Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

And when the ignorant address them, they say, 'Peace.' (25:63) Allah, the Exalted, says about the believers: When the ignorant address them with inappropriate words, they pay no attention to it. They do not engage with them. They pay them no attention whatsoever, as Allah, the Exalted, teaches us. This attitude, this approach, is the way of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It is a character trait that Allah, the Exalted, loves. If an ignorant person attacks you with words and you answer him, you give him importance. He will feel important because of it. Then he will attack you even more fiercely. As long as you keep replying, he will continue. He will provoke you. Nothing good comes from it. Nowadays, there is a modern term for this: 'polemics'. People say: "Let's not get involved in polemics." And that is the most important thing. Because nowadays, the ignorant have discovered this method for themselves everywhere. They attack everyone just to raise their own profile. They pick a fight with everyone—whether great or small, learned or ignorant—just to become famous and so that people will think they are special. And so it happens that other ignorant people suddenly consider someone who was previously completely unknown to be important and start following him. Therefore, it is best, as Allah, the Exalted, has instructed us, not to engage with the ignorant. Proclaim the truth. Whoever accepts it, accepts it, and whoever does not, that is their own affair. This means that Allah has not willed it for him. Therefore, this is a very important point. But people nowadays immediately jump at the slightest remark and think: "I'm going to answer him!" But that is wrong. That is not the way of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. One only has to recall the well-known incident from the time of our Prophet. Someone was insulting Hadrat Abu Bakr. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, stood by and smiled. Once, twice, but the third time, Hadrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, gave that man an answer. At that, the Prophet's expression darkened, his smile vanished, and he walked away. Of course, Hadrat Abu Bakr and the other Companions noticed immediately when the Prophet was displeased and when he was pleased. He immediately went after him and asked, "O Messenger of Allah, when that man was insulting me so, you were smiling." "But when I answered him, you turned away and left." The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied, "When he was insulting you, Allah had sent an angel to defend you." "But when you began to answer, the angel left and Satan came." "And I do not stay in a place where Satan is," he said. So that is how it is. One must understand this. As long as you answer the ignorant person, Satan is involved. If you remain silent, the angels will defend you. Therefore, a person must have their ego under control. One should never forget that. Every time one gets into an argument with an ignorant person and the matter escalates, Satan is right in the middle of it. May Allah protect us from their evil.

Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "Do not make your houses into graveyards." Perform voluntary prayers in them. This means: Do not let your houses be without prayer; pray at home. A house without prayer is like a graveyard. It becomes a soulless, loveless place. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) narrates that the angel Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to him. "O Muhammad (peace be upon him)." "Live as long as you wish, in the end you will die." This means: No matter how long a person may live, no one can escape death—in the end, everyone will die. Since our Prophet (peace be upon him) was also a human being, death is destined for everyone. He continues: "Love whomever you wish, in the end you will be separated from them." This means: Whomever you love, you will be separated from them by death. Sometimes people also separate during their lifetime. "Do what you wish, in the end you will bear the consequences." This means: Whether you do good or evil, it certainly has consequences. You will experience the consequences. "Know that the true honor of the believer lies in standing for the night prayer." This means: To stand for the Tahajjud prayer at night and to pray while people are sleeping—that is the true honor of the believer, the highest rank. His dignity lies in not being dependent on anyone, not submitting to anyone, being content with what Allah has given him, and not expecting anything from people. This is called Izzet-i Nefs—self-respect: to be content with what Allah has given, to expect nothing from others, to hope only from Allah—that is the true dignity of the believer. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "If someone wakes up at night and also wakes their spouse, and they perform two units of prayer together, they will be counted among the men and women who remember Allah often." This means: They belong to the group of "Dhâkirînallâhe kathîran wadh-dhâkirât"—those men and women mentioned in the noble Quran who remember Allah often. