Sunnah is as Important as Fard

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum wa RaḥmatuLlāhi wa Barakātuh. A‘ūdhu BiLlāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. BismiLlāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm. Wa ṣ-Salātu wa s-Salāmu ‘alá Rasūlinā Muḥammadin Sayyidi l-Awwalīna wa l-Akhirīn. Madad yā RasūlAllāh, Madad yā Sādāti Aṣḥābi RasūliLlāh, Madad yā Mashāyikhinā, Dastūr Mawlana Sheikh Abdullāh al-Fā’iz ad-Dāghistāni, Sheikh Muḥammad Nāẓim al- Ḥaqqānī. Madad. Ṭarīqatunā aṣ-Suḥbah wa l-Khayru fi l-Jam‘iyyah.

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm:

“Ĥāfižū `Alá Aş-Şalawāti Wa Aş-ŞalāatiAl-Wusţá Wa Qūmū Lillāh Qānitīn”, “Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient.” (Qur’an 02:238). Ṣadaqa Llāhu l-‘Aẓīm. Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla commands us to safeguard our prayers, declaring, “Prayer is the pillar of the religion.” This is a command from Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla. Without prayer, a person’s life becomes empty. Prayer is the pillar of the religion; one cannot do without it.

Naturally, the obligatory prayers (Fard) are the most important of prayer. However, the Sunnah prayers are equally significant. Nowadays, some people say, “The Sunnah prayers aren’t necessary; you can pray them or not pray them.” Of course, there is a penalty for not performing the obligatory prayer. There is no punishment for omitting the Sunnah, but there is a consequence: you become someone whom our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam doesn’t favor. You fail to follow his path. It is not a punishment, but you are told, “You did not do the right thing. You didn't do well at all.” You are reproached with words like, “You did not act rightly at all; you abandoned these Sunnah prayers.” In short, it is viewed unfavorably.

That is why the Sunnah prayers are important. Unfortunately, some figures in positions of authority now say, “Just perform the two rak’ahs of the Friday prayer and leave; there is no need for all those Sunnah prayers.” There are also groups elsewhere who perform no Sunnah prayers at all. They have no reverence or regard for our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam to begin with; they just perform the obligatory prayer and leave. It seems some of our people here are gradually trying to adopt this practice as well. They say, “There is no need for Sunnah. You don’t need to perform Sunnah prayers; once you have performed the obligatory prayer, the obligation is lifted from you.” It is true that the obligation is lifted, but you deprive yourself of great things—of rewards and blessings. You might also find yourself deprived of the intercession of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu

‘alayhi wa-sallam. The Sunnah holds such immense reward and benefit that, if people truly knew, they would not neglect even the slightest Sunnah.

At the very least, if they simply form the intention to perform the Sunnah, they will derive benefit from it; they will benefit even for those they were unable to perform, thanks to that intention. However, a person who abandons the Sunnah, deeming it unnecessary or superfluous, deprives themselves of a vast treasure. These are treasures— treasures for the Hereafter, things that last forever. The prayers and deeds you perform here will accompany you to the Hereafter; nothing else will go with you.

Therefore, it is best for a person to avoid missing them as much as possible. Of course, one might sometimes miss the prayer. While one must make up for missed obligatory prayers as qada’, there is no make up for the Sunnah prayers. One must know this also. Suppose you miss the Dhuhr prayer and later in the evening perform it as a make-up prayer; you cannot perform its Sunnah—neither the Sunnah preceding the obligatory prayer nor the one following it. Thus, one must be mindful of this; these prayers should not be missed, for there is no way to make them up later. May Allāh ﷻ grant people mind and understanding so that they may appreciate these precious practices and recognize their true value. May Allāh ﷻ help us all, in shā’a Llāh.

Wa min Allāhi t-Tawfīq. Al-Fātiḥa.

Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani 07 October 2026/ 26 Rabih Al-Akhir 1448 Fajr Prayer – Akbaba Dergah, Istanbul