Is it more virtuous to perform voluntary (nafl) prayers in the mosque or at home?

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended performing obligatory prayers in congregation and said, “The prayer offered in congregation is twenty-seven times more rewarding than the prayer offered alone.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 30 [645]; Muslim, Masajid, 249-250 [650]). In another hadith, he stated, “If people knew the reward for performing the night (‘isha) and dawn (fajr) prayers in congregation, they would join the congregation even if they had to crawl.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 32 [654]; Muslim, Salat, 129 [437]).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) would perform both the obligatory prayers and the sunnah and voluntary (nafl) prayers, either before or after the obligatory ones, and he indicated that it is more appropriate to perform sunnah and nafl prayers at home. In one hadith, he said: “O people! Pray in your homes, for the best prayer after the obligatory ones is the one performed at home.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 81 [731]; Muslim, Salat al-Musafirin, 213 [781]). In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “When one of you has performed the obligatory prayer in the mosque, let him allocate a portion of his prayer for his home, for Allah creates goodness in his house because of this voluntary prayer.” (Muslim, Salat al-Musafirin, 210 [778]); and he even warned, “Pray some of your prayers (i.e., the voluntary ones) in your homes; do not turn your homes into graves.” (Bukhari, Salat, 52 [432]; Muslim, Salat al-Musafirin, 208 [777]).

Accordingly, although it is permissible to perform all voluntary prayers, including the sunnah prayers of the obligatory ones, in the mosque, it is more virtuous to perform them at home.

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu