Facing The Ka’bah
When the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) stood for prayer, he would face the Ka’bah in both obligatory and voluntary prayers1, and he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) ordered that, saying to the “one who prayed badly”2 : When you stand for prayer, perform ablution prefectly, then face the qiblah and say takbeer.3
“During a journey, he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would pray voluntary prayers and witr on his mount, wherever it faced carrying him [east or west].”4
The saying of Allaah, the Exalted, "Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allaah" (Baqarah, 2:115) applies to this.5
“[Sometimes] when he intended to pray non-obligatory prayers on his she-camel, he would make it face the qiblah, say takbeer, and pray towards wherever his mount turned its face.”6
“He would make rukoo’ and sajdah on his mount by lowering his head, making the sajdah lower than the rukoo’.”7
“When he intended to pray obligatory prayers, he would dismount and face the qiblah.”8
In prayer during severe fear, he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) set the example for his ummah to pray “on foot, standing on their feet, or mounted; facing the qiblah or not facing it”9, and he also said, When they (the armies) meet, then it (i.e. the prayer) is takbeer and indication with the head.10
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also used to say: What is between the east and the west is qiblah.11
Jaabir (radiallaahu ‘anhu) said:
“Once, when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) on an expedition, the sky was cloudy, so we tried to find the Qibla but we differed, so each one of us prayed in a different direction, and each of us drew marks in front of him in order to mark our positions. In the morning, we looked at it and found that we had not prayed towards the Qiblah. So we mentioned this to the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) [but he did not order us to repeat (the prayer)] and he said: Your prayer was sufficient.“12
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to pray towards Bait al-Muqaddas [with the Ka’bah in front of him] before the following verse was revealed: “We see the turning of your faces to the heavens; now shall we turn you to a Qiblah that shall please you: turn then your faces in the direction of the Sacred Mosque" (Baqarah 2:144). When it was revealed he faced the Ka’bah. There were people at Qubaa’ praying Fajr when someone came to them and said, ‘Verily the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) has had some of the Qur’aan revealed to him last night and he has been ordered to face the Ka’bah, [verily] so face it’. Their faces were towards Shaam, so they turned round [and their Imaam turned round to face the qiblah along with them].”
Standing in Prayer
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to stand in prayer for both obligatory and voluntary prayers, carrying out the command of the Exalted:
"And stand before Allaah devoutly." (Baqarah, 2:238).
As for during a journey, he would pray voluntary prayers on his riding beast.
He set the example for his ummah to pray during severe fear on foot or while mounted, as has been mentioned, and that is the purpose of the saying of Allaah:
"Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the Middle Prayer14, and stand before Allaah devoutly. If you fear (an enemy) then pray on foot, or while riding. But when you are in security, celebrate Allaah's praises in the manner He has taught you, which you did not know before." (Baqarah, 2:238-9)
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) prayed sitting during the illness of which he died.”15 He also prayed sitting on another occasion before that, when he was injured, and the people behind him prayed standing; so he indicated to them to sit, so they sat (and prayed). When he finished, he said, You were going to do as the Persians and the Romans do: stand for their kings who sit. So do not do so, for the Imaam is there to be followed: when he makes rukoo’, make rukoo’, when he rises, rise; and when he prays sitting, pray sitting [all of you].
The Prayer of a Sick Person in a Sitting Position
‘Imraan ibn Husain also said, “I asked him (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) about the prayer of a man while sitting, so he said: He who prays standing, that is better; he who prays sitting, his reward is half that of the former. He who prays lying down (and in another narration: reclining), has half the reward of the one who sits.18This applies to the sick person, for Anas (radiallaahu ‘anhu) said, “The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) came out to the people while they were praying sitting due to illness, so he said: Verily, the prayer of one who sits is (worth) half of the prayer of the one who stands.19
Once “he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) visited a sick person and saw him praying (leaning) on a pillow, so he took it and cast it aside. So the man took a stick to pray (leaning) on it, but he took it and cast it aside and said: Pray on the ground if you can, but otherwise make movements with your head, making your sujood lower than your rukoo.“
Prayer on a Ship
When he grew old he took a support at his place of prayer to lean on.
Sitting and Standing in the Night Prayer (Tahajjud)
Sometimes, “He would pray sitting, so he would recite sitting until about thirty or forty verses of his recitation wre left; he would then stand up to recite these standing and then bow and prostrate, and he would do likewise in the second raka’ah.”24
In fact, “he prayed as-subhah25 sitting down towards the end of his life when he had grown old, and that was a year before his death.”26
Also “he would sit cross-legged.”27
Prayer Wearing Shoes and the command to do so
He allowed this for his ummah, saying: When one of you prays, he should wear his shoes or take them off and put them between his feet, and not harm others with them.29
He encouraged prayer wearing them sometimes, saying: Be different from the Jews, for they do not pray in their shoes nor in their khuffs (leather socks).30
Occasionally he would remove them from his feet while in prayer and then continue his prayer, as Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri has said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) prayed with us one day. Whilst he was engaged in the prayer he took off his shoes and placed them on his left. When the people saw this, they took off their shoes. When he finished his prayer he said, Why did you take your shoes off? They said, ‘We saw you taking your shoes off, so we took our shoes off.’ He said, Verily Jibreel came to me and informed me that there was dirt – or he said: something harmful – (in another narration: filth)on my shoes, so I took them off. Therefore, when one of you goes to the mosque, he should look at his shoes: if he sees in them dirt – or he said: something harmful – (in another narration: filth) he should wipe them and pray in them.31
“When he removed them, he would place them on his left”32 and he would also say: When one of you prays, he should not place his shoes on his right nor on his left, where they will be on someone else’s right, except if there is no one on his left, but he should place them between his feet.
Prayer on the Pulpit (Minbar)
The Sutrah36, and the Obligation to have one
He used to say: “Do not pray except towards a sutrah, and do not let anyone pass in front of you, but if someone continues (to try to pass) then fight him, for he has a companion (i.e. a shaytaan) with him.”39
He would also say: “When one of you prays towards a sutrah, he should get close to it so that Shaytaan cannot break his prayer.”40
Sometimes “he would seek to pray at the pillar which was in his mosque.”41
“When he prayed [in an open space where there was nothing to use as sutrah] he would plant a spear in the ground in front of him and pray towards it with the people behind him”42; Sometimes “he would to set his mount sideways and pray towards it”43 but this is not the same as prayer in the resting-place of camels44, which “he forbade”45, and sometimes “he would take his saddle; set it lengthways and pray towards its end.”46
He would say: When one of you places in front of him something such as the stick on the end of a saddle, he should pray and not mind anyone who passes beyond it.47
Once “he prayed towards a tree”48 and sometimes “he would pray towards the bed on which ‘Aa’ishah (radi Allaahu anhaa) was lying [under her sheet].”49
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), would not let anything pass between him and his sutrah, hence once “he was praying, when a sheep came running in front of him, so he raced it until he pressed his belly against the wall [and it passed behind him].”50
Also, once “while praying an obligatory prayer, he clenched his fist (during it), so when he had finished, the people said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, did something happen during the prayer?’ He said: No, except that the devil wanted to pass in front of me, so I strangled him until I could feel the coldness of his tongue on my hand By Allaah! Had my brother Sulaimaan not beaten me to it51, I would have tied him (the devil) to one of the pillars of the mosque so that the children of Madinah could walk round him. [So whoever can prevent something intervening between him and the qiblah, he must do so].”52
He also used to say:
When one of you prays towards something which is a sutrah between him and the people and someone intends to cross in front of him, then he should push him in the throat [and repel, as much as he can], (in one narration: he should stop him, twice) but if he refuses (to not pass) then he should fight him, for verily he is a devil.53
He also used to say: If the person who passed in front of someone praying knew (the sin) on him, it would be better for him to wait forty than to pass in front. (Abu an-Nadr said, “I do not remember exactly whether he said forty days, months or years.”)
What Breaks the Prayer
Prohibition of Prayer Facing the Grave
Takbeer
Then he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would commence the prayer by saying:
Allaah is the Greatest60
He ordered “the man who prayed badly” to do likewise as has been mentioned, and he said to him: Verily, the prayer of a person is not complete until he has made an ablution which has included the necessary parts of the body and has then said: ‘Allaahu Akbar’.61
He would also used to say: The key to the prayer is purification, it is entered by takbeer and exited by tasleem.62
Also, “he used to raise his voice for the takbeer such that those behind him could hear.”63 But, “when he fell ill Abu Bakr used to raise his voice to convey the takbeer of the Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) to the people.”64
He would also say: When the Imaam says: Allaahu Akbar, then say: Allaahu Akbar.
Raising the Hands
“He would raise them with fingers apart [not spaced out, nor together]”,69 and “he would put them level with his shoulders”70, although occasionally, “he would raise them until they were level with [the tops of] his ears.
To Place the Right Arm on the Left Arm, and the command for it
Also “he passed by a man who was praying and had placed his left arm on his right, so he pulled them apart and placed the right on the left.
To Place the Hands on the Chest
“He used to place them on his chest.”78
Also “he used to forbid putting one’s hand on the waist during prayer [and he put his hand on his waist (to demonstrate)]”79. And this is the “silb” which he used to forbid.
To Look at the Place of Prostration, and Humility
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to incline his head during prayer and fix his sight towards the ground”81– “while he was in the Ka’bah, his sight did not leave the place of his prostration until he came out from it”82; and he said, It is not fitting that there should be anything in the House which disturbs the person praying.83
“He used to forbid looking up at the sky”84, and he emphasised this prohibition so much that he said: People must refrain from looking up at the sky in prayer, or their sight will not return to them (and in one narration: or their sight will be plucked away).85 In another hadeeth: So when you pray, do not look here and there, for Allaah sets His Face for the face of his slave in his prayer as long as he does not look away86, and he also said about looking here and there, “it is a snatching away which the devil steals from the slave during prayer.”87
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also said: Allaah does not cease to turn to a slave in his prayer as long as he is not looking around; when he turns his face away, Allaah turns away from him88; he “forbade three things: pecking like a hen, squatting (iq’aa’), like a dog and looking around like a fox”89; he also used to say, Pray a farewell prayer as if you see Him, but if you do not see Him, surely He sees you90; and, Any person who, when an obligatory prayer is due, excels in its ablution, humility and bowings, will have it as a remission for his previous minor sins as long as he does not commit a major sin, and this (opportunity) is for all times.91
Once he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), prayed in a khameesah92 and (during the prayer) he looked at its marks. So when he finished, he said: Take this khameesah of mine to Abu Jahm and bring me his anbijaaniyyah93, for it has diverted my attention from the prayer (in one narration: for I have looked at its marks during the prayer and it almost put me to trial).94 Also “‘Aaishah had a cloth with pictures spread towards a sahwah95, towards which the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) prayed and then said: Take it away from me [for its pictures did not cease to thwart me in my prayer].96
He would also say: Prayer is not valid when the food has been served, nor when it is time to relieve oneself of the two filths.
