Should I Pray My Sunna Prayers Because My Mother Tells Me To?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

My mother tells me to pray Sunna Mu’akkada (before and after the obligatory prayers). Is it obligatory to obey her? What if I only pray it occasionally, like every other day?

Answer

Thank you for your question. Praying the sunnas is a strong sunna, and listening to your mother is a part of showing her goodness…which is obligatory. I highly recommend fulfilling her requests, which will help you in the end.

Paradise

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Whoever persists in performing twelve Rak‘a from the Sunna, a house will be built for him in Paradise: four before the Zuhr, two Rak‘a after Zuhr, two Rak‘a after Maghrib, two Rak‘a after the ‘Isha’ and two Rak‘a before Fajr.” [Ibn Maja]

Goodness to Mother

A person came to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace)   and asked, “Who among people is most deserving of my fine treatment?” He said, ”Your mother.” He again asked, “Who next?” ”Your mother,” the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) replied again. He asked, “Who next?” He said again, “Your mother.” He again asked, “Then who?” Thereupon he said, “Then your father.” In another narration: “O Messenger of Allah! Who is most deserving of my fine treatment?” He said, “Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then your nearest, then nearest.” [Bukhari & Muslim].

Completion

Our teacher, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, beautifully explains that the confirmed sunna (mu’akkada) is “an act upheld regularly by the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and was not of worldly habits. This is whilst letting it be known that it is not obligatory (fard). These acts are legally considered to complete the obligatory acts. Omission here would not be punishable, although it is blameworthy due to leaving the way of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). ” [Rabbani, The Absolute Essentials of Islam]

Please see more details here:

In the Shafi’i School, Is It Sinful to Skip the Sunna Prayers? – Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.