Voluntary prayers: tahajjud, duha, tarawih and more
After the obligatory prayers, voluntary ones bring the servant near to Allah. On the Day of Judgement, any shortfall in the obligatory prayers will be made up from the voluntary. (Tirmidhi 413)
| Prayer | Time | Rak‘ahs |
|---|---|---|
| Tahajjud | After sleeping, following Isha — best in the last third of the night | 2 to 12, in twos |
| Ishraq | 15–20 minutes after sunrise | 2 or 4 |
| Duha (chasht) | From when the sun is well up until before noon | 2 to 8 |
| Greeting the masjid | On entering a masjid, before sitting | 2 |
| After wudu | After making wudu | 2 |
| Tarawih | In Ramadan, after Isha and before witr | 20 (Hanafi); 8 is also widely prayed |
| Istikharah | Before deciding on a permissible matter | 2, followed by the du‘a of istikharah |
The virtue of tahajjud
وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةًۭ لَّكَ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًۭا مَّحْمُودًۭا ٧٩Wa minal laili fatahajjad bihee naafilatal laka 'asaaa any yab'asaka Rabbuka Maqaamam MahmoodaaAnd from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.Surah Al-Isra 17:79
The best prayer after the obligatory ones is the prayer at night. (Muslim 1163) Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of every night and says: “Who will call on Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?” (Bukhari 1145)
The virtue of duha
Every joint of a person owes a charity each day; two rak‘ahs of duha suffice for all of it. (Muslim 720)
Voluntary prayers are best prayed at home (apart from tarawih and a few others). In every rak‘ah of a voluntary prayer a surah is added after Al-Fatihah.