KHUTAB III - 2. RECOMMEDED PRAYER (صَلاةُ السُّنَّة)

2. RECOMMEDED PRAYER (صَلاةُ السُّنَّة)

There are many recommended prayers a Muslim can perform. Prophet s.a.w. says that it is better to perform them at home rather than in the mosque. Among his sayings are as follows:

صَلَاةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي بَيْتِهِ تَطَوُّعًا نُورٌ فَمَنْ شَاءَ نَوَّرَ بَيْتَهُ (رواه أحمد)

 The man’s voluntary prayer in his house is light; whosoever wishes

 [to do it], he will lighten his house. (Reported by Ah.mad).

اجْعَلُوا مِنْ صَلَاتِكُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوهَا قُبُورًا (رواه مسلم و أحمد)

 Make some of your prayers [i.e., the recommended ones] at home, and

 do not treat it as a grave. (Reported by Muslim and Ah.mad).

    صَلَاةُ الْمَرْءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ فِي مَسْجِدِي هَذَا إِلَّا الْمَكْتُوبَةَ (رواه أبو داءود)

 The prayer of a person in his house is more meritorious than his prayer in this mosque [i.e., the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah] except the prescribed ones. (Reported by Ah.mad).

 One prayer, meaning the obligatory one, in this mosque of the Prophet in Medinah, as mentioned in one h.adīth, is more meritorious than one thousand prayers in any other mosque, except in the Masjid al-H...arām (Sacred Mosque) in Makkah, where a prayer in it is more meritorious than one hundred thousand prayers in an ordinary mosque.

There are two categories of recommended prayers: a. mut.laq (مُطْلَق, unrestricted), and b. muqayyad (مُقَيَّد , restricted) prayers.

A. Mut.laq (مُطْلَق , Unrestricted) Prayer

Is sufficient the have intention to perform this kind of prayer without specifying the number of its rak‘ah (bowing, i.e., unit). A person can perform it in one rak‘ah, two, three, even one hundred thousand rak‘ahs. Imām al-Nawawī said that if a person who prays this kind of prayer and does not mention (in his intention) the number of rak‘ah he can end his prayer with one rak‘ah, and his prayer is valid without any disagreement among the ‘ulamā’ (Muslim scholars). With regard to the merit of this prayer, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said,

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلَّا رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً

 (رواه الترمذي و النسائي و ابن ماجه و أحمد)

  “Whenever a servant (of Allah) prostrates to Allah

 (in prayer) one prostration, Allah will elevate him with it

one degree and reduce  from him with it one mistake”

 (Reported by Timidhī, Ibn Mājah and Aḥmad).

This kind of prayer can be performed any time, except at a time where prayer is not to be performed, namely, while the sun is rising or setting, and when it is on its zenith (the highest point in the sky), probably to indicate that one is not praying to the sun..

B.  Muqayyad ( مُقَيَّد, Restricted)  Prayers

 There are three kinds of restricted prayers: a. mu’akkad (مُؤَكَّد, confirmed, strongly recommended), b. ghayr mu’akkad (غَيْرُ مُؤَكَّد, not confirmed, not strongly recommended), and c. not performed with prescribed prayers.

a.  Mu’akkad Prayer

It is also called sunnah rawātib and is performed together with prescribed prayer, as follows:

1. Two rak‘ahs before fajr (dawn) prayer. There are many h.adīths of the Prophet s.a.w. indicating the merit of this prayer, among which are as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَا تَدَعُوا

رَكْعَتَيْ الْفَجْرِ وَإِنْ طَرَدَتْكُمْ الْخَيْلُ (رواه أحمد و البيهقي)

On the authority of Abū Hurayrah, the Messenger of

 Allah s.a.w. said, “Never miss the two rak‘ahs of the

dawn prayer, even if a cavalry is chasing you.”

 (Reported by Ah.mad, and al-Bayhaqī).

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ

صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ قَالَ هُمَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ الدُّنْيَا جَمِيعًا (رواه أحمد)

 On the authority of Ā’ishah, the Messenger of Allah

 said of the two rak‘ah prayer before fajr prayer, “Both

 are dearer to me than the entire world.”

(Reported by Ah.mad).'

