The regular sunnah prayers and keeping to them

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said to Abu Yahya: "O Abu Yahya! Did you see that last night I slept (heedlessly) through the witr prayer! Ibn Makhramah and another man with him came to me, and the two of them kept me so occupied (in conversation) that I could not pray the witr. Then I slept until morning came and the slave-girl woke me. I said to her: 'Look, has the sun risen?' She replied: 'No.' So I prayed the two (sunnah) rak'ahs of Fajr. Then I asked: 'Look, has the sun come out now?' She said: 'No.' So I performed the (obligatory) Fajr prayer."
Imam Musaddad bin Musarhad narrated it in his Musnad. The narrator Abu Harun al-Ghanawi in its chain has been criticised in terms of jarh and ta'dil (narrator criticism), but on the basis of other supporting reports the meaning is correct.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Make it binding upon yourselves to keep to the two rak'ahs (sunnah) of Fajr, for in these two rak'ahs are such great blessings, precious rewards, and everything that a believer sincerely longs and wishes for."
Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah recorded this narration in his Musnad; however, due to the narrator Abd al-Hakam in its chain being majhul (unknown), this narration is da'if (weak) in its chain.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite very quietly, that is, silently, in the two rak'ahs (sunnah) before (the prayer of) Fajr, and in these two rak'ahs he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite 'Say: O disbelievers' [Surah al-Kafirun: 1] and 'Say: He is Allah, the One' [Surah al-Ikhlas: 1]."
This hadith indicates that keeping the voice low in the sunnah of Fajr and reciting the two mentioned surahs in it is sunnah, and the hadith scholars have specifically mentioned it in the chapter on the sunnah of Fajr.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand in these two rak'ahs (of the sunnah of Fajr) only for as long as it takes to recite Surah al-Fatihah."
The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic). Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated it in his book al-Musannaf (hadith: 613), and all its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that in the first of the two (sunnah) rak'ahs of Fajr the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite 'The Messenger has believed' [Surah al-Baqarah: 285] until he completed it, and in the second rak'ah he would recite this blessed verse of Surah Al Imran: 'Say: O People of the Book, come to a word that is equitable between us and you' [Surah Al Imran: 64].
I (the author) say: Imam Muslim also narrated it through another route, in which it is stated that he (peace and blessings be upon him) "(used to recite) in the first rak'ah 'Say: We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us' [Surah al-Baqarah: 136], which is in Surah al-Baqarah," and the rest of the narration is similar to it.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays twelve (voluntary) rak'ahs in the day (and night)" (and he mentioned the full hadith). The narrator of the hadith, Asim bin Abi al-Najud, said: "It seemed that the students and companions of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) would take great care to perform these twelve rak'ahs together with the obligatory prayers and would give them special attention."
I (the author) say: The basis of this hadith (that is, the narration about the twelve rak'ahs) is found in the books of Sunan, but this statement of Asim (which mentions this practice of the students of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)) is not mentioned there.

