Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Optional Prayers

The optional prayers and their description

  • All subsets in optional prayer must have the FatiHah and a suurah recited in them because every pair of subset is like a separate prayer.
  • The number of subsets of optional prayers of the daytime are 2 or 4
  • During the night one may pray 2, 4, 6 or 8 subsets in one prayer.
  • The best number of subsets for optional prayers is 4.
  • The Merit (sunnah) prayers are: 2 subsets before Fajr, 4 in one prayer before Thuhr, 2 (or 4) after Thuhr, (2 or 4 before Asr), 2 after Maghrib, (2 or 4 before Eisha) and 2 (or 4) after Eisha. Those in brackets are not ascertained.
  • One does not leave the Merit prayers, unless time is running out for the obligatory prayer.
  • Duha is prayed by 4 subsets after the sun rises high, but before its zenith
  • The best place to pray optional prayers is in the house (except taraawiiH).
  • Ramadan’s TaraawiiH: 10 prayers of 2 subsets behind a leader, or alone at home, after the obligatory night prayer, with a resting period every 4 subsets.
  • A traveler outside the city prays optional prayers on the back of his animal in the direction it is facing, hinting at the prayer movements.
  • If someone started praying on the back of an animal, then descended and finished on the ground, then his prayer is correct, but not the other way around.
  • Optional prayers seated while able to stand are permitted. It is best to sit as in the tashahhud.
  • If someone started to pray an optional prayer standing, but later sat without an excuse, then this is valid.

The one who starts an optional prayer and then invalidates it must pray it later.

Since every pair of subset is like a separate prayer:

  • If someone was praying 4 subsets optionally, and invalidated the prayer after standing up for the 3rd subset, then he must pray 2 subsets later.
  • If one does not recite in a subset pair, then the proscription has been invalidated.
  • Reciting in only one subset of a pair of subsets invalidates that pair only.