The ruling on praying six rak'ahs after Maghrib

Question:
The questioner says: There are people who pray six rak'ahs after the sunnah of Maghrib, in pairs of two, saying the taslim after every two. They claim that this is the prayer of the repentant (Salat al-Awabin). What is the ruling on this?

Answer:
This has no basis. The prayer of the repentant is the Duha prayer when the sun is high; this is the prayer of the repentant, as stated in the authentic hadith. As for between Maghrib and Isha, it is recommended for a person to pray whatever is easy for him. However, the six rak'ahs that people believe in have no basis. The regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) is two rak'ahs. It is the sunnah to pray two rak'ahs after Maghrib, and it is better to do so in one's home. This is called the rawatib. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to be consistent in performing it. Likewise, after Isha, it is two rak'ahs; one prays two rak'ahs after Isha.
As for praying six rak'ahs after Maghrib, or more, there is no harm in it. One may pray six, or ten, or twenty, or one hundred; there is no blame in saying the taslim after every two. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So, whoever volunteers to pray between Maghrib and Isha, whether six, eight, ten, or more, there is no harm. However, believing that there is a specific set of six rak'ahs is not supported by authentic evidence.

The presenter: May Allah reward you.