The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ أَحْيَا سُنَّةً مِنْ سُنَّتِي فَعُمِلَ بِهَا بَعْدِي كَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ مِثْلُ أُجُورِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا
“Whoever revives a Sunnah of mine and it is practiced after me, he will have a reward like those who act upon it.”
[Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2677 | Ḥasan]
Forgotten Sunnahs to Revive
1. Ṣalāt Taḥiyyat al-Masjid
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا دَخَلَ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَجْلِسَ
“If anyone of you enters a mosque, he should pray two rak`at before sitting.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 444 ]
Do not sit immediately. Pray two rakʿahs first.
2. Duʿāʾ When Going to the Masjid
The Prophet ﷺ said:
اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورًا وَفِي بَصَرِي نُورًا وَفِي سَمْعِي نُورًا وَعَنْ يَمِينِي نُورًا وَعَنْ يَسَارِي نُورًا وَفَوْقِي نُورًا وَتَحْتِي نُورًا وَأَمَامِي نُورًا وَخَلْفِي نُورًا وَعَظِّمْ لِي نُورًا
“O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my sight, light in my hearing, light on my right hand, light on my left hand, light above me, light below me, light in front of me, light behind me, and enhance light for me.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 763]
3. Sending Ṣalāh Upon the Prophet ﷺ When Entering Masjid
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا دَخَلَ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَلْيُسَلِّمْ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ لْيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ فَإِذَا خَرَجَ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ
“When any of you enters the mosque he should invoke blessing on the prophet (ﷺ) and then he should say: O Allah, open to me the gates of thy mercy. And when he goes out, he should say: O Allah, I ask thee out of Thine abundance.”
[Sunan Abī Dāwūd 465 | Ṣaḥīḥ]
4. Praying Sunnah Prayers at Home
The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَا زَالَ بِكُمْ صَنِيعُكُمْ حَتَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ سَيُكْتَبُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالصَّلاَةِ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ صَلاَةِ الْمَرْءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ إِلاَّ الصَّلاَةَ الْمَكْتُوبَةَ
“By what you have been constantly doing, I was inclined to think that it (prayer) might not become obligatory for you. So you must observe prayer (optional) in your houses, for the prayer observed by a man in the house is better except an obligatory prayer.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 781]
Do not make your home empty of prayer.
5. Using the Siwāk Regularly
The Prophet ﷺ said:
لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي ـ أَوْ عَلَى النَّاسِ ـ لأَمَرْتُهُمْ بِالسِّوَاكِ مَعَ كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ
“If I had not found it hard for my followers or the people, I would have ordered them to clean their teeth with Siwak for every prayer.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 887 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 252]
Best times:
Before ṣalāh
After waking up
Before Qur’an recitation
6. Licking Fingers After Eating
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَحْضُرُ أَحَدَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مِنْ شَأْنِهِ حَتَّى يَحْضُرَهُ عِنْدَ طَعَامِهِ فَإِذَا سَقَطَتْ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمُ اللُّقْمَةُ فَلْيُمِطْ مَا كَانَ بِهَا مِنْ أَذًى ثُمَّ لْيَأْكُلْهَا وَلاَ يَدَعْهَا لِلشَّيْطَانِ فَإِذَا فَرَغَ فَلْيَلْعَقْ أَصَابِعَهُ فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَدْرِي فِي أَىِّ طَعَامِهِ تَكُونُ الْبَرَكَةُ
“The Satan is present with any one of you in everything he does; he is present even when he eats food; so if any one of you drops a mouthful he should remove away anything filthy on it and eat it and not leave for the devil; and when he finishes (food) he should lick his fingers, for he does not know in what portion of his food the blessing lies.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2033]
Do not waste food.
7. Dusting the Bed Before Sleeping
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا أَوَى أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ فَلْيَنْفُضْ فِرَاشَهُ بِدَاخِلَةِ إِزَارِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَدْرِي مَا خَلَفَهُ عَلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ بِاسْمِكَ رَبِّ وَضَعْتُ جَنْبِي، وَبِكَ أَرْفَعُهُ، إِنْ أَمْسَكْتَ نَفْسِي فَارْحَمْهَا، وَإِنْ أَرْسَلْتَهَا فَاحْفَظْهَا بِمَا تَحْفَظُ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِينَ
“When anyone of you go to bed, he should shake out his bed with the inside of his waist sheet, for he does not know what has come on to it after him, and then he should say: 'Bismika Rabbi Wada`tu Janbi wa bika arfa'uhu, In amsakta nafsi farhamha wa in arsaltaha fahfazha bima tahfazu bihi ibadakas-salihin.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6320 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2714]
8. Making Wuḍūʾ Before Sleep
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا أَتَيْتَ مَضْجَعَكَ فَتَوَضَّأْ وُضُوءَكَ لِلصَّلاَةِ
“Whenever you go to bed perform ablution like that for the prayer.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 247]
Sunnahs are small but powerful.
Reviving them brings daily reward.
Start with a few and stay consistent.
