General Islamic Principles: Two Rakats after Asr Prayer

A Neglected Sunnan – Two Rakats after Asr

Al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said,” This is a prayer which is forgotten and should be revived.”[ Saheehah hadeeth hadeeth 3174]
ﻋَﺎﺋِﺸَﺔَ ﻗَﺎﻟَﺖْ ﺻَﻼَﺗَﺎﻥِ ﻣَﺎ ﺗَﺮَﻛَﻬُﻤَﺎ ﺭَﺳُﻮﻝُ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ – ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ – ﻓِﻰ ﺑَﻴْﺘِﻰ ﺳِﺮًّﺍ ﻭَﻻَ ﻋَﻼَﻧِﻴَﺔً ﺭَﻛْﻌَﺘَﺎﻥِ ﻗَﺒْﻞَ ﺍﻟْﻔَﺠْﺮِ ﻭَﺭَﻛْﻌَﺘَﺎﻥِ ﺑَﻌْﺪَ ﺍﻟْﻌَﺼْﺮِ .

1.Âisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “There are two prayers that the messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) never neglected to pray in my house secretly or publicly: Two Rak’ah before Fajr and two Rak’ah after Asr.” [Bukhari 592]
ﺍﺋِﺸَﺔُ ﺭﺿﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻋﻨﻬﺎ ﻣَﺎ ﺩَﺧَﻞَ ﻋَﻠَﻰَّ ﺭَﺳُﻮﻝُ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ – ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ – ﺑَﻌْﺪَ ﺍﻟْﻌَﺼْﺮِ ﺇِﻻَّ ﺻَﻼَّﻫُﻤَﺎ .

2. Âisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Anytime Allah’s messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came to my house after Asr he prayed two Rak’ah [Bukhari 593 ]

The scholars’ analysis about these two Rak’ah:
1. Imam At-Tahawee (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Some people see no harm in praying two Rak’ah after Asr and consider them a Sunnah.” [Sharh Ma’anee Al-Athar 1-301]

2. Imam Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said,” …Third: If this hadeeth is authentic it’s a proof for us. This hadeeth tells us that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed two rak’ah after Asr. On the contrary if it wasn’t allowed or disliked, Allah’s messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) wouldn’t have prayed these two rak’ah. His actions are guidance and correct, regardless whether he does it once or a thousand times.” [ Al-Muhalla]

3. Ibn Hajr (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “ To cling to these narrations establish the permissibility to offer a supererogatory prayer after Asr in any respect as long as it isn’t intended to be done during sunset.” [ Fath 2/85 ]

4. Shaykh Nasirud deen Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) said,” Among the accepted errors in the books of Fiqh is the prohibition of these two rak’ah and not mentioning them among the supererogatory exercises of devotion. Nevertheless, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) preserved these two Rak’ah the same way he preserved the two before Fajr. There isn’t any evidence for the two Rak’ah after Asr’s abrogation or their being special for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only! How could it be, when Âisha (may Allah be pleased with her), the most knowledgeable person about these two rakah’ safeguarded them as well as other companions and pious Salaf.[ Silsilatus Saheehah 7/528]

5. Shaykh Muhammad Adam El-Ethiopee (may Allah preserve him) said,” The more acceptable position is that it is permissible to pray after Asr as long as the sun is pure white. The ruling for this action is based on an authentic hadeeth, the actions of the companions, and tabee’oon… [Thakheerahtul ‘Uqba fee Sharh Al-Mujtabah 7/202]

6. Shaykh Ubayd Al-Jaabiree (may Allah preserve him) said, “There are a large number of people who don’t know that Asr has a Sunnah. It is recommended to pray two rak’ah after Asr. Many people today are unaware of this act therefore it causes some confusion. We have emphasized on more than one occasion that if a Muslim combines Thur and Asr he doesn’t offer a sunnah prayer between them. Because doing so contradicts the act of joining. However when he finishes Asr he can pray two rak’ah if he wishes; since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do so as collected by Imam Muslim.
It’s a must to know that many Muslims not only in contemporary times but past centuries as well neglected these two rak’ah as being Sunnah. Âisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Anytime Allah’s messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) came to my house after Asr he prayed two Rak’ah.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two rak’ah before Thur .One day he was to occupied to offer them at that time, hence he prayed them after Asr and continued this act. The fact that he continued to pray these two Rak’ah after Asr makes it a Sunnah. He didn’t just pray them once. We are not prohibited from praying these two rak’ah. [ www.Sahab.net]

References:
1.‘Illamu Ahul Asr bee Sunnahtil Rak’ahtain ba’d Asr by Abee Harith Tahir
2.www. Sahab.net
3.Silsilatus Saheehah by Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him)
4.إعلام أهل العصر بسنية الركعتين بعد العصر
Translated by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

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