Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 1: Sunnah acts of prayer

The prayer also has certain acts which are sunnah. It is preferred thatthe person performs them to get their reward.

Volume 1, Page 129a: Sunnah acts of prayer, Raising the Hands

This must be done at the beginning of each prayer’s takbir. Says Ibnal-Munzhir, “All scholars agree that the Prophet raised his hands atthe beginning of his prayer.”

Commenting upon this report, Ibn Hajr says, “The Prophet’s raising hishands at the beginning of his prayer has been narrated by fiftycompanions, inluding the ten who were given the tidings of Paradise. “Al-Baihaqi related that al-Hakim said, “I do not know of any sunnahother than this one which is accepted by the four rightly-guidedkhalifahs, the ten companions who were given the tidings of Paradise,and other companions scattered across many lands.” Summing up hisevaluation of the report, al-Baihaqi says, “And it is as our teacherAbu ‘Abdullah has said.”

Volume 1, Page 129b: Sunnah acts of prayer, How toRaise the Hands

Many narrations have been recorded concerning this subject. Manyscholars have chosen the following forms: the hands are raised to theshoulders with the fingertips parallel to the button of the ears. Saysan-Nawawi, “This is how ash-Shaifi combined the hadith (on thisquestion), and the people found it to be good.” It is preferred thatone extends the fingers while raising the hands. Abu Hurairah said,”When the Prophet, upon whom be peace, stood for prayer, he would raisehis hands (with them being) open.” (Related by “the five,” except forIbn Majah.)

Volume 1, Page 130: Sunnah acts of prayer, When toRaise the Hands

One must raise the hands at about the same time he makes the takbir.Nafa’ related that when Ibn ‘Umar would begin his prayer he would saythe takbir and raise his hands. The Prophet also did this. (Related byal-Bukhari, an-Nasa’i and Abu Dawud.) He also reported that theProphet, upon whom be peace, would raise his hands upon making thetakbir until they were parallel to his shoulders or close to that.(Related by Ahmad and others.)

As for raising the hands just before the takbir, Ibn ‘Umar reported,”When the Prophet, upon whom be peace, stood for prayer, he would raisehis hands until they were parallel to his shoulders and would make thetakbir. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) A hadith from Malik ibnal-Huwairith has the wording, “Make the takbir and then raise yourhands.” (Related by Muslim.) This implies that the takbir comes beforethe raising of the hands, but Ibn Hajr says, “I have not met anyone whoholds that the takbir comes before the raising of the hands.”

It is preferred to raise one’s hands while going to bow and upon comingup from the bow

Twenty-two companions narrated that the Prophet, upon whom be peace,did so. Reported Ibn ‘Umar, “When the Prophet, upon whom be peace,stood to pray, he would raise his hands until they were the same heightas his shoulders and then he would make the takbir. When he wanted tobow, he would again raise his hands in a similar fashion. When heraised his head from the bowing, he did the same and said, ‘Allah hearshim who praises Him.’ (Related by al-Bukhari, Muslim and al-Baihaqi.)Says al-Bukhari, “He would not do that when he was going to prostratenor when he came up from his prostration.” Al-Bukhari also says, “Hewould not raise his hands between the two prostrations.” Al-Baihaqi hasthe addition, “He did not stop doing that until he met Allah.” Ibnal-Madini said, “In my opinion, that hadith is a proof for the wholecreation. Whoever hears it must act by it. There is nothing wrong withits chain.” Al-Bukhari wrote a pamphlet on this topic, and related fromal-Hassan and Humaid ibn Hilal that the companions used to (performtheir prayers) in this manner.

On the contrary, the Hanafiyyah say that one should only raise hishands at the beginning. This is based on the hadith of Ibn Mas’ud, whoreported, “I prayed with the Prophet, upon whom be peace, and he raisedhis hands only once.” This is a weak opinion, and many hadith scholarshave criticized this report. Ibn Hibban, though, said that this is thebest report.

