Rulings on the Four Sunnah Rak’ahs Before Zuhr Prayer
Question:
What is the ruling regarding the four Sunnah rak’ahs performed before Zuhr prayer? If, for some reason, these Sunnah prayers cannot be performed before the obligatory prayer, then what should be done in such a case? (Abdul Mateen, Australia)
Answer:
الحمد للہ، والصلاة والسلام علی رسول الله، أما بعد!
Adherence to the Four Sunnah Rak’ahs Before Zuhr by the Prophet ﷺ
◈ Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that:
“The Prophet ﷺ never missed four rak’ahs before Zuhr and two rak’ahs before Fajr.”
◈ In another narration it is mentioned that:
“He ﷺ would pray four rak’ahs at home before Zuhr, then go outside and lead the people in prayer.”
Mention of Praying Four Rak’ahs Before Zuhr After Midday
◈ Hazrat Abdullah bin Saib bin Saifi Al-Makhzumi رضي الله تعالى عنه narrates that:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray four rak’ahs after Zawal, before Zuhr, and he used to say: ‘At this time, the gates of the heavens are opened, and I like that my good deeds be presented before Allah’s court.'”
Observance of Sunnahs before and after Zuhr
◈ It is narrated from Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib رضي الله تعالى عنه:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray four rak’ahs before Zuhr and two rak’ahs after it.”
◈ Hazrat Umm Habibah رضي الله تعالى عنها narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“مَنْ حَافَظَ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ رَكَعَاتٍ قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَأَرْبَعٍ بَعْدَهَا حَرَّمَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّارِ”
“Whoever consistently prays four rak’ahs before Zuhr and four rak’ahs after it, Allah Almighty forbids the fire of Hell upon him.”
Authenticity of the Hadith and Status of the Narrators
◈ The chain of this hadith is “Hasan Lidhatah”, and there are multiple evidences supporting it, based on which this hadith has been classified as “Sahih Laghirah”.
◈ The narrator of the hadith Qasim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Dimashqi is considered trustworthy and truthful by the majority of hadith scholars.
◈ His student Alaa bin Harith Al-Dimashqi is also trustworthy and truthful, and his narrations are present in
.
Reality of objections raised against the narrators:
➊ Objection of confusion:
This objection is unproven and unacceptable. The narrator Abu Ubaid Al-Ajri is unknown.
➋ Objection of predestination denial:
It is not established from any authentic chain that he denied predestination, therefore this objection is rejected.
Testimonies of other Sahabah and Tabi‘in regarding practice
◈ Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray four rak‘ahs in his house before Dhuhr.
◈ It is narrated from Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Qari that he saw Hazrat Umar رضي الله تعالى عنه praying Nawafil before Zuhr, so he said:
“This is the night prayer (Tahajjud) that was left, now I am praying it.”
◈ It is narrated from Hazrat Umar رضي الله تعالى عنه:
“Whoever is unable to recite his adhkar or any part of it at night, let him recite it between Fajr and Zuhr; he will receive the reward of the night.”
◈ The Tabi’i Amr bin Maymun al-Awdi رحمه الله عليه said:
“The Companions رضي الله عنهم never abandoned four rak’ahs before Zuhr and two rak’ahs before Fajr.”
Clarification Regarding the Number of Sunnah Rak’ahs of Zuhr
◈ It is also established from the Prophet ﷺ to pray two rak’ahs before Zuhr.
◈ In a hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Between the two adhan calls, there is a voluntary prayer.”
Then he said:
((لِمَنْ شَاءَ))
“Whoever wishes.”
From this hadith it is understood:
◈ If a person cannot pray four rak’ahs before Dhuhr, then two rak’ahs are sufficient.
◈ If Sunnah prayers are missed due to lack of time or any other reason, they can be performed later.
Method of Performing Sunnah Prayers
◈ It is preferable and Sunnah to pray in sets of two rak’ahs.
_(Hadith: “The night and day prayers are in twos”)_
◈ This is also the ruling of Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him).
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) also followed this practice.
◈ If a person prays four rak’ahs with one salam, this is also permissible.
Second part of the question: What to do if Sunnah prayers are missed?
◈ It is narrated from Hazrat Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها that:
“The Prophet ﷺ, when he could not pray four rak’ahs before Dhuhr, he would pray them afterwards.”
◈ In another narration:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray these four rak’ahs after the Dhuhr prayer, after the two Sunnah rak’ahs.”
But this narration is weak because the narrator Qais ibn al-Rabi’ has been declared weak by the majority, so adherence to this order is not obligatory.
◈ If a person prays the first Sunnah of Dhuhr later for some reason, this is also permissible in the light of Hadith ((لِمَنْ شَاءَ)).
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
