Assalaamu alaykum. Suppose that I got up just after sunrise. Should I begin with the Sunnah prayer of the Fajr, or should I pray the Fajr first and then pray its Sunnah prayer 15/20 minutes after sunrise knowing that voluntary prayers should not to be prayed at that time?

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Whoever wakes up after sunrise should begin by praying the Sunnah of the Fajr and then pray the Fardh (obligatory) prayer.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said in Fataawa Noorun ‘ala Ad-Darb, “If a believer is overtaken by sleep and wakes up late, he prays the Sunnah of the Fajr and then prays the Fardh, even if the sun rose, and even after sunrise. The Sunnah (the practice of the Prophet ) is to pray the Sunnah of the Fajr before the Fardh, even at sunrise.”

The Sunnah of the Fajr is a prayer that has a reason (as opposed to purely voluntary prayers) and is to be performed even during the time when it is disliked to pray.

Ibn Qudaamah when talking about making up for the Sunnah of the Fajr after the Fardh of the Fajr, said, “Since it is a prayer for a reason, it is like the prayer that one performs after the Tawaaf (circumambulation around the Ka‘bah).”

The prayers that have a reason to be performed may be performed at the times of dislike. Some scholars are of the view that it is allowed without any restriction to pray at times when it is disliked to pray.

Ibn Hajar said in Fath Al-Baari:

“An-Nawawi said that the Islamic community had unanimously agreed that it is disliked to pray a prayer that has no reason during times at which it is forbidden to pray, but they agreed that it is permissible to pray the Fardh prayers during these times, and they differed about the Nafl (supererogatory) prayers that have a reason, such as the prayer of Tahiyyat Al-Masjid (greeting the mosque), Sujood Tilaawah (prostration during recitation of the Quran), Sajdat Shukr (prostration of thankfulness to Allah), the Eid prayer, the eclipse prayer, the funeral prayer, and making up for a missed prayer.

Ash-Shaafi'i and a group of scholars held that all these prayers are permissible without any dislike, while Abu Haneefah and others argued that they are included in the general forbiddance.

Ash-Shaafi'i provided evidence that the Prophet made up for the Sunnah of the Thuhr after the ‘Asr prayer; this is explicit evidence about making up for a missed Sunnah, so it is with greater reason that it is permissible to perform the current prayer and the missed Fardh prayer (at times of dislike). The same applies to prayers that have a reason. I (Ibn Hajar) said: The consensus and the agreement that he (An-Nawawi) quoted are refuted, as other scholars quoted from a group of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) that it is absolutely permissible (to pray at times of dislike) and that the hadiths indicating forbiddance are abrogated. This is the view of Abu Daawood and other scholars who interpret the texts literally, and it was decisively stated by Ibn Hazm. Another group of scholars held that it is absolutely forbidden with all prayers. It was authentically narrated by Abu Bakrah and Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah that it is forbidden to pray the Fardh in these times. The abrogation claimed by Ibn Hazm and others based on the hadith that reads ‘Whoever catches one unit of prayer of the Fajr prayer before the sun rises, then let him pray another unit with it,’ indicates that it is permissible to pray during the times when it is disliked to pray.”

Therefore, it is with greater reason that the Fardh of the Fajr is prayed at times of dislike, as is clear from the above-mentioned texts.

We advise you to perform the prayer at its prescribed time and take measures to wake up for it.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked in Fataawa Al-Liqaa’ Ash-Shahri, “Dear Shaykh, I often miss the Fajr prayer, and I do not pray until after sunrise, when I want to go to work. This may happen again and again. Am I sinful? What should I do to observe the prayer on time?”

He answered:

“There are things you can do:

1.  Sleep early; it is for this reason that the Prophet hated sleeping before the ‘Isha’ and engaging in discussion after it, so that the person sleeps early and wakes up early.

2.  When you sleep, you should have the intention, determination, and resolution to wake up to pray the Fajr. In this case, it will be easier for you to wake up.

3.  You must place an alarm clock next to your head to wake you up. If you fear that if it rings you will stop it and continue to sleep, then keep it a bit farther from you. Some people, because of their keenness to perform the prayer on time, put the alarm clock in a container and keep it a bit far so that it makes a loud sound until he wakes up. So you may do this, and there is no harm in that.

4. If this is not possible for you, then leave the phone at your head, if you have a telephone, and tell one of your Muslim brothers to call you when the azan of Fajr is called. What is important is that a person uses the means to make him wake up so that he prays the Fardh of Fajr on time. If someone accustoms himself to laziness, then he will always be lazy.” 

Allah knows best.