Is it obligatory to distribute the twelve rak'ahs—for which a servant is granted a house in Paradise—as mentioned in the Sunnah, or is it permissible to distribute them in another way according to one's capacity? Is it permissible to pray four rak'ahs before and after Dhuhr, and four before Asr? Do these prayers suffice for تحية المسجد (greeting the mosque), or are both the greeting and the Sunnah obligatory? And is there any contradiction of the Prophet's Sunnah in this?
The encouragement to perform twelve rak'ahs of prayer—four before Dhuhr and two after it, two after Maghrib, two after Isha, and two before Fajr—has been reported. Whoever performs them is promised a house in Paradise, and this is the most cautious approach to certainly attain the reward.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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