Sunan rawatib (the regular sunnas attached to the obligatory prayers)

Rawatib is the plural of ratiba, from "the thing settled and lasting"; the regular sunnas are so called because it is lawful to keep at them constantly. ^{1 2} The Shafi'is say they are sunnas attached to something else, or dependent on something else, or on a fixed time, such as the two festivals, the forenoon prayer and the tarawih; the jurists use the term for the recommended prayers before and after the obligatory ones, since these are not performed alone apart from them. ²

The supplementary sunnas (sunan al-zawa'id) are those whose performance is good and whose omission brings no blame, such as the call to prayer of one praying alone and the siwak. ² Nawafil is wider than sunna: it divides into fixed ones, among them the regular sunnas, and open-ended ones such as night prayer. ²

Most jurists recommend keeping at the regular sunnas. Malik, in his well-known view, sets no fixed number, to protect the obligatory prayers, while allowing voluntary prayer as much as one wishes when safe from that harm. ² The Hanafis hold that one who leaves them incurs blame and dislike; Ibn Abidin reads blame as rebuke, and Ibn Nujaym holds it graver than dislike. The Hanbalis hold leaving them without excuse disliked. ²

Most jurists recommend the regular sunnas on a journey too, though they are more emphatic at home, citing the Prophet ﷺ's praying voluntary prayers on his mount and the report of Abu Qatada about the company sleeping through the dawn prayer. ^{2 3} Some Hanafis allow the traveller to leave them; their preferred view is that they are not performed in a time of fear, but are performed in safety. The Hanbalis let the traveller choose, except the dawn and witr sunnas, which are kept on a journey as at home. ² A group holds that the regular sunnas are not prayed on a journey; this is the view of Ibn Umar, who is reported to have prayed only two units on the road. ³

The Shafi'is and Hanbalis count ten units as the least perfection: two before noon and after it, two after sunset, two after the night prayer, and two before dawn. The fuller Shafi'i count is eighteen, including witr. ^{3 4} The Shafi'is and Hanbalis rank witr and the two dawn units as the best of the regular sunnas, witr being the best in the new preferred Shafi'i view. ⁴ The Hanafis count twelve units, and the Malikis set no number, with two units enough in each time and four better. The dawn sunna is the most emphasised, on the report of Aisha that the Prophet kept at it more than any voluntary prayer, and on a report of Abu Hurayra (may God be pleased with him) forbidding its neglect; the latter is flagged as weak in its footnote. ⁴ The sunna of Friday is set before and after the prayer: the Hanafis count four before and four after; the Shafi'is count at least two before and two after, the fuller form four and four. The Malikis and Hanbalis set no number before it. ^{4 7}

The Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis, the two companions of Abu Hanifa and one of his reports hold witr a strongly emphasised sunna; the Shafi'is count it among the regular sunnas. Most jurists except the Hanafis hold it at least one unit and at most eleven; the Hanafis take three units with one greeting as the least perfection. ^{7 8} Abu Hanifa's preferred view makes witr obligatory; Zufar held it a fard in one report. See the entry on the witr prayer. ⁸

The Shafi'is include the Ramadan night prayer among the regular sunnas. Most jurists hold it a strongly emphasised sunna of twenty units, prayed after the sunna of the night prayer and counted among the regular sunnas. Some Malikis state thirty-six units, with congregation recommended. See the entry on tarawih. ⁸

The regular sunnas are attached to the obligatory prayers: some come before, such as the dawn sunna and the noon sunna before it, and some after, such as the sunnas after noon, sunset and night, and witr and the Ramadan night prayer. ⁸ Those before a prayer begin when its time enters and end when the iqama is called for congregation, since obligatory prayer takes precedence over voluntary; one who prays alone may keep them until he begins the obligatory prayer. Those after begin when the obligatory prayer ends and last until its time runs out; if missed, they count as missed. ^{8 9} Witr runs from after the post-night sunna to shortly before dawn, best delayed to the last third of the night. Tarawih runs from after the night sunna until shortly before dawn, long enough for witr after it, and witr is prayed in congregation only in Ramadan. ⁹ Ibn Daqiq al-Id explains why voluntary prayers come before and after the obligatory ones: before, to ease the soul into worship and approach humility; after, because voluntary prayer completes what is lacking in the obligatory, without intending it as such a remedy. ⁸

Most jurists (Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis) hold it recommended to recite a surah after the Fatiha in voluntary and witr prayers; the dawn sunna is recited briefly, following reports of its recitation and of Aisha's account. ⁵ Silent recitation is recommended in a daytime voluntary prayer; the lone worshipper may choose between loud and silent at night, loud being better if it does not disturb others. The Hanafis require recitation in every unit of voluntary and witr prayers. ^{9 5}

The Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold that voluntary prayers are better at home, a view that also has a Hanbali variant preferring the mosque; the report of Aisha on the Prophet's home prayers is cited. The distinction does not depend on which mosque, including the great ones. ^{5 10} The Hanafis hold most sunnas and voluntary prayers better at home, unless one fears distraction; the mosque is preferred for those done in congregation, like tarawih and witr after it. ¹⁰

The Hanafis and Malikis hold congregation in voluntary prayer disliked. The Shafi'is recommend congregation only for tarawih and witr in Ramadan. The Hanbalis allow voluntary prayer in congregation and alone, since the Prophet did both and once led Itban ibn Malik in his house. ¹⁰ Most jurists dislike leaving the regular sunnas without excuse, though they are lighter with excuse, and some are more emphatic than others, such as the dawn, sunset and witr sunnas and the noon sunna, which are more emphatic for one who prays alone. ¹⁰

The Hanafis hold that regular sunnas are not made up, except the dawn sunna when missed together with its obligatory prayer, which is made up after sunrise, as the Prophet did on the night of the halt. The noon sunna before the prayer is prayed after it; the Hanafi views differ on whether it precedes or follows the sunna after. ^{6 11} The Malikis make up only the dawn sunna among voluntary prayers. The preferred Shafi'i view recommends making up timed voluntary prayers, on the hadith of one who forgets a prayer making expiation by praying it when he remembers. ¹¹ The Hanbalis make up missed regular sunnas with the obligatory prayers when few; when many, leaving them is better, except the dawn sunna, which is made up however many. A wife or hired worker may pray the regular sunnas with the obligatory prayer, since they follow it. ¹²