Opening Supplications (Du’aa’s)
Next, he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would commence his recitation with many kinds of supplications in which he would praise Allaah the Exalted, and glorify and extol Him. He in fact ordered “the man who prayed badly” to do so, saying to him: No person’s prayer is complete unless he says takbeer, praises Allaah the Mighty and Sublime and extols Him, recites of the Qur’aan what is easy for him …98
He would say any one of the following supplications: –
-
O Allaah! Separate me (far) from my sins as you have separated (far) the East and West. O Allaah! Cleanse me of my sins as white cloth is cleansed from dirt. O Allaah! Wash me of my sins with water, ice and snow.
He used to say this in obligatory prayers.99 -
I have set my face towards the Originator of the heavens and the earth sincerely [in Islam] and I am not among the Mushrikeen. Indeed my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds: no partner has He. With this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims (those who submit to Him).100 O Allaah! You are the King, none has the right to br worshipped but You, [You are the Most Perfect & all Praise is for You] You are my Lord and I am Your slave101. I have wronged myself, and have acknowledged my sins, so forgive all my sins, for no-one forgives sins except You. Guide me to the best of characters, to which no- one can guide except You, and save me from the worst of characters, from which no-one can save except You. I am here and happy to serve you102. All good is in your Hands, and evil is not from You.103 [The guided one is he who is guided by you.] I exist by your will and belong to You. [There is no escape or shelter from You except to You.] You are blessed and exalted. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You.
He used to say this in obligatory and voluntary prayers104. - Similar to the above, without
You are my Lord and I am Your slave to the end, with the following addition:
O Allaah! You are the King, there is no (true) deity except You, glorified be You and praised.105 - Similar to no. 2 until
and I am the first of the Muslims, adding:
O Allaah, guide me to the best of characters and the best of actions, no one to which can guide except You, and save me from the evil characters and actions, from which no one except You can save (others) except You106. -
You are Glorified107, O Allaah, and Praised108; Your Name is Blessed109; Your Majesty110 is Exalted, and none has the right to worshipped but You.111 He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also said,Indeed, the words most loved by Allaah are when His slave says: You are glorified, O Allaah. -
Recitation
Next, he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would seek refuge with Allaah the Exalted, saying:
I seek refuge with Allaah from the Evil One, the Rejected, from his madness123, his arrogance, and his poetry124. Sometimes he would add to this, saying:
I seek refuge with Allaah, the all-Hearing, the all-Knowing, from the Evil One …125Then he would recite,
In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy, but not loudly.
Recitation of one Verse at a Time
[Here he would pause, and then say:]
[Then he would pause, and then say:]
[Then he would pause, and then say:]
… and so on, until the end of the soorah. The rest of his recitation was also like this: stopping at the end of the verse and not joining it with the one after.127Sometimes, he would recite,
(King of the Day of Judgment) instead of
(Master of the Day of Judgment).1
The Necessity of al-Faatihah, and its Excellence
Allaah the Blessed and Exalted has said: “I have divided the prayer132 between Myself and My servant, into two halves: half of it is for Me and half is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for." Then the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: Recite! The servant says “Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds”; Allaah the Exalted says "My servant has praised Me". The servant says, “The Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy”; Allaah says, "My servant has extolled Me". The servant says “Master of the Day of Judgment”; Allaah the Exalted says, "My servant has glorified Me". The servant says, “It is You (alone) we worship and it is You (alone) we ask for help”; [He says:], "This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for". The servant says, “Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favoured, not of those who receive Your anger, nor of those who go astray”. [He says:], “All these are for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for."133
He also used to say: Allaah did not reveal in the Torah or the Gospel anything like the Mother of the Qur’aan. It is the Seven Oft-Repeated134[and the Grand Recitation which have been bestowed upon me].135
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) commanded “the one who prayed badly” to recite it in his prayer136, but said to one who could not remember it, Say:
(I declare Allaah free from all defects; all Praise be to Allaah; none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah; Allaah is the Greatest; there is no might or power except by Allaah)137.He also said to “the one who prayed badly”: If you know some of the Qur’aan, then recite it, otherwise praise Allaah, declare His Greatness and declare that none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah;1The Abrogation of Recitation behind the Imaam in the Loud Prayers
“he was praying Fajr and the recitation became difficult for him. When he finished, he said: Perhaps you recite behind your imaam. We said: “Yes, quickly139, O Messenger of Allaah.” He said: Do not do so, except for [each of you reciting] the opening chapter of the Book, for the prayer is not valid of the one who does not recite it.140
Later, he forbade them from reciting in the loud prayers at all, when:
“He finished a prayer in which he was reciting loudly (in one narration: it was the dawn prayer) and said: Were any of you reciting with me just now?! A man said: “Yes, I was, O Messenger of Allaah”. He said: I say, why am I contended with? [Abu Hurairah said:] So the people stopped reciting with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) when he was reciting loudly after hearing that from him [but they recited to themselves quietly when the imaam was not reciting loudly].”141
He also made silence during the imaam’s recitation part of the completeness of following the imaam, saying: The imaam is there to be followed, so when he says takbeer, say takbeer, and when he recites, be silent142, just as he made listening to the imaam’s recitation enough to not have to recite behind him, saying: He who has an imaam, then the recitation of the imaam is recitation for him143 – this applying in the loud prayers.
The Obligation to Recite in the Quiet Prayers
However, he dissuaded them from confusing him with their recitation, when:
“he prayed Zuhr with his Companions and said (afterwards): Which of you recited “Glorify the name of your Lord the Most High” (soorah al-A’laa, 87)? Someone said: It was I [but I was only intending nothing but good by doing so]. So he said: I knew that someone was contending with me by it.145 In another hadeeth: “They used to recite behind the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) [loudly], so he said: You have mixed up my (recitation of the) Qur’aan.146
He also said: Truly, the person praying is privately consulting his Lord, so he should be careful about what he consults him with, and you should not recite the Qur’aan loudly over each other.147
He also used to say: Whoever recited a harf (letter) from the Book of Allaah, it will count for him as one good deed, and a good deed is worth ten times over. I do not mean that “alif laam meem” is a harf, but “alif” is a harf, “laam” is a harf, and “meem” is a harf.
The aameen, and the Imaam’s saying it Loudly
(“aameen”) loudly, prolonging his voice.149He also used to order the congregation to say aameen: When the imaam says,
“Not of those who receive (Your) anger, nor of those who go astray”, then say “aameen” [for the angels say “aameen” and the imaam says aameen”] (in another narration: when the imaam says “aameen” say “aameen”), so he whose aameen coincides with the aameen of the angels (in another narration: when one of you says “aameen” in prayer and the angels in the sky say “aameen”, and they coincide), his past sins are forgiven.150 In another hadeeth: … then say aameen; Allaah will answer you.151He also used to say: The Jews do not envy you over anything as much as they envy you over the salutation and aameen [behind the imaam].
The Recitation after al-Faatihah
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) made it [i.e. the recitation] short one day in the dawn prayer.” (In another hadeeth: he prayed the morning prayer and recited the two shortest soorahs in the Qur’aan.) So it was said: “O Messenger of Allaah, why did you make it short?” He said: I heard the crying of a child, and I supposed that his mother was praying with us, so I wanted to free his mother for him.153
He also used to say: I enter into prayer intending to lengthen it, but I hear the crying of a child so I shorten my prayer because I know how deeply his mother feels about his crying.154
He used to start from the beginnning of a soorah, completing it most of the time.155
He used to say: Give every soorah its share of rukoo’ and sujood.156 In another narration: Every soorah should have a rak’ah.157
Sometimes he would divide the soorah into two rak’ahs158 and sometimes he would repeat the whole soorah in the second rak’ah159.
Sometimes he would combine two or more soorahs in one rak’ah.160
One of the Ansaar used to lead them in the mosque of Qubaa’, and every time he recited a soorah161 for them, he would begin with "Say: He is Allaah, the One and Only " (soorah al- Ikhlaas, 112) until its end, and then recite another soorah with it, and he would do this in every rak’ah. Because of this, his people spoke to him, saying: “You begin with this soorah, and then you do not regard it as enough until you recite another one: you should either recite it (only) or leave it and recite another one. He said: “I will not leave it: if you do not mind me leading you with it, I shall carry on, but if you do not like it, I shall leave you.” They knew that he was one of their best, and they did not like to be led by anyone else, so when the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) came to them, they told him the story. He said: O so- and-so, what stops you from doing what your people ask you to? What makes you recite this soorah in every rak’ah? He said: “I love this soorah.” He said: Your love for it will enter you into the Garden.
The Permissibility of Reciting al-Faatihah only
The narrator said: The young man said, “But Mu’aadh will know (about me) on going to the people when they will have been informed that the enemy has arrived.” The narrator said: So the enemy came, and the young man attained shahaadah (martyrdom). So after that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said to Mu’aadh, What did the one disputing with me and you do? He said, “O Messenger of Allaah, he was true to Allaah, and I spoke falsely – he was martyred.”
Quiet and Loud Recitation in the Five Prayers and others
They could tell when he was reciting quietly from the movement of his beard173, and because he would let them hear an aayah or so sometimes174.
He also recited loudly in Friday prayer and the two ‘Eid prayers175, in the prayer for rain176, and in the eclipse prayer
Quiet and Loud Recitation in the Night Prayer (Tahajjud)178
He ordered Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (Allaah be pleased with them) likewise, when:
“he came out at night to find Abu Bakr (Allaah be pleased with him) praying in a low voice, and he passed by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (Allaah be pleased with him) who was praying in a loud voice. Later, when they gathered around the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: O Abu Bakr, I passed by you and you were praying in a low voice? He said: “I let Him whom I was consulting hear, O Messenger of Allaah.” He said to ‘Umar: I passed by you and you were praying raising your voice? So he said: “O Messenger of Allaah, I repel drowsiness and keep the devil away.” The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: O Abu Bakr, raise your voice a little bit and to ‘Umar: lower your voice a little bit.182
He used to say: The one who recites the Qur’aan loudly is like the one who gives charity loudly, and the one who recites the Qur’aan quietly is like the one who gives charity quietly.
