Chapter on Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu'Alayhi Wasallam Performing Nawaafil at Home

It is better to perform the nawaafil in the home. It has been mentioned in many narrations that Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam exhorted one to perform these at home and did so himself. Many benefits are derived from this devotion. Among these are that barakah of salaah the home becomes fulled with barakah and nur. The memebers of the household will learn the salaah, and will gain the courage to perform these. Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam had commanded in a few ahaadith that "perform part of the prayers in the home. Do not make it a cemetery".i.e. Do not make the house like a cemetery where salaah is not performed, or like the dead who do not perform the prayer. Do not make the house in this manner a resemblance of a graveyard. The author has mentioned only one hadith in this chapter.

(280)  Hadith Number 1

'Abdullah bin sa'd Radiyallahu 'Anhu says: "I enquired from Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam, is it more meritorious to perform nafil salaah in the home or in the masjid? Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Aayhi Wasallam replied: 'Do you observe that my house is so near the masjid (which does not make it difficult, or cause a hindrance in coming to the masjid, in spite of all this) I prefer to perform the salaah, besides the  faraa-id, in my house, rather than in the masjid".

Commentary

As the nawaafil are based on concealment, therefore it is better to perform it in the home, to ensure complete concealment. It keeps away from show and pretence. But certainly, it is undesirable that the faraa-id etc.be concealed. More ajr ( thawaab-reward) is gained by performing it in the masjid. Included are also the rak'ahs performed after tawaaf of the Ka'bah, salaatut taraweeh etc. Although the tarawee is not from the faraa-id it is a peculiar feature of Ramadhaan, and is masnun to perform in jamaa'ah (congregation). Likewise is every salaah performed with jamaa'ah like salaah of kusuf (solar eclipse prayer), which are meant to be publicly declared. Therefore it is desirable to perform these in the masjid.

Source: Inter-Islam.org