Fard and sunnah prayers: what is the difference?

At the masjid, you may notice people praying extra units on their own before or after the congregation. You might wonder whether you are supposed to be doing this too. Here is a simple, reassuring answer.

Two kinds of prayer

• Fard (obligatory): the five daily prayers. Every adult Muslim is required to pray them. These always come first.

• Sunnah or nafl (voluntary): extra prayers the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, used to pray. They bring great reward, but you are not sinning if you leave them.

A man once came to the Prophet asking about Islam. The Prophet told him about the five daily prayers. The man asked whether he had to do any more than that, and the Prophet said, "No, unless you do it voluntarily." As the man left, saying he would do no more and no less, the Prophet said that he would succeed if he was truthful (Bukhari and Muslim).

Another man asked the Prophet whether he would enter Paradise if he prayed the obligatory prayers, fasted Ramadan, treated the lawful as lawful and the unlawful as unlawful, and did nothing more. The Prophet answered, "Yes" (Muslim).

Why the sunnah prayers are still worth learning

In a hadith qudsi (words of Allah reported by the Prophet), Allah says that nothing brings His servant closer to Him than what He has made obligatory, and that His servant keeps drawing closer through voluntary deeds until Allah loves him (Bukhari). So the obligatory prayers are the foundation, and the voluntary ones build on it.

The Prophet also said that whoever prays twelve voluntary units (rak'ahs) in a day and night will have a house built for him in Paradise (Muslim).

The twelve regular sunnah prayers

In another narration of the same hadith, the Prophet named the twelve (Tirmidhi, hasan sahih):

• Fajr (2 fard units): 2 sunnah units before.

• Dhuhr (4 fard units): 4 sunnah units before and 2 after.

• Asr (4 fard units): none of the twelve.

• Maghrib (3 fard units): 2 sunnah units after.

• Isha (4 fard units): 2 sunnah units after.

That makes 2 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 12. The companion Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, reported two units before Dhuhr instead of four (Bukhari), so if you see someone pray two there, that is also from the Sunnah.

Of all of these, the Prophet was most regular with the two units before Fajr (Bukhari and Muslim). You pray sunnah prayers on your own, not in congregation, in the same way you learned in the last lessons. The Prophet said that the best place for a person's prayer is at home, except the obligatory prayer (Bukhari and Muslim), so home is a lovely place for them.

Where to start as a new Muslim

Start with the five fard prayers. Get comfortable with them first: the times, wudu, and the words. That alone is a real achievement, and it is exactly what Allah asks of you.

When the fard prayers feel steady, add one sunnah prayer. The two units before Fajr are a wonderful first choice. Add another when you are ready. There is no rush, and no checklist you have to finish.

Next, you will learn about the one prayer of the week that is prayed differently: Jumuah, the Friday prayer.