What he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to Recite in the Different Prayers
1 – Fajr Prayer
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to recite the longer mufassal184 surahs185, hence “he (sometimes) recited al-Waaqi’ah (56:96) and similar surahs in two rak’ahs”186.
He recited from soorah at-Toor (52:49) during the Farewell Pilgrimage.187
Sometimes “he would recite soorah Qaaf (50:45) or similar [in the first rak’ah].”188
Sometimes “he would recite the shorter mufassal surahs, such as “When the sun is folded up” (at-Takweer 81:29).”189
Once, he recited “When the Earth is shaken” (Zilzaal 99:8) in both rak’ahs, so that the narrator said, “I do not know whether the Messenger of Allaah forgot or recited it on purpose.”190
Once, on a journey, he recited “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak” (Falaq 113:5) and “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Mankind” (Naas 114:6).191 He also said to ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him): Recite the mu’awwadhatain192 in your prayer, for no seeker of refuge has sought refuge by means of anything like them.193
Sometimes he used to recite more than that: “he would recite sixty aayaat or more”194 – one of the narrators said, “I do not know whether this was in each rak’ah or in total.”
He used to recite soorah ar-Room (30:60)195 and sometimes soorah Yaa Sin (36:83)196.
Once, “he prayed the Subh [i.e. Fajr Prayer] in Makkah and started reciting soorah al-Mu’minoon (23:118) until, when he got to the mention of Moosaa and Haaroon or the mention of ‘Isa197 – one of the narrators was not sure – he started coughing and so made rukoo’.”198
Sometimes, “he would lead them in Fajr with as-Saaffaat” (77:182).199
“In Fajr on Friday, he would recite as-Sajdah (32:30) [in the first rak’ah, and, in the second,] ad-Dahr” (76:31).200
He used to make the first rak’ah longer than the second.201
Recitation in the Sunnah prayer before Fajr
His recitation in the two rak’ahs of sunnah in Fajr used to be extremely short202, so much so that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to say: “Has he recited soorah al- Faatihah or not ?”203
Sometimes, after al-Faatihah, he would recite the aayah “Say: We believe in Allaah and the revelation given to us...” (Baqarah 2:136) in the first rak’ah; in the second, the aayah “Say: O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you...” (aal-‘Imraan 3:64).204 Occasionally, he would recite instead of the latter, “When 'Isa found unbelief on their part...” (aal-‘Imraan 3:52).205
Sometimes he would recite soorah al-Kaafiroon (109:6) in the first rak’ah, and soorah al-Ikhlaas (112:4) in the second;206 also, he used to say: An excellent pair of soorahs they are!207 He heard a man reciting the former soorah in the first rak’ah, so he said, This is a slave who believes in his Lord. Then the man recited the latter soorah in the second rak’ah, so he said, This is a slave who knows his Lord.208
2- Zuhr Prayer
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to recite al-Faatihah and two soorahs in the first two rak’ahs, making the first one longer than the second.”209
Sometimes he would make lengthen it to the extent that “the Zuhr prayer would have started, and someone could go to a plain: al-Baqi,’ fulfil his need, [come back to his place,] make his ablution, and then come (to the mosque) while the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was still in the first rak’ah, it was that long.”210. Also, “they used to think that he did it so that the people could catch the first rak’ah.”211
“He used to recite in each of these two rak’ah about thirty aayaat, such as al-Faatihah followed by soorah as-Sajdah (32:30).”212
Sometimes “he would recite “By the Sky and the Night-Visitant” (Taariq, 86:17), “By the Sky, (displaying) the Constellations” (Burooj, 85:22), “By the Night as it conceals” (Layl, 92:21) and similar soorahs.”213
Occasionally, he recited “When the Sky is rent asunder” (Inshiqaaq 84:25) and similar ones.214
“They could tell that he was reciting in Zuhr and ‘Asr from the movement of his beard.”215
Recitation of Aayaat after al-Faatihah in the last two Rak’ahs
“He used to make the last two rak’ahs about half as long as the first two, about fifteen aayaat216, and sometimes he would recite only al-Faatihah in them.”217
Sometimes “he would let them hear an aayah or so.”218
“They would hear the tones of his recitation of “Glorify the name of your Lord Most High” (A’laa 87:19) and “Has the story reached you of the Overwhelming ?” (Ghaashiyah 88:26).”219
Sometimes “he would recite “By the Sky and the Night-Visitant” (Taariq, 86:17), “By the Sky, (displaying) the Constellations” (Burooj, 85:22), and similar soorahs.”220
Sometimes “he would recite “By the Night as it conceals” (Layl 92:21) and similar soorahs.”221
3- ‘Asr prayer
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to recite al-Faatihah and two (other) soorahs in the first two rak’ahs, making the first one longer than the second”222, and “they used to think that he did it so that the people could catch the rak’ah.”223
“He used to recite about fifteen aayaat in each of the first two rak’ahs, about half as much as he recited in each of the first two rak’ahs of Zuhr, and he used to make the last two rak’ahs about half as long the first two.”224
“He used to recite al-Faatihah in the last two.”225
“He would let them hear an aayah or so sometimes.”226He used to recite the surahs mentioned under “Zuhr prayer” above.
4- Maghrib prayer
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to (sometimes) recite the short mufassal soorahs”227, so that “when they had finished praying with him, they could go away and (it was possible to) shoot an arrow and see where it landed.”228 Once, “while on a journey, he recited “By the Fig and the Olive” (Teen 95:8) in the second rak’ah.”229
But sometimes he would recite the long or medium mufassal surahs, hence “he would recite “Those who disbelieve and hinder (men) from the Path of Allaah” (Muhammad 47:48);”230 or soorah at-Toor (52:49);231 or soorah al-Mursalaat (77:50), which he recited in the last prayer he prayed.232
Sometimes “he would recite the longer of the two long surahs233 (A’raaf 7:206) [in two rak’ahs].”234 Or he would recite al- Anfaal (8:75) in two rak’ahs.235
Recitation in the sunnah prayer after Maghrib
In this prayer, “he used to recite “Say: O you who reject faith” (Kaafiroon 109:6) and “Say: He is Allaah, the One and Only” (Ikhlaas 112:4).”236
5- ‘Ishaa’ prayer
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would recite the medium mufassal surahs in the first two rak’ahs237, hence “he used to recite “By the Sun and his splendour” (Shams 91:15) and surahs like it.”238
Or “he would recite “When the Sky is rent asunder” (Inshiqaaq 84:25) and make sajdah during it.”239 Also, “he once recited “By the Fig and the Olive” (Teen 95:8) [in the first rak’ah] while on a journey.”240
He forbade prolonging of recitation in ‘Ishaa’, and that was when:
Mu’aadh ibn Jabal led his people in ‘Ishaa’ prayer, and made it very long for them, so one of the Ansaar left and prayed (alone). When Mu’aadh was informed about this, he said: “He is surely a hypocrite”. When the man heard of this, he went to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and told him what Mu’aadh had said, so the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said to him: “Do you want to be on who causes a lot of trouble, Mu’aadh?! When you lead the people, recite “By the Sun and his splendour” (Shams 91:15) or “Glorify the Name of your Lord Most High” (A’laa 77:19) or "Read in the Name of your Lord" (‘Alaq 96:19) or “By the Night as it conceals” (Layl 92:21) [because the old, the weak and those who have a need to fulfil pray behind you].”241
6- Night prayer (Tahajjud)
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would sometimes recite loudly in it and sometimes quietly,242 He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would shorten his recitation in this sometimes and lengthen it sometimes, occasionally making it so exceedingly long that ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood (radi Allaahu ‘anhu) once said: “I prayed with the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) one night, and he carried on standing for so long that I was struck by a wrong idea.” He was asked, “What was this idea?” He said: “I thought I would sit down and leave the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)!”243
Also Hudhaifah ibn al-Yamaan said:
“I prayed with the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) that night when he started soorah al-Baqarah (2:286). So I said (to myself), “He will make rukoo’ after one hundred aayaat”. But he carried on after that, so I thought, “He will finish it (the soorah) in two rak’ahs”. But he carried on, so I thought, “He will make rukoo’ when he has finished it.” Then he started soorah an-Nisaa’ (4:176) and recited it all, then he started soorah aal-‘Imraan (3:200)244 and recited it all. He was reciting slowly; when he came to an aayah in which there was glorification of Allaah, he glorified Allaah; at an aayah which had something to be asked for, he asked for it; at mention of seeking refuge, he sought refuge (with Allaah). Then he made rukoo’ … ” to the end of the hadeeth.245
Also, “one night when he was ill he recited the Seven Long surahs.”246
Also, “he would (sometimes) recite one of these surahs in each rak’ah.”247
“It was [totally] unknown for him to recite the whole Qur’aan in one night.”248 In fact, he did not recommend it for ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) when he said to him:
Recite the whole Qur’aan in each month. I said: “I have the power (to do more than that).” He said: Recite it in twenty nights. I said: “I have the power to do more”. He said: Then recite it in seven days and do not go beyond that.249 Then “he allowed him to recite it in five days.”250 Then “he allowed him to recite it in three days.”251 Further, he forbade him from reciting it in less time than that252, and he gave a reason for that by saying to him: Whoever recites the Qur’aan in less than three days does not understand it.253 In another version: He does not understand, the one who recites the Qur’aan in less than three days.254 Also when he said to him: For every worshipper has a (period of) keenness255 and every (period of) keenness has a lapse256, either towards a sunnah or towards a bid’ah (innovation); so he whose lapse is towards a sunnah has found guidance, and he whose lapse is towards other than that has been destroyed.257For this reason, “he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would not recite the whole Qur’aan in less than three days.”258
He used to say: Whoever prays at night reciting two hundred aayaat will be written down as one of the sincere devotees.259 Also, “he used to recite soorah Bani Israa’eel (17:111) and soorah az-Zumar (39:75) every night.”260 He also used to say: Whoever prays at night reciting a hundred aayaat will not be written down as one of the heedless.261 Sometimes “he would recite about fifty aayaat or more in each rak’ah”262, or he “would recite about as much as soorah al-Muzzammil (73:20).”263
