The Duha prayer

It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Hasan and Sayyiduna al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the Duha (forenoon) prayer, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs this prayer, a palace will be built for him in Paradise, and whatever sins he committed during the hours of the day will be forgiven."
In the chain of this hadith Abd al-Karim bin Abi al-Mukhariq al-Basri is a weak narrator; however, there are other sahih and hasan hadith (for example Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 473) regarding the virtue of the Duha prayer and the building of a house in Paradise for it, which support its meaning.

It is narrated from Sha'tha' (may Allah have mercy on her) that she saw Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) pray two rak'ahs, and his wife said to him (in surprise): "You have prayed only two rak'ahs?" He said: "Indeed I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) perform two rak'ahs of Duha at the time when he (peace and blessings be upon him) was given the glad tidings of the victory and of the head of Abu Jahl (being brought)."
I (Ibn Hajar) say: Part of this hadith is also narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Whoever comes to an open and wide expanse of land and performs two rak'ahs of the Duha prayer there, then says this supplication: 'Allahumma lakal-hamd, asbahtu abdaka ala ahdika wa wa'dika, anta khalaqtani wa lam aku shay'a, astaghfiruka li-dhanbi, fa-innahu qad arhaqatni dhunubi wa ahatat bi, illa an taghfiraha li, faghfirha ya arhamar-rahimin' (O Allah, all praise is for You. I have entered the morning as Your servant, (standing) upon Your covenant and promise. You created me when I was nothing worth mentioning. I seek Your forgiveness for my sin, for my sins have weighed me down and surrounded me, unless You forgive them for me; so forgive them, O Most Merciful of the merciful), then Allah Almighty forgives his sins in that very sitting, even if they are equal to the foam of the sea."
This narration is in Musnad Ishaq bin Rahwayh (644). In its chain is a narrator named Abu Qurrah al-Asadi, whose reliability has been disputed by the hadith scholars; however, the words of the supplication are established by other sahih hadith (such as Sayyid al-Istighfar).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both), as a marfu' report, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays the Fajr prayer, then remains seated (in the remembrance of Allah) until the sun rises, then prays two rak'ahs (voluntary), Allah Almighty will forbid the Fire from consuming him or scorching him with its heat."
In the chain of this narration, the narrator Sa'd bin Tarif is matruk (abandoned) and da'if (weak), and the condition of Umayr bin Ma'mum is also unknown; therefore this narration is weak in its chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sat with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), or perhaps the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself came and sat with him, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Abu Dharr, have you prayed the Duha (forenoon) prayer?" He said: "No." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Get up and pray the Duha prayer." The narrator said: So he prayed, then came back, and after that the narrator mentioned the complete hadith.
And Imam al-Harith narrated it similarly from Yunus bin Muhammad, from Hammad, from Ma'bad bin Hilal al-Anbari, from a man present in the mosque of Damascus, from Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him); and Imam Abu Ya'la also narrated the same from Hudbah, through Hammad.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out towards the stony tract (Harrah) of Banu Mu'awiyah, and I followed in his footsteps until he reached a high place there. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed eight rak'ahs of Duha, in which he stood very long. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Hudhayfah, did I make (the prayer) long for you?" I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, during this prayer I asked Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, for three things; He granted me two of them and withheld one from me. I asked Allah that He not make anyone other than them (an enemy) prevail over my Ummah, and He fulfilled this wish of mine; and I asked Him that He not destroy my Ummah through famine and general ruin, and He granted me this too; and I asked Him that He not place their fighting (civil war) among themselves, and He withheld this from me."
Imam al-Bazzar narrated this hadith in his Musnad (2931), and on the basis of corroboration of Muhammad bin Ishaq and other supporting reports, its chain is of the hasan (good) grade.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she used to pray eight rak'ahs of the Duha prayer sitting. It was said to her: "Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) prays it as four rak'ahs!" She said: "Indeed Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) is a young woman, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'The reward of one who prays sitting is half of the reward of one who prays standing.'"
Takhrij and grading: In the chain of this narration there is an unnamed (mubham), i.e. unknown, narrator; however, the original Prophetic statement about the lesser reward for praying sitting is found in Sahih al-Bukhari (1115) and elsewhere.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent out a military expedition; that force gained abundant spoils and returned very quickly. A man said (in amazement): "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we have never seen a force quicker in returning or bringing more spoils than this one." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not tell you of one who returns even more quickly and gains even greater spoils than it? It is a man who performs ablution (wudu) excellently in his house, then heads for the mosque and prays the morning (Fajr) prayer there, then after it he also prays the Duha prayer. Truly, this man has returned most quickly and gained the greatest profit and spoils."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it in his Musnad from Abu Bakr, and Ibn Hibban through Abu Ya'la; Imam al-Bazzar also recorded it from the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), in which it is narrated that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)!"

