Tahiyyat al-Masjid, Tahiyyat al-Wudu, Ishraq, Duha, Tahajjud and Istikhara
A handful of further recommended prayers tied to particular moments, and how to pray Salat al-Istikhara when facing a decision.
Besides the daily prayers, there are a few other good, recommended prayers tied to a particular moment or need.
| Prayer | When | How many rak'ahs |
|---|---|---|
| Tahiyyat al-Masjid | When you enter a mosque, before you sit down | 2 |
| Tahiyyat al-Wudu | Right after you make wudu, before you dry off | 2 |
| Ishraq | A little while after sunrise | 2, or up to 4 |
| Duha (Chasht) | From when the sun is fully up until midday (Zawal) | At least 2, up to 12 |
| Tahajjud | After Isha, before Witr, best prayed after waking up past midnight | At least 2; 4 or 8 is a good middle amount; up to 12 |
If you're not sure you'll wake up for Tahajjud, it's fine to just pray Witr straight after Isha instead.
Salat al-Istikhara is a special two-rak'ah prayer you pray when you have an important decision to make and you're not sure whether to go ahead with it.
How to pray Istikhara
- Make wudu, then pray two rak'ahs.
- In the first rak'ah, recite Surah Al-Kafirun after Al-Fatiha; in the second, recite Surah Al-Ikhlas.
- After you finish, praise Allah and send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then say the Istikhara dua.
- When you say the dua, instead of saying "this matter," name your actual decision, like "this trip" or "this marriage."
- After the dua, if you feel your heart lean towards doing it, go ahead. If you don't, hold back.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَ اسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَ اسْتَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَااقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَ أَنْتَ عَلامُ الْغُيُوبِ . اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدِرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرُهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَ عَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِى فَاصْرِفُهُ عَنِّى وَاصْرِفْنِى عَنْهُ وَ اقْدِرُ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِی به
Allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi-ʿilmika wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika wa asʾaluka min faḍlika'l-ʿaẓīm, fa-innaka taqdiru wa lā aqdir, wa taʿlamu wa lā aʿlam, wa anta ʿallāmu'l-ghuyūb. Allāhumma in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha'l-amra khayrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī, faqdirhu lī wa yassirhu lī thumma bārik lī fīh; wa in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha'l-amra sharrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī, faṣrifhu ʿannī wa'ṣrifnī ʿanhu, wa'qdir liya'l-khayra ḥaythu kāna thumma arḍinī bih
O Allah, I ask You to choose for me by Your knowledge, and I ask You to give me ability by Your power, and I ask You from Your great favour, for You are able and I am not, and You know and I do not, and You are the One who knows the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my life and how things turn out for me, then decide it for me and make it easy for me, and then bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my life and how things turn out for me, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decide what is good for me wherever it is, and make me happy with it.
Besides the daily and sunnah prayers already described, there are some additional sunnah and nafl prayers:
| Prayer | When it is prayed | Rak'ahs |
|---|---|---|
| Tahiyyat al-Masjid | On entering a mosque, before sitting down | 2 (recommended) |
| Tahiyyat al-Wudu | After performing wudu, before the body dries | 2 (recommended) |
| Salat al-Ishraq | After sunrise | 2, or 4 may also be prayed |
| Salat al-Duha (Chasht) | From when the sun has fully risen until Zawal (noon) | Minimum 2, maximum 12 |
| Tahajjud | After Isha, before Witr | Minimum 2, average 4 or 8, maximum 12 |
For Tahajjud, it is better to sleep after Isha and wake after midnight to pray it, followed by Witr; if one is not confident of waking, it is permissible to pray Witr together with Isha instead.
Salat al-Istikhara is prayed when an important matter arises and there is uncertainty about whether to proceed with it.
The method of Salat al-Istikhara
- Perform wudu and pray two rak'ahs.
- In the first rak'ah, recite Surah Al-Kafirun (Qul yaa ayyuhal Kafirun); in the second, recite Surah Al-Ikhlas (Qul Huwallahu Ahad).
- After completing the prayer, praise Allah and send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then recite the Istikhara dua.
- In place of "hadha al-amr" (this matter) in the dua, name the specific matter: for example, "hadha as-safar" (this journey) or "hadha an-nikah" (this marriage).
