Can I Pray Voluntary Prayer after the Sunna Prayer of Zuhr?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Would it be permissible for me to offer voluntary prayer after I have prayed the sunna of Zuhr or Isha before the congregational prayer?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
Yes, there is nothing wrong with praying voluntary prayers between the sunna prayer of Zuhr and the zuhr prayer. The same goes for the Isha prayer. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Prayer is the best-legislated act of worship, so whoever can perform more prayers (beyond the obligatory ones), let him do so.” [Tabarani]
We can read in a previous answer at SeekersGuidance that there are only three times in the day when one is forbidden to offer any prayers, even makeup prayers which are actually considered invalid if offered at these times.
These times are when the sun rises up until it is above the horizon by the length of a spear (about twenty minutes after sunrise), when the sun is at its zenith and when the sun turns dull in radiance such that one can look at it until it sets (about twenty minutes to half an hour before sunset).
One is also forbidden from offering supererogatory prayers at the time after praying the morning prayer until sunrise and after praying the afternoon prayer until sunset. [Ala al-Din Abidin, Al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya]
And Allah knows best.
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found.
Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.
He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
