Islamic World

All praise be to Allah the Almighty. None has the right to be worshiped except Allah alone, and peace be upon his Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.), his family, wives, relatives, and companions.

Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) is the greatest benefactor of humanity and a source of guidance for all mankind. Undoubtedly, sending of the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) is the biggest blessing Allah bestowed upon man. It was Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) who brought people from darkness to light through his teaching.

The best way to express love for the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) is to send peace and blessings upon him. Loving him, following/obeying him, and sending peace & blessing upon him is an essential part of the faith (iman) of every Muslim.

Allah says in the Al-Quran:

“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.” (Surah Al-Ahzab: 33:56)

"Whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty." (Surah Al-Hashr: 59:7)

Narrated by Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said,

" Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me." (Sahih al-Bukhari 7137)

The Prophet (S.A.W.) is a role model for all mankind till the day of judgment. Believers look at his Sunnahs and learn how to implement the teachings of the Prophet (S.A.W.) in their lives.

Reviving or following the Prophet’s sunnah is a great blessing of Allah. As Narrated by Anas bin Malik,

"The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W) said to me: 'Whoever revives my Sunnah then he has loved me. And whoever loved me, he shall be with me in Paradise.'" (Tirmidhi: 2678)

In this article, we will try to cover the Prophet’s (S.A.W.) authentic Sunnahs which are easy to follow as these activities are already part of our daily life i-e (Sunnahs for waking up, ablution, etc.) By reviving and following thessunnahhs, we will be loved by Allah, fulfill our religious duties, preserve ourselves from committing heresies in religion, and achieve religious rituals.

🌑Going to Sleep:

1. Sleep after Isha's prayer.

2. Apply Kuhl (Surma) thrice in each eye.

3. Recite 'Bismillah' (mention Allah’s name), close the door of the room/house, cover the utensils, put out the lights/ extinguish any lamps and cover your food and drinks.

4. Sleep in the state of Wudhu (Ablution).

5. Whenever a person going to bed for sleep, he should dust it off thrice with the edge of a cloth and say this dua:

6. Recite Ayat-ul-Kursi (2:255) before sleeping.

7. Lie down on your right side, put your hand under the cheek, and say this dua:

Hadith References:

[Bukhari: 568, 5010, 5623, 6293, 6294, 6295, 6296, 6311, 6314, 7393]
[Thirmidhi: 2048]
[An-Nasai: 259]

🌑
Waking up from Sleep:

1. Sit and rub the traces of sleep off face with hands.

2. Say this dua on waking up:

3. Whenever the Prophet (S.A.W.) woke up, even at night, he used the Siwak (Miswak, small branch of a tree) to brush his teeth.

4. Washing the face and hands when waking from sleep.

5. Perform Ablution: The Prophet (S.A.W.) said:

“If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs the ablution, he should wash his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out thrice, because Satan has stayed in the upper part of his nose all the night.” (Bukhari: 3295)

Hadith References:

[Bukhari: 183, 7394, 245, 3295]
[Muslim: 304]

🌑Entering and Coming out from the Bathroom/Toilet:

1. Make sure that there is complete privacy whilst relieving one's self.

2. Habib bin Saleh (R.A.) has reported that when the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) entered the toilet, he would put on his shoes and cover his head.

3. Etiquette demands that a ring or a book with Allah’s Name inscribed or written in it must not be taken inside the lavatory.

4. Enter the toilet with your left foot.

5. Say this dua before entering the toilet:

6. When uncovering the body, the more one can lower his body the better. The cloth should be lifted away from one’s private parts when the person squatting to relieve himself is near the ground.

7. Whilst relieving, one should neither face the Qiblah nor have his back towards it.

8. Urinate sitting down. Do not urinate standing.

9. Whilst urinating or during cleansing (istinjaa), do not touch the private parts with the right hand. Use the left hand.

10. Safeguard yourself from the drops/splash/sprinkling of urine.

11. Cleansing private parts, after relieving, with water.

12. Exiting the toilet with right foot.

13. Say this dua coming out of toilet:

Hadith References:

[Abu Dawud: 2, 30]
[Muslim: 265]
[Ibn Majah: 303, 307]
[Bukhari: 153, 216, 217, 6322]
[Tirmidhi: 14]

🌑Performing Wudu (Ablution):

1. Mentioning the Name of Allah (Bismillah) before beginning wudu.

2. Washing the hands thrice.

3. Using a tooth stick (Miswak, Siwak) before rinsing one’s mouth.

4. Rinse the mouth.

5. Wash your nose three times with water by putting water in it and blowing it out.

6. Wash the face thrice.

7. Running one’s wet finger through the beard upon washing the face.

8. Wash forearms up to the elbows thrice. (washing the right limb before the left)

9. Wiping over one’s head. This is performed as follows: passing one’s wet hands over the head from front to back and so forth.

10. Wash the right foot up to the ankle three times, then the left one likewise.

11. Running wet fingers between the fingers and toes.

12. After performing complete ablution, recite the following dua/supplication:

13. Performing ablution in one’s house.

14. Passing one’s hand over the limb while or after washing.

15. Using little amount of water for ablution.

16. Washing each part properly/perfectly (Perfecting the ablution).

Hadith References:

[Bukhari: 186, 159, 3574]
[Muslim: 234(a), 666]
[Ibn Majah: 430]
[Tirmidhi: 25]

🌑Wearing Clothes:

1. Say Bislmillah (recommended in all actions).

2. Recite the following dua/supplication:

3. Start by the right side upon wearing clothes.

4. Upon taking off the clothes, start with the left side and then the right.

Hadith References:

[Abu Dawoud: 4023 and 4141]

🌑Wearing Shoes:

If you want to wear your shoes, start with the right foot, and if you're going to take them off, start with the left.