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "When one of you stands for the night prayer, he should use the Miswak." The Miswak is part of the Sunnah. For when one of you recites the Quran in prayer, an angel places his mouth on that person's mouth, and everything that comes out of his mouth passes into the angel's mouth. This means: Through the Miswak, no bad odor remains in the mouth. The angels receive what is recited and write it in the account of that person's good deeds. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) further says: "When one of you stands for the night prayer and, due to fatigue, the recited Quran becomes jumbled on his tongue and he no longer knows what he is saying, he should stop the prayer and go to sleep." This means: Sometimes, when you get up too early, this really happens—you are a bit groggy and haven't slept enough. If you sleep a little longer, about an hour, you will be fresher afterwards. For this reason, our Prophet (peace be upon him) has given this permission, so that the Quran is not mixed up. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "When one of you stands for the night prayer, he should begin his prayer with two light, short units of prayer." With these two units of prayer, a person collects themselves, the sleepiness disappears, and they become more aware of what they are doing. In the beginning, our Prophet (peace be upon him) recommends not to prolong the two units of prayer too much. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke this beautiful Hadith in the form of a rhyme: "Speak good words, spread the greeting of peace, maintain ties with your relatives, pray at night while people sleep—then you will enter Paradise in peace," says our Prophet (peace be upon him). Whoever follows this, Allah willing—whoever speaks good words, greets everyone, is good to their relatives, and prays at night—will also enter Paradise with ease and in peace. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "The most excellent time to perform the Tahajjud prayer and to make supplications is the middle of the last third of the night." This means: Getting up about an hour before the morning prayer is the best time. Afterwards, one performs the morning prayer and then either goes to work or rests. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says that the most excellent prayer after the obligatory prayers... Of course, no prayer can be equated with the obligatory prayer—the obligatory prayer is the most important. Some say: "I don't perform the obligatory prayer, but I do perform that one." Even if you perform voluntary prayers your entire life, you cannot attain the reward of a single obligatory prayer. But after the obligatory prayer, the most excellent prayer is the one performed in the last third of the night—that is, at the time of Tahajjud. The most excellent fast after Ramadan is fasting in the month of Muharram, the month of Allah, says our Prophet (peace be upon him). Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "The moment your Lord is closest to His servant is in the middle of the last third of the night." "If you are able to be among those who remember Allah at this time, then be among them." This means: The moment a person is closest to their Lord is in prostration and in these prayers—especially the time of Tahajjud in the last third of the night is the most excellent time. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "Verily, Allah has given every prophet something that he loved and desired. What I love is the enlivening of the night." Every prophet had different things that he loved and ardently desired. What our Prophet (peace be upon him) desired and loved is the enlivening of the night. "When I stand for the night prayer, no one should stand behind me for prayer." For our Prophet (peace be upon him) advises this so that he does not have to think of others and worry that they might get tired. For there were times when our Prophet prayed in such a way that he recited the Surahs Al-Baqara, Al-Imran, An-Nisa, Al-Ma'ida, and the congregation thought: "Is he going to recite the entire Quran?" This means: Our Prophet's desire is for the prayer, this night prayer. That is why he says: "They should not pray behind me at night, so that I may feel free." "Because I stand for prayer for a long time, no one should stand behind me." "Verily, Allah has given every prophet a livelihood." My livelihood is the Khums—which means one-fifth of the spoils of war. "After my death, this share belongs to the rulers who come after me, the Caliphs." This means: One-fifth of the goods captured in war belongs, after our Prophet, to the succeeding Caliphs and rulers. To the Sultans and Caliphs. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "Whoever prays with the Imam until he finishes the prayer, it will be recorded for him as if he had spent the whole night in prayer." This means: Whoever performs the prayer with the Imam and remains in the congregation until the end is like someone who has enlivened the night. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "There is an hour in the night during which—if a Muslim servant asks Allah for something good for this world and the Hereafter, and his supplication coincides with this hour—Allah will certainly grant him what he wishes." "This hour exists every night." This means: When you get up and pray during this night, make supplications and ask for what you desire. If your supplication coincides with this hour, you will, with Allah's permission, receive what you desire. Even if you do not get it immediately, the supplication is not lost—you will receive the reward for it in the Hereafter.