It is narrated from Sayyidah Rumaythah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: I saw the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), pray eight rak'ahs of Duha (forenoon prayer), so I asked her: "Is this something you saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) doing, or did he command you to do it?" She replied: "I am not telling you anything (attributed) to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about these rak'ahs; but (this practice is so dear to me that) even if my father were raised from the grave for me (and told me) to leave these rak'ahs, I would never leave them."
The chain of this hadith is jayyid (good), and Imam Musaddad narrated it in his Musnad.

It is narrated from Qasim bin Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him): "Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to pray the Duha (forenoon) prayer and make it very long."
Its chain is sahih (authentic), and this report indicates the special devotion of the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), to the Duha prayer and her practice of standing long in it.

It is narrated from Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None keeps up supplication regularly and faithfully except one who turns frequently to Allah Almighty (awwab)."
[Takhrij and grading: This narration is mursal, and these same words are also reported in some other hadith books in the context of the virtues of Salat al-Duha (the forenoon prayer).]

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he related: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived (in Madinah after the Hijrah), I was nine or ten years old. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said (addressing me): "O Anas, take care to purify yourself and perform ablution abundantly (and well), and your life will be blessed and lengthened by it; and pray the Duha (forenoon) prayer, for it is the prayer of those who turn frequently to Allah (al-awwabin)."
If Allah Almighty wills, the remainder of it will come shortly in "Kitab al-Mawa'iz" (the Book of Admonitions).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he requested Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): "O uncle, teach me something good." He replied: "Yes, my nephew. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: 'O Abu Dharr, if you pray two rak'ahs of Duha, you will not be recorded among the heedless; if you pray four, you will be recorded among the muhsinin (those who do good); if you pray six, no sin will pursue you; if you pray ten (there is a gap in the text here); and if you pray twelve, a house will be built for you in Paradise in return for them.'"
Imam Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili narrated it in his Musnad.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Whoever prays the morning (Fajr) prayer, then remains seated in his place (of prayer), not occupying himself with any idle talk of worldly affairs, but remaining engaged in the remembrance of Allah Almighty until he prays four rak'ahs of Duha, he comes out of his sins purified as on the day his mother gave birth to him, with no sin remaining upon him."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith in his Musnad [hadith no. 4402], and Allamah al-Haythami stated explicitly in Majma' al-Zawa'id that all its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays the morning prayer in congregation, then remains seated in his place (in remembrance) until he prays the voluntary prayer of Duha (Ishraq), for him is the reward of a complete Hajj and a complete Umrah; his Hajj and his Umrah will be entirely complete (in reward)."
Imam al-Tabarani narrated this hadith in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (7642), and Allamah al-Albani graded it hasan on the basis of its supporting reports.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The time of the prayer of those who turn frequently to Allah is when the feet of the young camels begin to burn from the intensity of the heat."
I (Ibn Hajar) say: This chain is outwardly sahih (authentic), but this narration is ma'lul (defective), and what is mahfuz (preserved) on this matter is that it is narrated through al-Qasim bin Awf from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him), as Imam Muslim narrated it from the hadith of Ayyub, and also from the hadith of Qatadah, through al-Qasim.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to them in the Mosque of Quba and saw them praying the Duha (forenoon) prayer, whereupon he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This is the prayer of the awwabin (those who turn frequently to Allah)." The narrator said: They used to pray it when the feet of the young camels grew hot (from the intensity of the sun).
I (Ibn Hajar) say: This narration differs from the wording in Sahih Muslim, for there the words are that Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) saw some people praying Duha and said: They surely know that praying at a time other than this (later) is more virtuous; indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer of the awwabin is when the feet of the young camels burn (from the intensity of the heat)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) praying the Duha prayer." Umar bin al-Hakam said: Then I mentioned this to Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "Indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would (sometimes) leave a (voluntary) deed, disliking that people should see him (doing it) (and take it as binding upon themselves), so he would do it in private; and as for me, I certainly pray it (the Duha prayer)."
Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) says this. I (Ibn Hajar) say: Muhammad bin Umar (the narrator mentioned in the chain) is actually al-Waqidi, and other narrators have contradicted him (al-Waqidi) in this narration from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray the Duha prayer with such constancy and regularity that one would think he would never leave it, and he would sometimes leave it so continuously that one would feel he would perhaps never pray it again."
[Takhrij: Imam al-Tirmidhi narrated it in his Sunan (477) and called it hasan gharib; however, the narrator in its chain, Atiyyah al-Awfi, is da'if (weak) according to the majority of hadith scholars, on account of which Allamah al-Albani graded it weak.]

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when he reached this blessed verse: "Glorifying (Allah) in the evening and at sunrise (al-ishraq)" [Surah Sad: 18], he said: "What is meant by it is Salat al-Ishraq (the sunrise prayer), that is, eight rak'ahs prayed in the early part of the day."
In the chain of this report, the narrator Yazid bin Abi Ziyad is da'if (weak); however, the same meaning is also narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) through other reliable sources and chains which support it.