The people of Kufah narrated that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, didnot raise his hands upon bowing or rising. But, in fact, this is a veryweak statement, for it contains many defects and is therefore invalid.Even if we accept it, as at-Tirmizhi did, it does not invalidate theauthentic and well-known hadith mentioned earlier. The author ofat-Tanqih says that perhaps Ibn Mas’ud forgot that the Prophet, uponwhom be peace, raised his hands. Az-Zaila’i writes in Nasb ar-Rayah,quoting the author of at-Tanqih, “It is not strange that Ibn Mas’ud mayhave forgotten that. Ibn Mas’ud forgot some things from the Qur’an thatthe Muslims after him never differed about, and those are the last twosurahs of the Qur’an. He forgot how two people are to stand behind theimam, that the Prophet prayed the morning prayer on the Day ofSacrifice (during the hajj) at its proper time, how the Prophet, uponwhom be peace, combined his prayers at ‘Arafah, the position of theforearms and elbows during the prostration, and how the Prophet, uponwhom be peace, recited, ‘And Him who created the male and the female.’If it is possible that Ibn Mas’ud forgot all of these things concerningthe prayer, is it not possible that he also forgot about raising thehands?”

Nafa’ related that when Ibn ‘Umar stood for the third rak’ah, he wouldraise his hands, an action which he ascribed to the Prophet. (Relatedby al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’i.) While describing the Prophet’sprayer, ‘Ali said that when he stood from the two prostrations, hewould raise his hands until they reached his shoulders and make thetakbir.

Women have to do this the same way. Says Ash-Shaukani, “Know that thissunnah is to be done by men and women. There is no proof to show thatthere is any difference between them on this point. There is also noproof to show that they are to raise their hands to different levels.”

Volume 1, Page 131: Sunnah acts of prayer, Placing theRight Hand upon the Left

This is a preferred act of the prayer. There are twenty hadith fromeighteen companions and their followers on this point. Said Sahl ibnSa’d, “The people were ordered to place their right hand on their leftforearm during prayers.” Commenting on this, Abu Hazm says, “I do notknow if he ascribed this to the Prophet.” This hadith is related byal-Bukhari, Ahmad and Malik in his al-Muwatta. Al-Hafez maintains, “Itsruling is considered to be from the Prophet, upon whom be peace, as itis implied that the one who ordered them to do so was the Prophet.” Healso related that the Prophet said, “All prophets have been ordered tohasten the breaking of the fast and to delay the (pre-fast dawn) meal,and to place our right hands on our left during prayer.”

There is also a hadith from Jabir which says, “The Prophet, upon whombe peace, passed by a man praying with his left hand over his right,and (the Prophet) pulled them away and put his right over his left.”This is related by Ahmad and others. Evaluating its chain, an-Nawawisays, “Its chain is sahih. Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr holds, “Nothing has reachedme different from that. It is the opinion of most companions and theirfollowers.” Malik mentioned it in his al-Muwatta and states, “Maliknever stopped doing it until he met Allah.”

Volume 1, Page 132: Sunnah acts of prayer, The Positionof the Hands

Al-Kamal ibn al-Hamam is of the opinion, “There is no authentichadith stating that one must place the hands under the chest or belowthe navel. According to the Hanifiyyah, the hands are to be placedbelow the navel, and the Shafiyyah say below the chest. Ahmad has twonarrations corresponding to these two opinions. The correct position issomewhere in the middle – to be equal.” Observes at-Tirmizhi,”Knowledgeable companions, their followers and those that came afterthem believed that one should put his right hand over the left duringprayer, while some say above the navel and others say below thenavel…” Nevertheless, there do exist hadith that the Propet, uponwhom be peace, placed his hands on his chest. Reported Hulb at-Ta’i, “Isaw the Prophet, upon whom be peace, praying with his right hand overhis left upon his chest above the elbow.” This is related by Ahmad andat-Tirmizhi, who grades it as hassan.

Reported Wa’il ibn Hajr, “Once when I prayed with the Prophet, uponwhom be peace, he placed his right hand over his left upon his chest.”The report is recorded by Ibn Khuzaimah, who considers it as sahih, andby Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’i with the wording, “Then he put his righthand over the back of his left wrist and forearm.”

