09/09/2022
*"She Prays Sunnah and Nafil Prayers"*
The Muslim women does not limit herself to the five daily obligatory prayers; she also prays those sunnah prayerswhich the Prophet (PBUH) used to perform regularly (al-rawatib), and prays as many of the nafil (supererogatory)prayers as her time and energy allow. These prayers include salat al-duha, sunnah prayers following maghrib, andprayers offered at night. Nafil prayers bring a person closer to Allah (SWT), earn him or her the love and pleasureof Allah (SWT), and make him or her one of the victorious, obedient and righteous ones. There is no clearerindication of the great status attained by the believer who draws closer to Allah (SWT) by performing nafil deedsthan the hadith qudsi: "My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I will lovehim. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which hestrikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; andwere he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it."43
Because of Allah's (SWT) love for His servant, that person will be loved by the inhabitants of heaven and earth, asis described in a report narrated by Abu Hurayrah in which the Prophet (PBUH) said: "When Allah (SWT) loves oneof His servants, He calls Jibril and tells him: `I love so-and-so, so love him.' Then Jibril will love him, and willproclaim to the inhabitants of heaven: `Allah (SWT) loves so-and-so, so love him.' So the inhabitants of heaven will love him too, and he will be well accepted by the inhabitants of the earth. If Allah (SWT) hates one of Hisservants, He calls Jibril and tells him: `I hate so-and-so, so hate him.' Then Jibril will hate him and will proclaim tothe inhabitants of heaven: `Allah (SWT) hates so-and-so, so hate him.' Then the inhabitants of heaven will hatehim and he will also be detested by the inhabitants of earth."44
The Prophet (PBUH) used to pray so much at night that his feet would become swollen. `A'ishah (May Allah be
pleased with her) asked him: "Why do you do this, O Messenger of Allah (PBUH), when has forgiven all your pastand future sins?" He answered, "Should I not be a grateful servant?"45
The Prophet's wife Zaynab (May Allah be pleased with her) used to perform nafil prayers, and make them lengthy. She put up a rope between two columns (in the mosque), so that when she felt tired and exhausted she
could lean against it and restore her energy. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) entered the mosque, saw the rope,and asked, "What is this?" The people told him, "It belongs to Zaynab: she prays, and when she feels tired, sheleans against it." He said, "Untie it; let any of you pray as long as he has the energy to do so, and if he feels tired,he can sit down (or: let him sit down)."46
A woman of Banu Asad, whose name was al-Hawla' bint Tuwayt, used to pray all night, and never sleep. One day
she called on `A'ishah when the Prophet (PBUH) was present. `A'ishah told him, "This is al-Hawla' bintTuwayt.They say that she never sleeps at night." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "She never sleeps at night! Do onlyas much as you can, for by Allah (SWT), Allah (SWT) never gets tired, although you do."47
The Prophet (PBUH) encouraged Muslim men and women to do more nafil deeds, but at the same time he toldthem to be balanced in their approach to worship, and disliked exaggeration therein. He wanted the Muslims tohave a balanced personality, so that their worship would be enthusiastic, but consistent, and would not be soburdensome that people would not be able to persist in it. He also taught that the most beloved deed in the sightof Allah (SWT) is that which is done continuously, even if it is a little, as is stated in the hadith in which `A'ishah(May Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ` The most beloved deed to Allah(SWT) is that which is continuous, even if it is little.'" If `A'ishah started to do something, she would adhere to it.48
This attitude of keeping up the habit of doing righteous deeds was not confined to `A'ishah alone; it was the
attitude of all members of the Prophet's household, and of those who were nearest and dearest to him. We see
this in the hadith reported by Muslim from `A'ishah (May Allah be pleased with her): "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had a mat which he used for making a compartment at night in which he would pray, and the peoplebegan to pray with him; he used to spread the mat during the day time. The people crowded around him onenight. He then said, `O people, perform only such acts as you are capable of doing, for Allah (SWT) does not growweary but you will get tired. The acts most pleasing to Allah (SWT) are those which are done continuously, even ifthey are small.' And it was the habit of the family of Muhammad (PBUH) that whenever they did any deed theydid it continuously."49
be continue...