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ رَكْعَتَا الْفَجْرِ خَيْرٌ

مِنْ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا  (رواه مسلم و الترمذي و النسائي و البيهقي)

On the authority of Ā’ishah, the Messenger of Allah said: “The two rak‘ahs of the dawn is dearer (to me) than the world and what is in it.” (Reported by Muslim, al-Tirmidhī, and al-Nasā’ī).

This prayer was performed by the Prophet very lightly. His wife ‘Ā’ishah said that his prayer was so short that she wondered whether he had completed reading the Fātih.ah or not. (Reported by Ah.mad and others). She also said that his prayer was as short as reading the Fātih.ah (Reported by Ah.mad, al-Nasā’ī, Bayhaqī, Mālik, and al-T.ah.āwī).

Note: What did the Prophet used to read in his fajr prayer after reading the Fātih.ah?  He read قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُوْن  (sūrat al-Kāfirūn, namely, 109) in the first rak‘ah, and قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَد  (sūrat al-Ikhlās., namely, chapter 112) as stated by ‘Ā’ishah. Ibn ‘Abbās r.a. said that the Prophet used to read in the first rak‘ah the following verse:

قُولُوا آَمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ

 وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّونَ

مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ (البقرة  : ١٣٦)

Say ”We believe in Allah and that which has been sent

 down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibrahim

 (Abraham), Ismā‘īl (Ishamel), Ish.āq (Isaac), Ya‘qūb (Jacob),

 and to al-Asbāt [the offspring of the twelve sons of Ya‘qūb],

 and that which has been given to Mūsá (Moses) and ‘Īsá

(Jesus), and that which has been given to the Prophets

 from their Lord. We make no distinction between

any of them, and to Him we have submitted

 (in Islam).” (Q. 2:136).

In the second rak‘ah the Prophet read:

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ

إِلَّا اللَّهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ

تَوَلَّوْا فَقُولُوا اشْهَدُوا بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ (آل عمران  : ٦٤)

 Say, “O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)!

Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we

worship none but Allah (Alone), and that we associate

 no partners with Him, and that we shall take no others

as lords besides Allah.” Then, if they turn away, say,

“Bear witness that we are Muslims.” (Q. 3:64)

2.    (a) Two rak‘ahs before z.uhr prayer and two rak‘ahs after it, based             on Ibn ‘Umar report who said:

حَفِظْتُ مِنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَشْرَ رَكَعَاتٍ رَكْعَتَيْنِ

قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَهَا وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ فِي بَيْتِهِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ

بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ (روا ه البخاري)

 I remember from the Prophet (s.a.w.) ten rak‘ahs: two

 rak‘ahs before z.uhr prayer and two rak‘ahs after it, two

 rak‘ahs after maghrib  prayer in his house, two rak‘ahs

after ‘ishā’ prayer  in his house, and two rak‘ah

 before fajr prayer. (Reported by Bukhārī).

(b) Four rak‘ahs before z.uhr prayer and two after it, based on the following reports

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ شَقِيقٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ عَنْ صَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

مِنْ التَّطَوُّعِ فَقَالَتْ كَانَ يُصَلِّي قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ أَرْبَعًا فِي بَيْتِي ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ فَيُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى

بَيْتِي فَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ...  (رواه مسلم و أبو داءود و الترمذي و أحمد و البيهقي)

‘Abd Allāh ibn Shaqīq said: “I asked Ā’ishah [the Prophet’s wife] about the voluntary prayer of the Messenger of Allah s.a.w., she said; ‘He prayed four  rak‘ahs before z.uhr prayer, and two rak‘ahs after it...’” (Reported by Ah.mad, Muslim and others).

 © Four rak‘ahs before z.uhr prayer, and four rak‘ahs after it, based on the following report,

عَنْ أُمِّ حَبِيبَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ صَلَّى قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ

أَرْبَعًا وَبَعْدَهَا أَرْبَعًا حَرَّمَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّارِ (رواه ابن ماجة و الترمذي)

 On the authority of  Umm H...abībah the Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever prays four rak‘ahs before z.uhr prayer, and four rak‘ahs

 after it, Allah will prohibit him from being in hell”

(Reported  by Ibn Mājah and al-Tirmidhī).

