Another highly meritorious voluntary prayer, often practiced by those familiar with the path of Tasawwuf, is the Awwabin Prayer — performed between the Maghrib (evening) and Isha (night) prayers, consisting of two to six rak‘ahs. It is known as the prayer of the penitent.
Every believer who repents from his past life and turns sincerely to the path of the Qur’an and Sunnah should strive to perform this prayer regularly, even if it be only two rak‘ahs. The name Awwabin is derived from the Qur’an, referring to those who turn back to Allah in repentance. In the Qur’an, Allah promises forgiveness to the Awwabin — the oft-returning and repentant servants.
In addition to these, there are other voluntary prayers such as the Ishraq and Duha prayers, performed between dawn and noon, both of which are highly recommended.
There is also the Tasbih Prayer, commonly performed in our lands on the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) in congregation. The Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] advised every believer to perform this prayer at least once in their lifetime. Though it may appear difficult, it can in fact be prayed daily. The great saints of the Sadaat al-Kiram would perform this prayer twice a day — once by day and once by night — especially during Ramadan.
Apart from Tarawih, all voluntary prayers should be performed individually. Praying them with an imam is permissible only for learning purposes; once one has learned them properly, one should perform them alone.
For the believer who fulfills the five daily prayers, opening the door to voluntary worship is among the beauties of faith. In the sight of Allah, deeds that are small but consistent are more beloved than those that are great yet short-lived.
Thus, rather than beginning all at once and tiring quickly, it is better to persevere patiently in even a two-rak‘ah voluntary prayer. In this way, with time and sincerity, one will find that other nawafil naturally enter one’s life — by the grace of Allah.
