Those who said: pray them before you enter the mosque

Ibn Sirin said: If a person enters the mosque during the congregational Fajr prayer, he should join the congregation and not pray the two sunnah rak'ahs, because the obligatory prayer that he would miss is of higher rank than the sunnah rak'ahs.

Ibn Awn said: I asked Ibrahim about this, and he said: "The obligatory prayer is made up, whereas voluntary prayers are not made up."

Ibn Sirin said: The prayer with the imam that he would miss is better than these two rak'ahs.

Hammad said: Do not enter the mosque without having prayed the two sunnah rak'ahs of Fajr, even if you have to pray them on a rubbish heap.

Ubayd bin al-Hasan said: I saw Ibn Ma'qil pray the sunnah rak'ahs of Fajr in the sudda (the covered entrance porch).

Yahya bin Abi Kathir said: Whoever comes to the mosque during the Fajr prayer should not pray the sunnah rak'ahs of Fajr before the Fajr prayer; rather, he should pray them at the time of duha (forenoon).

Sa'id bin Jubayr said: If he is in some place other than the mosque, he should pray these sunnah rak'ahs there; he should not pray them in the mosque.

Ata said: If a man fears missing a rak'ah of the obligatory prayer, he should leave these sunnah rak'ahs and join the congregation.

Abu Ja'far said: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came into the mosque for the Fajr prayer, and Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) began the iqamah. Sayyiduna Ibn Buhaynah (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up to pray the two sunnah rak'ahs of Fajr, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tapped him on the shoulder and said: "O son of al-Qishb! Will you pray four rak'ahs of Fajr?"

Sayyiduna Ibn Buhaynah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Once the iqamah for the morning prayer was given, and a man stood up to pray the two sunnah rak'ahs. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had led the prayer, the people gathered around him. He said to the man who had prayed the two sunnah rak'ahs: "Do you pray four rak'ahs of Fajr?"

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Once, when the iqamah for Fajr was given, a man began praying the two sunnah rak'ahs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pulled him by his garment and said: "Do you pray four rak'ahs of Fajr?"

Ibrahim said: Catching the obligatory prayer that would be missed by praying these sunnah rak'ahs is dearer to me than praying them.