Ayat al-Kursi]  one hundred times, and in the second cycle the Opening Sura of the Book
[Fatihat al-Kitab] [one time], and "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" one hundred
times-and if, when he has finished [performing the ritual prayer], he invokes Allah's blessing
upon me one hundred times-Allah (Exalted is He) will grant him the spiritual reward of someone
who fasts in the months of Rajab, Sha'ban and Ramadan.  The amount of his spiritual reward will
be comparable to that of a Pilgrim of the House [of Allah] [Hajj al-Bait].  As for the good deeds
to be recorded in his credit column, their number will be equal to the total figure arrived at by
adding up all the people who believe in Allah (Exalted is He) and put their trust in Him.

CONCERNING THE SPECIAL QUALITY OF [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYERPERFORMED DURING

THE NIGHT OF THURSDAY [SALAT LAILAT AL-KHAMIS].
(It should be noted that the night of Thursday is Wednesday night as we know it in the west).
According to another traditional report, this one transmitted on the authority of Abu Salih, Abu
Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with him) stated that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and
give him peace) once said: If someone performs two [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [rak'atain]
on a Thursday night, at some point between the [obligatory prayers of] sunset [al-maghrib] and
late evening [al-'isha']--reciting in each cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] one
time, "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" five times, and the Two Pleas for Divine
Refuge [al-Mu'awwidhatain]  five times--and if, when he has finished performing his ritual prayer
[salat], he begs forgiveness of Allah (Exalted is He) fifteen times, and donates the spiritual reward
for it [his prayer] to his parents--he will have discharged his obligation to them both, even if he has
been undutiful ['aqq] in his treatment of them, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will grant
him the gracious favor that He bestows upon the champions of truth [siddiqin] and the martyrs
[shuhada'].
 CONCERNING [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED ON A FRIDAY
[SALAT YAWM AL-JUM'A].

 According to a traditional report, 'Ali ibn al-Husain heard from his father that his grandfather (may
Allah's good pleasure be upon them all) had told him:  "I once heard the Prophet (Allah bless him
and give him peace) say:

 "'The whole of Friday, the Day of the Congregation, is [a time devoted to] ritual prayer [Yawm al-
Jum'a kullu-hu salat].  If any truly believing servant of the Lord ['abd mu'min] gets up-when the sun
has emerged and risen by the length of a spear, or more than that-and performs the ablution and
does so thoroughly [tawadda'a fa-asbagha 'l-wudu'], and performs two cycles [rak'atain] of the
supererogatory forenoon prayer [subhat ad-duha], as an act of faith and with an attitude of total
dedication [ihtisab], Allah (Exalted is He) will record two hundred good deeds in his credit column,
and He will also erase two hundred bad deeds from his debit column. 

 "'If someone performs four cycles [raka'at], Allah (Exalted is He) will upgrade his status in the
Garden of Paradise by four hundred degrees.

"'If someone performs eight cycles [raka'at], Allah (Exalted is He) will upgrade his status in the
Gardens of Paradise by eight hundred degrees, and He will forgive him all his sins.

"'If someone performs twelve cycles [ithnatai 'asharata rak'a], Allah (Exalted is He) will record one
thousand two hundred good deeds in his credit column, and He will also erase one thousand two
hundred bad deeds from his debit column.  He will also upgrade his status in the Garden of
Paradise by one thousand two hundred degrees.'"

 According to another traditional report, this one transmitted on the authority of Abu Salih, Abu
Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with him) stated that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and
give him peace) once said:

 If someone performs the [obligatory] daybreak prayer [salla 's-subh] on a Friday, as a member of a
congregation [jama'a], then sits in the mosque [masjid],  practicing the remembrance of Allah
(Exalted is He), until the sun has risen into view, he will be entitled to seventy degrees in Paradise
[Firdaws].  Moreover, in the space between two degrees, he will have trained horses at his disposal
for seventy years. 

 If someone performs the Friday [Congregational] prayer [salla 'l-jum'a], as a member of a
congregation [jama'a], he will be entitled to fifty degrees in Paradise [Firdaws], and he will have
thoroughbred horses at his disposal for fifty years.
 If someone performs the [obligatory] afternoon prayer [salla 'l-'asr] on a Friday, as a member of a
congregation [jama'a], it will be to his credit as if he had emancipated eighty of the offspring of
Ishmael [Isma'il], delivering each of them from slavery. 

 If someone performs the [obligatory] sunset prayer [salla 'l-maghrib] on a Friday, as a member of a
congregation [jama'a], it will be to his credit as if he had performed a Pilgrimage [Hijja] blessed
with acceptance and a Visitation ['Umra] worthy of approval.

