The Qur’anic Foundation of Sunnah Prayers

Introduction

Muslims universally perform the five daily obligatory prayers (ṣalāh), established explicitly by the Qur’an. Alongside these, Sunnah (supererogatory) prayers, which are also called nafl or optional prayers, occupy a central role in Muslim devotional practice. This raises an important question: Are Sunnah prayers rooted in the Qur’an, or are they purely post-Qur’anic traditions?

A close reading of the Qur’an — supported by classical Arabic lexicons and confirmed by Prophetic practice — reveals that the Qur’an itself distinguishes between obligatory and supererogatory prayers. The key lies in its vocabulary:

• أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ (aqim al-ṣalāh, “establish the prayer”) → obligatory, categorical.
• سَبِّحْ (sabbih, “sanctify/exalt”) glo→ voluntary devotion, supererogatory.

1. Obligatory Prayers in the Qur’an

The obligation of the five daily prayers is established with uncompromising commands that begin with “aqim al-ṣalāh (establish the prayer)”:

• Isrā’ 17:78: “Establish the prayer from the decline (westwards shift) of the sun until the darkness of night, and [also] during quran al-fajr (the gathering of lights at dawn); indeed, quran al-fajr (the gathering of lights at dawn) is ever visible (to the naked eye).” → covering Ẓuhr, ‘Aṣr, Maghrib, ‘Ishā’ prayers between decline from zenith and utter darkness, and covering Fajr prayer when the white and red lights of dawn gather.
• Hūd 11:114: “Establish the prayer at the two divisions of the day and at the sections of the night that are nearer the daytime.” → covering Ẓuhr and ‘Aṣr in two divisions of the day, and covering Maghrib, ‘Ishā’, Fajr prayers in the sections of the night that have some light on the horizon, which denotes nearness to the daytime.

Lexical note:

• Aqim (أقم): from q-w-m, denoting upright establishment and binding obligation.For detailed explanations of the obligatory prayer times, please refer to the articles:
  https://www.islamandquran.org/research/prayer-times-compliant-with-the-balance.html
  https://www.islamandquran.org/research/prayer-times-from-the-equator-to-the-poles.html

2. Sunnah Prayers in the Qur’an

The Qur’an also points to voluntary devotions using سَبِّحْ (sabbih, “sanctify”), a softer exhortation:

وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا وَمِنْ آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْ وَأَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَى

• Ṭā Hā 20:130: “…sanctify your Lord with praise before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and [in part] of the night also sanctify Him, and during the divisions of the day, so that you may be satisfied.”

وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِۚ. وَمِنَ الَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْهُ وَاَدْبَارَ السُّجُودِ

• Qāf 50:39–40: “…sanctify your Lord with praise before the rising of the sun and before its setting. And during the night, sanctify Him and after prostrations.”

Unlike obligatory prescriptions, these conclude with conditional encouragement: “so that you may be satisfied (لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَى).”

Lexical note:

• Sabbaḥa (سبّح): “to declare God’s transcendence, sanctify,” frequently embodied in ṣalāh .

3. Linguistic Indicators of Sunnah Prayer Times

Key terms highlight Qur’anic indications of Sunnah prayers:

• Before sunrise (قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ) → Fajr Sunnah.
• Before sunset (قَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا) → ‘Aṣr Sunnah.
• Hours of the night (آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ) → plural of ān (“moment”) → at least three slots: after Maghrib, after ‘Ishā’, Tahajjud.
• Divisions of the day (أَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ) → plural of ṭarf.

Lexical note:

• Ān (آن): “a moment, portion of time” . Plural ānā’ = multiple moments (at least three).
• Ṭarf (طرف): defined as “a side or division among divisions.” Thus plural aṭrāf al-nahār = different divisions of the day (at least three divisions) , i.e., Duḥā and Ẓuhr Sunnahs in addition to Fajr/‘Aṣr.

4. Obligatory vs. Sunnah

The Qur’an’s self-clarifying nature (mesānī) reveals:

5. Prophetic Practice

Prophetic practice confirms these Qur’anic indications. Multiple sound reports attest that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) consistently performed Sunnah rak‘ahs around the obligatory prayers:

• Twelve rak‘ahs: 2 before Fajr, 4 before Ẓuhr and 2 after, 2 after Maghrib, 2 after ‘Ishā’.
  → These are the mu’akkadah (emphasized) Sunnahs, with reports promising Paradise for their regular observance .
• Reports also mention the Prophet sometimes praying 2 or 4 rak‘ahs before ‘Aṣr, for which he supplicated blessings upon those who observed it. Since he did not perform this consistently, it became known as a ghayr mu’akkadah (non-emphasized) Sunnah .
• No authentic report mentions Sunnah rak‘ahs before the obligatory ‘Ishā’.

Thus, Prophetic practice mirrors the Qur’anic expressions “hours of the night” and “divisions of the day,” confirming their practical application.

Conclusion

• Five daily obligatory prayers are categorically enjoined with “establish the prayer.”
• Sunnah prayers are encouraged with “sanctify your Lord,” linguistically tied to multiple “divisions” of day and night.Classical lexicons confirm that these terms describe distinct time segments.
• Prophetic practice corroborates the Qur’anic framework, with consistent mu’akkadah Sunnahs and occasional ghayr mu’akkadah Sunnahs.

Therefore, Sunnah prayers are not post-Qur’anic accretions but are deeply embedded in the Qur’an’s guidance, exemplified by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

References

1. Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-‘Arab, s.v. “ṭ-r-f,” “ān.”
2. Al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī, Mufradāt Alfāẓ al-Qur’ān, s.v. “q-w-m,” “s-b-ḥ.”
3. Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Tahajjud, 25, 29, 34; Kitāb al-Jumu‘ah, 39.
4. Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb Ṣalāt al-Musāfirīn, 291 (no. 729); Kitāb al-Jumu‘ah, 71 (no. 882).
5. Mālik, al-Muwaṭṭa’, 69; Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, Kitāb al-Ṣalāt, 290, 299; al-Nasā’ī, Sunan, Kitāb al-Iqāmah, 64; Kitāb Qiyām al-Layl, 66.
6. Abū Dāwūd, Sunan, Kitāb al-Ṣalāt, 297 (nos. 1271–1272).
7. Tirmidhī, Sunan, Kitāb al-Ṣalāt, 318.