Hazrat Umm Habibah (RA) narrates that Nabi r said, 'Whoever performs 12 Rakats of Salah in the day excluding the Fardh Salah, Allah will build a house in Jannah for him or a house in Jannah will be built for him.' (Sahih Muslim)
Some of the narrators of the chain of this Hadith in Sahih Muslim have said: 'I have continued performing these (12 Rakats) since I heard it (from my teacher).' This means these Sunnat Salah were never missed by the narrator the time he heard its virtue.
These 12 Rakats are Sunnat Muakkadah (emphasised Sunnah) and have been specified in the narration of Tirmizi Shareef as follows:
4 Rakats before Zuhr,
2 Rakats after Zuhr,
2 Rakats after Maghrib
2 Rakats after Esha and,
2 Rakats before Fajr, (Sunan Tirmizi)
It is imperative that we perform these Sunnat Salah together with our Fardh Salah. Unfortunately, people tend to neglect these important Sunnat Salah by citing a lack of time, busy schedule or merely regarding them as 'not compulsory'. Surely we can spare a few minutes for the tremendous reward that has been promised for performing these Sunnat Salah.
May Allah Ta'ala make us all punctual and regular on our Salah and grant us the success and glad tidings thereof.