Hadith References:

[Bukhari: 168]

🌑Going out and coming back home:

1. Glorify and Exalt Allah while entering the house.

[There are no specific words or aya mentioned in the Hadith to Glorify Allah, therefore according to Ualama (scholars), any words such as ‘Subhanallah’, ‘Alhamdulillah’, ‘Allah-U-Akbar’, reciting Surah AL-Fatiha, Surah Al-Ikhlas or any other related words/ verses which are meant to glorify Allah can be read/recite by a person entering his house.]

2. Recite the following dua/supplication while entering home:

3. Using Sewak/Miswak: The Prophet (S.A.W.) used Sewak while taking his first steps into home.

4. Salutation/Say Salam: Allah says in Al-Quran:

“So when you enter houses, salute one another (Literally: salute yourselves) with a greeting from the Providence of Allah, blessed and good”. (Surah An Noor 24:61)

or recite this Second Dua

Hadith References:

[Muslim: 2018 (a)]
[Abu Dawoud: 51, 5094, 5095, 5096]
[Tirmidhi: 3426]

🌑Entering and Exiting the Mosque:

1. Going early for the Prayers and praying in the first row.

2. Walking to the Mosque with calmness and solemnity.

3. Going to the masjid on foot and shortening your steps swiftly to get more merits out of the number of steps towards the masjid.

4. Entering the Masjid/Mosque with the right leg/foot.

5. The Dua (supplication) upon entering the Mosque/Masjid: First, while entering the mosque, one should send peace upon the Prophet (S.A.W.)

Then say this dua:

Or say this Dua:

6. The Dua (supplication) on exiting/coming out of Mosque/Masjid: First, while departing from the mosque, one should send peace upon the Prophet (S.A.W.)

Then say this dua:

7. Exiting the mosque with the left leg/foot.

Hadith References:

[An-Nasai: 541, 730]
[Abu Dawoud: 465, 466]
[Bukhari: 636]
[Muslim: 251 (a)]
[Ibn Majah: 771, 772 & 773]

🌑Sunnahs of Athan (Call for Prayer):

1. The hearer should repeat after the Muadhdhin (The one who calls for prayer) all words except when the Muadhdhin says: (Hayyah Ala As-Sala – i.e. ) and (Hayyah Ala Al-Falah – i.e. hasten to the salvation), the hearer should say (La Hawla Wala Quwata Ella Bell- lah – i.e. there is no might and no power except by Allah).

2. After the Muadhdhin finishes the Athan (The call for prayer), one should say this dua

Hadith References:

[Muslim: 385]
[Bukhari: 611, 614]

🌑When meeting People:

1. Give Salam/Tasleem (Salutation/Greet) As-Salamu Alaykum

2. Lengthen the greeting/Salam “As-salaam Alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh (peace and mercy and blessings of Allah upon you)”

3. Smiling / Meeting fellow brother(s) with a cheerful face.

4. Shake hands off each other.

Hadith References:

[Muslim: 2626]
[Bukhari: 12, 28]
[Tirmidhi: 2689]
[Abu Dawoud: 5212]

🌑When Eating:

1. Mentioning Allah’s name “Bismillah”. If one forgets to say, Bismillah, in the beginning, then one should say “Bismillahi Fi Awwalahi Wa Akhirihi”

2. Eat with your right hand.

3. Eat that nearest to you.

4. If a piece of food falls on the floor, then the person eating should remove any dirt that gets onto it and eat it; he should not leave it for Satan/Shaytaan.

5. Eat the meal using three fingers.

6. Eat together and do not eat separately.

7. Never blew onto the food or drink.

8. After finishing the meal, lick the dish and the fingers.

9. Praising Allah after eating and say this dua

Hadith References:

[Muslim: 2032, 2034]
[Ibn Majah: 3287, 3288]
[Tirmidhi: 1857, 1858, 3458]

🌑Sunnahs of Drinking:

1. Mention Allah’s name (Say Bismillah). Do not drink directly from a water pitcher.

2. Drink (water or any other liquid) with the right hand.

3. Sit down and drink (water or any other liquid) as Prophet (S.A.W.) forbade drinking whilst standing.

4. Drink water while taking three breathing pauses (two or three sips/gulps)

5. While drinking, do not blow or exhale your breath into the glass.

6. Praise Allah {Say"Alhamdulillah" ([All] praise is [due] to Allah)} after drinking.

Hadith References:

[Muslim: 2020, 2024, 2025, 267(c)]
[Bukhari: 5628, 5630, 5631]
[Tirmidhi: 1885]

Above mentioned are some important Sunnahs that every Muslim should know. Try to follow these Sunnahs of Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) in your daily life routine so that you can get benefits from them and live a healthy, happy, and peaceful life.

There are so many other Prophet’s sunnhas that have not been mentioned in this article. However, we should consider this sunnah as a starting point, and Inshallah (by Allah’s Will), we will learn more and more sunnah.

May Allah bless all Muslims with strong Faith, Purity of heart, good manners, good deeds, and understanding of the true meaning of all teaching of the Quran and Hadiths.