Rawatib (Regular Sunnah Prayers)
The voluntary prayers regularly prayed before and after the obligatory prayers.
Rawatib (plural of ratibah) are the voluntary prayers regularly prayed before and/or after the five obligatory prayers. They are considered sunnah mu'akkadah (strongly recommended) and hold a special status in Sunni Islam.
The twelve rawatib according to the most well-known narration are: 2 rak'ah before Fajr, 4 rak'ah before Dhuhr and 2 rak'ah after, 2 rak'ah after Maghrib, and 2 rak'ah after Isha. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever prays twelve voluntary rak'ah during the day, Allah will build a house for him in Paradise" (Sahih Muslim, narrated by Umm Habibah).
The Fajr rawatib's two rak'ah have a special status. The Prophet said: "The two rak'ah of Fajr are better than this world and everything in it" (Sahih Muslim). Aisha narrated that the Prophet was never more careful with any voluntary prayer than the two rak'ah before Fajr. In the Hanafi school, the four rak'ah before Asr are also considered rawatib, bringing the total number to 20.
Related terms
Qunut (Supplication with Raised Hands)
A personal supplication (du'a) with raised hands, recited during the prayer.
Madhhab (School of Law)
An Islamic school of law with its own methodology for legal derivation from the sacred sources.
Salat al-Jama'ah (Congregational Prayer)
The congregational prayer, where Muslims pray together in rows behind an imam.
Ziyarat Ashura (Ashura Visitation Prayer)
A powerful visitation prayer to Imam Husayn, recited daily by many Shia Muslims.
Isha (Night Prayer)
The fifth and final daily prayer, performed when darkness has fallen.
Tayammum (Dry Purification)
Ritual purification with clean earth, when water is not available.