KNOW that what is beyond the obligatory falls into three categories:
All three of the above categories are called nawaafil (plural of nafl) because the word nafl means "extra" or "increase" and all of the above are in addition to the obligatory prayers. The best nafl which can be offered by the body is to perform the extra prayers.
All of the nafl prayers, including the nawaafil are best when prayed in one's home, unless one is in i'tikaaf (seclusion) in the masjid. There are many hadith about this, among them the following:
ÃÈæ ÏÇæÏ
ÕóáóÇÉõ ÇáúãóÑúÁö Ýöí ÈóíúÊöåö ÃóÝúÖóáõ ãöäú ÕóáóÇÊöåö Ýöí ãóÓúÌöÏöí åóÐóÇ ÅöáøóÇ ÇáúãóßúÊõæÈóÉó
"One's prayer in his home is superior to his prayer in this masjid of mine, except for the prescribed (five) prayers."
The rawaatib (extraogatory prayers which are linked to one of the five) prayres are as follows:
Úóäú ÚóÇÆöÔóÉó Úóäú ÇáäøóÈöíøö Õóáøóì Çááøóåõ Úóáóíúåö æóÓóáøóãó Ãóäøóåõ ÞóÇáó Ýöí ÔóÃúäö ÇáÑøóßúÚóÊóíúäö ÚöäúÏó ØõáõæÚö ÇáúÝóÌúÑö áóåõãóÇ ÃóÍóÈøõ Åöáóíøó ãöäú ÇáÏøõäúíóÇ ÌóãöíÚðÇ
From Aisha that the Prophet (sas) said regarding two rakaat upon the beginning of the dawn: "They are surely move beloved to me than this entire world."
Úóäú ÇÈúäö ÚõãóÑó ÑóÖöíó Çááøóåõ ÚóäúåõãóÇ ÞóÇáó ÍóÝöÙúÊõ ãöäú ÇáäøóÈöíøö Õóáøóì Çááøóåõ Úóáóíúåö æóÓóáøóãó ÚóÔúÑó ÑóßóÚóÇÊò ÑóßúÚóÊóíúäö ÞóÈúáó ÇáÙøõåúÑö æóÑóßúÚóÊóíúäö ÈóÚúÏóåóÇ æóÑóßúÚóÊóíúäö ÈóÚúÏó ÇáúãóÛúÑöÈö Ýöí ÈóíúÊöåö æóÑóßúÚóÊóíúäö ÈóÚúÏó ÇáúÚöÔóÇÁö Ýöí ÈóíúÊöåö æóÑóßúÚóÊóíúäö ÞóÈúáó ÕóáóÇÉö ÇáÕøõÈúÍö æóßóÇäóÊú ÓóÇÚóÉð áóÇ íõÏúÎóáõ Úóáóì ÇáäøóÈöíøö Õóáøóì Çááøóåõ Úóáóíúåö æóÓóáøóãó ÝöíåóÇ
From Ibn Umar who said: I learned from the Prophet (sas) ten rakaat. Two before Adh-dhuhr and two after it, two after al-maghrib in your house and two after al-isha in your house and two before as-subh (fajr) and it was a time that no one entered upon the Prophet (sas). ö
The above are both consistent in both the word and deed of the sunnah. Some of them were not done during travel. The strongest of them all is two before fajr followed by the two after maghrib.
The following "linked" prayers have also been narrated, but not with the consistency of the prioer. It is good to do them some of the time in order to keep the sunnah alive:
And of course when going to the masjid, don't forget the greeting of the masjid (tahiyyatul masjid) which is two rakaat and should be made upon entering the masjid and before sitting. If you enter and the fardh prayer is already in progress, you do not make it. Also, if you pray anything other two rakaat such as one of the rawaatib, paying one of them or any other two rakaat such as istikhaara, thanking Allah for something, returning from a journey, etc., then these suffice as greeting the masjid and there is no need to make a separate prayer for that purpose. It is strongly disliked to enter the masjid and sit down without praying.