And thus We have made you a community of the middle path (2:143). Allah says: "And so have We made you a community of the middle path." This means not going to extremes, not taking one side or the other. Stay on the middle path. Do not be too strict. Be neither too lenient nor too harsh. He says: "Be moderate in all things." The Ahl as-Sunnah wa l-Jama'ah—that is, the people of the Tariqa and the schools of law who follow the path of our Prophet—are the very ones on this middle path. Those who are outside of them have strayed from the right path. They have turned away from the command of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). On the one hand, you see those who do not recognize anyone as a Muslim except themselves. On the other hand, you see the exact opposite, which is, however, just as extreme. Therefore, the true community is the Ahl as-Sunnah wa l-Jama'ah. It is they who follow the path of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Nowadays, however, voices arise from everywhere. In the past, people would listen to one person and not be confused. But today, people appear from all sides, wanting to instruct the people. Through the new media, from these devices, they spread all sorts of things. At their own discretion, they incite people against one another, claiming: "This is right, that is wrong; one person did this, the others did that." The people who remain on the middle path will find salvation. Otherwise, those who listen to them will, unfortunately, stray from the path. For the Fitna is everywhere. And Fitna is the work of Satan. He relentlessly tries to corrupt Islam and the Muslims. Therefore, one must not fall into extremes. Falling into extremes only causes harm. Extremism is never good. If you stay on the middle path, you benefit yourself and others, and on top of that, you find peace. In this way, you preserve your religion. For the Ahl as-Sunnah wa l-Jama'ah loves both the Ahl al-Bayt and the Sahaba. Whoever insults the Sahaba falls into an extreme. And whoever does not love the Ahl al-Bayt also falls into an extreme. To deceive people, they spread all sorts of lies and baseless claims as truth. There are even many who fabricate Hadith. Likewise, there are many who reject Hadith entirely. There are even groups that do not even recognize the Quran. They say: "The true Quran is still hidden; it will emerge later." Therefore, the path of the Tariqa is the middle path. Following this path is beneficial for every Muslim. For as the saying goes: "Whoever has no Murshid, his murshid is Satan." And this condition harms people. It is always best, for both this world and the Hereafter, to stay on the middle path. May Allah protect us. May He not leave us to our egos. Let us not fall into extremes, insha'Allah.

When narrating a Hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, it is essential to read it correctly and quote it faithfully. Since the noble Hadiths were not written down at first, they were passed on orally from one Companion to another. In this process, of course, some, such as Jews and others, put fabricated Hadiths into circulation. However, most of these fabricated Hadiths were weeded out. Nevertheless, one can occasionally come across them. But what is truly crucial here is what the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 'Whoever attributes a Hadith to me that is not from me, let him take his place in Hell.' For all the words of the Prophet are important; they show us the way. There is a Hadith on this, but since I don't remember the exact Arabic wording anymore, I will convey its meaning: Most people are deluded about two things, that is, they deceive themselves. These are youth and health. He says 'maghbun' – 'maghbun' means deceived, cheated. The Arabic that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, spoke is the most eloquent and purest Arabic. Even the Companions were sometimes astonished by the Prophet's choice of words. For the knowledge was given to the Prophet directly by Allah, which is why it was not necessary for him to know how to read and write. The knowledge was instilled in him directly. This word 'maghbun' is a very profound word that describes human self-deception, and it is difficult to grasp its full meaning. Regarding youth, people think it will last forever. They always say: "I'll do it later." They procrastinate on everything and say, 'I'll do my prayer later.' Nowadays, the situation has become even worse. In the past, people thought about getting married at 18. Today, people are 40 and still consider themselves young, almost like a child. And so they deceive themselves. Life passes by. They have neither started a family, nor raised children, nor fulfilled their duties of worship. They deceive themselves. 'Maghbun' means, in a sense, to have deceived oneself. Some people turn 50 or 60 and still consider themselves children. They still do whatever comes to their mind. And then they expect to be respected by others. But how are people supposed to respect them? The second point is health. When a person is healthy and well, they think it will always stay that way. But no, one must take care of that as well. A person should look after their health in order to fulfill their duties of worship on time. One should complete the tasks they have while they are still strong. What tomorrow will bring is uncertain. That is why the people of today have gone completely astray; there is hardly any religion, reason, or logic left. They think this state will last forever. And suddenly they realize that life has passed them by. If they are lucky, they will reach 60 or 70 – if not, their time is up sooner. That is why this life is so important. It is a gift from Allah. One should not waste it. One must not waste it under any circumstances. The devil is always coming up with something new. He seduces the youth. And so they waste their young years senselessly. And then they stand there at a loss, asking themselves: 'What just happened? What are we to do now?' So act as Allah and His Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, have taught us: Appreciate the value of your life. Do not waste it. Do not neglect your prayers while you are young and healthy. Perform the Hajj if you have the opportunity, and keep your fasts. These are the things that will remain with you. Neither youth nor health will last. May Allah grant us a blessed life. May we live in health and well-being, insha'Allah.

Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good. (16:128) Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, says: So if we want Allah to be with us, then this is the path He shows us: Fear Allah. Fear of Allah means having reverence for Him; it is the fear of having to stand before Him in shame after a bad deed. Furthermore, one should have the fear of leaving this world after a bad deed without repentance, because that would be a terrible end. So if you want Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, to be with you and help you, then fear Him. Being Allah-fearing means doing good to people. It means avoiding doing evil to them. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, loves the doer of good – referred to in the verse as 'Muhsin' – that person who helps people. The Tariqa, Islam, the Sharia – they all command this. But those who do not adhere to it follow their own minds. He says, "I am a Muslim," but torments other Muslims. He says, "I am a Muslim," but harms people. He says, "I am a Muslim," but commits all kinds of fraud. But the greatest fraud is to lead sincere Muslims astray from their path through deception, in order to make them like themselves. Therefore, being with the righteous means being with Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. Not being with them displeases Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, and thus means not being with Allah. Being with Allah means, first and foremost, honoring and respecting our Prophet – peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. It means showing respect to the Sahaba, the Ahl al-Bayt, the Awliya, and the Mashayikh – to all of them. That is the path that Allah loves and is pleased with. But those who do not follow this path only follow their own ego. They do what their ego tells them. Therefore, be vigilant. Do not be deceived. Every day we hear: 'This one cheated, that one deceived, stole money, and then fled.' But the theft of money is not the worst thing; the real danger is having one's faith stolen. So, do not let yourselves be deceived or cheated under any circumstances. Worldly possessions come and go, but when it comes to the Hereafter, there are no compromises. May Allah protect us, may He save us from their evil. Insha'Allah, may Allah make us all His beloved servants who are with Him.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “Do not prolong the prayer or the sermon.” For in the congregation behind you, there may be children, sick people, or elderly people. Be considerate of them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) recommends: “Be brief, so as not to overburden the people.” He says: “When you pray alone, you can pray as long as you wish.” However, when you pray in a congregation, you must be considerate of every individual. Thus, the Prophet (peace be upon him) teaches us to make worship manageable for the people, to make it easy for them and not to overburden them. When people come to pray today, they wish for it to be swift and not unnecessarily prolonged. Of course, there are places and times where prayers are longer; whoever wishes to can specifically choose to attend them. Otherwise, difficulties arise. For example, there are mosques where the Tarawih prayer is performed with a complete recitation of the Quran. Whoever has the necessary stamina goes there for the Tarawih prayer. But whoever does not have this strength looks for an imam who prays more swiftly, as it suits their own condition. However, if an imam prolongs the prayer without being considerate of the congregation, it can bring more sin than blessing. For our Prophet (peace be upon him) knows best about the people's capacity and condition. Since he has taught us this, we should also adhere to it, insha'Allah. May Allah enable us all to act for the good of the community, insha'Allah.

Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. (2:286) Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, does not burden man with anything that exceeds his strength. He commands nothing impossible. This means the commandments of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, are simple and can be fulfilled by everyone. Yet man exerts himself a thousand times more for his own ego than what Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, demands of him. But when it comes to fulfilling His commandments for Allah's sake, he becomes lazy. Most people then don't do it at all. And yet, Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, Himself gains no benefit from it. He has commanded it for your own good. But you push that aside, chase after the whispers of Satan and your ego, exhaust yourself, and bring yourself to ruin. Such is man. The good seems difficult to him and the bad, easy. But for man, nothing good ever comes from what is bad. Whoever follows his ego and Satan always suffers a loss. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has revealed these commandments so that man may free himself from this loss and find his way back to His path through repentance and forgiveness. He has given these commandments for the well-being of His servant, of man, and of all mankind. Whoever does not follow them then says: 'It's too hard for me; I can't manage to get up for the morning prayer.' And yet, you only have to pray as soon as you are on your feet. But even that is already too difficult for him, and he does not do it. He says: 'I can't manage to perform the prayer on time, but I'll make it up later.' But he never gets around to that either. And yet he has the audacity to ask Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, for all sorts of things: 'Give me this, give me that.' 'I don't pray, but I do Tasbihat.' Doing Tasbihat is all well and good, but it is not an obligation for you. Your obligation, on the other hand, is the prayer. You can do Tasbihat 24 hours a day, your whole life long – it will never outweigh the value of a single obligatory prayer. Therefore, the commandments that Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has imposed on us are simple, and we can fulfill them. Do not follow your ego, do not be lazy. Never give in to your ego. Even the slightest giving in leads to you missing a prayer time, and you can never get that time back. If you say, 'I'll do it later,' it will always just become another 'later.' And while you keep procrastinating, life is suddenly over. May Allah grant mankind insight. May Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, give us the strength to follow all His commandments, insha'Allah.