Volume 1, Page 132a: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheOpening Supplication

It is preferred for the person to begin his prayer with one of thesupplications that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, used to begin hisprayers. This occurs after the opening takbir and before the recitationof al-Fatihah. Some of the supplications that have been related are:

-1- Reported Abu Hurairah, “When the Prophet, upon whom be peace, madethe opening takbir, he would be quiet for a little while before hisrecitation. I asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, may my father andmother be sacrificed for you, why are you quiet between the (opening)takbir and your recitation? What do you say (at that time)?’ He said,’I say, O Allah, make the distance between me and my sins as far as youhave made the distance between the East and the West. O Allah, cleanseme of my sins as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. O Allah, purifyme from my sins by snow, rain and hail.” (Related by al-Bukhari,Muslim, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah.)

-2- Reported ‘Ali, that when the Prophet stood for prayer, he wouldmake the takbir and then say, “I have turned my face to the one whocreated the heavens and the earth as a sincere submissive (person), andI am not one of the polytheists. My prayers, my sacrifice, my life andmy death are all for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. He has no partner.That is what I have been ordered and I am of those who submit. O Allah,you are the King and there is no Lord besides You. You are my Lord andI am Your slave. I have wronged my soul and You are aware of my sins,so forgive all of my sins. No one forgives sins save You. Guide me tothe best character. No one can guide to the best of that save You. Turnme away from its evil, and no one can turn me from its evil save You.At your beck and call, all the good is in Your hands and evil is not toYou. And I am for You and to You are the blessings and the exaltedness.I seek your forgiveness and return unto You.” (Related by Ahmad,Muslim, at-Tirmizhi, Abu Dawud and others.)

-3- It is related that ‘Umar used to say, after the beginning takbir,”Glory be to You, O Allah, and to You is the praise. Blessed is Yourname and most high is Your honor. There is no Lord besides You.” Thishadith is related by Muslim with a broken chain. Ad-Daraqutni traces itback to the Prophet and back to ‘Umar.

Commenting on it, Ibn al-Qayyim says, “It has been authenticated that’Umar began with that in the place (of the preceding prayer) of theProphet, upon whom be peace. He would recite it aloud and teach it tothe people. And owing to that fact, it is considered to have its sourcewith the Prophet, upon whom be peace. For that reason, Imam Ahmad says,”I act by what has been related from ‘Umar. If a person begins withsomething that has been related, it is good.”

-4- ‘Asim ibn Humaid asked ‘Aishah how the Prophet, upon whom be peace,began his late-night prayers. She replied, “You have asked me aboutsomething that no one before you has asked. When he would stand forprayer, he would make the takbir ten times (after the opening takbir),and then say ‘Al-hamdu lillah’ ten times. He would then ask forgivenessten times, and then would say, “O Allah, forgive me, guide me, providefor me, sustain me and give me refuge from a constraining place on theDay of Resurrection.” (Related by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah.)

-5- ‘Abdurahman ibn ‘Auf asked ‘Aishah how the Prophet, upon whom bepeace, began his prayer when he would pray during the night. She said,”When he would get up during the night, he would begin his prayer with,’O Allah, Lord of Gabriel, Mikhail and Israfil, Creator of the heavensand the earth, Knower of the Unseen and the Seen. You will judgebetween Your slaves concerning matters wherein they differ. Guide me tothe truth in those matters wherein they differ by Your permission, forYou guide whom You will to the straight path.” (Related by Muslim, AbuDawud, at-Tirmizhi, anNasa’i and Ibn Majah.)

-6- Nafa’ ibn Jubair ibn Mut’am related from his father who said, “Iheard the Messenger of Allah say in his voluntary prayer, ‘Allahu akbarkabeera’ three times, ‘al-Hamdu lillah katheera’ three times,’Subhanallahi bukratan wa asila’ three times, and then ‘O Allah, I seekrefuge in You from Satan the accursed and from his pricking, spittleand puffing.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what are his pricking,spittle and puffing?’ He said, ‘His pricking is the insanity by whichhe takes the children of Adam. His spittle is arrogance, and hispuffing is (evil) poetry.” (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah andIbn Hibban.)