Al-witr is one of the stronest extraogatory prayers of all. It can be made any time after isha and before the beginning of fajr. The best time to make it is in the last third of the night after sleeping.
ÃÍãÏ
ÞóÇáó Úóáöíøñ ÑóÖöíó Çááøóåõ Úóäúåõ ÃóáóÇ Åöäøó ÇáúæóÊúÑó áóíúÓó ÈöÍóÊúãò ßóÕóáóÇÊößõãú ÇáúãóßúÊõæÈóÉö æóáóßöäøó ÑóÓõæáó Çááøóåö Õóáøóì Çááøóåõ Úóáóíúåö æóÓóáøóãó ÃóæúÊóÑó Ëõãøó ÞóÇáó ÃóæúÊöÑõæÇ íóÇ Ãóåúáó ÇáúÞõÑúÂäö ÃóæúÊöÑõæÇ ÝóÅöäøó Çááøóåó æóÊúÑñ íõÍöÈøõ ÇáúæóÊúÑ
Ali (ra) said: Surely, the witr prayer is not obligatory like the [five] prescribed prayers, but Allah's messenger prayed witr. Then he said: Pray witr O people of the Qur'an, pray witr for verily Allah is witr (witr means an odd number) and he loves Al-witr.
There has been much controversey regarding the authenticity of this prayer and the narrations which describe it. Most recently, the scholars of hadith have validated it, although At-Tirmidhi (one of those who nrrated it) did not believe it to be authentic. This is a special prayer which takes quite some time to perform. In any case, one would be rewarded and benefit if it is performed based on the belief that it could be authentic from the sunnah. Here is its description as found in Ibn Majah (which matches its description in Abu Daud also):
Úóäú ÇÈúäö ÚóÈøóÇÓò ÞóÇáó ÞóÇáó ÑóÓõæáõ Çááøóåö Õóáøóì Çááøóåõ Úóáóíúåö æóÓóáøóãó áöáúÚóÈøóÇÓö Èúäö ÚóÈúÏö ÇáúãõØøóáöÈö íóÇ ÚóÈøóÇÓõ íóÇ ÚóãøóÇåõ ÃóáóÇ ÃõÚúØöíßó ÃóáóÇ ÃóãúäóÍõßó ÃóáóÇ ÃóÍúÈõæßó ÃóáóÇ ÃóÝúÚóáõ áóßó ÚóÔúÑó ÎöÕóÇáò ÅöÐóÇ ÃóäúÊó ÝóÚóáúÊó Ðóáößó ÛóÝóÑó Çááøóåõ áóßó ÐóäúÈóßó Ãóæøóáóåõ æóÂÎöÑóåõ æóÞóÏöíãóåõ æóÍóÏöíËóåõ æóÎóØóÃóåõ æóÚóãúÏóåõ æóÕóÛöíÑóåõ æóßóÈöíÑóåõ æóÓöÑøóåõ æóÚóáóÇäöíóÊóåõ ÚóÔúÑõ ÎöÕóÇáò Ãóäú ÊõÕóáøöíó ÃóÑúÈóÚó ÑóßóÚóÇÊò ÊóÞúÑóÃõ Ýöí ßõáøö ÑóßúÚóÉò ÈöÝóÇÊöÍóÉö ÇáúßöÊóÇÈö æóÓõæÑóÉò ÝóÅöÐóÇ ÝóÑóÛúÊó ãöäú ÇáúÞöÑóÇÁóÉö Ýöí Ãóæøóáö ÑóßúÚóÉò ÞõáúÊó æóÃóäúÊó ÞóÇÆöãñ ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö æóÇáúÍóãúÏõ áöáøóåö æóáóÇ Åöáóåó ÅöáøóÇ Çááøóåõ æóÇááøóåõ ÃóßúÈóÑõ ÎóãúÓó ÚóÔúÑóÉó ãóÑøóÉð Ëõãøó ÊóÑúßóÚõ ÝóÊóÞõæáõ æóÃóäúÊó ÑóÇßöÚñ ÚóÔúÑðÇ Ëõãøó ÊóÑúÝóÚõ ÑóÃúÓóßó ãöäú ÇáÑøõßõæÚö ÝóÊóÞõæáõåóÇ ÚóÔúÑðÇ Ëõãøó Êóåúæöí ÓóÇÌöÏðÇ ÝóÊóÞõæáõåóÇ æóÃóäúÊó ÓóÇÌöÏñ ÚóÔúÑðÇ Ëõãøó ÊóÑúÝóÚõ ÑóÃúÓóßó ãöäú ÇáÓøõÌõæÏö ÝóÊóÞõæáõåóÇ ÚóÔúÑðÇ Ëõãøó ÊóÓúÌõÏõ ÝóÊóÞõæáõåóÇ ÚóÔúÑðÇ Ëõãøó ÊóÑúÝóÚõ ÑóÃúÓóßó ãöäú ÇáÓøõÌõæÏö ÝóÊóÞõæáõåóÇ ÚóÔúÑðÇ ÝóÐóáößó ÎóãúÓóÉñ æóÓóÈúÚõæäó Ýöí ßõáøö ÑóßúÚóÉò ÊóÝúÚóáõ Ýöí ÃóÑúÈóÚö ÑóßóÚóÇÊò Åöäú ÇÓúÊóØóÚúÊó Ãóäú ÊõÕóáøöíóåóÇ Ýöí ßõáøö íóæúãò ãóÑøóÉð ÝóÇÝúÚóáú ÝóÅöäú áóãú ÊóÓúÊóØöÚú ÝóÝöí ßõáøö ÌõãõÚóÉò ãóÑøóÉð ÝóÅöäú áóãú ÊóÝúÚóáú ÝóÝöí ßõáøö ÔóåúÑò ãóÑøóÉð ÝóÅöäú áóãú ÊóÝúÚóáú ÝóÝöí ÚõãõÑößó ãóÑøóÉð
From Ibn Abbas who said that Allah's Messenger (sas) said to Al-Abbas ibn Abd Al-Muttalib: "O Abbas, O uncle should I not give you and grant to you and present to you and make for you ten elements which if you do them Allah will forgive you your sins from the first to the last, the old and the new, the intentional and the unintentional, the minor and the major and the private and the public? Ten elements that you should pray four rakaat [as follows}. Read in each rakaat Al-Fatiha and another sura. When you have finished reading in the first rakaat, say the following while still standing: "Subhaana Allahi wa al-hamdu lillahi wa laa ilaaha illaa Allahu wa Allahu akbar" fifteen times. Then bow and say it while bowing ten times. Raise your head from bowing and say it again ten times. Go into prostration and say it while prostrate ten times. Life your head from prostration and say it ten more times. Prostrate the second time and say it ten times in prostration. Come up from the second prostration and say it ten more times. That makes seventy-five times in every rakaat of the four rakaat. If you are able, pray it once per day or if not once in every week. If you don't do that, then do it once per month and if not that, then once in your life.
Do not perform voluntary prayers which have no specific reason (like greeting the masjid, etc.) during the "no prayer" times
ÇáÈÎÇÑí
Úóäú ÇÈúäö ÚóÈøóÇÓò ÞóÇáó ÔóåöÏó ÚöäúÏöí ÑöÌóÇáñ ãóÑúÖöíøõæäó æóÃóÑúÖóÇåõãú ÚöäúÏöí ÚõãóÑõ Ãóäøó ÇáäøóÈöíøó Õóáøóì Çááøóåõ Úóáóíúåö æóÓóáøóãó äóåóì Úóäú ÇáÕøóáóÇÉö ÈóÚúÏó ÇáÕøõÈúÍö ÍóÊøóì ÊóÔúÑõÞó ÇáÔøóãúÓõ æóÈóÚúÏó ÇáúÚóÕúÑö ÍóÊøóì ÊóÛúÑõÈó
From Ibn Abbas who said: Good witnesses bore witness to me - and the best of them was Umar - that the Prophet (sas) prohibited prayer after the fajr prayer until the sun somes up and after the asr prayer until it sets.
There are three theories as to the meaning behind this prohibition: