Voluntary Prayers
6-7-2000 | IslamWeb
Question:
WHAT DOES AL-NAWAFIL MEANS AND WHAT IS IT?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
An-Nawaafil (supererogatory) acts are voluntary acts done by Muslims, in addition to those which are obligatory. An-Nawaafil and At-Tatawwu’ have the same meaning. It is reported on the authority of Talha ibn 'Ubaydullah that a person with disheveled hair, one of the people of Najd, came to the Messenger of Allah. We heard the humming of his voice but could not fully discern what he had been saying, till he came right to the Messenger of Allah . It was then (disclosed to us) that he was asking questions pertaining to Islam. The Prophet said: “Five prayers during the day and the night. (Upon this he said: Am I obliged to pray any other (prayer) besides these? He (the Prophet) said: “No, but whatever you observe voluntarily, out of your own free will; and the fasts of Ramadan. The inquirer said: “Am I obliged to do anything else besides this? He (the Prophet) said: No, but whatever you do out of your own free will. The Prophet told him about the Zakah. The inquirer said: “Am I obliged to pay anything else besides this? He (the Prophet) said: “No, but whatever you pay voluntarily out of your own free will. The man turned back and was saying: I would neither make any addition to this, nor will decrease anything out of it.” Thereupon, the Prophet remarked: He is successful, if he is true to what he affirms.”
The Prophet explained in this Hadeeth that the acts other than obligatory acts are called supererogatory acts. Allah establishes the voluntary prayers and urges Muslims to practice them to make up for any deficiencies left in the performance of obligatory prayers.
It is narrated in a sound Hadeeth that Allah will say to the angels: “See if My servant has any supererogatory prayers. Then, if he has any supererogatory prayers, Allah would say: “Make up the deficiency in My servants obligatory prayer with his supererogatory prayers”.
No doubt, the person who performs supererogatory prayers after fulfilling the obligatory prayers is better than the person who performs the obligatory prayers only. Imam Al-Bukhari narrated in a Qudsi Hadeeth, that Allah Says: “My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawaafil, till I love him, then I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him (i.e. give him My Refuge).”
Allah knows best.