Offering Only the Obligatory Prayers, the ruling?
Question:
What is the ruling of offering only the obligatory prayers?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, we praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright.
It was narrated that a Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: “Messenger of Allah, direct me to a deed by which I may be entitled to enter Paradise. Upon this he (the Prophet) remarked: You worship Allah and never associate anything with Him, establish the obligatory prayer, and pay the Zakat which is incumbent upon you, and observe the fast of Ramadan. He (the Bedouin) said: By Him in Whose hand is my life, I will never add anything to it, nor will I diminish anything from it. When he (the Bedouin) turned his back, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: He who is pleased to see a man from the dwellers of Paradise should catch a glimpse of him.” (Agreed Upon)
It is clear form the above hadith that a person will not be hold accountable except only the obligatory acts of worship. Hence, if a person offers only the obligatory prayers (fard namaz), there is no sin on him. However, if one realizes the great reward of offering the sunnah prayers, he will not leave them anyway, rather he/she will be keen to pray witr and Duha prayers. Observing the nafl prayers and offering them regularly is one of the greatest means of earning the love of Allah and it brings Paradise and divine mercy.
Abu Hurairah narrated : The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Verily Allah Almighty has said: ‘Whosoever shows enmity to a wali (friend) of Mine, then I have declared war against him. And My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to me with nafl (supererogatory) deeds until I Love him. When I Love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him; and were he to seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge.” (Al-Bukhari)
Watch this short video to know more about the virtues of offering the sunnah prayers.
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Source: Huda Youtube Channel.