Nawaafil

Performing Tawbah Salaah

Q: How do you make the niyyat and pray the prayer of repentance. I have heard you make wudhu and pray two nafil. But what do you say in the niyyat exactly and is there anything special you say after the namaaz? Also can you make wudu for Esha namaaz, pray the repentance namaaz and then pray isha right after with the same wudhu?

Sitting and performing the two rakaats nafil after witr Salaah

Q: I usually pray two rakaats sitting after witr since this was the practise of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alyhi Wasallam). However, I now came across a Hadith saying that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) didn't do these rakats 100% sitting, rather he stood up before ruku and made the ruku from a standing position. Can you please advice how to perform the two rakats. The hadith is: “He observed thirteen rak'ahs (in the night prayer). He observed eight rak'ahs and would then observe Witr and then observe two rak'ahs sitting, and when he wanted to bow he stood up and then bowed down, and then observed two rak'ahs in between the Adhaan and lqama of the dawn prayer.” (Sahih Muslim)

Salaatul Hajaat

Q: A person is faced with some aspect that needs a decision, or some haajaat. He makes dua. Someone asks him if he read two rakaats salaatul istikhara /haajaat to fulfil his need? He says that I made dua. How does one reply to this, how to give targheeb to him that the salaah and then the dua will be more effective?