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The Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam said in a very famous narration, Allah says, “Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My slave draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My slave continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him.

When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful slave: he hates death and I hate hurting him.” [1]

The first way to draw near to Allah is through the obligatory, fardh, duties that we have. For those who have managed it to some extent Alhamdulillah by praying the five daily prayers, the way to truly earn the love of Allah and be among His most faithful slaves is the supererogatory deeds, the naafil, mustahabb and Sunnah deeds to truly earn His love. This article mainly seeks to remind our readers of the massive rewards in one of those very easy deeds with great rewards! This is none other than Salat ad-Duha!

While Tahajjud might be very tough for a lot of us to perform, it is very much easier to start our journey to Tahajjud and Qiyam al-Layl,by starting our load of optional deeds with the much easier Duha prayer.

What and when?

The prayer of Duha is a prayer that can be performed from the time of sunrise to before mid-day. That is, from the end of Fajr time to the beginning of Dhuhr time. It is commonly known as in the Ishraq prayer (if prayed earlier in the morning) and Chast prayer (if prayed slightly later) in the Indian subcontinent.

It is an optional prayer, and can be a minimum of two rakat to a maximum of eight or twelve rakat (scholars differ as to the maximum amount). Some narrations which mention the practice of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam are as follows,

Aishah radi Allahu anha reported: The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam used to perform four rakat of Duha prayer and would add to them whatever Allah wished. [2]

Umm Hani, radi Allahu anha reported: I went to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam on the day of the conquest of Makkah. He was taking a bath at that time. When he finished the bath, he performed eight rakat prayers. This was during the Duha (forenoon). [3]

It is very easy to pray 2 rakat of prayer in the morning. Just before going to work, school or university, just to take a few minutes of our time and cultivate this habit which will be very beneficial for us in this world and the hereafter in sha Allah.

Why? What rewards are associated with Duha?

But why is it that we need to think about praying Duha? Are there any specific rewards? Oh yes there is! The greatest of hadeeth narrators, Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu was given some specific advice by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and that was

“My Khalil (very close friend, meaning the Prophet) directed me to fast three days of each month, and to observe two rakat Duha at forenoon, and to perform the Witr prayer before going to bed.” [4]

Moreover, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam further said,

“In the morning, charity is due on every joint bone of the body of everyone of you. Every utterance of Allah’s Glorification (i.e., saying Subhan Allah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of His Praise (i.e., saying Alhamdulillah) is an act of charity and every utterance of declaration of His Greatness (i.e., saying La ilaha illAllah) is an act of charity; and enjoining good is an act of charity, and forbidding evil is an act of charity, and two rakat Duha prayers which one performs in the forenoon is equal to all this (in reward).” [5]

This is a sign of the great reward of the Duha prayer as it is a form of charity and allows us to complete all our charitable duties for that day that are incumbent upon us!

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam further said, “Allah Most High says: O child of Adam, don’t fail to perform four rakats in the beginning of your day, and I shall be your sufficiency at its end.” [6]

This is an amazing reward! Allah promises to suffice us on every day that we pray four rakats to begin that day! Scholars say this refers to the Duha prayer!

Another narration from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam states- “Whoever consistently performs two rakats of Duha, their sins are forgiven, even if like the foam of the sea.” [7]

Subhan Allah, what amazing rewards for just investing about 5-10 minutes of our day in devotion to our Lord! It is indeed an amazing offer from Allah, a treasure mine, Salat ad-Duha! May Allah make us of those who are consistent in praying Duha!

[1] Narrated by Bukhari

[2] Narrated by Muslim

[3] Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim

[4] Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim

[5] Narrated by Muslim

[6] Narrated by at-Tirmidhi

[7] Narrated by Ibn Majah and at-Tirmidhi

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