And We made your sleep for rest (78:9) Allah says in the noble Quran: “And We have made your sleep for rest.” It is quite natural to dream in your sleep. Most people do not remember their dreams. Some people, however, do remember them. They complain, “We have terrible dreams.” They lament, “We see jinn, we see this and that,” and ask, “What should we do?” A dream in itself has no effect. Therefore, a frightening dream also has no effect, as long as one does not tell it to anyone. But if you tell it to someone who has no knowledge of it, and that person interprets it badly—may Allah protect us from that—then that dream will usually come true in a bad way. Therefore, whether your dream is good or bad, do not tell it to anyone who is not knowledgeable about it. If you wish to tell it, then only to a person who can interpret the dream positively and correctly, so that it also leads to something good. Otherwise, you only cause yourself unnecessary sorrow. So, one should not tell everyone everything, especially when it comes to dreams. So if you have terrible dreams, you do not need to be afraid at all. By Allah's permission, nothing will happen as long as the dream is neither interpreted nor told to anyone. Or if you have such a dream, get up and recite a verse or a surah, recite the Fatiha. Then, by Allah's permission, it will cause no harm. For most people consider what they see in a dream to be real. Things like jinn or spirits that one sees, in reality, remain in the dream; by Allah's permission, they cause no harm. May Allah make your dreams turn into something good. They are also one of the mysteries through which Allah shows His servants His omnipotence. In sleep, a person can see things that would never cross their mind, completely unexpected things. A person can see the most astonishing things. All this is a sign by which Allah shows humanity His omnipotence. Sometimes one has such terrible dreams that upon waking, one is glad and says with relief, “Thank goodness it was just a dream.” One should thank Allah that it did not happen in reality but was only a dream. This too is one of the great wisdoms of Allah. His wisdoms are infinite; the human mind cannot comprehend them. Some may now research and ask, “How do dreams arise, what is going on?” Of course, there are different types of dreams. Some arise from what one experiences during the day. Then there are satanic dreams. And there are dreams through the grace of Allah. Those, in short, are the different types. May Allah turn everything for the better. May Allah protect us all from evil.

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: If you have no shame, then do as you please. "If you no longer know shame, then do what you want." When a person no longer possesses a sense of shame, they are capable of anything. Shame is a part of faith. Shame is decency. Not everything is permitted. Everything has its measure and its limits. If everyone lives just as they wish, everything will sink into chaos. Therefore, there can of course be no limitless freedom. For limitless freedom inevitably violates the freedom of others. And that also leads to chaos. Therefore, the best for mankind are the laws of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. In man-made laws, however, much originates from one's own ego and the whisperings of the devil. Laws have been enacted that promote shamelessness and indecency and even place them under protection. This is practiced in Western countries. They permit and forbid as they please. They mostly forbid what is actually good. If you try to do good or speak the truth, you are condemned for it. This is the consequence when shame is lost. Shame is the honor of mankind. It is shame that distinguishes humans from animals. Even in some animals, a kind of decency can be observed. Some of them behave almost like humans. They too show respect to their brother, their mother, and their father. They do not harm them. People today have become worse than them. They have declared every form of shamelessness and immorality permissible. And on top of that, they despise and torment those who still possess a sense of shame. Shame is the honor of a person; it is what makes a person human. May Allah never take this quality away from people. However, when a person finds Islam, they attain—praise be to Allah—the highest levels in this world and the Hereafter, for Islam unites every form of beauty within itself. Faith is the highest rank. It is the most sublime quality. It is the greatest grace of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. Whoever possesses this grace has attained all beauty. May Allah grant them all faith and guide them, insha'Allah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Perform prayers abundantly in your homes, so that the blessings therein may increase.' This, of course, refers in particular to the Sunnah prayers that one performs at home. Although the obligatory prayers in congregation are more meritorious in the mosque, performing the Sunnah and voluntary prayers at home is a source of blessing. Through this, the blessing in the house is increased. 'Greet everyone from my Ummah whom you meet, so that your reward may increase.' This means, greet one another to be rewarded for it. The more often one greets, the greater one's own reward also becomes. