Al-Tirmidhī said: “More than one report has been transmitted from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—concerning the Prayer of Glorification (Ṣalāt al-Tasbīḥ), yet none of them is of any substantial authenticity.” He added: “Ibn al-Mubārak related that a number of scholars actually performed the Prayer of Glorification and spoke of the merit they believed it contained.” Al-ʿUqaylī likewise remarked that no ḥadīth about this prayer is firmly established, and Abū Bakr ibn al-ʿArabī and others also stated that there is no sound or even good ḥadīth concerning it. Allah knows best.
(Sixth) The Prayer of Need (Ṣalāt al-Ḥājah). It is narrated from ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Abī Awfā (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said:
“Whoever has a need before Allah Most High or before any of the children of Adam should perform ablution and perfect it, then pray two rakʿahs. After that, he should praise Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and invoke blessings upon the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—then say:
‘There is no deity but Allah, the Forbearing, the Generous. Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. I ask You for the things that make Your mercy obligatory and for the occasions that bring about Your forgiveness, for the acquisition of every virtue and safety from every sin. Do not leave for me any sin without forgiving it, nor any worry without relieving it, nor any need whose fulfillment pleases You without granting it—O Most Merciful of the merciful.’”
Al-Tirmidhī transmitted this ḥadīth and classified it as weak.
(Seventh) It is disliked to single out the night preceding Friday for a special prayer, owing to the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in which the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said:
“Do not single out the night of Jumuʿah from among the other nights for standing in prayer.”
Narrated by Muslim.
(Eighth) It has already been explained that praying supererogatory prayers in congregation is not prescribed except for the two ʿĪds, the two eclipse prayers, and the prayer for rain (istisqāʾ). The same applies to Tarāwīḥ and the Witr that follows it, provided we accept the stronger opinion that congregation therein is superior. As for the remaining supererogatory prayers—such as the regular Sunnahs attached to the obligatory prayers, the Duḥā prayer, and unrestricted nawāfil—congregation is not legislated for them, meaning it is not recommended. Nonetheless, if people should happen to perform them in congregation it is permissible and not deemed disliked. Imām al-Shāfiʿī—may Allah have mercy on him—explicitly stated in his abridgments dictated to al-Buwayṭī and al-Rabīʿ that there is no harm in praying a nafl prayer in congregation. The permissibility is supported by numerous authentic reports in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, among them the ḥadīth of ʿItbān ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him):
“The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—came to my house after the day had grown hot, accompanied by Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet said, ‘In which part of your house would you like me to pray?’ I pointed to the spot I preferred. He stood up, and we formed a row behind him; when he had finished, he made the salām, and we made the salām when he did.”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim. Congregational performance of voluntary prayers with the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—is also firmly established through the narrations of Ibn ʿAbbās, Anas ibn Mālik, Ibn Masʿūd, and Ḥudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with them all). All of their reports are found in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, except that of Ḥudhayfah, which appears only in Muslim. Allah knows best.
(Ninth) Everyone should be diligent in preserving and increasing his supererogatory prayers, according to what has already been set forth in this chapter, along with the evidences previously cited. Among the most important of these proofs is the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “I heard the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—say: ‘The first matter concerning which the servant will be taken to account on the Day of Resurrection, from among his deeds, is his prayer. If it is sound he will have succeeded and prospered; if it is corrupt he will have failed and lost. Should anything be lacking in his obligatory prayers, the Lord—Exalted and Sublime—will say: Look to see whether My servant has any voluntary prayers with which the deficiency may be completed…’”