Different views come from these reports:

(1)             Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. did both the two and the four rak‘ahs before and after z.uhr prayer, and this is the best view.

(2)            The Prophet performed the two rak‘ahs when he was in the mosque, and four rak‘ahs when he was at home.

(3)            It is possible that the Prophet performed two rak‘ahs when he was at home, then two more rak‘ahs when he was in the mosque. What Ibn ‘Umar saw was the Prophet’s prayer at  home (two rak‘ahs) , whereas ‘Ā’ishah saw his prayer both at home and in the mosque (four rak‘ahs)

(4)            According to al-T.abarī, the Prophet usually performed the four rak‘ahs, and rarely the two rak‘ahs .

3.      Two rak‘ahs after maghrib prayer, as reported by Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet never missed two rak‘ahs after maghrib prayer. The Prophet was reported to have prayed with the people of Banī ‘Abd al-Ashhal and advised them to perform these two rak‘ahs at home. (Reported by Ah.mad, Abū Dā’ūd, al-Tirmidhī and al-Nasā’ī).

4.      Two rak‘ahs after ‘ishā’ prayer, as mentioned above (2 a).

5.      Witr prayer, (combined with the night prayers) consists of 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3 rak‘ahs, or even one rak‘ah.

How to perform the witr prayer? It is performed in any of the following ways:

a.     Two rak‘ahs, then two rak‘ahs …until the last one rak‘ah.

b.    All with one tashahhud and taslīm, then the last rak‘ah with tashahhud and taslīm.

c.      All with one tashahhud and taslīm at the last rak‘ah.

           The time for witr prayer starts at the beginning of the night (after performing ‘ishā’ prayer), till dawn (i.e., before fajr prayer). It can be done with low voice or with high voice. The Prophet asked Abū Bakr and ‘Umar, when did they perform the witr prayer. Abū Bakr said, at the beginning of the night, whereas ‘Umar said at the end of night. The Prophet said to Abū Bakr that he had chosen the sure one, and to ‘Umar that he had chosen the strong one (i.e., that needs strong determination).

          Can the witr prayer be made up (قَضَاء)? It is possible, based on the saying of the Prophet s.a.w. who said, on the authority of Anas, r.a.,

إذَاأَصْبَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ وَ لَمْ ُيْوِتْر فَلْيُوْتِر (رواه البيهقي و الحاكم على

ِ شروط البخاري ومسلم)

 If any of you have not done the witr till morning, let him do it. (Reported by al-Bayhaqī and al-  H... ākim on the conditions

 laid down by Bukhārī and Muslim).

When can the witr prayer be made up? There are three opinions:

(a)             H... anafī school: any time, except when prayer is prohibited (i.e., when the sun is rising, is setting, or at its zenith at noon).

(b)            Shāfi‘ī school: any time at night or during the day.

(c)             Mālikī school and Ah.mad: after fajr prayer and before morning (d.uh.a?) prayer.

b. Ghayr Mu’akkadah (Not Confirmed) Prayer

   Sunnah (recommended) but not confirmed prayers accompanying the prescribed prayers are as follows:

1.    Two or four rak‘ahs before ‘as.r prayer, based on the statement of the Prophet s.a.w., that between two ādhāns (calls to prayer, namely, ādhān and iqāmah there is a s.alāh (a recommended prayer that can be performed). Narrated by Ibn ‘Umar he also said,

« رَحِمَ اللهُ امْرَءًا صَلىَّ أَرْبَعًا قبَلْ َالْعَصْرِ »

(رواه أبو داءود و الترمذي و أحمد و البيهقي و ابن خزيمة)

  May Allah bless a person who prays four rak‘ahs

  before performing ‘as.r prayer. (Reported by

 Abū Dā’ūd, Tirmidhī, Ah.mad,  Bayhaqī,

 and Ibn Khuzaymah).