-7- Ibn ‘Abbas related that when the Prophet, upon whom be peace, gotup for the night prayer, he would say, “O Allah, to You is the praise.You are the support of the heavens and the earth and whatever istherein. To You is the praise. You are the light of the heavens and theearth and whatever is therein. To You is the praise. You are the Truth.Your promise is true. The meeting with You is true. Your speech istrue. Paradise is true. Hell-fire is true. Your prophets are true.Muhammad is true. The hour is true. O Allah, to You have I submitted,and in You have I believed. In You I put my trust, and to You do Icome. For You do I dispute, and to You is the judgement. Forgive me myearlier and later sins, and what has been private and public. You arethe predecessor and the successor. There is no god except You. There isno lord other than You. There is no power or might except in Allah.”This hadith is related by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmizhi,an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Malik. In Abu Dawud’s version, the Prophet,upon whom be peace, said that after the opening takbir.

-8- It is a preferred act for the one in prayer to seek refuge fromSatan between his opening supplication and his Qur’anic recitation.Allah says, “When you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge in Allah from theoutcast Satan.” In the preceding hadith of Nafa’ ibn Jubair, theProphet is reported to have said, “O Allah, I seek refuge in you fromSatan, the outcast.” Said Ibn al-Munzhir, “It has been related from theProphet, upon whom be peace, that he would say, ‘I seek refuge in Allahfrom Satan, the outcast’ before reciting.”

-9- It is sunnah to say ,”I seek refuge in…” silently. In al-Mughni,it states, “One should say the seeking of refuge silently and notaloud, and I do not know of any difference of opinion on that point.”But ash-Shaf’i was of the opinion that one may choose between saying itsilently or aloud in those prayers recited aloud. It has been relatedthat Abu Hurairah recited aloud, but this report has a weak chain.

-10- The seeking of refuge is to be done in the first rak’ah only.Reported Abu Hurairah, “When the Prophet, upon whom be peace, would getup for the second rak’ah, he would begin with ‘al-Hamdu lillahi, rabbul-‘aalimeen’, without having any period of silence.” (Related byMuslim.)

Speaking of it, Ibn al-Qayyim says, “The jurists differ over whether ornot that is a time to say, ‘I seek refuge…’ But they agree that it isnot a place to make the opening supplication. On the former point,there are two opinions, both of them related from Ahmad. Some of hiscompanions concluded that either the prayer is only one recitation, soit is sufficient just to seek refuge once, or that each recital is arecital by itself that requires the seeking of refuge. They do notdispute the fact that the opening supplication is for the whole prayer.It is sufficient to seek refuge only once, as it is apparent from theauthentic hadith.” Then he mentions the preceding hadith of AbuHurairah, and says, “It is sufficient just to make one openingsupplication, since there is no real break between the recital of theprayer. The only thing that is between them is the remembrance ofAllah, and so on. Therefore, it will be considered as one recital. AshShaukani has the final word, and says, ‘It is best just to do what hasbeen related from the sunnah, and that is to seek refuge in the firstrak’ah only.”

Volume 1, Page 136: Sunnah acts of prayer, Saying’Ameen

It is sunnah for everyone to say ‘ameen after reciting al-Fatihah.The word ameen is not part of al-Fatihah, but rather a supplicationmeaning, “O Allah, respond (to or answer what we have said). It shouldbe said aloud in the prayers where the recital is aloud, and quietly inthe prayers where the recital is silent. Said Na’eem al-Mujamir, “Iprayed behind Abu Hurairah and he said, ‘In the name of Allah, theCompassionate, the Merciful,’ then recited al-Fatihah, and closed itwith ‘ameen. The people also said ‘ameen. After the prayer, AbuHurairah said, ‘By the One in whose Hand is my soul, I have followedthe prayer of the Prophet.”

Al-Bukhari mentioned this hadith in mu’allaq from while others, such asan-Nasa’i, Ibn Khuzaimah, Ibn Hibban and Ibn as-Siraj related it.Al-Bukhari records that Ibn Shihab (az-Zuhri) said, “The Messenger ofAllah, upon whom be peace, would say, ‘ameen.”

Says ‘Ata, “‘Ameen is a supplication.” Ibn az-Zubair and those behindhim would say ‘ameen and the mosque would ring with their voices.