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would not pray all through the night”264 except rarely, for once:
” ‘Abdullaah ibn Khabbaab ibn al-Arat – who was present at (the Battle of) Badr with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) – stayed up the whole night with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) (in another version: a night when he prayed throughout it) until it was dawn. So when he finished his prayer, Khabbaab said to him: “O Messenger of Allaah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you! Tonight, you have prayed a prayer the like of which I have never seen?” He said: Yes, it was a prayer of hope and fear; [indeed] I asked my Lord, Mighty and Sublime, three things; He granted me two, but refused me one. I asked my Lord that He would not destroy us the way the nations before us were (in another version: that He would not destroy my ummah with famine) and He granted me this; I asked my Lord, Mighty and Sublime, that He would not impose on us an enemy from outside us, and He granted me this; and I asked my Lord not to cover us with confusion in party strife, but He refused me this.” “265
Also, one night he stood (in prayer) repeating one aayah until it was dawn:
“If You do punish them, they are Your servants; if You do forgive them, You are indeed the Exalted in Power, the Wise.” (Maa’idah 5:121) [with it he bowed, with it he prostrated, and with it he supplicated], [so in the morning Abu Dharr (radi Allaahu ‘anhu) said to him: “O Messenger of Allaah, you did not stop reciting this aayah until it was morning; you bowed with it and you prostrated with it] [and you supplicated with it,] [whereas Allaah has taught you the whole Qur’aan;] [if one of us were to do this, we would be stern with him?] [He said: Indeed I asked my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, for intercession for my ummah: He granted me it, and it will be possible if Allaah wills for whoever does not associate any partners with Allaah.266
A man said to him: “O Messenger of Allaah, I have a neighbour who stands (in prayer) at night and does not recite anything except “Say: He is Allaah the One and Only” (Ikhlaas 112:4), [repeating it,] [not adding anything else,] as if he considers it little.” So the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, it is worth a third of the Qur’aan.267
7- Witr prayer
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to recite “Glorify the Name of Your Lord Most High” (al-A’laa 87:19) in the first rak’ah, “Say: O you who disbelieve” (Kaafiroon 109:6) in the second, and “Say: He is Allaah the One and Only” (Ikhlaas 112:4) in the third.268 Sometimes he would add on to the last one “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Daybreak” (Falaq 113:5) and “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Mankind” (Naas 114:6).269 Once, “he recited a hundred aayaat from soorah an-Nisaa’ (4:176) in the third rak’ah.”270
As for the two rak’ahs after witr271, he used to recite “When the earth is shaken ” (Zilzaal 99:8) and “Say: O you who disbelieve” (Kaafiroon 109:6) in them.272
8- Friday Prayer
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would sometimes recite soorah al-Jumu’ah (62:11) in the first rak’ah and “When the hypocrites come to you” (Munaafiqoon 63:11)273 in the second, sometimes reciting “Has the story reached you of the Overwhelming?” (Ghaashiyah 88:26) instead of the latter.274 Or sometimes “he would recite “Glorify the Name of your Lord Most High” (A’laa 87:19) in the first rak’ah and “Has the story reached you” (Ghaashiyah 88:26) in the second.”275
9-‘Eid Prayer
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would (sometimes) recite “Glorify the Name of your Lord Most High” (A’laa 87:19) in the first rak’ah and “Has the story reached you” (Ghaashiyah 88:26) in the second.”276 Or sometimes “he would recite in them “Qaaaaf. By the Glorious Qur'aan.” (Qaaf 50:45) and “The Hour has drawn near” (Qamar 54:55).”277
10- Funeral Prayer
“The Sunnah is to recite al-Faatihah278 [and another soorah] in it.”279 Also, “he would be silent for a while, after the first takbeer.
Tarteel (Recitation in slow, rhythmic tones), & Making the Voice Beautiful when Reciting
He also used to say: It will be said to the reciter of the Qur’aan (on the Day of Judgment), ‘Recite and ascend; recite slowly and rhythmically as you used to do in the previous world; your place will be at the last aayah you recite.3
He “used to prolong his recitation (at a letter which can be prolonged), such as at bismil-laah, at ar-rahmaan, and at ar- raheem”4, and at “nadeed” (Qaaf 50:10)5 & their like.
He used to stop at the end of an aayah, as has already been explained.6
Sometimes “he would recite in an attractive vibrating tone7, as he did on the Day of the Conquest of Makkah, when, while on his she-camel, he recited soorah al-Fath (48:29) [very softly]8, and ‘Abdullaah ibn Mughaffal narrated this attractive tone thus : aaa.”9
He used to command making one’s voice beautiful when reciting the Qur’aan, saying
Beautify the Qur’aan with your voices [for a fine voice increases the Qur’aan in beauty]10 and
Truly, the one who has one of the finest voices among the people for reciting the Qur’aan is the one whom you think fears Allaah when you hear him recite.11
He also used to command recitation of the Qur’aan in a pleasant tone, saying: Study the Book of Allaah; recite it repeatedly; acquire (memorise) it; and recite it in a melodious tone, for by Him in whose Hand is my soul, it runs away quicker than camels from their tying ropes.12
He also used to say, He who does not recite the Qur’aan in a pleasant tone is not of us13 and
Allaah does not listen to anything as he listens (in some versions: as he is listening) to a prophet [with a nice voice, and in one version: with a nice melody] who recites the Qur’aan in a pleasant tone14 [loudly].15
He said to Abu Moosaa al-Ash’ari (radi Allaahu ‘anhu),
Had you seen me while I was listening to your recitation yesterday! You have surely been given one of the musical wind- instruments16 of the family of Daawood! [So Abu Moosaa said: “Had I known you were there, I would have made my voice more pleasant and emotional for you].”
Correcting the Imaam
Seeking Refuge & Spitting Lightly during Prayer in order to Repel Temptation
The Rukoo’ (Bowing)
After completing his recitation, he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would pause for a moment21, then raise his hands22 in the way described earlier under the “Opening Takbeer”, say takbeer23, and make rukoo’.24
He also ordered “the one who prayed badly” likewise, saying to him, Indeed, the prayer of one of you is not complete until he makes an excellent ablution as Allaah has commanded him to … then he celebrates Allaah’s greatness, praises and glorifies Him, then recites the Qur’aan as much as is easy for him from what Allaah has taught him and allowed him, then says takbeer and makes rukoo’ [and places his hands on his knees] until his joints are at ease and relaxed
The Rukoo’ Described
“He would put his hands firmly on his knees [as though he were grasping them]”28, and “would space his fingers out”29, ordering “the one who prayed badly” likewise, saying: When you make rukoo’, place your palms on your knees, then space your fingers out, then remain (like that) until every limb takes its (proper) place.30
“He used to spread himself (i.e., not be in a compact position), and keep his elbows away from his sides.”31
“When he made rukoo’, he would spread his back and make it level”32, “such that if water were poured on it, it (the water) would stay there (i.e., not run off).”33 He also said to “the one who prayed badly”, When you make rukoo’, put your palms on your knees, spread your back (flat) and hold firm in your rukoo’.34
“He would neither let his head droop nor raise it (i.e. higher than his back)”35, but it would be in between.
The Obligation of Being at Ease in Rukoo’
He used to say, Complete the rukoo’ and sujood, for by Him in whose Hand is my soul, I surely see you behind my back37 when you make rukoo’ and sujood.38
“He saw a man praying not completing his rukoo’ properly, and pecking in his sujood, so he said, Were this man to die in this state, he would die on a faith other than that of Muhammad, [pecking in his prayer as a crow pecks at blood; he who does not make rukoo’ completely and pecks in his sujood is like the hungry person who eats one or two dates, which are of no use to him at all.39
Abu Hurairah (radi Allaahu ‘anhu) said, “My close friend (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) forbade me from pecking in my prayer like a cockerel, from looking around like a fox, and from squatting like a monkey.”40
The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also used to say, The worst thief among men is the one who steals from his prayer. They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, how does he steal from his prayer?” He said, He does not complete its rukoo’ and sujood.41
Once, “he was praying, when he glanced out of the corner of his eye at a man not settling his backbone in rukoo’ and sujood. When he finished, he said, O assembly of Muslims! Verily, the prayer is not valid of the one who does not settle his spine in rukoo’ and sujood.“42
He said in another hadeeth, The prayer of a man does not count unless he straightens his back in rukoo’ and sujood.
The Adhkaar of Rukoo’
-
How Perfect is my Lord, the Supreme!, three times.44 But sometimes, he would repeat it more than that.45 Once, in night prayer, he repeated it so much that his rukoo’ became nearly as long as his standing before it, in which he had recited three of the Long Soorahs: Baqarah, Nisaa’ and aal- ‘Imraan. This prayer was full of supplication & seeking forgiveness, and the hadeeth has already been mentioned under “Recitation in Night Prayer.” -
How Perfect is my Lord, the Supreme, and Praised be He, three times.46 -
Perfect, Blessed,47 Lord of the Angels and the Spirit.48 -
How Perfect You are O Allaah, and Praises are for You. O Allaah, forgive me. He would say it often in his rukoo’ and sujood, implementing (the order of) the Qur’aan.49 -
O Allaah! To You I have bowed; in You I have believed; to You I have submitted; [You are my Lord]; humbled for You are my hearing, my seeing, my marrow, my bone (in one narration: my bones), my sinews, [and whatever my feet carry50 (are humbled) for Allaah, Lord of the Worlds].51 -
O Allaah! to You I have bowed; in You I have believed; to You I have submitted; in You I have placed my trust; You are my Lord; my hearing, my seeing, my blood, my flesh, my bones, and my sinews are humbled for Allaah, Lord of the Worlds.52 -
How Perfect is He Who has all Power, Kingdom, Magnificence and Supremity, which he used to say in night prayer.
