[Q 475] Leaving Imam’s Dua to Perform Sunnah

QUESTION:

Salaam, respected scholar!
I have read that delaying Sunnah prayers after the Fardh is considered Makruh (disliked).
If the imam makes a prolonged Dua after the Fardh prayer, would it be acceptable to leave the Dua in order to perform the Sunnah?

ANSWER:

Making dua (supplication) after the Fardh prayers is Mustahab (commendable), and the common practice in mosques is that the congregation makes dua with the Imam and then begins their remaining prayers. Therefore, the Imam should also ensure not to prolong the dua so much that it becomes difficult for the followers, as doing so is not preferable.

However, if the Imam does make the dua long, the follower (muqtadi) should remain with the Imam and join in the dua, rather than leaving it to begin the Sunnah prayers — this is better and in keeping with Husn-e-Adab (good manners). But if someone stands up to perform the Sunnah, then there is no Shar‘i (legal) harm in doing so.

Delaying the Sunnah prayers after the Fardh without a valid reason — such as engaging in conversation or other worldly tasks — is Makruh (disliked) and reduces the reward of the Sunnah. However, engaging in dua, zikr, and other acts of worship does not diminish the reward, although it is still better not to delay too long.

Imam Ahl-e-Sunnat رحمہ الله تعالی states:
“It is Sunnah for the Imam to turn away from the Qiblah after giving Salaam, and it is unanimously Makruh for him to remain facing the Qiblah after Salaam. This ruling applies to all prayers, including Jumu‘ah. After Salaam, making dua and supplication is unanimously permissible, but for those prayers after which Sunnah prayers follow — such as Zuhr, Jumu‘ah, Maghrib, and ‘Isha — it is not preferable to make the dua very lengthy. If he does so, it is not prohibited, but it should not be so long that it burdens the congregation.
The common Muslim practice is that when the Imam finishes Salaam, the followers remain seated and participate in the dua until the Imam completes it, and they do not rise before that. Although this is not wajib (obligatory) in Shari‘ah, it is from Husn-e-Adab (good etiquette).”

(Fatawa Razawiyyah, Vol. 8)

In Durr-e-Mukhtar and other Fiqh books it is stated:

“(ولو تكلم بين السنة والفرض لا يسقطها ولكن ينقص ثوابها)”

Translation: “If a person talks between the Sunnah and Fardh prayers, the Sunnah will not be invalidated, but its reward will be diminished.”

(Durr-e-Mukhtar, Sharh Tanweer al-Absar, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Witr wa al-Nawafil, p. 92, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut)

In Fatawa Amjadiyyah it is mentioned:
“Talking between the Sunnah and Fardh reduces the reward. Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud رضي الله تعالى عنه once saw a man speaking after the Sunnah of Fajr and said to him: ‘Either remember Allah, or remain silent.’”

(Fatawa Amjadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 71, Maktaba Razawiyyah, Karachi)

Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 19th October 2025