Only Two Rak'ah - The Neglected Prayers

Prayer is one of the five pillars of Islam. Its importance is highlighted in that Allah bestowed the five daily prayers on the Prophet ﷺ during al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj — the Night Journey and Ascension.

Many Muslims and non-Muslims are under the false notion that the prayers are limited to five. Only Two Rak'ah revives the spirit of the Sunnah prayers, many of which have lost their importance today.

What Has Been Lost

A considerable amount. The rawatib before and after the obligatory prayers. Salat ad-Duha in the mid-morning. Tahiyyat al-Masjid on entering a masjid. Salat al-Istikharah when facing a decision. The two rak'ah after wudu. Qiyam al-Layl.

Most are two rak'ah — a few minutes each — and most practicing Muslims perform none of them, frequently without knowing they exist.

Why the Title Makes the Argument

Because the obstacle is imagined rather than real. Only two rak'ah is the point: nobody is being asked for an hour, and the reasons people give for not praying them do not survive contact with how little time is actually involved.

The narrations attached to these prayers are also striking. Two rak'ah of Duha carrying the reward of charity for every joint in the body; the rawatib building a house in Paradise. These are not obscure practices, and the reward described is out of all proportion to the effort.

Who It Is For

Any Muslim whose practice is limited to the five obligatory prayers — which is most of us, and which is exactly the gap this book exists to close.

Related Reading

• The Prophet's Prayer Described — the Prophet's prayer described in detail
• Prayer According to the Sunnah — the fiqh of prayer
• More than 1000 Sunan for Every Day & Night — more than 1000 sunan for every day and night