290 — ʿAbd-Allah ibn Mughaffal al-Muzani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Pray before Maghrib, pray before Maghrib,” and then, the third time, he added, “for whoever wishes,” for he disliked that people should turn this into a fixed sunnah. Al-Bukhari transmitted the report.
Ibn Ḥibbān narrated another wording: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed two rakʿahs before Maghrib.” (1)
Muslim relates from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): “We used to offer two rakʿahs after the sun had set, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would see us; yet he neither commanded nor forbade us.” (2)
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Glossary of key phrases
• “Pray before Maghrib”: the second injunction reiterates the first; this is verbal emphasis, a repetition intended to implant the instruction firmly in the listener’s mind.
• “for he disliked” (karāhiyatan): the word appears in the accusative as an adverbial of cause (mafʿūl li-ajlih), a heart-related noun that states the motive for an action sharing the same time and agent.
Lessons drawn from the ḥadith
- It is recommended to perform two voluntary rakʿahs after sunset yet before the prescribed Maghrib prayer; however, these two rakaʿhs are not part of the confirmed regular sunnahs.