✦ Performing Nawafil at Home is Superior: A Scholarly Overview ✦
By: Imran Ayyub Lahori
➊ Narration of Zayd ibn Thabit (رضي الله عنه):
“The best prayer of a man is that which he performs at home, except the obligatory ones.”
[Bukhari: 731 | Muslim: 781 | Abu Dawud: 1044 | Tirmidhi: 450 | Ibn Khuzaymah: 1203]
➋ Narration of Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما):
“Offer some of your prayers in your houses and do not turn them into graves.”
[Bukhari: 432 | Muslim: 777 | Abu Dawud: 1043]
Imam Nawawi (رحمه الله) explains:
“The Prophet ﷺ encouraged offering Nawafil at home to prevent ostentation (riyāʼ), to protect deeds from being wasted, and to bring blessings, mercy, and the presence of angels into the home—causing the devil to flee from it.”
[Sharḥ Muslim: 3/326]
✔ Narration of ‘Itbān ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه):
“The Prophet ﷺ stood and we formed a row behind him. He led us in two rak‘ahs.”
[Bukhari: 424 | Muslim: 33 | Nasai: 1250 | Ahmad: 4/43 | Ibn Majah: 754]
✔ Also supported by the narration wherein Ibn ‘Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) was moved from the left to the right side during night prayer by the Prophet ﷺ.
[Bukhari: 759 | Muslim: 763]
✔ Narration of A’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
“When the Prophet ﷺ became physically heavy (in later years), he would perform most of his prayers sitting.”
[Muslim: 732 | Ahmad: 6/257 | Ibn Khuzaymah: 1239]
✔ A narration in Sahih Bukhari [1118] confirms that the Prophet ﷺ prayed Qiyam al-Layl (Nawafil) while sitting.
However, without a valid excuse, sitting leads to a reduced reward.
✔ Narration of ‘Imran ibn Husayn (رضي الله عنه):
“He who prays standing is better. He who prays sitting gets half the reward of the one standing, and he who prays lying down gets half the reward of the one sitting.”
[Ahmad: 4/435 | Bukhari: 1115 | Abu Dawud: 951 | Tirmidhi: 369 | Ibn Majah: 1231 | Bayhaqi: 2/491]
✔ Narration of Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
“When the Iqamah is called, there is no prayer except the obligatory one.”
[Muslim: 710 | Abu Dawud: 1266 | Tirmidhi: 419 | Abu ‘Awanah: 2/33]
Imam Nawawi (رحمه الله) reported that Hanafi scholars allow offering Sunnah of Fajr after Iqamah, but if there is risk of missing even one rak‘ah, it is better to join the congregation.
[Sharḥ Muslim: 3/241]
Extensive scholarly discussion on this issue can be found in:
[Nayl al-Awtar: 2/313 | Al-Majmū‘: 3/550 | Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn: 1/435 | Radd al-Muḥtār: 2/304 | Al-Mughnī: 2/119 | Kashshāf al-Qināʿ: 1/261 | Al-Hidāyah: 1/72 | Sharḥ Muslim: 3/241]
✔ Nawafil prayers are best offered at home, bringing privacy, sincerity, and spiritual blessings.
✔ Congregational Nawafil are allowed, as demonstrated by the Prophet ﷺ.
✔ Sitting during Nawafil is allowed, but standing brings greater reward.
✔ Once Iqamah is called, no non-obligatory prayer should be initiated—particularly in the mosque.
By: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ The Virtue of Performing Nawafil at Home
➊ Narration of Zayd ibn Thabit (رضي الله عنه):
“The best prayer of a man is that which he performs at home, except the obligatory ones.”
[Bukhari: 731 | Muslim: 781 | Abu Dawud: 1044 | Tirmidhi: 450 | Ibn Khuzaymah: 1203]
➋ Narration of Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما):
“Offer some of your prayers in your houses and do not turn them into graves.”
[Bukhari: 432 | Muslim: 777 | Abu Dawud: 1043]
Imam Nawawi (رحمه الله) explains:“The Prophet ﷺ encouraged offering Nawafil at home to prevent ostentation (riyāʼ), to protect deeds from being wasted, and to bring blessings, mercy, and the presence of angels into the home—causing the devil to flee from it.”
[Sharḥ Muslim: 3/326]
❖ Performing Nawafil in Congregation is Permissible
✔ Narration of ‘Itbān ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه):
“The Prophet ﷺ stood and we formed a row behind him. He led us in two rak‘ahs.”
[Bukhari: 424 | Muslim: 33 | Nasai: 1250 | Ahmad: 4/43 | Ibn Majah: 754]
✔ Also supported by the narration wherein Ibn ‘Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) was moved from the left to the right side during night prayer by the Prophet ﷺ.
[Bukhari: 759 | Muslim: 763]
❖ Sitting During Nawafil is Permissible
✔ Narration of A’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
“When the Prophet ﷺ became physically heavy (in later years), he would perform most of his prayers sitting.”
[Muslim: 732 | Ahmad: 6/257 | Ibn Khuzaymah: 1239]
✔ A narration in Sahih Bukhari [1118] confirms that the Prophet ﷺ prayed Qiyam al-Layl (Nawafil) while sitting.
However, without a valid excuse, sitting leads to a reduced reward.✔ Narration of ‘Imran ibn Husayn (رضي الله عنه):
“He who prays standing is better. He who prays sitting gets half the reward of the one standing, and he who prays lying down gets half the reward of the one sitting.”
[Ahmad: 4/435 | Bukhari: 1115 | Abu Dawud: 951 | Tirmidhi: 369 | Ibn Majah: 1231 | Bayhaqi: 2/491]
❖ No Nawafil After Iqamah is Announced
✔ Narration of Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
“When the Iqamah is called, there is no prayer except the obligatory one.”
[Muslim: 710 | Abu Dawud: 1266 | Tirmidhi: 419 | Abu ‘Awanah: 2/33]
Imam Nawawi (رحمه الله) reported that Hanafi scholars allow offering Sunnah of Fajr after Iqamah, but if there is risk of missing even one rak‘ah, it is better to join the congregation.[Sharḥ Muslim: 3/241]
Extensive scholarly discussion on this issue can be found in:
[Nayl al-Awtar: 2/313 | Al-Majmū‘: 3/550 | Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn: 1/435 | Radd al-Muḥtār: 2/304 | Al-Mughnī: 2/119 | Kashshāf al-Qināʿ: 1/261 | Al-Hidāyah: 1/72 | Sharḥ Muslim: 3/241]
Summary
✔ Nawafil prayers are best offered at home, bringing privacy, sincerity, and spiritual blessings.
✔ Congregational Nawafil are allowed, as demonstrated by the Prophet ﷺ.
✔ Sitting during Nawafil is allowed, but standing brings greater reward.
✔ Once Iqamah is called, no non-obligatory prayer should be initiated—particularly in the mosque.