It is narrated from the father of a man from the Ansar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays four rak'ahs before the Zuhr prayer, it is equal in reward to freeing a slave from the descendants of Sayyiduna Isma'il (peace be upon him)."
Ibn Abi Umar narrated something similar to it through Waki', Bashir bin Salman (who is Abu Isma'il) and al-Qasim bin Safwan al-Ansari, from his father (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were not as regular and constant in any voluntary worship as they were in the (sunnah) prayer performed before the Zuhr prayer."
Imam Ahmad bin Mani' narrated it in his Musnad, and its chain is sahih (authentic).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Bara' bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) "used to pray four rak'ahs before the Zuhr prayer."
And Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it in his Musnad through Abu Kurayb with this same chain of Bakr bin Abd al-Rahman.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin Asid (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I saw Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) pray four long rak'ahs when the sun had passed its zenith, so I asked him about it, and he said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) praying this prayer, so I asked him (peace and blessings be upon him) about it, upon which he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Indeed, when the sun passes its zenith the gates of the heavens are opened, and they are not closed until the Zuhr prayer has been performed, so I love that some good deed of mine should be raised to the court of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, (at this blessed time).'"
In the chain of this report one narrator is unnamed; however, the virtue of these four rak'ahs after the zenith and the subject of the gates of the heavens being opened are established by other authentic hadith and supporting reports.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever keeps to and safeguards four rak'ahs before the Asr prayer, Allah Almighty, in return, builds for him a house in Paradise."
I (Ibn Hajar) say: Imam Abu Dawud narrated it through another route from Sayyidah Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her) as well, but there the words "before Zuhr" are mentioned.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abi al-Hudhayl (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I invited one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to my house. When the mu'adhdhin called the adhan for Maghrib, he prayed (two rak'ahs before the obligatory prayer). When I asked him about this practice, he said: "Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray these two rak'ahs (in the interval between the adhan of Maghrib and the obligatory prayer)."
Imam Musaddad narrated it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

It is narrated from Rashid bin Yasar (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "I bear (sworn) witness about five eminent Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (may Allah be pleased with them), who attained the great honour of pledging allegiance beneath the tree (the Pledge of Ridwan), as described in 'Certainly Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you beneath the tree' [Surah al-Fath: 18], that they used to pray two (voluntary) rak'ahs before the obligatory Maghrib prayer began."
Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded this narration in "al-Musannaf" (hadith: 7468), and all its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), on the basis of which this narration is of hasan (good) grade.

Mansur narrates from his father that he said: "Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them) never prayed two (voluntary) rak'ahs before the obligatory Maghrib prayer."
In the chain of this report Mansur bin al-Mu'tamir narrates from his father, and this narration indicates that in the time of these eminent Companions and Rightly Guided Caliphs there was no general practice or custom of praying two rak'ahs before the Maghrib prayer.

Ibrahim bin Abd al-Rahman bin Awf narrates from his father that "Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray two rak'ahs in his house after the Maghrib prayer."
[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 624; its chain is sahih (authentic).]

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him), the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that he was asked: "Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) use to order (any further voluntary) prayer after the obligatory prayers?" He replied: "Yes, in the time between Maghrib and Isha."
Imam Shu'bah (may Allah have mercy on him) corroborated this narration from Sulayman al-Taymi (may Allah have mercy on him), who relates: We were sitting in the gathering of Abu Uthman when a man appeared before us and narrated this same hadith to us on the authority of Sayyiduna Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays two more rak'ahs after the two rak'ahs of Maghrib, and in each rak'ah recites Surah al-Fatihah and fifteen times 'Say: He is Allah, the One' [Surah al-Ikhlas: 1], will come on the Day of Resurrection in such a state that it will be said about him: 'This one is from the Siddiqin (the truthful ones),' and he will pass beyond their rank; then it will be said: 'This one is from the martyrs,' and he will go beyond them as well; then it will be said: 'This one is from the Prophets,' and he will advance beyond them as well; then it will be said: 'This one is from the angels,' and he will surpass them as well; and no veil or barrier will remain for him (on the path to nearness to Allah) until he reaches the Throne of the Most Merciful."
I (Ibn Hajar) say: This text is mawdu' (fabricated).

It is narrated from Imam Ibrahim al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: It used to be said that "the witr prayer is binding upon the people of the Qur'an (that is, its bearers and reciters)." (The narrator said:) I asked: "What do you order your daughter regarding this?" He said: "I order her to pray two rak'ahs after Isha," while at that time she was only five or six years old.
[al-Matalib al-Aliyah: 638; the narrators of this statement are thiqat (trustworthy) and this chain is sahih (authentic).]

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying in the time between Maghrib and Isha, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) continued praying until he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the Isha prayer."
The chain of this hadith is hasan (good). Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it in his Musnad, and it is an important proof in the chapter on the virtue of voluntary prayer between Maghrib and Isha and the devotion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to worship.