The Virtues of the Duha Prayer
Ishraq means the sunrise while Duha means the forenoon which comes after sunrise.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “My friend (the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him) directed me to observe fasting for three days in every month, to perform two rak`ahs of Duha prayer at forenoon and to perform the Witr prayer before going to bed.” (Agreed Upon)
The Time of the Duha Prayer
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever prays Fajr (Dawn Prayer) in congregation, then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises and prays two rak`ahs, then for him is the reward like that of a Hajj and Umrah.” (At-Trimidhi)
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Perform the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer, then stop Prayer until the sun rises up to the height of a lance”. (Muslim)
It is clear that we are not allowed to offer any voluntary prayers after Fajr Prayer till sunrise which is equivalent to approximately 15 minutes.
The Ruling of the Duha Prayer
The most reliable view among scholars is that Duha Prayer is an emphatic sunnah (highly recommended). Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “In the morning, alms are due for him, ever fastهىل is alms, every pilgrimage is alms, every utterance of “Glory to be Allah” is alms, every utterance of “Allah is most great” is alms, every utterance of “Praise be to Allah” is alms. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recounted all such good works. He then said: “Two rak`ahs which one prays in the Duha serve instead of that.” (Abu Dawud)
To know more about the virtues and rulings of offering the Duha Prayer, watch this interesting talk with Dr. Muhammad Salah.
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Source: Huda Youtube Channel.