Reported Nafa’, “Ibn ‘Umar did not encourage the people to say italoud, nor did he discourage them. I have heard him report that.”Reporting on this same subject, Abu Hurairah said, “When the Messengerof Allah, upon whom be peace, would recite, ‘…Not with those withwhom You are displeased and not of those who have gone astray,’ hewould say, ‘ameen such that those close to him could hear him.”(Related by Abu Dawud.) Ibn Majah’s version is, “Until the people inthe first row would hear him, and the mosque would ring with thesound.” Al-Hakim also relates this hadith, and says that it is sahihaccording to the criterion of al-Bukhari and Muslim. Al-Baihaqi callsit hassan sahih. Ad-Daraqutni considers it as hassan.

A similar report from Wa’il ibn Jubair says, “I heard the Messenger ofAllah, upon whom be peace, recite, ‘…and not of those who have goneastray,’ and then say ‘ameen, and make it long with his voice.” Thiswas related by Ahmad. Abu Dawud has it with the wording, “And he wouldraise his voice with it.” At-Tirmizhi classifies it as hassan andstates, “More than one knowledgeable companion and those who followedthem have said that a person should raise his voice while saying ‘ameenand not make it silent.” Ibn Hajr holds that the chain of this hadithis sahih. Reported ‘Ata, “I have found two hundred companions of theProphet, upon whom be peace, in this mosque and when the imamrecited,’…and not of those who have gone astray,’ I heard them say’ameen.”‘Aishah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said,’The Jews do not envy you for anything more than they envy you for thesalutations and the saying of ‘ameen behind the imam.” (Related byAhmad and Ibn Majah)

It is preferred to say ‘ameen along with the imam, and not before orafter him

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, Whenthe imam recites, ‘… not of those with whom You are angered nor ofthose who have gone astray,’ you should say ‘ameen. If this correspondsto when the angels say it, he will have all of his previous sinsforgiven.” (Related by al-Bukhari.) He also reported that the Prophetsaid, “When the imam recites, ‘…not of those with whom you areangered nor of those who have gone astray,’ then say ‘ameen (along withthe imam), for the angels say ‘ameen and the imam says ‘ameen. If his’ameen corresponds to the ‘ameen of the angels, he will have hisprevious sins forgiven.” (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’i.)

Volume 1, Page 137: Sunnah acts of prayer, Qur’anicRecitation after al-Fatihah

It is sunnah for the person to recite a section of the Qur’an afteral-Fatihah during the two rak’ah of the morning prayer and the Fridayprayer, and the first two rak’ah of the noon, afternoon, sunset andnight prayers, and in all of the rak’ah of the superogatory prayers.Abu Qatadah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, would reciteal-Fatihah and some surah in the first two rak’ah of the noon prayer,and only al-Fatihah in the last two rak’ah. Sometimes he would recitesome verses. The first rak’ah’s recital would be longer than thesecond. That was how it was done in the afternoon and morning prayers.This is related by al-Bukhari, Muslim and by Abu Dawud, who adds, “Wethink he did that in order to allow people to catch the first rak’ah.”

Jabir ibn Sumrah reported that the people of Kufah complained aboutSa’d to ‘Umar, causing ‘Umar to dismiss him and replace him with’Ammar. They had many complaints about Sa’d, even claiming that he didnot pray properly. ‘Umar sent for him and said, “O Abu Ishaq (Sa’d),these people claim that you do not pray properly.” Sa’d replied, “ByAllah, I prayed with them in the same manner that the Messenger ofAllah, upon whom be peace, prayed with us, and I never shortened it inany way. I would lengthen the first two rak’ah of the night prayer andshorten the last two.” Said ‘Umar, “This is what I expected of you.” Hesent him back to Kufah with one or two people to ask the people ofKufah about him. All of the people praised him until they went to themosque of the tribe of ‘Abs. A man named Usamah ibn Qatadah, also knownas Abu Sa’da, stood and said, “Since I am under oath I must inform youthat Sa’d never accompanied the army, did not distribute the bootyjustly, and was not just in his legal verdicts. Sa’d then said, “I prayto Allah for three things: O Allah, if this slave of Yours is lying andstood only for show, then give him a long life, increase his povertyand put him to trials.” Years later, when Usamah was asked how he wasdoing, he would answer that he was an old man in trial due to Sa’d’ssupplication. ‘Abdul-Malik (one of the narrators) said that he had seenthe man afterwards with his eyebrows overhanging his eyes due to oldage, and he would tease and assault the young girls along the paths.(Related by al-Bukhari.)

