The Prayer of the Two Rak'ahs of the Sunrise at Home

Question : The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, is it obligatory to pray the two rak'ahs of the sunrise in the mosque if the one who prays remains seated after the Fajr prayer until the sun rises, or is it permissible to pray them at home, and do they fall under the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): “The best prayer of a man is in his home, except for the obligatory prayer”? And if he prays them at home, does he receive the reward of Hajj and 'Umrah, if Allah wills? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer : The apparent meaning of the hadith that was transmitted on this matter is that the prayer is to be in the mosque itself. Not all voluntary prayers are such that the home is better; in fact, the default for them is that the home is better. However, some voluntary prayers are better in the mosque. For example, the rak'ah of tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) is better to be prayed in the mosque than for a person to leave it until he reaches his home and prays it there.