❖ Is It Better to Offer Sunnah Prayers at Home or in the Mosque?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
Is it more virtuous to perform Sunnah prayers at home or in the mosque?
❖ Answer:
For men, performing Nawāfil (voluntary prayers) at home is superior to performing them in the mosque. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encouraged this both through his sayings and actions. Offering Nawāfil at home is a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and a means of attaining Allah’s pleasure. It brings blessings and goodness into the home, keeps the household spiritually alive and content, and removes evil and satanic influences.Performing pre- and post-obligatory Sunnahs and other Nawāfil at home is a spiritual remedy for both internal and external hardships and troubles.
Although homes are naturally places of comfort, many homes today are void of peace. Their inhabitants seek tranquility in streets, parks, and marketplaces, while true peace can be attained by populating the homes with the worship of Allah. Moreover, praying at home reduces the risk of showing off (riyāʼ). Homes should be purified from all that brings the displeasure of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
✿ Statements of Scholars and Hadith Evidence:
❖ Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī رحمه الله (d. 804H) stated:"The scholars are unanimously agreed that offering unrestricted Nawāfil at home is better."
(Ṭarḥ al-Tathrīb 3/36)
✿ Hadiths Encouraging Prayer at Home:
❖ Sayyidunā Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنهما narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إِذَا قَضَى أَحَدُكُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فِي مَسْجِدِهِ، فَلْيَجْعَلْ لِبَيْتِهِ نَصِيبًا مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ جَاعِلٌ فِي بَيْتِهِ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ خَيْرًا"When one of you finishes the prayer in the mosque, he should make a portion of his prayer at home, for indeed Allah will place blessings in his home because of his prayer."
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 778)❖ Sayyidunā Zayd ibn Thābit رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
صَلُّوا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ، فَإِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الصَّلَاةِ صَلَاةُ الْمَرْءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ، إِلَّا الْمَكْتُوبَةَ"O people! Pray in your homes, for the best prayer of a person is the one offered at home—except the obligatory prayer."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 731; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 781)In another version from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (781):
عَلَيْكُمْ بِالصَّلَاةِ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ، فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ صَلَاةِ الْمَرْءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ، إِلَّا الصَّلَاةَ الْمَكْتُوبَةَ
"You should pray in your homes, for the best prayer of a person is in his home, except the obligatory prayer."
❖ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما narrated:
اجْعَلُوا فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ مِنْ صَلَاتِكُمْ، وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوهَا قُبُورًا"Offer some of your prayers in your homes and do not turn them into graveyards."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 432; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 777)
✿ Prophetic Practice:
❖ Sayyidunā Kaʿb ibn ʿUjrah رضي الله عنه narrated:The Prophet ﷺ offered the Maghrib prayer in the mosque of Banū ʿAbd al-Ashhal. After completing the prayer, he noticed people offering their Sunnah prayers in the mosque. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Pray these at your homes.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1300; Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 1600; Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 604 – ḥasan isnād)Imām Ibn Khuzaymah رحمه الله (1201) authenticated this narration as Ṣaḥīḥ.
Conclusion:
① It is Sunnah and preferable for men to offer Sunnah Mu’akkadah and Nafl prayers at home.
② The Prophet ﷺ consistently advised this in both words and actions.
③ It brings blessings, keeps homes spiritually alive, and reduces showing off (riyāʼ).
④ Only obligatory prayers should be offered in congregation at the mosque; the rest are best performed at home.
⑤ Scholars unanimously agree on the superiority of offering non-obligatory prayers at home.