Said Abu Hurairah, “A recitation should be done in every prayer. Whatwe heard from the Prophet, upon whom be peace, we let you hear. What hewas silent about, we are silent about with you. If one does not addanything to al-Fatihah, it is sufficient. If one does add something, itis good.” (Related by al-Bukhari.)

Volume 1, Page 138: Sunnah acts of prayer, How toPerform the Recital after al-Fatihah

This may be done in any of the following manners: Said Al-Hussain,”In the fighting at Khorasan we had three hundred companions with us,and one of them would lead the prayer, recite some verses from theQur’an and then bow.” It is related that Ibn ‘Abbas would reciteal-Fatihah and some verses from al-Baqarah in every rak’ah. (Related byad-Daraqutni with a strong chain.) Al-Baihaqi narrates from ‘Abdullahibn as-Sa’ib that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, recited al-Mu’minunin the morning prayer, and when he came to the part which refers toMoses, Aaron or Jesus, he would cough and bow.” ‘Umar read in the firstrak’ah 120 verses from the seven long surahs (Mathnawi). Al-Ahnaf readal-Kahfin the first rak’ah and Yunus or Yusufin the second, and saidthat he prayed the morning prayer with ‘Umar (and he recited them). IbnMas’ud read forty verses from al-Anfal in the first rak’ah and a surahfrom the ten short surahs (Mufassil) in the second. Qatadah reportedabout a person who read one surah in two rak’ah or repeated the samesurah twice, and then commented: ‘It is all the Book of Allah.”‘Ubaidullah ibn Thabit related that Anas said, “One of the helpers(Ansar) led the people in prayer at (the mosque) of Quba’. Before hebegan his recitation he would always recite, ‘Say: He is Allah, theOne,’ until he finished that surah, and then he would recite anothersurah. He did that in every rak’ah. They said to him, ‘You begin withthat surah, but we don’t find it sufficient until you add another surahto it?’ He said, ‘I will not stop doing so. I like to lead you in theprayer with that. If you don’t like it, I will leave (leading you inthe prayers).’ They thought that he was the best among them, so theydidn’t want someone else to lead them. They referred the matter to theProphet, upon whom be peace, and he said, ‘O so and so, what has keptyou from doing what your companions have asked you? Why do you keepreciting that surah in every rak’ah?’ He said, ‘I love that surah.’ TheProphet, upon whom be peace, said, ‘Your love for that surah will causeyou to enter Paradise.” A man from the tribe of Juhinah reported thathe heard the Prophet, upon whom be peace, recite, “When the earthquakes,” in the morning prayer in both rak’ah. And the man said, “I donot know if he forgot that he had recited it or if he did it onpurpose.” This hadith is related by Abu Dawud. The chain has nothing init that can be criticized.

Volume 1, Page 139: Sunnah acts of prayer, Recitationafter al-Fatihah

Here we shall mention what Ibn al-Qayyim learned about the Prophet’srecitation following al-Fatihah in different prayers. He commented,”When the Prophet finished al-Fatihah, he would sometimes make alengthy recitation, and sometimes a short one if he was travelling orsimilarly engaged. But most of the time, he made a recitation ofintermediate length.

