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Q. “Can one recite the Holy Qur’an with moderate loudness, when one is offering not in congregation (jama’ah) please elaborate the correct position in the context of Shari’ah”. (Muhammad Yousuf Ghani, Karachi)

A. Yes, it is permissible, rather advisable, to recite the surah al fatihah and other verses of the Holy Qur’an with moderate loudness, when one is offering individually, the salah of fajr, maghrib and Isha’ but it is not allowed to recite loudly in the Zuhr and ‘Asr prayers. Loud recitation is also available in the nafl Salah which is offered in the night hours, like tahajjud or Awwabin. As for the nawafil offered in daytime, it is also permissible, though not advisable.

1. Hadrat Umar (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) narrated ALLAH’s Messenger as saying, Should anyone falls asleep and fails to the perform supplication such as prayers which he normally made in the night, if he performs it between the dawn and the noon Salaah (Zuhar Salaah) it will be recorded for him as though he had recited it during the night. [Muslim]

2. Bismillah should be said if a (complete) surah is recited after surah al-Fatihah in the Salaah and if only a ruku (part of a surah) is recited, Bismillah need not be said. [Bahishti Zewar]  Read more... (687 words, estimated 2:45 mins reading time)

Hadrat Ali (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) narrated: when in the morning the sun was high in the sky as it is at the time of Asr Salaah (after noon), the Prophet used to say two Rakahs as lshraq Salaah and when it is as high in the sky in the east as it is in the west at the time of Zuhar Salaah, he would perform four Rakaats as Chasht Salaah. [Shamail -e- Tirmizi]

lshraq Salaah:  Read more... (481 words, 1 image, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

Encouragement to get up during the night

Hadrat Abu Hurairah (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) narrated that the Messenger of ALLAH, said, ‘Our Lord who is blessed and exalted descends every night to the lowest heaven when two-thirds of the night have passed and says “Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks of Me so that I may give to him? Who asks My forgiveness so that I may forgive him? [Bukhari, Muslim]

Tahajjud Salaah (Layl Salaah).

Hadrat Aishah (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anha) narrated that when the Prophet stood up at night to perform Salaah he began his Salaah with two short rakahs. [Muslim]  Read more... (773 words, estimated 3:06 mins reading time)

Hadrat Umm Habba (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) narrated that the Messenger of ALLAH said: A house will be built in paradise for him who performs Salaah in a day and a night twelve rak’ahs, (over and above the obligatory Salaah) four before and two after the noon Salaah (Zuhr Salaah) two rakahs after Maghrib Salaah and two after lsha Salaah and two rakahs before Fajr Salaah. [Tirmizi, Ma’rif -uI- Hadis]

Sunan – Fajr Salaah

Hadrat Aishah (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anha) narrated that the Messenger of ALLAH said: The two rakahs, at dawn Salaah (Fair Salaah) are better than this world and what it contains. [Muslim]  Read more... (233 words, estimated 56 secs reading time)

In Hujjatullah-al Baligha, Hadrat Shah Waliullah (May ALLAH bless him) has stated as follows: The Messenger of ALLAH chose to recite a particular sürah in a particular Salaah on certain conditions and expediencies but neither fixed them positively nor enjoined on others to do so. As such if any one follows his sunnah (and recite the same surah in the Salaah) it is in order, and if one does not do so, it does not matter. [Ma’rif -ul- Hadis]  Read more... (496 words, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

It has been narrated by (Hadrat) Jabir bin Samura that the Prophet used to recite at the noon Salaah (Zuhr Salaah) Surah al-Lail (XCII) (another version says, surah al-Ala (LXXXVII), at the afternoon, Salaah (Asr Salaah) a similar Surah, and at the morning Salaah (Fajr Salaah) a longer passage than that.

It has been narrated by Hadrat Abu Qatada (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu) that in the first two rak’ahs of the noon Salaah (Zuhr Salaah) the Prophet used to recite surah al-Fatihah (I) and thereafter any other surah and in the last two rak’ahs only surah al-Fatihah, and he would sometimes recite loud enough for them to hear the ayah. He would prolong the first rak’ah more than the second, and he acted similarly in the afternoon prayer (Asr Salaah) and the morning Salaah.(Fajr Salaah) [Bukhari & Muslim]  Read more... (224 words, estimated 54 secs reading time)

Hadrat Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet recited in the two rak’ahs of Fajr Salaah (sunnah), surah al-Kafirun (CIX) and surah al-lkhlâS (CXII), In other tradition it has been reported that the Messenger of ALLAH said: How excellent these two surahs are that they are recited in Fajr Salaah (sunnah).

In some traditions recitation of other surahs (by the Prophet) has been reported. The Messenger of ALLAH (SallAllahu Ataihi Wa Sallam) used to recite in Fajr Salaah:

1. Surah at – Qaf (L) and passages (surahs) of similar length and his Salaah thereafter was short. [Muslim]  Read more... (173 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) used to recite Surah al – Fatihah which was followed by another surah. In Fajr Salaah he would prolong the recitation as long as it would take to recite 6O to 1OO ayat. Some time he would recite surah al-Qaf (L) and sometimes al-Room (XXX) and sometimes he would shorten the recitation. During travel he would recite surah asSajdah (XXXII) in the first rakah and surah ad-Dahr (LXXVI) in the second rakah of Fajr Salaah (morning Salaah). In the Friday Salaah – Jum’ah Salaah he would recite surah al – Mu’minun (XXIII) and sometimes surah – al-Aala (LXXVII) or surah al – Ghashia (LXXX VIII).  Read more... (370 words, estimated 1:29 mins reading time)

In the Musnad of Ahmed, there is a tradition from Umm Salama (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anha) that ALLAH’s Messsenger (SallAllahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) taught the following phrases to his daughter Hadrat Fatimah (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anha) when she came to ask him for a servant. He said, When you go to bed, say the following phrases. Subhan ALLAH (Glory be to ALLAH) – 33 times Alhamdu Lillah (Praise be to ALLAH ) – 33 times Allahu Akbar (ALLAH is most great) – 34 times And say once:  Read more... (218 words, estimated 52 secs reading time)