2.    Two rak‘ahs before maghrib prayer, based on the following statement of Anas ibn Mālik as narrated by al-Mukhtār ibn Fulful. He said,

صَلَّيْتُ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْمَغْرِبِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ

عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَنَسٍ أَرَآكُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ

 نَعَمْ رَآنَا فَلَمْ يَأْمُرْنَا وَلَمْ يَنْهَنَا (رواه أبو داءود و الدارقطني)

"I prayed two rak‘ah in the time of the Messenger of Allah

s.a.w." He (al-Mukhtār) said, ‘ I told Anas, "Did the

Messenger of Allah s.a.w. saw you (praying)?" He

(Anas) said ‘yes, he saw us without ordering

 us or preventing us (from doing it).

(Reported by Abū Dā’ūd and Dāraquṭnī)

صَلُّوا قَبْلَ صَلَاةِ الْمَغْرِبِ قَالَ فِي الثَّالِثَةِ لِمَنْ شَاءَ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَهَا النَّاسُ سُنَّةً

(رواه البخاري و أحمد و الدارقطني و ابن حبان و البيهقي وغيرهم)

  ‘Pray before Maghrib, pray before Maghrib,’ then said in

 the third time, ‘whoever wants to’ as he did not want

 people to make it sunnah (i.e. not confirmed).”

(Reported by Bukhārī, Dāraquṭnī,

 Ibn Ḥibbān, Bayhaqī, and others).

3.    Two rak‘ahs before ‘ishā’, as the Prophet said that between two ādhāns, as mentioned earlier, there is a prayer, although not highly recommended. The other h.adīth is as follows:

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بن الزُّبَيْرِ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

"مَا مِنْ صَلاةٍ مَفْرُوضَةٍ، إِلا وَبَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا رَكْعَتَانِ" (رواه ابن حبان و الطبراني)

   On the authority of ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr who said, the Messenger of Allāh s.a.w. said, “None of any prescribed

 prayer except it is preceded with a two rak‘ah  prayer.”

(Reported by Ibn H...ibbān and al-Ṭabrānī).

c. not performed with prescribed prayers

These prayers, although legitimate, are independent of prescribed prayers. They are:

1.    Night prayer with minimum one rak‘ah to unlimited number of rak‘ahs.

2.    Tarāwīh. prayer with minimum 8 rak‘ahs.

3.    D.uh.á prayer. It is performed at midmorning before noon, at least two rak‘ahs. Different opinions about its maximum rak‘ahs. Some say 8 rak‘ahs (which was the practice of the Prophet), 12 rak‘ahs. According to Abū Ja‘far al-T.abarī, al-Suyūt.ī, and the Shāfi‘ī school there is no limit for its rak‘ahs. On the authority of Ā’ishah the Prophet prayed d.uh.á with four rak‘ahs and more than that (Reported by Ah.mad, Muslim and Ibn Mājah). On the autority of Umm Hāni’ [the Prophet’s cousin and foster sister] that the Prophet prayed d.uh.ā with eight rak‘ahs with taslīm in every two rak‘ahs. (Reported by Abū Dā’ūd).

4.    S.alāt al-H...ājah (صَلاةُ الْحَاجَة)   , two rak‘ahs,  based on the following h.adīth:  

عَنْ أَبِيْ الدَّرْدَاءِ قَالَ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

يَقُولُ مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ فَأَسْبَغَ الْوُضُوءَ ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ يُتِمُّهُمَا أَعْطَاهُ

اللَّهُ مَا سَأَلَ مُعَجِّلًا أَوْ مُؤَخِّرًا (رواه أحمد)

 On the authority of Abū al-Dardā’, the Messenger of

Allāh said, “Whoever makes wud.ū’ perfectly then prays

 two rak‘ahs both perfectly, Allah will grant him what he

 asks sooner or later.” (Reported by Ah.mad).

5.    S.alāt al-Tawbah (صَلاةُ التَّوْبَة) “Repentance Prayer.” The Prophet s.a.w. said:

مَنْ تَوَضَّأ فَأحْسَنَ الوُضُوْءَ ، ثمَُّقَامَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ أَوْ أَرْبَعًاً مَكْتُوْبَةً أَوْ غَيْرَ مَكْتُوْبَةٍ

يُحْسِنُ فِيْهِمَا الرُّكُوْعَ وَالسُّجُوْدَ ، ثمَُّاسْتَغْفَرَ اللهَ غُفِرَ لَه (رواه الطبراني)

Whoever makes ablution properly then prays two or four rak‘ahs

of prescribed or non prescribed prayer in which he bows and

prostrates properly, then asks forgiveness, Allah will forgive him.

