What is the significance of the prayer of al-Awwabeen and what is the reward for that?

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.

The prayer of Al-Awwabeen is the Thuha (forenoon) prayer or the one which is performed between Maghrib (sunset) Prayer and ‘Ishaa’ (evening) Prayer.

In ‘At-Targheeb book’, there are many Ahadeeth concerning those two Prayers, among them are the following:

Ibn Khuzaymah and Al-Haakim reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said: “Whoever keeps performing the forenoon prayer is Awwab – oft serving and turning to Allah -. It is the prayer of Al-Awwabeen.” [Al-Albaani classified it as Hassan]

Muslim reported from Zayd ibn Arqam that the Prophet visited the people of Quba while they were praying Thuha, and he said: “The prayer of devotion should be observed when the young weaned camels feel the heat of the sun.” [i.e. when the sun is high up in the sky but before noon]

Abu Dharr narrated that the Prophet said: “You are required to give Sadaqa (charity) on behalf of every joint in your bones. Every Tasbeehah (saying Subhana Allah) is a charity, every Tahmeedah (saying Al-Hamdu Lillah) is a charity, every Tahleelah (saying Laa Ilaha Illa Allah) is a charity. Every Takbeerah (saying Allahu Akbar) is a charity. Enjoining good and forbidding evil is a charity. But it is sufficient instead of all this to pray the two Rak’ahs of Thuha.” [Muslim and Abu Daawood]

These are some Ahadeeth concerning the prayer of Al-Awwabeen which point out to the greatness, excellence and reward (in the Hereafter) of such a prayer.

As for the Ahadeeth concerning the Prayer between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’, they are as follows:

An-Nasaa’i reported with a good chain, as Al-Munthiri quoted in At-Targheeb Wat-Tarheeb from Huthayfah that he said: “I performed Al-Maghrib Prayer with the Prophet then he continued praying till ‘Ishaa’ Prayer.”

Ash-Shawkani said in ‘Nayl Al-Awtaar’: “The Verses and Ahadeeth in this respect indicate the permissibility of offering many Prayers between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’. Although most of the Ahadeeth are weak (regarding their chain of narrators), they are compatible with the virtues of deeds as a whole.”

Al-Iraqi said: “Among the companions who used to perform prayer between Maghrib and ‘Isha were Abdullah ibn Masoud, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, Salman Al-Faarisi and Anas ibn Maalik. Among At-Taabi’een (the generation that followed that of the Companions) were: Al-Aswad ibn Yazeed, ‘Uthman An-Nahdi, Ibn Abu Maleekah, Sa’eed ibn Jubayr, Muhammed ibn Al-Munkadir, Abu Haatim, ‘Abdullah ibn Sakhbarah, ‘Ali ibn Al-Hussayn, Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman Al-Ahbali, Shurayh Al-Qadi, ‘Abdullah ibn Mughafal and others.

Among the prominent Muslim scholars was Suffyan Ath-Thawri.

The Four Schools jurisprudence: The Hanafi, Maaliki, Shaafi’i and Hanbali recommended Prayers between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’ pursuant to the Prophetic Ahadeeth and rulings of the companions and their students indicated above. The Hanbali School considered it as the last-night prayer because the night extends from sunset to dawn. But some jurisprudents named it, together with the forenoon prayer, Al-Awwabeen Prayer. In ‘Mughni Al-Muhtaj’ – (1/459) Al-Awwabeen Prayer is also called the Prayer of the “unmindful” because people usually neglect performing it due to having supper or sleeping and the like. It is twenty Rak’ahs between Maghrib and ‘Isha owing to a Hadeeth narrated by At-Tirmithi: The Prophet said, "Whoever prays six Rak’ahs between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’, it is counted for him/her as the observance of 12 years of worship.”

Al-Ma’wardi also said: “‘The Prophet used to pray between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’. He used to call it Al-Awwabeen Prayer.” It is deduced from this Hadeeth and the previous saying that Al-Awwabeen Prayer is a combination of this Prayer (between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’) and the forenoon’s’.

It is also mentioned in ‘Majma’ Al-Anhur (Hanafi Fiqh)– 1/132: 'Six Rak’ahs after Maghrib are called: Al-Awwabeen Prayer.' The Prophet said: “Whoever prays six Rak’ahs after Maghrib Prayer it is equal in reward to praying for twelve years.” This Hadeeth is narrated by Ibn Maajah. It is very weak as classified by Al-Albaani .

Allah knows best.