Bughyat al-Mutatawwi fi Salat al-Tatawwu
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- Dār al-Hijrah lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
Bughyat al-Mutatawwi fi Salat al-Tatawwu (The Desire of the Volunteer Regarding Voluntary Prayer) is a legal treatise on supererogatory and non-obligatory prayers by the contemporary Saudi scholar Muhammad ibn Umar Bazmul, completed in 1413 AH (1993 CE).
Background and Purpose
Bazmul noted in his introduction that supererogatory prayers constitute an essential part of the prophetic model, yet deriving their precise descriptions and legal rulings from hadith compendia and their commentaries requires considerable time and effort. He aimed to gather authentic narrations on the subject into a single reference, accompanied by concise commentary on the legal import (fiqh) of each report, while avoiding unnecessary elaboration. The author concluded the manuscript in Mecca on 22 Ramadan 1413 AH.
In establishing the scope of the work, Bazmul defines voluntary prayer (salat al-tatawwu') linguistically and legally as any lawful prayer beyond the five daily prescribed obligations, whether recommended or tied to specific secondary obligations.
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into thematic chapters and subsections addressing various categories of non-obligatory prayers and their associated rulings:
- Introductory Principles: The definition of tatawwu', its categories, and its spiritual virtues.
- Regular Sunnah Prayers (al-Sunan al-rawatib): Their individual merits, descriptions, and rulings, detailing the regular prayers attached to Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha.
- The Night Prayer and Witr (Salat al-layl wa-l-witr): Their legal status, merits, starting and ending times, number of rak'ahs, recitation patterns, the supplication of qunut (its ruling, place, and wording), making up missed Witr due to sleep or forgetfulness, praying the night prayer in congregation during Ramadan, and the prohibition of performing two Witr prayers in a single night.
- Miscellaneous Prayers: Discrete voluntary prayers, including the post-sunrise (Ishraq), mid-morning (Duha), post-meridian (Zawal), entering and leaving home, two rak'ahs following ritual ablution, the greeting of the mosque (Tahiyyat al-masjid), the prayer between the call to prayer and its establishment, repentance (Tawbah), the Friday Sunnah, the prayer of glorification (Tasbih), returning from travel, consultation (Istikharah), solar and lunar eclipses (Kusuf and Khusuf), the two Eid prayers, the prayer for rain (Istisqa), the funeral prayer (Janazah), the two rak'ahs of circumambulation (Tawaf), and prayer in Masjid Quba.
- General Rulings and Legal Issues: Juristic questions surrounding voluntary prayers, including the preference for performing them at home, consistency in small deeds, praying while seated, praying during travel, joining voluntary prayers immediately with obligatory ones, praying on a riding mount, congregation in voluntary prayers, making up missed regular Sunnah prayers alongside missed obligations, and the virtue of prolonged recitation.
- Appendix on Innovations: A dedicated appendix treating unlawful ritual innovations (bida') associated with voluntary prayers, followed by a bibliography and analytical table of contents.
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