 (Reported by al-T.abrānī)

مَنْ تَوَضَّأ فَأحْسَنَ الوُضُوْءَ ، ثمَُّقَامَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ أَوْ أَرْبَعًاً يُحْسِنُ فِيْهِمَا الرُّكُوْعَ وَالْخُشُوْعَ ، ثمَُّاسْتَغْفَرَ اللهَ غُفِرَ لَه (رواه أحمد)    

Whoever makes ablution properly then prays two or four

 rak‘ahs of prescribed or non prescribed prayer in which he

 bows and humbles himself properly, then asks

forgiveness , Allah will forgive him.

(Reported by Aḥmad)

  Abū Bakr r.a. heard the Messenger of Allah say:

مَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ يُذْنِبُ ذَنْبًا ، ثُمَّ يَقُومُ فَيَتَطَهَّرُ ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ ، ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرُ

اللَّهَ تَعَالَى إلَّا غَفَرَ لَهُ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ  "وَاَلَّذِينَ إذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا

 اللَّهَ" إلَى آخِرِهَا. (رواه أبو داءود والنسائي وابن ماجه والبيهقي والترمذي)

Any person who commits a sin then cleanses himself (i.e.,

makes ablution), then performs prayer then asks Allah’s

 forgiveness, Allah will forgive him. Then the Prophet

 cited the verse, “And those who, when they committed

 sin, or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah…"

till the end of the verse.[1] (Reported by Abū Dā’ūd,

 al-Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah, al-Bayhaqī and al-Tirmidhī).

6.    S.alāt al-Khusūf (صَلاَةُ الْخُسُوْفِ, Lunar Eclipse Prayer). It is strongly recommended for men and women, either privately or in congregation. It is performed in congregation by saying الصَّلاةُ جَامِعَة (al-s.alātu jāmi‘ah) instead of making the ādhān in prescribed prayer. It consists of two rak‘ahs with two bows in every rak‘ah according to the vast majority of scholars. Whereas according to the H...anafī school it is performed like the ‘īd or Jum‘ah prayer.]

7.      S.alāt al-Kusūf صَلاةُ الْكُسُوْفِ) , Solar Eclipse Prayer)  It is like any normal prayer of two rak‘ahs with bows and prostrations.

8.    S.alāt al-Tasbīh. صَلاةُ التَّسْبِيْحِ) , Tasbīh. Prayer). It is a four rak‘ah prayer, each with 75 tasbīh.s. In a long tradition the Prophet s.a.w. advised his uncle al-‘Abbās to perform this kind of prayer once everyday, every week, or every year, or even once in his lifetime. By doing it, Allah will forgive his sin, the first and the last, the old or the recent one, intentional or unintentional, minor or major, and either committed secretly or openly. Pray four rak‘ahs, in every rak‘ah recite the Fātih.ah followed by one surah. After this, say

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَ لا إِلَهَ إلَّا اللهُ وَ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ

 “Glory to Allah, praise be to Allah, and there is no god

 but Allah, and Allah is Great”

(1)           fifteen times while you are still standing

(2)           ten times while you are bowing

(3)           ten times while you are standing from bowing (إِعْتِدَال)

(4)           ten times while you are prostrating

(5)           ten times while you are sitting from the first prostration

(6)           ten time while you are prostrating for the second time

(7)           ten times while you are standing from a prostration

This makes seventy-five times in one rak‘ah. (In this four rak‘ah prayer the tasbīh. is cited three hundred times). (This h.adīth is reported by Abū Dā’ūd, Ibn Mājah and Ibn H...uzaymah).

            In conclusion, there are many types of prayers besides the obligatory five-daily prayers, so that one can perform any prayer almost any time, with the exception of the immediate sunrise and sunset, and when the sun is at its zenith (its highest point at noon in the sky).  However, the conditions before performing the prayers have to be fulfilled, such as the cleanness of body (having ablution) and place.
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[1] The continuation of the verse is as follows: "… and ask forgiveness for their sins—and none can forgive sins but Allah—and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know. For such, the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever…" (Q. 3:135-136).