What Are Some Forgotten Sunnas We Should Revive?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
We often hear about forgotten Sunnas and the virtues of reviving and adhering to them. Can you highlight some of these so that we can revive them?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
There are indeed many forgotten Sunnas, and here are a few of them. These are practices that many people neglect today to the extent that they have almost been forgotten in some communities.
I have chosen these specific Sunnas because they are closely related to a Muslim’s daily life:
Performing Wudu (Ablution) Before Sleep
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“When you go to bed, perform ablution as you do for prayer, then lie on your right side and say:
‘O Allah! I surrender to You and entrust all my affairs to You and depend upon You for Your Blessings both with hope and fear of You. There is no fleeing from You, and there is no place of protection and safety except with You, O Allah! I believe in Your Book (the Quran), which You have revealed, and in Your Prophet (Muhammad), whom You have sent.’
If you die during that night, you will die upon the natural disposition (fitra) (i.e., Islam). Let these words be the last thing you speak.” [Bukhari]
Writing a Will
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“It is not right for a Muslim who has something to will to spend two nights without having his will written and kept ready with him.” [Ibid.]
Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar said: “Since I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say this, not a single night has passed except that my will is with me.” [Muslim]
Informing One’s Brother That He Loves Him
In a hadith, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“When a man loves his brother, let him inform him that he loves him.” [Abu Dawud]
Anas Ibn Malik said: “I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) when a man passed by. One of the men among the people said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I love this man.’ The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
‘Have you informed him of that?’ The man said: ‘No.’ The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
‘Get up and inform him.’ So he went to the man and said: ‘O so-and-so, by Allah, I love you for the sake of Allah.’ The man replied: ‘May He for whose sake you love me also love you.’” [Ahmad]
Preventing Children from Leaving the House at the Onset of Night and Covering Food Containers
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“When night falls, or when it is evening, keep your children indoors, for the devils spread out at that time. Then, when an hour of the night has passed, let them go, and close the doors, mentioning the name of Allah, for the devil does not open a closed door. Tie up your water skins, mentioning the name of Allah, cover your vessels, mentioning the name of Allah, even if you just place something across it, and extinguish your lamps.” [Bukhari]
Exposing the Body to Rain When It Falls
Anas (Allah be pleased with him) said: “We were with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) when rain fell. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) lifted part of his garment so that the rain could touch his skin. We asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, why did you do this?’ He replied:
‘Because it has just come from its Lord, the Most High.’” [Muslim]
Praying Two Units (Rak‘as) When Repenting from a Sin
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“There is no man who commits a sin, then performs ablution properly, then prays two rak‘as, then asks Allah (Most High) for forgiveness, except that he will be forgiven.” [Ahmad]
Breathing Three Times While Drinking
Anas (Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to breathe three times in the course of a drink, and he said: ‘It is more satisfying, healthier, and more pleasant.’ Anas said: ‘So I also breathe three times in the course of a drink.’” [Muslim]
Conclusion
Practicing the Sunnas of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), even if only once, carries great benefits. At the very least, it ensures that one is not among those who have abandoned the Sunnas of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
Sufyan Ibn ‘Uyayna said: “No hadith of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) has reached me except that I have acted upon it, even if only once.” [Dhahabi, Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’]
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
