SALAT-UL-AWWAABEEN

The Salahs have been given their names based on several factors. For example, the time of the five daily Salahs has been the determining factor in the name given to each of these Salahs. And here we find that there are no two Salahs in the same day with the same name for the obvious reason that the time of this Salah does not occur twice in one day. Thus the time of Zuhr comes only once in 24 hours.

Another factor is the day, as in Salaat-ul-Jum'ah. The name can only apply to this Salah on its specific day and time because there are no two Fridays in a week.

Yet another factor determining the name is the specific occasion, as in Salaat-ul-Eidain. Only the Salahs of 'Eid and Baqr 'Eid can be called this, and no other Salah.

The name of a Salah is also determined by the purpose and motive for which it is performed. Two examples are Salaat-ul-Haajaat and Salaat-ul-Istisqa. Unlike other Salahs, these two Salahs can be performed on any day and at any time (except for the times when Nawaafil is not permissible). This is because these two Salahs are named after a purpose or motive that is not attached to a specific day or time.

There are also Salahs whose names are designated by the state of mind of those performing them. The Salah performed by those who possess the quality of "Awb" - repentance and total inclination towards Allah - can therefore be called Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen (plural of "Awb") because one state of mind can exist on several occasions, and during several Salahs. In theory, therefore, several Salahs‎‎ can be called "'Awwaabeen" (Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen"), but in the Shari'ah, this name designates two specific Salahs‎‎, two Salahs‎‎ which are generally performed by the "'Awwaabeen", that is to say those who possess the quality of "Awb." These are Salaat-ul-Chaast (also called Salaat-ul-Duha) and the Nawaafil between Maghrib and 'Isha are called "Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen."

It is therefore correct to say that the name of 'Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen' is applied to the six to twenty Rak'aats Nawaafil after Maghrib and to Salah-ud-Duha (Chaast).

What is common between these two Salahs‎‎ is that both are performed at a time when man normally seeks to rest. Salaat-ul-Duha (Chaast) can be done immediately after Ishraaq but the most appropriate and afzal (best) time is when the sun has already covered a quarter of its path during the day. At this time, especially in Arab countries, the heat is already strong and the earth also becomes so hot that the "Fisaal" (the young ones of the camel) have difficulty walking.

Thus, performing Salah at a time when one tends to rest is the obvious expression of the total inclination of the Musalli ‎‎‎ towards Allah Ta'ala. It is in this sense that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) spoke when he saw the Sahaabah Kiraam (Radiyallahu Anhum‎) in the Masjid of Quba performing Salah-ud-Duha at the time of Ishraaq (i.e. immediately after Ishraaq):

"Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen is when the legs of the Fisaal (young camels) begin to burn."

There is nothing wrong with performing this Salah (Salat-ud-Duha) immediately after Ishraaq, but the "Awwaabeen", i.e. those who possess the quality of repentance and total inclination towards Allah Ta'ala, it is late in the day when the legs of the Fisaal begin to burn - due to the heat of the sand - that they perform this Salah. Here Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) has used the word Awwaabeen to designate those who perform the Salat-ud-Duha at the time of afzal and this despite the burning heat. There is also a Hadith of Sahih Ibn Khuzaimah which approves of this explanation. According to this Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"No one observes Salat-ud-Duha regularly except an Awwaab (one who constantly repents and inclines completely to Allah Ta'ala). And that is the Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen (Salah of those who constantly repent and incline completely to Allah Ta'ala)."

This Hadith clearly shows that the name of this Salah was given in relation to the state of mind and the quality that the Musalli possesses.

The same was true for the Arabs' custom of going to bed as soon as the sun set. For them, the practice of Salaat-ul-Maghrib followed by Nawaafil, at a time when the body demands rest, was an extraordinary effort on their part, requiring a lot of willpower and sacrifice. Thus, the Nawaafil after Maghrib was an indication of repentance (Awb) and total inclination towards Allah Ta'ala, especially for the Arab people with their habit of going to bed with the sun. For them, it was abnormal to stay awake after Maghrib. When we know that habit is second nature, we realize how difficult it is to counter a well-established habit...

This is why we call this Salah that of the 'Awwaabeen, those who possess this unfailing will in repentance and total inclination towards Allah Ta'ala.

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) described the Salah of 'Asr of a person who waits until the last moment, that is to say when the sun is about to set, to 'peck four times' (at full speed), as Salaat-ul-Munaafiq - the Salah of the hypocrite! This name is in relation to the Musalli, and it does not prevent us from describing the Salah of 'Isha of the Musalli who performs his Salah at the speed of pecking.

The word 'pecking' is used here to show that the Salah is performed in speed just as birds, for example, peck at seeds in speed.

Among the Sahaabah (Radiyallaahu Anhum), Hadhrat 'Abdullah Bin 'Umar (Radiyallaahu Anhuma) and Hadhrat 'Abdullah Bin A'mr (Radiyallaahu Anhu) called the Nawaafil after the Salah of Maghrib, "Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen." In addition, the famous Mufassir Abu Haatim and Hadhrat Muhammad Bin Munkadir (Rahimahullah) also called it by this name. (Tafseer Mazhari, Tafseer Al-Qurtubi, Musannaf Bin Abu Shaibah)

There are many Ahaadith that prove that it is recommended to remain engaged in Nawaafil after the Salah of Maghrib. For example, there are those of Tirmizi, Sahih Bin Khuzaimah, Musannaf Bin Abu Shaibah, etc.

'Allaamah Qurtubi says that there are many "hassan" (good) Ahaadith about the recommendation to perform the Nafl Salah between Maghrib and 'Isha. On the same subject, there are also the Ahaadith reported by many Sahaabah (Radiyallaahu Anhum‎) like Hadhrat Ammaar Bin Yassir, Hadhrat Abu Hurairah, Hadhrat 'Abdullah Bin Abbaas ‎‎‎‎, Hadhrat Anas, Hadhrat Bilal and Hadhrat 'Abdullah Bin Mas'ud (Radiyallaahu Anhum‎).

It is therefore clear that even if one refuses to call the six or twenty Nawaafil after Maghrib Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen, one cannot deny their value and the fact that they are recommended and contain many rewards.

This clarification has become necessary because some brothers have stopped practicing this Salah (Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen - 6 to 20 Rak'aats Nawaafil after Maghrib) after they were misled by someone who due to lack of knowledge said that Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen is in fact Salaat-ul-Chaast and not the Nawaafil between Maghrib and 'Isha as the general public thinks. It is more than obvious, after the explanations given, that this is not the case. It is unfortunate to note that irresponsible brothers dare to commit the folly of interpreting Ahaadith despite their ignorance in matters of Deen. "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing..." they say, and this is especially true in religion. This is a misinterpretation of the Ahaadith which has had the effect of discouraging our brothers who practice a Salah which is indeed recommended by Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam).

We hope that in the light of this presentation all doubts and confusions relating to Salaat-ul-Awwaabeen will be dispelled. Ameen.

[English version of "Salaat-oul-Awwaabîne" – Al Haadi – Vol. 1 No. 7]