 According to yet another traditional report, this one transmitted on the authority of Mujahid, Ibn
'Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him and with his father) stated that Allah's Messenger
(Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:

 If someone performs two [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [rak'atain] on a Friday, at some point
between the [obligatory prayers of] noon [az-zuhr] and afternoon [al-'asr]-reciting in the first cycle
the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] one time, the Verse of the Throne [Ayat al-Kursi] 
one time, and "Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbi 'l-Falaq [Say: I take refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak']"
twenty-five times; and reciting in the second cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab]
one time, "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" one time, and "Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbi 'l-
Falaq [Say: I take refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak']" twenty times--and if, when he has
pronounced the salutation [sallama], he says, fifty times:

There is no power,nor is there any strength, except through Allah, the All-High, the Almighty!  

la hawla wa la quwwata illa bi'llahi 'l-'Aliyyi 'l-'Azim! 

 --he will not depart from this world until he has seen his Lord (Almighty and Glorious is He) in a
dream, and has seen his situation in the Garden of Paradise, or had it shown to him.

It is related that an Arab of the desert [A'rabi]  once came to town to visit the Prophet (Allah bless
him and give him peace).  "O Messenger of Allah," he said, "we are out in the desert, far from the
city, and we cannot come to join you every Friday.  So advise me of some practice that can
appropriately be observed on the Day of Congregation, and I shall tell my people about it when I
return to them."  To this Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) responded by saying:

O Arab of the desert, when Friday [the Day of Congregation] comes around, perform two cycles of
ritual prayer [salli rak'atain] when the day is near its height.  In the first cycle, recite the Opening
Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] and "Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbi 'l-Falaq [Say: I take refuge with the
Lord of the Daybreak'].  In the second cycle, recite the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab]
and "Qul a'udhu bi-Rabbi 'n-Nas [Say: I take refuge with the Lord of Mankind']."  Then pronounce
the testimony and the salutation [tashahhad wa sallim], and recite the Verse of the Throne [Ayat al-
Kursi]  seven times, remaining in a sitting posture while you do so.

Then perform eight cycles of ritual prayer [raka'at], as two sets of four.  In the each cycle, recite the
Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] and "Idha ja'a nasru 'llahi wa 'l-fath... [When the help
of Allah comes, and victory...']"  one time, and "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']"
twenty-five times.  Then, when you have finished performing your prayer [salat], say, seventy
times:   

There is no power,nor is there any strength, except through Allah, the All-High, the Almighty!  

la hawla wa la quwwata illa bi'llahi 'l-'Aliyyi 'l-'Azim!

By the One who holds the soul of Muhammad in His hand, no truly believing man [mu'min], and
no truly believing woman [mu'mina], will perform this particular ritual prayer [salat] on a Friday,
exactly as I have just described it, without my being his [or her] guarantor of the Garden of
Paradise. 

Nor will any such person leave his place [of prayer] until Allah has granted forgiveness to him and
to his parents, if they are Muslims.  And an angelic herald will cry out from beneath the Heavenly
Throne ['Arsh] :  "O servant of Allah, you may now set to work with a clean slate, for all your
previous and more recent sins have been forgiven!" 

Many more special qualities have been attributed to it [i.e., to voluntary ritual prayer performed on
a Friday], but it would take too long to mention them all here.  As we have in fact mentioned
previously, in connection with other special qualities, there is another [voluntary] ritual prayer
[salat], appropriately performed on a Friday, in which "Qul Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah,
One!']" is recited eighteen times.  So, if anyone wishes to perform such a prayer, let him perform it!
 CONCERNING THE SPECIAL QUALITY OF [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED DURING
THE NIGHT OF FRIDAY [SALAT LAILAT AL-JUM'A].

(It should be noted that the night of Friday is Thursday night as we know it in the west)

According to another traditional report, this one transmitted on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdi 'llah
[al-Ansari]  (may Allah be well pleased with him and with his father) the Prophet (Allah bless him
and give him peace) once said:

If someone performs twelve [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [ithnatai 'asharata rak'a] on a Friday
night, at some point between the [obligatory prayers of] sunset [al-maghrib] and late evening
[al-'isha']--reciting in each cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab], and "Qul
Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" ten times--it will be as if he had devoted himself to
the worshipful service of Allah (Exalted is He) for twelve whole years, by fasting every day and
keeping vigil every night throughout that time.

According to yet another traditional report, this one transmitted on the authority of Kathir ibn
Salama, Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be well pleased with him) stated that Allah's Messenger
(Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:

If, on a Friday night, someone performs the [obligatory] late evening ritual prayer [salat al-'isha'
al-akhira] in a congregation [jama'a], and follows it with the performance of the two cycles of
customary prayer  [rak'atayi 's-sunna], then goes on to perform ten cycles [of additional, voluntary]
prayer-reciting in each cycle  "Al-hamdu li'llahi... [Praise be to Allah...']" one time, "Qul
Huwa'llahu Ahad [Say: 'He is Allah, One!']" one time, and the Two Pleas for Divine Refuge [al-
Mu'awwidhatain]  one time each--and if he then performs a witr  prayer of three cycles, and sleeps
on his right side, with his face turned toward the Qibla [the direction of the Ka'ba in Mecca] --it
will be as if he had kept vigil throughout the Night of Power [Lailat al-Qadr].

