Sunnah of Fajr: Better Than the World and All It Contains

Better than this world and everything in it. That is how the Prophet ﷺ described two short rak’ahs that take only a few minutes before Fajr. Here is the hadith on the sunnah of Fajr, how he prayed these two rak’ahs, and simple ways to keep them.

The hadith

Context

Both narrations come from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who saw the Prophet’s ﷺ prayers at home. They are about the two voluntary rak’ahs before the obligatory Fajr prayer, known in Malaysia as qobliyah subuh.

He prayed them after hearing the adhan for Fajr and kept them short (Sahih Muslim 724a), in the time between the adhan and the iqamah, and he never missed them (Sahih al-Bukhari 1159).

How the Prophet ﷺ prayed the sunnah of Fajr

What he recited in them is covered in our article on Surah Al-Kafirun and Al-Ikhlas for Subuh Qobliyah prayer (Sahih Muslim 726).

This describes his practice at home. Whether and how to follow it today is a fiqh question, so ask a qualified local scholar.

What it means

Reflection: Everything we chase in this world, our jobs, our homes, our savings, the Prophet ﷺ placed below two rak’ahs that take less than five minutes. And he kept them light but never let them go. What he showed us here is consistency, not length.

Personally, I try to pray the qobliyah subuh as consistently as I can, but I still miss it from time to time. It shows I’m still weak in this area, and I hope that going forward I pray it far more often than I miss it.

A weak narration to be aware of

You may hear the saying “Do not leave them even if you are chased by horses.” It is in Sunan Abi Dawud 1258, but al-Albani graded it Da’if (weak), so we don’t rely on it. The authentic hadiths above already show how much these two rak’ahs mattered to the Prophet ﷺ.

How to practise the sunnah of Fajr

• Pray two light rak’ahs after the Fajr adhan and before the iqamah.
• Recite Al-Kafirun and Al-Ikhlas in them, as in Sahih Muslim 726.
• Keep them short, as the Prophet ﷺ did; the reward isn’t tied to length.
• If you go to the mosque for Fajr, leave a few minutes earlier so there is time for these two rak’ahs.
• Aim for consistency over perfection: if you miss a day, start again the next morning.

Key lessons

• The two rak’ahs before Fajr are better than the world and all it contains.
• The Prophet ﷺ was more regular in them than in any other voluntary prayer.
• He kept them light, and prayed them between the adhan and iqamah.
• The “even if chased by horses” narration is weak; the authentic hadiths are enough.

Questions people ask

Tomorrow morning, before Fajr, give these two rak’ahs a few quiet minutes. That’s all it takes.

Save this to Pinterest so you remember why these two rak’ahs are worth getting up for.