Regular Litanies Between the Fard and the Sunna

Question

The imam here, after Zuhr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’, habitually recites a short regular litany and then makes du‘a; sometimes he makes it long, and after that he keeps reciting the litany for a long time — so long that the muqtadis (followers) could pray two or three rak‘as — and only after this does the imam pray the sunna. It was explained to him that after those prayers which are followed by a sunna one should make a brief du‘a and pray the sunna promptly, but he does not give up his habit.

Answer

The best way is indeed that the sunnas be prayed immediately after the fard prayer. But if the imam does not agree, there is no need for insistence and harshness, because reciting a litany before the sunnas is not a sin of any kind either: [ar]ويكره تأخير السنة إلا بقدر «اللهم أنت السلام». قال الحلواني: لا بأس بالفصل بالأوراد، واختاره الكمال.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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