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also said:

Invoke Allah's blessing upon me, many times over, in the course of the illustrious night [al-lailat
al-gharra'], and during the brightly shining day [al-yawm al-azhar]--on the night of Friday, the Day
of Congregational Prayer [Lailat al-Jum'a], and then on the Day itself.

 
 CONCERNING [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED ON A SATURDAY [SALAT YAWM AS-
SABT].

According to a traditional report transmitted by Sa'id, Abu Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with
him) stated that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:

If someone performs four [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [raka'at] on a Saturday-reciting in each
cycle the Opening Sura of the Book [Fatihat al-Kitab] one time, and "Qul ya ayyuha 'l-kafirun...
[Say: 'O unbelievers...']"  three times-and if, when he has finished performing his ritual prayer
[salat] and has pronounced the salutation [sallama], he recites the Verse of the Throne [Ayat al-
Kursi]  -for every letter [in the words of his Qur'anic recitation] Allah (Exalted is He) record a
Pilgrimage [Hijja] and a Visitation ['Umra]  in his credit column.  For every letter, He will confer
upon him the merit of a whole year devoted to fasting by day and keeping vigil by night.  For every
letter [harf], Allah will grant him the spiritual reward of a martyr [shahid], and [in the Hereafter] he
will be in the company of the Prophets [Anbiya'] and the martyrs [shuhada'] beneath the Heavenly
Throne ['Arsh]. 

This brings us to the end of the Chapter concerning the special qualities of the [voluntary] ritual
prayers [salawat] in the daytime on each of the days of the week.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of All the Worlds!

[al-hamdu li'llahi Rabbi 'l-'alamin].

 CONCERNING THE SPECIAL QUALITY OF [VOLUNTARY] RITUAL PRAYER PERFORMED DURING
THE NIGHT OF SATURDAY [SALAT LAILAT AS-SABT].

(It should be noted that the night of Saturday is Friday night as we know it in the west).

According to a traditional report transmitted on the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be
well pleased with him), the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:

If someone performs twelve [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [ithnatai 'asharata rak'a] on a
Saturday night, at some point between the [obligatory prayers of] sunset [al-maghrib] and late
evening [al-'isha'], Allah (Exalted is He) will build a palatial mansion for him in the Garden of
Paradise.  It will be as if he had made a charitable donation [tasaddaqa] to every believing man and
woman [mu'min wa mu'mina].  He will be uncontaminated by the errors of Judaism [al-
Yahudiyya], and it will be an obligation [haqq] incumbent upon Allah to grant him forgiveness.

*  *  *  *  *

A REMINDER CONCERNING THE IMPORTANCE OF (A) FULFILLING ONE'S

OBLIGATORY RELIGIOUS DUTIES [FARA'ID] BEFORE ENGAGING IN THE
PERFORMANCE OF SUPEREROGATORY DEVOTIONS [NAWAFIL], AND (B)
PERFORMING SUPEREROGATORY DEVOTIONS [NAWAFIL] WITH THE INTENTION
OF MAKING UP FOR PREVIOUS OMISSIONS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF OBLIGATORY
RELIGIOUS DUTIES [FARA'ID].

We have already discussed this topic in the Discourse on Repentance [Majlis at-Tawba], as well as
elsewhere in the course of this book, but the following points deserve to be reiterated here:

The worshipper's first priority must be the complete and proper performance of all obligatory
religious duties [fara'id] and customary observances [sunan].  After these have been discharged,
and only then, he may engage in supererogatory devotions [nawafil], whether these be connected
with ritual prayer [salat], fasting [siyam], charitable donation [sadaqa], or any of the various forms
of worshipful service ['ibadat].

In all his acts of worshipful service ['ibadat], of whatever type they may be, his conscious intention
should be to fulfill the strict obligations [fara'id] that are incumbent upon him.  Thus, with respect
to all these [voluntary] ritual prayers [salawat] we have mentioned, as being appropriate to the
various nights and days of the week, the worshipper should perform them with the intention of
making up [qada'] for previous omissions.  He will thereby acquit himself of outstanding duty
[fard], and he will also obtain additional merit [fadl].  Allah (Exalted is He) will combine the two,
through His grace, His mercy, and His noble generosity. 

Finally, once he has really and truly acquitted himself of strictly obligatory duties [fara'id], the
worshipper may legitimately intend [yanwi] his performance of all that [additional worship] to be
a purely supererogatory devotion [nafila]. 

*  *  *  *  *

This brings us to the end of the Chapter concerning the special qualities of the [voluntary] ritual
prayers [salawat] performed in the nighttime on each of the days of the week.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of All the Worlds!

[al-hamdu li'llahi Rabbi 'l-'alamin].