Lengthening the Rukoo’
Forbiddance of Reciting the Qur’aan in Rukoo’
Straightening up from the Rukoo’, & what is to be said then
He also ordered “the one who prayed badly” to do that, when he said to him: No person’s prayer is complete until … he has said takbeer … then made rukoo’ … then has said “Allaah listens to the one who praises Him” until he is standing straight.”57 When he raised his head, he would stand straight until every vertebra returned to its place.58
Next, “he would say while standing:
He has commanded all worshippers, whether behind an imaam or not, to do the above on rising from rukoo’, by saying Pray as you have seen me praying.60
He also used to say, The imaam is there to be followed … when he has said ‘Allaah listens to the one who praises Him’ then say, ‘[O Allaah!] Our Lord, and to You be all Praise’; Allaah will listen to you, for indeed, Allaah, Blessed and Exalted, has said via the tongue of His Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam): Allaah listens to the one who praises Him.’61
He also gave a reason for this command in another hadeeth, saying: for he whose saying coincides with that of the angels will have his past sins forgiven.62
He used to raise his hands when straightening up63, in the ways described under the Opening Takbeer.
While standing, he would say, as previously-mentioned,
-
Our Lord, and to You be all Praise64; or -
Our Lord, to You be all Praise.65Sometimes, he would add at the beginning of either of these:
-
O Allaah! …66He used to order others to do this, saying, “When the imaam says: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him, then say: O Allaah! Our Lord, to You be all Praise, for he whose saying coincides with that of the angels will have his past sins forgiven.”67
Sometimes, he would add either:
-
… Filling the heavens, filling the earth, and filling whatever else You wish68, or -
… Filling the heavens, [filling] the earth, whatever is between them, and filling whatever else You wish.69Sometimes, he would add even further:
-
Lord of Glory & Majesty! None can withhold what You grant, and none can grant what You withhold; nor can the possessions of an owner benefit him in front of You.70Or, sometimes, the addition would be:
-
Filling the heavens, filling the earth, and filling whatever else You wish. Lord of Glory and Majesty! – The truest thing a slave has said, and we are all slaves to You. [O Allaah!] None can withhold what You grant, [and none can grant what You withhold,] nor can the possessions of an owner benefit him in front of You.71Sometimes, he would say the following during night prayer:
-
To my Lord be all Praise, to my Lord be all Praise, repeating it until his standing was about as long as his rukoo’, which had been nearly as long as his first standing, in which he had recited soorah al-Baqarah.72 -
Our Lord, and to You be all Praise, so much pure praise, inherently blessed, [externally blessed, as our Lord loves and is pleased with].73A man praying behind him (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said this after he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) had raised his head from rukoo’ and said: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him. When the Messenger of Allaah had finished his prayer, he said, Who was the one speaking just now? The man said, “It was I, O Messenger of Allaah.” So the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said,I saw over thirty angels hurrying to be the first one to write it down.
Lengthening this Standing, & the Obligation to be at Ease in it
He also reminded him: that no-one’s prayer is complete unless he does that, and used to say: Allaah, Mighty and Sublime, does not look at the prayer of the slave who does not make his backbone upright in between his bowings and prostrations.7
The Sujood (Prostration)
Next, “he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would say takbeer and go down into sajdah”78, and he ordered “the one who prayed badly” to do so, saying to him, No one’s prayer is complete unless … he says: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him and stands up straight, then says: Allaah is the Greatest and prostrates such that his joints are at rest.79
Also, “when he wanted to perform sajdah, he would say takbeer, [separate his hands from his sides,] and then perform sajdah.”80
Sometimes, “he would raise his hands when performing sajdah.”
Going Down into the Sajdah on the Hands
He used to instruct likewise, saying, When one of you performs sajdah, he should not kneel like a camel, but should place his hands before his knees.83
He also used to say, Verily, the hands prostrate as the face prostrates, so when one of you places his face (on the ground), he should place his hands, and when he raises it, he should raise them.
The Sajdah Described
Also, “he would put them (his palms) level with his shoulders”88, and sometimes “level with his ears”89. “He would put his nose and forehead firmly on the ground.”90
He said to “the one who prayed badly”, When you prostrate, then be firm in your prostration91; in one narration: When you prostrate, put your face and hands down firmly, until all of your bones are relaxed in their proper places.92
He also used to say, “There is no prayer for the one whose nose does not feel as much of the ground as the forehead.“93
“He used to put his knees and toes down firmly”94, “point with the front of the toes towards the qiblah”95, “put his heels together”96, “keep his feet upright”97, and “ordered likewise.”98
Hence, these are the seven limbs on which he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would prostrate: the palms, the knees, the feet, and the forehead and nose – counting the last two as one limb in prostration, as he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: I have been ordered to prostrate (in one narration: we have been ordered to prostrate) on seven bones: on the forehead …, and he indicated by moving his hand99around his nose, the hands (in one version: the palms), the knees and the toes, and not to tuck up100 the garments and hair.101
He also used to say, When a slave prostrates, seven limbs prostrate with him: his face, his palms, his knees and his feet.102
He said about a man who was praying with his hair tied103 behind him, His example is surely like that of someone who prays with his hands bound (behind his back).104 He also said, That is the saddle of the devil, i.e. where the devil sits, referring to the knots in the hair.105
“He would not rest his fore-arms on the ground”106, but “would raise them above the ground, and keep them away from his sides such that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen from behind”107, and also “such that if a small lamb or kid wanted to pass under his arms, it would have been able to do so.”108
He would do this to such an extent that one of his Companions said, “We used to feel sorry for the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) because of the way he kept his hands away from his sides.”109
He used to order likewise, saying, When you perform sajdah, place your palms (on the ground) and raise your elbows110, and Be level in sujood, and none of you should spread his fore- arms like the spreading of a dog (in one narration: like a dog spreads them)111. In a separate hadeeth, None of you should rest arms on the ground the way a dog rests them.112
He also used to say, Do not spread your arms [the way a beast of prey does], rest on your palms and keep your upper arms apart, for when you do all that, every one of your limbs prostrates with you.
The Obligation to be at Ease in Sujood
He also ruled that the prayer of one who does not straighten his spine fully in rukoo’ and sujood is invalid, as has been mentioned under “Rukoo'”, and ordered “the one who prayed badly” to be at ease in his sujood, as mentioned before.
The Adhkaar of Sujood
How Perfect is my Lord, the Most High, three times.114
Sometimes, “he would repeat it more times than that.”115
Once, he repeated it so much that his sujood were nearly as long as his standing, in which he had recited three of the Long Soorahs: al-Baqarah, an-Nisaa’ and aal-‘Imraan. That prayer was full of supplication and seeking of forgiveness, as mentioned before under “Night Prayer”.-
How Perfect is my Lord, the Most High, and Praised be He, three times.116 -
Perfect, Blessed, Lord of the Angels and the Spirit.117 -
How perfect You are O Allaah, our Lord, and Praised. O Allaah! Forgive me, which he would say often in his rukoo’ and sujood, implementing the order of the Qur’aan.118 -
O Allaah! For you I have prostrated; in You I have believed; to You I have submitted; [You are my Lord;] my face has prostrated for the One Who created it and shaped it , [shaped it excellently,] then brought forth its hearing and vision: [so] blessed be Allaah, the Best to Create!119 -
O Allaah! Forgive me all my sins: the minor and the major, the first and the last, the open and the hidden.120 -
My person and my shadow have prostrated to You; my heart has believed in You; I acknowledge Your favours towards me: here are my hands and whatever I have earned against myself.121 -
How Perfect is He Who has all Power, Kingdom, Magnificence and Supremity122, which he would say in night prayer, as with the following ones: -
How perfect You are [O Allaah] and Praised. None has the right to be worshipped except you.123 -
O Allaah! Forgive me what (sins) I have concealed and what (sins) I have done openly.124 -
O Allaah! Place light in my heart; [and light in my tongue;] and place light in my hearing; and place light in my seeing; and place light from below me; and place light from above me, and light on my right, and light on my left; and place light ahead of me; and place light behind me; [and place light in my self;] and make the light greater for me.125 -
[O Allaah!] [Indeed] I seek refuge with Your Pleasure from Your Anger; [I seek refuge] with Your Pardons from Your Punishment; I seek refuge with You from You. I cannot count all exultations upon You; You are as You have extolled Yourself.
Forbiddance of Reciting the Qur’aan in Sujood
Lengthening the Sajdah
“The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) came out to us for one of the two later prayers, [Zuhr or ‘Asr,] carrying Hasan or Husain. The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) then came to the front and put him down [next to his right foot], said takbeer for the prayer and commenced praying. During the prayer, he performed a very long prostration, so I raised my head [from among the people], and there was the child, on the back of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), who was in prostration. I then returned to my prostration. When the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) had offered the prayer, the people said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! In the middle of [this] your prayer, you performed a prostration and lengthened it so much that we thought either something had happened, or that you were receiving revelation!’ He said, Neither of those was the case: actually, my son made me his mount, so I did not want to hurry him until he had satisfied his wish “128
In another hadeeth, “He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was praying. When he performed sajdah, al-Hasan and al-Husain jumped onto his back. When the people tried to stop them, he gestured to them to leave the two alone. After offering his prayer, he placed them in his lap and said, Whoever loves me should love these two.
The Excellence of the Sajdah
He would also say, When Allaah intends to have mercy on whomsoever he wishes of the people of the Fire, He will order the angels to bring out whoever used to worship Allaah; so they will bring them out, recognising them from the marks of sujood, for Allaah has prohibited the Fire from devouring the marks of sujood. Thus, they will be brought out from the Fire, for the Fire devours all of a son of Aadam except the marks of sujood.
Sajdah on the Ground, and on Mats136
“His Companions would pray with him in the intense heat, so when one of them could not press his forehead against the ground, he would spread his robe and prostrate on that.”138
He also used to say, the whole earth has been made a place of worship (masjid) and a purification for me and my ummah; so wherever prayer becomes due on someone of my ummah, he has his place of worship (masjid) and his purification next to him. Those before me used to think that this was too much: indeed, they would only pray in their churches and synagogues.139
Sometimes, he would prostrate in mud and water, and that happened to him once at dawn on the twenty-first night of Ramadaan, when it rained and the roof of the mosque, which was made of palm-branches, was washed away. So he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) prostrated in mud and water; Abu Sa’eed al- Khudri said, “So I saw, with my own eyes, the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), with traces of mud and water on his forehead and nose.”140
Also, “he would pray on a khumrah”141 sometimes, or “on a mat”142 sometimes, and “he prayed on it once when it had become blackened due to prolonged use.”