Volume 1, Page 139a: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheRecitation in the Morning Prayer

He would read from sixty to one hundred verses during the morningprayer. Sometimes he would read surah Qal; ar-Rum, at-‘Takwir, oraz-Zilzal in the last two rak’ah. While travelling, he would sometimesread the last two surahs of the Qur’an. Sometimes he would read thefirst portion of al-Mu’minun until he would reach the story of Mosesand Aaron in the first rak’ah, and then he would cough and bow. OnFridays he would read Alif; Lam, Mim, Tanzil as-Sajdah, or ad-Dahr intheir complete forms. He did not do what many people do today, which isreciting part of this surah and part of another. Many ignorant peoplethink that it is best to recite something with a prostration on Fridaymorning. But this is just plain ignorance. Some scholars dislike thatone should read a surah with a prostration due to this ignorantthought. The Prophet, upon whom be peace, used to recite these twosurahs because they contained reminders of man’s creation, the returnunto Allah, the creation of Adam, the entry into Paradise andHell-fire, and other matters that did or will specifically occur on aFriday. Therefore, he would recite them on Friday to remind hiscompanions of the events of that day. He would recite Qaf, al-Qamr,al-A’la and al-Ghashiyyah on days of great importance like Friday, the’Id days, and so on.:

Volume 1, Page 140: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheRecitation in the Noon Prayers

He would sometimes make this recitation lengthy. Abu Sa’eed evenonce said, “While he was standing in the noon prayer, one could go toal-Baqi’e and take care of some matter, return to his family, makeablution, return, and still find the Prophet, upon whom be peace, inthe first rak’ah due to the length of his recital.” (Related byMuslim.) He would sometimes recite all of Alif, Lam, Mim, Tanzil, oral-A’la, or al-Lail, or sometimes al-Buruj or at-Tariq.

Volume 1, Page 140a: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheRecitation in the Afternoon Prayer

This would be half the length of the noon prayer recitation if thatrecitation was long or the same length if it was short.

Volume 1, Page 140b: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheRecitation in the Sunset Prayer

The Prophet would recite different surahs in the sunset prayer ondifferent days. Sometimes he would recite al-A’raf in the two rak’ahsand sometimes at-Tur or al-Mursilat. Says Abu ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-Barr,”It is related that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, recited al-A’rafor as-Saffat or Ha-Mim Dukhan or al-A’la or at-Tin or the last twosurahs of al-Mufassil. All of that is related through authentic chains.” Marwan ibn al-Hakim used to do this, and when Zaid ibn Thabitobjected to it he said, “What is wrong with you that you always reciteone of the short surahs from al-Mufassil during the sunset prayer? Ihave seen the Prophet, upon whom be peace, reciting a long chaptertherein.” Marwan asked, “And what is a long chapter?” He answered,”Al-A’raf.” This hadith is sahih. Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah andat-Tirmizhi related it. An-Nasa’i records that ‘Aishah said, “TheProphet, upon whom be peace, read al-A’raf during the sunset prayer andhe divided it between the two rak’ahs.” To always recite a short surahfrom al-Mufassil is an act that differs from the sunnah, and this iswhat Marwan ibn al-Hakim did.

Volume 1, Page 141: The Recitation in the Night Prayer

In the night prayer, the Prophet would recite at-Tin, and he taughtMu’azh to recite ash-Shams, al-A’la, al-Lail, and so on. He objected toMu’azh reciting al-Baqarah at that time. After the prayer, he (Mu’azh)went to the tribe of ‘Amr ibn ‘Auf, and when part of the night hadpassed, he repeated his prayer, and recited al-Baqarah there. On beinginformed about him, the Prophet said to him, “Mu’azh, are you one whoputs people to hardships?”

Volume 1, Page 141a: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheRecitation in the Friday Prayer

He would recite alJumu’ah, al-Munafiqun or al-Ghashiyyah, in theircomplete forms, or al-A’la and al-Ghashiyyah. He never recited just theending of some surahs which began with “O you who believe…” surahalJumu’ah). Those who insist on doing so every Friday are not followingthe sunnah.

Volume 1, Page 141b: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheRecitation in the Two ‘Ids

He would recite Qafor al-Qamar completely, and sometimes al-A’la andal-Ghashiyyah. The rightly guided caliphs did the same. Once Abu Bakrread al-Baqarah in the morning prayer until the sun was about to rise.They said, “O successor of the Messenger of Allah, the sun is about torise.” He said, “Had it risen, you would not have found us negligent.”‘Umar would recite Yusuf, an-Nahl, Hud, al-Isra’ and similar surahs. Ifreciting long surahs was abrogated, it would have been known to thekhalifahs or to those who may have criticized them. Muslim records fromJabir ibn Sumrah that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace,recited Qaf in the morning prayer, and that his subsequent prayersduring that day would be shorter. Umm al-Fazhl heard Ibn ‘Abbas reciteal-Mursilat and she told him, “O my son, that recital reminded me ofthat surah. It was the last one that I heard the Prophet, upon whom bepeace, recite, and he read it in the sunset prayer.” That is one of thelatest actions that we have from him.

