What are the regular and recommended voluntary prayers for the obligatory prayers?

السؤال:
We move on to other letters and other topics. A letter reached the program from Bahrain, sent by one of the listening brothers. He says: I am 'Abd al-Nur Isma'il 'Ali, and I ask the Shaykh about the voluntary prayers that it is recommended for a person to adhere to before and after the obligatory prayers, and whether there is a specific number. May Allah reward you with good. He sometimes prays five rak'ahs before the midday prayer and sometimes four rak'ahs, but in this letter he seeks wise guidance. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The prescribed voluntary prayers accompanying the obligatory prayers, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) maintained and adhered to, are twelve rak'ahs. These are the rawatib and are called the nawafil. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) maintained them, as established in the hadith of Ibn 'Umar, 'A'ishah, Umm Hababah, and others. They are four before the midday prayer, two before the midday prayer, two after the midday prayer, two after the sunset prayer, two after the night prayer, and two before the dawn prayer. These are called the rawatib, and they are also called the emphasized voluntary prayers. Ibn 'Umar said that he preserved from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ten rak'ahs: two before the midday prayer, two after it, two after the sunset prayer, two after the night prayer, two before the dawn prayer, and two after the Friday prayer in his house. He said: As for the sunset, night, dawn, and Friday prayers, he did them in his house.
And 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray four before the midday prayer; he did not leave off four before the midday prayer. This is what 'A'ishah preserved, and Umm Salama also preserved it. This indicates that the most complete form is four before the midday prayer. If one settles for two, as Ibn 'Umar said, that is sufficient. However, the better option, as indicated by the hadith of 'A'ishah and Umm Hababah, is to pray four before the midday prayer with two taslims, so that the total is twelve rak'ahs. This is the perfection, and this is what was preserved from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And if one adds to this and prays four after the midday prayer, increasing by two after the midday prayer, this is also recommended. Umm Hababah (may Allah be pleased with her) said about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Whoever prays four before the midday prayer and four after it, Allah will protect him from the Fire. In another wording: Whoever maintains four before the midday prayer and four after it, Allah the Exalted will protect him from the Fire. This means two by two, as in the hadith: The prayer of the day and night is two by two. Likewise, it is recommended to pray four before the afternoon prayer; it is not a rawatib but it is recommended. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: May Allah have mercy on a man who prays four before the afternoon prayer.
Likewise, one prays two before the sunset prayer after the adhan, and two before the night prayer after the adhan; this is also recommended. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Between every two adhans is a prayer... Between every two adhans is a prayer... Between every two adhans is a prayer. Then he said: For whoever wishes. This is to let people know that this is not obligatory but it is recommended. So these are the recommended ones, not the rawatib: two before the sunset prayer and two before the night prayer. Four before the afternoon prayer is recommended, not a rawatib. Two after the midday prayer, in addition to the rawatib, making four after the midday prayer, is recommended as mentioned in the hadiths.
Likewise, the sunnah of the forenoon prayer is recommended permanently: two rak'ahs in the forenoon. One prays two rak'ahs in the forenoon; this is an emphasized sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised a group of his Companions regarding the sunnah of the forenoon prayer. And in the hadith of Abu Dharr, he said: Every joint of a person has a charity due to it every morning; every tasbih is a charity, every tahlil is a charity, every tahmid is a charity, every takbir is a charity, enjoining good is a charity, and forbidding evil is a charity. He said: And sufficient for that are two rak'ahs that you pray in the forenoon. Muslim narrated it in his Sahih.
This indicates the importance of the two rak'ahs and that they take the place of the charities due to the joints of a person. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Abu al-Darda' each said: The Messenger of Allah advised me regarding the prayer of the forenoon. In another wording: regarding the two rak'ahs of the forenoon. 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray four in the forenoon and would increase whatever Allah willed.
So the result is that the sunnah of the forenoon prayer is an emphasized sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes did it and sometimes left it off so as not to burden his Ummah, but he advised regarding it, and his advice is more emphatic than his action. This indicates that it is emphasized on all days from the rising of the sun to the standing of the sun. And when the forenoon becomes intense and the sun becomes hot, it is better. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prayer of the penitents is when the young camels are scorched by the heat. This means when the heat becomes intense on the young camels, meaning in the height of the forenoon and in the intensity of the forenoon, it is better. And if one prays it after the rising of the sun, there is no harm; that is sufficient.