Rising from Sajdah
To sit muftarishan between the Two Sajdahs
“He would have his right foot upright”149, and “point its toes towards the qiblah.”150 [See diagram – qss]
Iq’aa’Between the Two Sajdahs
The Obligation of Being at Ease between the Two Sajdahs
Lengthening the Sitting between the Two Sajdahs
The Adhkaar between the Two Sajdahs
-
O Allaah! (in one version: O my Lord!) Forgive me; have mercy on me; [strengthen me;] [raise my rank;] guide me; [pardon me;] sustain me.156
Or sometimes, he would say: -
O my Lord! Forgive me, forgive me.157
He would say the above two in night prayer also.
The Second Sajdah
Next, “he would raise his head while saying takbeer”162, and he ordered “the one who prayed badly” to do likewise, saying to him after ordering him to prostrate for the second time, “then raise your head and say takbeer“163. He also said to him, “[then do that in all your bowings and prostrations,] for if you do that, your prayer will be complete, and if you fall short in any of this, you will be deficient in your prayer.“164 Also, “he would raise his hands”165 sometimes with this takbeer.
The Sitting of Rest
Supporting Oneself with the Hands on Rising for the Next Rak’ah
The Second Rak’ah
“When he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) got up for the second rak’ah, he would commence with All Praise be to Allaah (Faatihah 1:1), without pausing.”170
He would perform this rak’ah exactly as he performed the first, except that he would make it shorter than the first, as before.
The Obligation of Reciting Soorah al-Faatihah in every Rak’ah
The First Tashahhud
Next, he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would sit for tashahhud after finishing the second rak’ah. In a two-rak’ah prayer such as Fajr, “he would sit muftarishan”175, as he used to sit between the two sajdahs, and “he would sit in the first tashahhud similarly”176 in a three- or four-rak’ah prayer. [see diagram – qss]He also ordered “the one who prayed badly” thus, saying to him, When you sit in the middle of the prayer, then be calm, spread your left thigh and perform tashahhud.177
Abu Hurairah (radi Allaahu ‘anhu) said, “My friend (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) forbade me from squatting (iq’aa’) like a dog”178; in another hadeeth, “he used to forbid the squatting of the devil.”179
“When he sat in tashahhud, he would place his right palm on his right thigh (in one narration: knee), and his left palm on his left thigh (in one narration: knee, spreading it upon it)”180; and “he would put the end of his right elbow on his right thigh.”181
Also, “he forbade a man who was sitting in prayer resting on his left hand, and said: Verily, that is the prayer of the Jews182; in one wording, Do not sit like this, for indeed this is the way of sitting of those who are punished183; in another hadeeth, It is the sitting posture of those who incurred (Allaah’s) anger.
Moving the Finger in Tashahhud
Also, “when he pointed with his finger, he would put his thumb on his middle finger”186, and sometimes “he would make a circle with these two.”187
“When he raised his finger, he would move it, supplicating with it”188, and he used to say, “It is surely more powerful against the devil than iron, meaning the forefinger.“189
Also, “the Companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to remind each other, that is, about pointing with the finger when supplicating.”190
Once, “he saw a man supplicating with two fingers, so he said, “Make it one, [make it one,]” and indicated with his forefinger.”191
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would do this in both tashahhuds.”
The Obligation of the First Tashahhud, & theValidity of Supplication during it
“When he forgot to perform the tashahhud after the first two rak’ahs, he would prostrate (twice) for forgetfulness.”195
He used to order them to perform tashahhud, saying, When you sit after every two rak’ahs, then say: All compliments … and then each of you should select the supplication he likes best and supplicate Allaah, Mighty and Sublime, [with it]196; in another version: Say, All compliments … in every sitting197, and he also ordered “the one who prayed badly” to do so, as has been mentioned.
“He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would teach them the tashahhud the way he taught them Soorahs of the Qur’aan”198, and “the Sunnah is to say it quietly.”1
The Manner of Tashahhud
- The tashahhud of Ibn Mas’ood, who said, “The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) taught me the tashahhud, [with] my palm between his palms, the way he taught me Soorahs of the Qur’aan:
All compliments200, prayers201 and pure words202 are due to Allaah. Peace203 be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allaah and His blessings204. Peace be on us, and on the righteous slaves of Allaah. [For when one says that, it includes every righteous slave in the heaven and the earth.] I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.[This was while he was among us, but after he was taken, we would say:
[Peace be on the Prophet].”205 - The tashahhud of Ibn ‘Abbaas: “The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to teach us the tashahhud the way he taught us [soorahs of] the Qur’aan; he used to say,
All compliments, blessed words, prayers, pure words are due to Allaah. Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allaah and His blessings. Peace be on us and on the righteous slaves of Allaah. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and [I bear witness] that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah (in one narration: … is His slave and messenger).“206 - The tashahhud of Ibn ‘Umar, who reported the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) as saying in the tashahhud:
All compliments, prayers and good words are due to Allaah. Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allaah – Ibn ‘Umar said, “I add:”207 … and His blessings. – Peace be on us and on the righteous slaves of Allaah. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah – Ibn ‘Umar said, “I add:”208 … alone, He has no partner, – and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.209 - The tashahhud of Abu Moosaa al-Ash’ari, who said that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, … when you are sitting, the first thing each of you says should be:
All compliments, good words and prayers are due to Allaah. Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allaah and His blessings. Peace be on us, and on the righteous slaves of Allaah. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah [alone, He has no partner], and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger – seven phrases, and they are the greetings in the prayer.“210 - The tashahhud of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, who would teach the people the tashahhud while on the pulpit, saying, “Say:
All compliments are due to Allaah; all pure titles are due to Allaah; all good words [are due to Allaah]; all prayers are due to Allaah. Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allaah and His blessings. Peace be on us and on the righteous slaves of Allaah. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.2
As-Salaah ‘alaa an-Nabiyy(Sending Prayers on the Prophet) – Its Place & Manner
-
O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad214, and on his household, and on his wives and progeny, as you sent prayers on the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory. And send blessings on Muhammad215, and his household, and his wives and progeny, as you sent blessings on the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.
This supplication he would use himself.216 -
O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on [Ibraaheem, and on]217 the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory. O Allaah! send blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent blessings on [Ibraaheem, and on]218 the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.219 -
O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on Ibraaheem, [and the family of Ibraaheem]; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory. And send blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent blessings on [Ibraaheem, and] the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.220 -
O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad [the Unlettered Prophet], and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on [the family of] Ibraaheem; and send blessings on Muhammad [the Unlettered Prophet] and the family of Muhammad, as you sent blessings on [the family of] Ibraaheem among the nations; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.221 -
O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad, Your slave and messenger, as You sent prayers on [the family of] Ibraaheem. And send blessings on Muhammad [Your slave and messenger], [and the family of Muhammad,] as you sent blessings on Ibraaheem [and on the famly of Ibraaheem].222 -
O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad and [on] his wives and progeny, as You sent prayers on [the family of Ibraaheem]. And send blessings on Muhammad, and [on] his wives and progeny, as You sent blessings on [the family of] Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.223 -
O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, and send blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers and sent blessings on Ibraaheem and the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.
Important Notes about as-Salaah ‘alaa an-Nabiyy – Sending Prayers on the Prophet of the Ummah
“We sent against them a violent tornado with showers of stones, except the family of Loot - We delivered them by early dawn” (Qamar 54:34); similar is his saying (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), O Allaah! send prayers on the family of Abu Awfaa. The phrase Ahl al-Bayt (people of the house) is also like this, e.g.
“Allaah's grace and His blessings be on you, O people of the house” (Houd 11:73). Hence, Ibraaheem is included in “the family of Ibraaheem”.
Shaikh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah says,
“Most of the versions have, ‘as you sent prayers on the family of Ibraaheem’ and ‘as you sent blessings on the family of Ibraaheem’; some have ‘Ibraaheem’ himself. This is because he is the cause of all prayers and purifications on them; the rest of his family are secondary recipients of all that. To show these two points, both wordings have been employed separately.”
Further, there is a well-known question among the people of knowledge: about the nature of the comparison in his statement, “as you sent prayers on …”, for it is true that the model for comparison is normally superior to the one being compared; here, the opposite is the case, since Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is greater than Ibraaheem, and so his superiority dictates that the prayers requested are more excellent than any prayers received or to be received by anyone else. The people of knowledge have provided many answers to this, and these can be found in Fath al-Baari and Jalaa’ al-Ifhaam. They amount to about ten views, all of which are unsubstantiated, some weaker than others, except one, a well-supported view, and adopted by Shaikh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim. This view is: “The family of Ibraaheem includes many prophets; none like them is found in the family of Muhammad. Therefore, when prayers on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his family are sought similar to that bestowed on Ibraaheem and his family, which includes prophets, the family of Muhammad receives out of that what is appropriate for them. Since the family of Muhammad does not reach the rank of the prophets, the extra blessings and benefit given to the prophets, including Ibraaheem, are left for Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). Thus he gains a distinguished position which others cannot reach.”
Ibn al-Qayyim says,
“This is the best of all the previous views: that Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is one of the family of Ibraaheem; in fact, he is the best of the family of Ibraaheem, as ‘Ali ibn Talhah has related from Ibn ‘Abbaas (radi Allaahu ‘anhu) about the saying of the Exalted, “Allaah has chosen Aadam, Nooh, the family of Ibraaheem and the family of 'Imraan above all people” (aal-‘Imraan 3:33); Ibn ‘Abbaas said, “Muhammad is among the family of Ibraaheem”. This is text for the fact that if other prophets descended from Ibraaheem are included in his family, then the inclusion of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is more fitting. Hence our saying, “… as you sent prayers on the family of Ibraaheem”, includes the prayers sent on him and on the rest of the prophets descended from Ibraaheem. Allaah has then ordered us to specifically send prayers on Muhammad and his family, as much as we send prayers on him, along with the rest of Ibraaheem’s family generally. Therefore, the Prophet’s family receives out of that what is appropriate for them, leaving all of the remainder to him (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). There is no doubt that the total amount of prayers received by Ibraaheem’s family, with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) among them, is greater than that received by the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) alone. Therefore, what is sought for him is such a great favour, definitely superior than that sought for Ibraaheem. Hence, the nature of the comparison and its consistency become clear. The prayers sought for him with these words are greater than those requested any other way, since what is requested with the supplication is that it be as much as the model of comparison, and that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) receive a large portion: the comparison dictates that what is requested is more than what was given to Ibraaheem and others. Thus, the excellence and nobility of Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), over and above Ibraaheem and his family, which includes many prophets, is evident, and is as he deserves. This sending of prayers on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) becomes evidence for this excellence of his, and this is no more than he deserves. So, may Allaah send prayers on him and on his family, and send peace on them, many greetings of peace, and reward him from our supplications better than He has rewarded any prophet from his people. O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory. And send blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent blessings on the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.”
2) The reader will see that this part of the Prayer, with all its different types, is always a sending of prayers on the family of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam): on his wives and children as well as himself. Therefore, it is neither from the Sunnah, nor carrying out the Prophet’s command, to leave it at “O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad” only. Rather, one of these complete types of supplication must be used, as is reported from his action (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), whether in the first or the last tashahhud. There is text about this from Imaam Shaafi’i in al-Umm: “The tashahhud in the first and second instance is the same thing; by ‘tashahhud’, I mean the bearing of witness and the sending of prayers on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam): neither will suffice without the other.”In fact, one of the most amazing things to arise from this age and its intellectual anarchy is that one person, Muhammad Is’aaf Nashaasheebi, in his book al-Islaam as-Saheeh (“The Correct Islaam”), has the audacity to reject the sending of prayers on the family of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) when sending prayers on him, despite it being firmly established in the Saheehs of al-Bukhaari and Muslim, and elsewhere, on the authority of several Companions, e.g. Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah, Abu Humaid as-Saa’idi, Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri, Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari, Abu Hurairah and Talhah ibn ‘Ubaidullaah! In their ahaadeeth, it is found that they asked the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), “How do we send prayers on you?”, so he taught them this way of doing so. Nashaasheebi’s argument for his view is that Allaah the Exalted did not mention anyone else with the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in His saying:
“O you who believe! Send prayers on him, and salute him with all respect.” (Ahzaab 33:56) He then goes on to say in his refutation that the Companions asked him (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) that question because the meaning of “salaah” was known to them as “supplication”, so they were asking: “How can we supplicate to you?”!
This is a clear deception, for their question was not about the meaning of “salaah” on him, in which case he would have a point, but it was about the manner of doing the salaah on him, as is found in the narrations to which we have referred. Thus it all fits, for they asked him about the way of doing it according to the Sharee’ah, something which they could not possibly find out except from the guidance of the All-Knowing, All-Wise, Giver of the Sharee’ah. Similarly, they could also ask him about the way of performing the Salaah made obligatory by words of the Exalted such as “Establish the Salaah (Prayer)“; for their knowledge of the literal meaning of “Salaah” could not remove their need to ask about its manner according to the Sharee’ah, and this is crystal clear.
As for Nashaasheebi’s argument referred to, it is of no consequence, for it is well-known among the Muslims that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is the expounder of the words of the Lord of the Worlds, as He says:
“And We have sent down to you the Message that you may explain clearly to the people what is sent for them” (Nahl 16:44). Hence, the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) explained the way of doing salaah on him, and it included mention of his family, so it is compulsory to accept that from him, due to Allaah’s saying:
So take what the Messenger gives you (Hashr 59:7), and the well-known authentic hadeeth, Verily, I have been given the Qur’aan and something similar to it.225
I really wonder what Nashaasheebi and those taken in by his pompous words would say if someone were to reject the tashahhud in prayer altogether, or reject the menstruating woman’s abstaining from prayer and fasting, all with the argument that Allaah the Exalted did not mention the tashahhud in the Qur’aan; He only mentioned bowing and prostration, and He did not exempt a menstruating woman from prayer and fasting in the Qur’aan!! So, do they agree with such arguments, which are along the lines of his original one, or not? If they do, and we hope not, then they have strayed far, far away from guidance, and have left the mainstream of the Muslims; if they do not, then they are correct in agreeing with us, and their reasons for rejecting those arguments are exactly the same as our reasons for rejecting Nashaasheebi’s original pronouncement, which we have explained clearly.
Therefore beware, O Muslims, of attempting to understand the Qur’aan without recourse to the Sunnah, for you will never be able to do that, even if you were the Seebawaih226 of the age, the expert of the age in the ‘Arabic language. Here is an example in front of you, for this Nashaasheebi is one of the leading scholars of the ‘Arabic language of this period; you have seen how he has strayed, after being deceived by his knowledge of the language, by not seeking the aid of the Sunnah in understanding the Qur’aan; in fact he has rejected this aid, as you know. There are many other examples of this – there is not enough room here to mention them, but what we have mentioned will suffice, and Allaah is the Granter of all capability.
3) The reader will also see that in none of these types of salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is there the word sayyid (chief, leader). The later scholars have differed about the validity of its inclusion in the Ibraaheemee salaah. Due to lack of space we will not go into the details of that nor make mention of those who rejected its validity in keeping with the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)’s complete teaching to his ummah when he instructed, “Say: O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad …” on being asked about the manner of salaah on him, but we will quote the Haafidh Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalaani on this, bearing in mind his position as one of the great Shaafi’i scholars of both hadeeth and fiqh, for contradiction of this teaching of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) has become widespread among Shaafi’i scholars!
Haafiz Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghuraabeeli (790- 835 AH), a companion of Ibn Hajr, said, and I quote from his manuscript227:
He (i.e. Ibn Hajr), may Allaah benefit us with his life, was asked about the features of salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), whether during prayer or outside it, compulsory or recommended: Is one of its conditions that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) be attributed with sayaadah (leadership), e.g. ‘O Allaah! send prayers on sayyidinaa (our leader) Muhammad …’ or ‘the foremost of creation’, or ‘the leader of the children of Aadam’ etc.? Or should one stick to ‘O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad’? Which of these two is the better approach: including the word sayyid, due to it being an established attribute of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), or leaving it out due to the absence of it in the narrations? He (Ibn Hajr), may Allaah be pleased with him, replied: “Yes, to follow the narrated wording is superior. It cannot be said, “Maybe the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) himself did not say it out of modesty, just as he did not say (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) on mention of his name, although his ummah has been encouraged to do so” – for we say that if that were superior, it would have been quoted from the Companions and then from the Successors, but we do not come across it in any narrations from any Companion or Successor. This is despite the volume of quotations from them. We have Imaam Shaafi’i, may Allaah exalt his rank, one of the foremost among men in his respect for the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), saying in the preface to his book which is a base for the people of his madhhab: “O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad …” etc. until the end of what his judgment dictated, “… every time one of the rememberers remembers him, and every time one of the heedless fails to remember him”, which he seems to have deduced from the authentic hadeeth which has in it that the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) saw the Mother of the Believers engaging in long and numerous glorifications, so he said to her, “You have said words which, if weighed against the following, would be balanced: Glorified be Allaah, as many times as the number of His creation”; he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to like supplications which were concise, but exhaustive in meaning. Qaadi ‘Iyaad set out a chapter about salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in his book ash- Shifaa’ (The Book of Cure), quoting in it narrations from the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) on the authority of several Companions and Successors; in none of these is the word sayyid reported:
a) The hadith of ‘Ali, that he used to teach them the manner of salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) by saying, O Allaah, Spreader of Plains, Originator of Heights, send the foremost of Your prayers, the most fertile of Your blessings, and any remaining compliments, on Muhammad, Your slave and messenger, the opener of what is closed.
b) Again from ‘Ali, that he used to say, “The prayers of Allaah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, of the Angels nearest (to Allaah), of the Prophets, of the Sincere ones, of the Witnesses, of the Righteous, and of whatever glorifies You, O Lord of the Worlds, be on Muhammad son of ‘Abdullaah, Seal of the Prophets, Imaam of the Godfearers, … etc.”
c) On the authority of ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood, that he used to say, “O Allaah! send Your prayers, Your blessings and Your mercy, on Muhammad, Your slave and messenger, the imaam of goodness, the messenger of mercy, …” etc.
d) From al-Hasan al-Basri, that he used to say, “Whoever wants to drink from the cup which quenches, from the fount of the al-Mustafaa, should say: O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad, and on his family, his Companions, his wives, his children, his descendants, his household, his in-laws, his helpers, his followers, and all those who love him.” This is what he (Qaadi ‘Iyaad) has written in ash- Shifaa’, regarding the manner of salaah on the Prophet, on the authority of the Companions and those who succeeded them, and he also mentioned other things in it. Yes, it is related in a hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ood that in his salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), he would say, “O Allaah! send the best of Your prayers, mercy and blessings on the leader (sayyid) of the messengers …” etc., transmitted by Ibn Maajah, but its isnaad is weak, so the hadeeth of ‘Ali, transmitted by Tabaraani with a acceptable isnaad, takes precedence. This hadeeth has difficult words, which I have reported and explained in the book Fadl an-Nabi (Excellence of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)”) by Abul Hasan ibn al-Faaris. Some Shaafi’is have said that if a man took an oath to send the best salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), the way to fulfil his oath would be to say, “O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad every time the rememberers remember him or the heedless fail to remember him”; Nawawi said, “The one which is most fitting to be designated as correct is that one should say: O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on Ibraaheem …” Several of the later scholars have replied to this by saying that in neither of the two ways mentioned above is there anything to prove which is superior as regards narration, but as regards the meaning, then the former is clearly superior. This issue is well-known in the books of fiqh, and of all the scholars of fiqh who addressed this issue, without exception, in none of their words does the word sayyid appear. Had this additional word been commendable, it would not have escaped all of them, leaving them ignorant of it. All good is in following what is narrated, and Allaah knows best.”Ibn Hajr’s view of the unacceptability of describing the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) as sayyid during the salaah on him in accordance with the Qur’aanic order, is also that of the Hanafi scholars. It is the view which must be adhered to, for it is a true indication of love for him, (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam);“Say: If you do love Allaah, then follow me: Allaah will love you.” (aal-‘Imraan 3:31)
Because of this, Imaam Nawawi said in Rawdah at-Taalibeen (1/265), “The most complete salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is: O Allaah! send your prayers on Muhammad …” etc., corresponding to type no. 3 given, in which there is no mention of sayyid!
