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Faith & Daily Life
A parent asks

What are Sunnah prayers, and which ones should my child learn first?

Bloomtivo answers

Sunnah prayers are extra prayers the Prophet ﷺ prayed regularly, before or after the five obligatory prayers. They are not compulsory, but they bring great reward. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever prays twelve Sunnah rak‘ahs a day will have a house built in Jannah. Start your child with the two before Fajr.

Reviewed by Mahmoud Tantawy, Bloomtivo teacher · Updated

The full answer

The twelve regular Sunnah rak‘ahs

PrayerSunnah rak‘ahs
Fajr2 before
Dhuhr4 before, 2 after
Maghrib2 after
‘Isha2 after

The Prophet ﷺ said: whoever prays twelve rak‘ahs in a day and night, a house is built for them in Jannah (Sahih Muslim 728).

A step-by-step plan

  1. First, the five obligatory prayers on time.
  2. Add the 2 rak‘ahs before Fajr (the Prophet ﷺ never left them).
  3. Add the 2 after Maghrib.
  4. Build up to all twelve.

Schools of thought differ slightly on the details, so follow what your family practises.

Teacher’s tip: Make a simple chart: one row per prayer, a star for each Sunnah prayed. Celebrate the first full week.

Related: how many rak‘ahs in each prayer.

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