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Give your homes value by performing a portion of your prayers in them.' This means that a house in which prayers are not performed has no true value. The true value of a house comes from prayer. Therefore, perform your voluntary prayers at home. Prayers like Tahajjud, Duha, and Awwabin are particularly blessed when performed at home, and they bring blessings into the house. Give your homes value and do not turn them into graveyards. For a house in which prayers are not performed is like a graveyard, where prayers are also not offered. It is a place without soul and without blessing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'The voluntary prayer that someone performs at home is a light.' 'So illuminate your homes with it,' said the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This means that prayer brings light into the house. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Perform your voluntary prayers at home to increase the light in your homes.' 'The virtue of a voluntary prayer performed at home over one performed in front of others is like the virtue of the congregational prayer over the prayer of an individual.' This means: The value of the voluntary prayer at home is as much greater than that of public prayer as the value of the congregational prayer exceeds that of individual prayer. So, just as the obligatory prayer in the mosque is more meritorious, the voluntary prayer at home is also particularly meritorious. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'O people, perform your prayers in your homes.' 'Verily, the most meritorious prayer after the obligatory prayers is that which a person performs in his house.' Here too, the same point is emphasized again. So, performing the voluntary prayer at home... For the obligatory prayer in the mosque already brings a reward 25 to 27 times greater. But performing the voluntary prayer at home is all the more recommended and rewarding. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Perform voluntary prayers in your homes and do not turn them into graveyards.' Prayers are not offered in a graveyard. Therefore, a house in which prayers are not performed is like a graveyard. It is soulless and without blessing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Perform prayers in your homes and do not neglect the voluntary prayers there.' By voluntary prayers, every kind of additional worship is meant: the night prayer, the prayers during the day, the prayer after ritual ablution – all these are voluntary prayers. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Perform voluntary prayers in your homes and do not turn them into graveyards.' So once again: If prayers are not performed in your homes, they resemble graves. 'Do not make my grave a place of festival.' Visit the noble grave of the Prophet with reverence. It should not be like a festival site with noise and music. At this place, special reverence is required. One should visit it with humility. One stands before it and makes one's supplications. Whoever can, stands still; whoever cannot, says the greeting of peace and blessings while passing by. One should not settle down there as if it were a festival ground or a fair. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says: 'Do not do that.' This place commands special reverence. It must be visited with decorum. 'Send blessings upon me.' There, while passing by, one says the greeting of peace and blessings. When one stands before the Prophet, one says the greeting of peace and blessings there. 'Wherever you are, your blessing will reach me.' No matter where in the world you say it, whether on a mountaintop or at the bottom of a well. As soon as one says the greeting of peace and blessings, it reaches the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said: 'The voluntary prayer that someone performs in secret is equivalent to twenty-five prayers performed in the sight of people.' That is to say, that is how meritorious it is. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'The prayer that one of you performs in his house, apart from the obligatory prayers, is better than his prayer in this mosque of mine.' Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said: 'The virtue of the voluntary prayer performed at home over the one performed in public is like the virtue of the obligatory prayer over the voluntary prayer.' This means, that is how high its status is. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'The obligatory prayer belongs in the mosque and the voluntary prayer at home.' 'Perform the two Rak'ahs of the voluntary prayer, that is, the Sunnah after the evening prayer, in your homes.' When voluntary prayers are mentioned, most people know that a distinction is made between the emphasized Sunnah (Sunnah mu'akkadah) and the other voluntary prayers. The other voluntary prayers are performed at home. The Sunnah prayers, on the other hand, are performed in the mosque. Because one might say to oneself, 'I'll skip this and pray it at home,' but then one forgets or something comes up. So what we refer to here as 'voluntary prayers' are those that come after the emphasized Sunnah (Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah) in rank. The Duha prayer, the prayer after ablution, the Ishraq prayer, the night prayers – all of these are such voluntary prayers. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Illuminate and adorn your homes with prayer and Quran recitation.' The adornment of houses is prayer and Quran recitation.