4) It should be known that types nos. 1 and 4 are the ones which the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) taught his Companions when they asked about the manner of salaah on him, so this has been used as evidence that these are the best ways of doing the salaah on him, for he would not choose anything for them or himself except the best and noblest. Imaam Nawawi, as mentioned, endorsed (in Rawdah at- Taalibeen) that if a man were to take an oath to do the best possible salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), this could not be fulfilled except in these ways.
Subki has given another reason: whoever does salaah with those types has made salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) with certainty, and whoever does so with other words is in doubt whether or not he has performed the prayers as requested. This is because they said, “How do we send prayers on you?” and he replied, “Say: …”, thus defining their salaah on him as their saying such-and-such. This was mentioned by Haitami in ad-Darr al-Mandood (25/2); he then said (27/1) that the objective is achieved with all the types which have occurred in authentic ahaadeeth.
5) It should be known that it is not valid to combine all these way into one way of salaah, and the same goes for the different tashahhuds given previously. In fact, that would be an innovation in the religion; the Sunnah is to say different ones at different times, as Shaikh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah has explained in his discussion of the takbeers of the two ‘Eids (Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa 29/253/1).
6) ‘Allaamah Siddeeq Hasan Khaan says in his book Nuzul al- Abraar bil ‘Ilm al-Ma’thoor min al-Ad’iyah wal-Adhkaar, after giving many ahaadeeth about the excellence of repeated salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) (p. 161):
“There is no doubt that the foremost among the Muslims in sending salaah on him (sall-Allaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) are the People of Hadeeth and the narrators of the purified Sunnah, for it is one of their duties in this noble branch of learning to make salaah on him before every hadeeth, and so their tongues are always engaged in his mention, may Allah grant him mercy and peace. There is no book of Sunnah or collection of hadeeth, be it a jaami’, musnad, mu’jam, juz’, etc., except that it comprises thousands of ahaadeeth; even one of the least bulky ones, Suyooti’s al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer, contains ten thousand ahaadeeth, and the rest of the collections are no different. So this is the Saved Sect: the body of the People of Hadeeth, who will be the closest among men to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) on the Day of Resurrection, and the most likely to be rewarded by his intercession (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), may my mother and father be sacrificed for him! This excellence of the People of Hadeeth cannot be surpassed by anyone unless he does more than what they do, something which is well-nigh impossible. Therefore, O desirer of good, seeker of salvation, no matter what, you should either be a muhaddith, or be close to the muhadditheen; do not be otherwise … for apart from that there is nothing which will benefit you.”
I ask Allaah, Blessed and Exalted, to make me one of these People of Hadeeth, who are the closest among men to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam); perhaps this book will be a testimony to that. May Allaah shower His mercy on Imaam Ahmad, who recited:
The religion of Muhammad is in narrations,
The best mounts for a young man are the traditions;
Turn not away from Hadeeth and its people,
For Opinion is night, while Hadeeth is day,
A young man can be ignorant of the guidance …
Although the sun is shining in all its splendour !Du’aa’ in the First Tashahhud
Standing up for the Third, and then the Fourth, Rak’ah
“When he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) stood from the sitting position, he would say takbeer, and then stand up”230; and “he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would raise his hands”231 with this takbeer sometimes.
“When he wanted to stand up for the fourth rak’ah, he would say: Allaah is the Greatest”232, and he ordered “the one who prayed badly” likewise, as before, and “he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would raise his hands”233 with this takbeer sometimes.
“He would sit up straight on his left foot, at ease, until every bone returned to its proper place, then stand up, supporting himself on the ground; and he would clench his fists234: supporting himself with his hands when standing up.”235
He would recite al-Faatihah in both these rak’ahs, and he ordered “the one who prayed badly” to do that. In Zuhr prayer, he would sometimes add a few aayaat to this, as has been explained under “Recitation in Zuhr Prayer”.
Qunoot in the Five Prayers because of a Calamity
“He was known to perform qunoot in all five prayers”241, although “he would only perform qunoot in them when he supplicated for a people or supplicated against a people”242. For example, he once said, O Allaah! rescue al-Waleed ibn al- Waleed, and Salamah ibn Hishaam, and ‘Ayyaash ibn Abi Rabee’ah. O Allaah! harden Your penalty on (the tribe of) Mudar, and cause for it years (of famine) like the years of Yoosuf. [O Allaah! curse Lahyaan, and Ru’l, and Dhakwaan, and ‘Usayyah, who disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger!]243
Then, “he would say: Allaah is the Greatest when he had finished qunoot and prostrate.”
Qunoot in Witr Prayer
He taught al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (radi Allaahu ‘anhu) to say [after finishing his recitation in Witr]:
The Final Tashahhud
The Obligation of this Tashahhud
Next, after completing the fourth rak’ah, he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would sit for the last tashahhud. He would instruct regarding it, and do in it, just as he did in the first tashahhud, except that “he would sit mutawarrikan”249, “with his left upper thigh on the ground, and both his feet protruding from one (i.e. the right) side.”250 “He would have his left foot under his (right) thigh and shin”251, “his right foot upright”252 or occasionally “he would lay it along the ground.”253 “His left palm would cover his (left) knee, leaning heavily on it.”254 [see diagram – qss]He set the example of sending prayers on him (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in this tashahhud, as in the first tashahhud; the ways of sending prayer on him (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) narrated have been given in that section.
The Obligation of Sending Prayers on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in this Tashahhud
Also, “he heard a man glorifying and praising Allaah, and sending prayers on the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in prayer, so the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said to him: Supplicate, and you will be answered; ask, and you will be given.”
The Obligation to Seek Refuge from Four Things before Supplicating
Also, “he used to teach the Companions (radi Allaahu ‘anhum) this the way he taught them Soorahs of the Qur’aan.”
Supplication before the Salaam, & its various types
-
“O Allaah! truly I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge with you from the trials of the False Christ, and I seek refuge with You from the trials of living and dying. O Allaah! truly I seek refuge with You from sin262 and burden263.”264 -
“O Allaah! truly I seek refuge with You from the evil of what I have done, and from the evil of what I have not done265 [yet].266 -
“O Allaah! call me to account with an easy reckoning.“267 -
“O Allaah! [I ask you], by Your knowledge of the Unseen, and Your control over the creation: give me life as long as You know that life is best for me, and take me when death is best for me. O Allaah! I also ask of You fear of You, in secret and in open; I ask of You the word of Truth (in one narration: Wisdom) and justice in anger and in pleasure; I ask of You moderation in poverty and affluence; I ask of You joy which does not fade; I ask of You pleasure [which does not pass away, nor that] which ceases; I ask of You contentment with Your decree; I ask of You coolness of life after death; I ask of You the delight of looking towards Your Face; and [I ask of You] eagerness towards meeting You, not in harmful adversity, nor in misleading afflictions. O Allaah! adorn us with the decoration of eemaan, and make us those who guide and are guided.268 - He taught Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (radi Allaahu ‘anhu) to say:
“O Allaah! indeed I have wronged myself greatly, and none can forgive sins except You, so forgive me out of Your forgiveness, and have mercy on me. Truly, You are the Oft- Forgiving, the Most Merciful.“269 - He instructed ‘Aa’ishah (radi Allaahu ‘anhaa) to say:
“O Allaah! indeed I ask of You all Good, [the imminent and the far-off,] that of it which I know and that which I do not know. I seek refuge with You from all Evil, [the imminent and the far-off,] that of it which I know and that which I do not know. I ask of You (in one narration: O Allaah! indeed I ask of You) the Garden, and whatever saying or deed which brings one near to it; I seek refuge with You from the Fire, and (from) whatever saying or deed which brings one near to it. I ask of You (in one narration: O Allaah! indeed I ask of You) [the] good of what was asked of You by Your slave and messenger [Muhammad; and I seek refuge with You from evil of what Your slave and messenger Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) sought refuge with You]. [I ask of You] that whatever You have decreed for me, its result [for me] be beneficial.270 - He said to a man, What do you say during the prayer? He replied, “I bear witness (i.e. do the tashahhud), then I ask Allaah for the Garden, and I seek refuge with Him from the Fire. However, by Allaah, there is no murmuring271 as good as yours or that of Mu’aadh.” So he said, Our murmuring is like yours.272
- He heard a man saying in his tashahhud:
“O Allaah! indeed I ask of You, O Allaah (in one narration: by Allaah), the One, the Only, the Absolute, Who begets not and nor is He begotten, and there is none like Him, that You forgive me my sins; indeed You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
On this, he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, He has been forgiven, he has been forgiven.273 - He heard another man say in his tashahhud:
“O Allaah! Indeed, I ask of You, by the fact that to You belongs all Praise; there is no (true) god except You, [You alone, You have no partners;] the Bestower of Favours; [O] Originator of the Heavens and the Earth; O One that is Full of Majesty and Honour; O Living One, O Eternal One; [indeed I ask of You] [the Garden, and I seek refuge with You from the Fire]. [So the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said to his Companions, Do you know with what he has supplicated? They said, “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said, By Him in Whose Hand is my soul,] he has supplicated Allaah with His Mighty (in one narration: Mightiest) name274, with which if He is supplicated, He answers, and with which if He is asked, He gives.275 - One of the last things he would say between the tashahhud and the tasleem would be:
“O Allaah! Forgive me what I have done in the past, and what I will do in the future, and what I have concealed, and what I have done openly, and what I have exceeded in, whatever You know about more know than I. You are the Bringer-Forward, and You are the Delayer, there is no (true) god except You. -
The Tasleem (Salutation of Peace)
Next, “he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) would salute to his right:
Sometimes, he would add to the greeting on the right:
“When he said:
Sometimes, “he would salute once only, [
“They used to gesture with their hands when saluting to the right and left; when the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) saw them, he said, ‘What is the matter with you, gesturing with your hands as if they are the tails of wild horses?! When one of you salutes, he should look towards his companion and not indicate with his hand.’ [So when they prayed with him, they did not gesture.] (In one narration: It is enough for each of you to place his hand on his thigh, and then salute his brothers who are on his right and left).
The Obligation of the Tasleem
This is the last of what has been possible to compile regarding the description of the Prophet’s prayer (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) from the takbeer to the tasleem: I hope that Allaah will make it sincerely for His Face, Full of Honour, and a guide to the Sunnah of His kind and merciful Prophet.
O Allaah! send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, and send blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers on Ibraaheem and the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.28 Imanway.com
-
-
-
-
-