- After reciting the dua, if inclined to proceed with the matter, go ahead with it; if not, refrain from it.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَ اسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَ اسْتَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَااقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَ أَنْتَ عَلامُ الْغُيُوبِ . اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدِرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرُهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَ عَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِى فَاصْرِفُهُ عَنِّى وَاصْرِفْنِى عَنْهُ وَ اقْدِرُ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِی به
Allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi-ʿilmika wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika wa asʾaluka min faḍlika'l-ʿaẓīm, fa-innaka taqdiru wa lā aqdir, wa taʿlamu wa lā aʿlam, wa anta ʿallāmu'l-ghuyūb. Allāhumma in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha'l-amra khayrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī, faqdirhu lī wa yassirhu lī thumma bārik lī fīh; wa in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha'l-amra sharrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī, faṣrifhu ʿannī wa'ṣrifnī ʿanhu, wa'qdir liya'l-khayra ḥaythu kāna thumma arḍinī bih
O Allah, I seek Your guidance by Your knowledge, and I seek ability by Your power, and I ask You from Your immense favour, for You are able and I am not, and You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affairs, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affairs, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.
Beyond the farḍ and the sunnah muʾakkadah prayers already treated, a further set of sunnah and nafl prayers is tied to particular occasions or times:
| Prayer | Occasion | Rakʿāt |
|---|---|---|
| Taḥiyyat al-Masjid | On entering a mosque, before sitting | 2 (mustaḥabb) |
| Taḥiyyat al-Wuḍūʾ | Immediately after wuḍūʾ, before the body dries | 2 (mustaḥabb) |
| Ṣalāt al-Ishrāq | After sunrise | 2, or 4 may also be prayed |
| Ṣalāt aḍ-Ḍuḥā (Chāsht) | From full sunrise until zawāl | Minimum 2, maximum 12 |
| Tahajjud | After ʿIshāʾ, before Witr | Minimum 2, an average of 4 or 8, maximum 12 |
For tahajjud, sleeping after ʿIshāʾ and waking after midnight to pray it, followed by Witr, is preferable; one unsure of waking may instead pray Witr immediately with ʿIshāʾ.
Ṣalāt al-Istikhārah is prayed where an important matter arises and there is uncertainty over whether to proceed with it.
The method of ṣalāt al-istikhārah
- Perform wuḍūʾ and pray two rakʿāt.
- Recite Sūrat al-Kāfirūn in the first rakʿah and Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ in the second.
- On completion, praise Allah and send ṣalāt upon the Prophet ﷺ, then recite the duʿāʾ of istikhārah.
- In place of "hādha'l-amr" (this matter) within the duʿāʾ, the specific matter at hand is named: "hādha's-safar" (this journey), "hādha'n-nikāḥ" (this marriage), and so on.
- Following the duʿāʾ, one proceeds with the matter if inclined toward it, and refrains from it if not.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَ اسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَ اسْتَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَااقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَ أَنْتَ عَلامُ الْغُيُوبِ . اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدِرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرُهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَ عَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِى فَاصْرِفُهُ عَنِّى وَاصْرِفْنِى عَنْهُ وَ اقْدِرُ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِی به
Allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi-ʿilmika wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika wa asʾaluka min faḍlika'l-ʿaẓīm, fa-innaka taqdiru wa lā aqdir, wa taʿlamu wa lā aʿlam, wa anta ʿallāmu'l-ghuyūb. Allāhumma in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha'l-amra khayrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī, faqdirhu lī wa yassirhu lī thumma bārik lī fīh; wa in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha'l-amra sharrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī, faṣrifhu ʿannī wa'ṣrifnī ʿanhu, wa'qdir liya'l-khayra ḥaythu kāna thumma arḍinī bih
O Allah, I seek Your guidance by Your knowledge, and I seek ability by Your power, and I ask You from Your immense favour, for You are able and I am not, and You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affairs, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affairs, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.
Related
- The Witr prayer Witr is wajib after Isha: three rak'ahs with an extra surah in each, and the Dua-e-Qunoot recited standing in the third.
- Salat al-Tarawih The confirmed sunnah of Ramadan night prayer: its twenty rak'ahs, its timing, completing the Qur'an, and the rules of praying it in congregation.
- Sunnah muakkadah and nafl prayers The twelve emphasized sunnahs of the day, the Friday and Ramadan additions, and the nafl prayers that carry no sin for leaving them.
- How to perform tawaf, step by step The full method of circling the Kaʿbah seven times, from the intention at the Black Stone to the two rakats at Maqam Ibrahim and drinking Zamzam.