What is recommended in the voluntary prayers and in the recitation within them?

Question:
The following message was sent by one of the sisters. She says: I am a listener (S. A. A.) from Sana'a. In her message, she says: I am among the thousands of listeners to the beneficial program (Nur 'ala al-Darb), and I thank everyone who contributed to developing this program. I ask you to clarify the title of the program in every episode. Then she asks and says: I used to pray two rak'ahs of sunnah after every obligatory prayer, but some people told me that in the sunnah prayer after every obligatory prayer, we must recite specific verses, such as Surat al-Kafirun, and others. So I ask the Shaykh to inform me of the conditions of the sunnah prayer, and also the sunnah of witr, as I always love to maintain this sunnah. May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
It is prescribed for the believing man and woman to pray twelve rak'ahs after the five daily prayers. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to maintain them: four before Dhuhr, in two taslims, before Dhuhr; two after Dhuhr; two after Maghrib; two after Isha; and two before the Fajr prayer. These are the rawatib that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to maintain while he was resident in Madinah. It is prescribed for every believing man and woman to maintain them: four before Dhuhr, in two taslims; one taslim after Dhuhr; one taslim after Maghrib; one taslim after Isha; and one taslim before the Fajr prayer. It is better to do them at home, and if one does them in the mosque, there is no harm. If one prays four after Dhuhr, that is better, but they are not rawatib. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding them: .
So if one prays four after Dhuhr, that is better. And four before Asr, in two taslims, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): But they are not rawatib; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not maintain them, but they are recommended before Asr, in two taslims; based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): One recites al-Fatihah and whatever is easy. There is no specific recitation in them. Al-Fatihah is sufficient, and one recites with it whatever is easy: verses or short surahs. There is no harm. It is not necessary to recite specific surahs or specific verses. One recites whatever is easy. Allah says: [Al-Muzzammil: 20].
The obligatory part is al-Fatihah (al-Hamd), and the extra is sunnah. If one recites verses or parts of surahs after al-Fatihah, it is all sunnah. But nothing is prayed after Asr, and nothing is prayed after Fajr. So you, O questioner, do not pray after Asr, nor after Fajr; because it is a time of prohibition; because nothing is prayed after Asr, and nothing is prayed after Fajr. And in travel, these rawatib are dropped. If a person is traveling, or a woman is traveling, it is better not to pray all these rawatib, except the sunnah of Fajr. For the traveler during his travel, it is better for him not to pray these rawatib during travel, except the sunnah of Fajr, which he prays. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray it in travel and residence. The sunnah of Fajr is two rak'ahs before it.
And likewise witr. It is sunnah to pray it in both travel and residence. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to maintain it in residence and travel. Its minimum is one rak'ah. If one prays three or five, or more, it is all good. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) usually prayed eleven, saying taslim after every two, and making witr with one. And sometimes he would pray thirteen, saying taslim after every two, and making witr with one. And if one prays less or more, there is no harm.
It is also sunnah to pray the Duha prayer in travel and residence. The Duha prayer is sunnah, two rak'ahs or more. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray it at times, and he recommended it to some of his Companions. So the Duha prayer is sunnah constantly, after the sun has risen until it stands high, and it is left a little before the zenith. It is better at the height of Duha. It is better at the height of Duha, meaning: the rising of Duha. It is the prayer of the penitents. May Allah guide them all. Yes.

The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.