What is prescribed of dhikr and voluntary prayers in the day and the night?

We return in this episode to the letter of our sister Fatin Sa'id from the Iraqi Republic, Baghdad. We had previously presented some of her questions in a past episode, and now we are returning to the rest of the questions. In her question for this episode, she says: I have a book called *Diyaa' al-Saaliheen* (The Light of the Righteous), which contains all the prayers, tasbih, and supplications, for all days and months. For each day, there is a prayer for the day and the night, and I pray all of them without exception. Is what is in this book correct? And is my prayer valid? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
Answer: We have not come across this book, nor do we know what it contains of authentic hadiths or otherwise. However, the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has clarified what the believer should do in his night and his day. Authentic hadiths have been narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding what he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do, and what Allah commanded the servants to do and legislated for them. Among this is the Sunnah of the Duha prayer. He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to advise many of his Companions regarding the Sunnah of Duha. It is a confirmed Sunnah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes prayed it and sometimes left it. He prayed eight rak'ahs on the Day of the Conquest. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: He also advised Abu Hurayrah and Abu al-Darda regarding the Duha prayer. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, when mentioning charity for every joint: to the end of the hadith. He said: So the Duha prayer is confirmed and contains great good. Its minimum is two rak'ahs. If one prays four, or six, or eight, or more than that, all of it is good.
Likewise, everything after the Zuhr prayer is a place for prayer. It is recommended for him to pray four rak'ahs before Zuhr and four after it. This is general for both men and women. The rawatib (regular voluntary prayers) are four before Zuhr and two after it. These are the rawatib: four before Zuhr and two after it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to be consistent in praying them. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If one prays four before it and four after it, this is good and has merit. Likewise, regarding the 'Asr prayer, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So praying four rak'ahs before 'Asr also has merit.
Likewise, between every two adhan calls, one should pray two rak'ahs: so that it is not thought to be obligatory. It is recommended to pray whatever is easy between the two adhan calls.
Likewise, after Maghrib, two rak'ahs. It is Sunnah to pray two rak'ahs after Maghrib, and two rak'ahs after 'Isha' as rawatib. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to be consistent in praying them (peace and blessings be upon him): two after Maghrib and two after 'Isha'.
And if one prays more than that, between Maghrib and 'Isha', all of it is good. Even if one prays one hundred rak'ahs, all of it is good. Praise be to Allah. Likewise, after 'Isha', he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray Tahajjud. He sometimes performed Witr at the beginning of the night, sometimes in the middle, and sometimes at the end. His Witr (peace and blessings be upon him) settled in the last part of his life (peace and blessings be upon him) in the late night, meaning in the last part of the night, which is better. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So the entire night is a place for Tahajjud and a place for worship. He (peace and blessings be upon him) usually prayed eleven rak'ahs at night, after 'Isha, mostly in the last part of the night. Eleven rak'ahs, he would say taslim after every two rak'ahs (peace and blessings be upon him), and perform Witr with one. He sometimes performed Witr with thirteen, and sometimes with less than that, such as seven or five. So the believer has a choice. Likewise, the believing woman: if she prays one rak'ah, it suffices for Witr after 'Isha. If she prays three, it is better. If she prays five, it is better. And so on.
These are the prescribed prayers in the night and the day from the voluntary prayers, other than the obligatory ones. So you, O sister in Allah, have now heard what the Sunnah brought from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding voluntary prayers. If you are praying such prayers, this is great good, other than the obligatory prayer.
As for the obligatory prayer, it is known: Zuhr is four, 'Asr is four, Maghrib is three, 'Isha is four, and Fajr is two, besides the rawatib Sunnah. This is the prayer in the obligatory prayer.
As for recitation, it is recommended for you to recite the Qur'an a lot, with reflection and understanding. Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says: [Al-Isra: 9] And He, Exalted is He, says: [Sad: 29] It is recommended for you to increase in recitation with reflection and understanding of the verses you recite. For in it is the mention of Paradise, the mention of the Fire, the explanation of the deeds of the people of Paradise, the deeds of the people of the Fire, the explanation of the attributes of the pious, the attributes of the disbelievers, and the attributes of the hypocrites. So the believer reflects, and likewise the believing woman. She acts according to the attributes of the righteous and the good, and avoids the attributes of the wicked and the hypocrites. She remembers Paradise and longs for it and works for it. And when she hears about the Fire, she seeks refuge in Allah from it and avoids the deeds of its people. And if you complete a recitation every three days, or every seven days, this is good. Or every ten days, or every fifteen days, or every month, all of it is good.
It is also necessary to increase in the remembrance of Allah, and in sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at all times. Increasing in the remembrance of Allah: Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (There is no power and no strength except with Allah), Subhan Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan Allahil 'Azeem (Glory be to Allah and His praise, Glory be to Allah the Magnificent), La ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamd, yuhyi wa yumit, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir (There is no god but Allah alone, having no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise. He gives life and He causes death, and He is over all things capable). It is recommended to increase in this dhikr, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do. Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says: and glorify Him in the morning and in the evening [Al-Ahzab: 41-42] And He, Glorified and Exalted, says in His great Book: [Al-Jumu'ah: 10] And when He enumerated the attributes of the believers, He said: [Al-Ahzab: 35] And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
So the remembrance of Allah is a great matter, and its merit is great. Likewise, increasing in sending blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says: [Al-Ahzab: 56] And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So this is great good. May Allah send blessings and peace upon him, and upon his family, his Companions, and his followers with excellence.
This is something of what came in the Book and the Sunnah, regarding the virtue of dhikr, and the virtue of sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and what relates to voluntary prayers in the night and the day. We ask Allah to make us and you and the rest of the Muslims successful in what is good, righteous, and brings happiness in this world and the hereafter.