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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. 3. These sunnah prayers can make up for any shortcomings in the five obligatory prayers. 4. The longest gaps between obligatory prayers is from Isha to Fajr and from Fajr to Dhuhr. During the first period, the Prophet (sas) practiced and recommended the night prayer and the Witr prayer. During the second, he recommended the Dhuhaa prayer. Dhuhaa prayer is two or more rakaat, in pairs. 5. The strongest of all of these is the Witr prayer such that some of the scholars gave it a new obligatory category between the fardh prayers and the other voluntary prayers. 6. As for mentioning Allah other than with prayer: it is commended at all times and more strongly indicated at some times than others. It is especially recommended after the two prayers which have no attached sunnah prayer after them: after Fajr until the sun comes up and after Asr until the sun goes down. Allah mentioned this many places in the Quran: {Exalt Him in the morning and in the afternoon} Al-Ahzaab: 42 {Mention the name of your Lord in the morning and in the afternoon.} Al-Insaan: 25 Also: Aal-Imraan: 41, Maryam: 11, Ar-Rum: 17, Ghaafir: 55 {Remember your Lord to yourself in humility and fear and in less than an open voice in the afternoon and the morning and do not be among the forgetful.} Al-Araaf: 205 7. The best remembrance in these two periods is the fardh prayers of Fajr and Asr and they are the best of the five prayers. Both of them have been called the middle prayer (two opinions) and they are the two cool times referred to in the hadith that: whoever maintains them enters paradise. 8. Night time is the next best time for remembrance after these two. 9. Remembrance of Allah is not just prayer and verbal mention of Allah. It also includes:
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