Salaat ad-Duhaa, Ishraaq, Chaasht and Awwaabeen..... Different names yet SAME Salaah

by Asma bint Shameem

🔺 1. Salaat ad-Duhaa

The Duhaa prayer is the prayer that is read any time, starting from about 15 minutes after sunrise up until few mins before midday, when the sun reaches its zenith.

🍃 Abu Hurayrah Radhi Allaahu anhu said:

My beloved ﷺ advised me to do three things, which I will not forsake so long as I live:

to fast three days of each month,

to pray Duhaa, and not to sleep until I pray Witr.”

(al-Bukhaari 1178 and Muslim 721)

If you pray at its EARLY time, that is, 15 minutes or so after sunrise, it's called 'Salaat al-Ishraaq'.

🍃 The Prophet ﷺ said:

 “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation then sits remembering Allaah until the sun rises, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah, complete, complete, complete.” 

[al-Tirmidhi (586) ; hasan by Al-Albaani]

If you read it at the LATER time towards the end of the time range time it's called 'Salaat al-Awwaabeen'.

If you read it any time during this time range, it's generally called 'Salaat ad-Duhaa'.

It is just as the night prayer is called Salaat al-Layl and can be read any time from the time of ishaa until fajr, and has different names depending on when it's read.

For example: if it's read after Ishaa late at night, it's called Tahajjud and if it's read in Ramadhaan it's called Taraaweeh. 

Similarly salaat ad-Duhaa is the morning prayer that is read anytime from about 15 minutes or so after sunrise up to about 10-15 mins before midday.

And it too, has different names depending on the time it's read.

🍃Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said:

"The Sunnah of Ishraaq is (the same as) the Sunnah of Duhaa, but if it is done early, from the time when the sun has risen to the height of a spear, then it is Ishraaq prayer;

if it is done at the end of its time or in the middle of its time, then it is Duhaa prayer.

But it is (all) Duhaa prayer, because the scholars said that the time of Duhaa prayer lasts from when the sun has risen to the height of a spear until just before the zenith."

(Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh, 141/24)

🔺 2. Salaat al-Awwaabeen or Chaasht prayer

Salaat al-Awwaabeen is ALSO a kind of Duhaa prayer. 

It's the same as what we call the 'Chaasht' prayer in Urdu.

'Chaasht' is an Urdu word, maybe from Persian but it's definitely not Arabic.

The Arabic word for it is 'Duhaa'.

📌 PROOF 

🍃 The Prophet ﷺ said:

“It is preferable to offer Duhaa prayer when the sun’s heat has become so intense that even the young of the camels feel it.” (Muslim 748)

🍃 And the Prophet ﷺ said:

“No one persists in offering Duhaa prayer except one who often turns to Allaah, for it is the prayer of those who often turn to Allaah (Salaat al-awwabeen).”

(Ibn Khuzaymah; hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Targheeb wa’t-targheeb 1/164).

🍃 Zayd ibn Arqam radhi Allaahu anhu saw some people praying Duhaa early and said:

"Do they not know that praying at some other time than this is better? 

The Messenger of Allaah 

‎ﷺ  said: 

'Salaat al-Awwaabeen is when the young camels lift up their feet (because of the HEAT of the sand).'" (Muslim 1237)

Yes, I know.  All of us from the Indo-Pak region might get confused.

We think that Awwaabeen is the “six rakah prayer” that we read between maghrib and ishaa'.

But that's a MISCONCEPTION. 

That's not correct as you can see from the above hadeeth.

Also one time the Prophet ﷺ  saw some people praying some time after sunrise.

🍃 He  ﷺ said:

"Salaat al-Duhaa should be prayed when the young camels lift up their feet (because of the heat of the sand)." (Ahmad -Saheeh)

Also another proof that Awwaabeen is actually read a little BEFORE MIDDAY and it's NOT the prayer after maghrib is the explanation of Imam an-Nawawi.

🍃Imaam an-Nawawi said:

"The phrase 'Salaat al-Awwaabeen is when the young camels lift up their feet (because of the heat of the sand)' refers to when the sand becomes unbearably HOT from the sun's heat, and burns the soles of the young camels' feet, so they alternately raise and lower their feet in response to the heat of the sand.

 'Al-Awwaab' means one who is obedient, or one who turns to obedience. 

The hadeeth also refers to the best time to offer this prayer, although it is permissible to pray it any time after the sun has risen and before it reaches its zenith."

🔺 So what about the nawaafil between Maghrib and Ishaa'?

As for the nawaafil  between maghrib and Ishaa, it's PROVEN that the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and the Sahaabah used to pray general nawaafil between maghrib and Ishaa.

🍃 Hudhayfah radhi Allaahu anhu said:

"I came to the Prophet ﷺ and prayed Maghrib with him. 

When he had finished the prayer, he stood and prayed, and he kept praying until he prayed 'Ishaa'. 

(Ahmad--saheeh by al-Albaani)

🔺 So this tells us that:

- you can read nawaafil between maghrib and Ishaa but that's GENERAL nawaafil. 

And it's NOT limited to SIX. 

You can read from 2 rak’aat to as many rak’aat as you like.

- these nawaafil are not called Awwaabeen. They don't have a specific name or a specific number.

And Allaah knows best