Given the above, we may now interpret the Prophet’s hadith, “O you wholead the people in prayer, be easy on them,” and Anas’ statement, “TheProphet, upon whom be peace, conducted the prayer very lightly, thoughit was complete.” ‘Easiness’ or ‘lightness’ is a relative term. We mustreturn to how the Prophet behaved to understand and follow his examplecorrectly. It is not to be determined by the whims and desires of thosewho are present for prayer. The Prophet, upon whom be peace, did notorder the people to differ from his practice, even though he knew thatbehind him were the aged, weak and people with needs to tend to. Heperformed his prayer in the same manner that he asked others topray–‘light’ or ‘easy’. If his prayers were somewhat long, they werestill easy compared to how long he could have made them. The guidancethat he came with and practiced is the one that decides our affairs anddisputes for us. This is supported by the hadith recorded by an-Nasa’iand others in which Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet, upon whom bepeace, ordered those who lead prayers to be ‘easy’ by recitingas-Saffat. Therefore, a surah the length of as-Saffat is part of whatthe Prophet, upon whom be peace, meant when he said that the imamsshould be easy on the people.

Volume 1, Page 142: Sunnah acts of prayer, Reciting aSpecific Surah

The Prophet, upon whom be peace, did not confine his recitation ofthe Qur’an in prayers to some specific surahs, (except for the Fridayand ‘Id prayers). Concerning the other prayers, Abu Dawud has recordeda hadith from ‘Amr ibn Shu’aib from his father on the authority of hisgrandfather who said, “There is no separate surah, large or small,except the ones I heard the Prophet recite while leading the people inone of the obligatory prayers. He used to recite the entire surah intwo rak’ahs, or just the initial part of the surah. It has not beenrecorded from him that he would recite from the middle or the end ofthe surah, nor that he would recite two surahs in one rak’ah during theobligatory prayers. He would, however, do so during voluntary prayers.Said Ibn Mas’ud, “I know the surahs the Prophet used to recite togetherin one rak’ah: ar-Rahman and an-Najm, al-Qamar and al-Haqqah, at-Turand azh-Zhariyat, al-Waqi’ah and Noon, and so on.” But this hadith doesnot tell us if this was during obligatory or voluntary prayers. Thelatter is more probable. He rarely recited one surah in two (both)rak’ahs. Abu Dawud records that a man from the tribe of Juhainah heardthe Prophet, upon whom be peace, recite the complete surah az-Zil~altwice in both rak’ahs of the morning prayer. The man commented, “I donot know if he did this out of forgetfulness or if he recited it twiceintentionally.”

Volume 1, Page 143: Sunnah acts of prayer, Lengtheningthe First Rak’ah of the Morning Prayer

The Prophet, upon whom be peace, would make the first rak’ah of themorning prayer longer than the second. At times, he would continue toprolong his recitation until he heard no more footsteps (of the peoplecoming to catch the prayer). He made the morning prayer the longest ofhis (obligatory) prayers. This is because its recitation is witnessedby Allah and the angels. It is also stated that it is witnessed by boththe angels who record the daytime deeds and those who record thenighttime deeds. Whether it is Allah and His angels or His angels alonewho witness that time, or does it continue until the morning prayer isover or until the sun rises cannot be said with certainty, though bothof the statements are correct.

Furthermore, since the morning prayer has the least number of rak’ah,the recitation is prolonged to compensate for it. It is prayed rightafter sleep. As such, people are well rested. Also, it occurs beforethey have engaged themselves in their livelihood and other worldlyaffairs. The spirit as well as the body is responsive to the words ofAllah. This makes the recital easier to ponder over and comprehend.Also, prayer is the basis and the first of all works. Therefore, it ispreferred to prolong the recital of the morning prayer. This would berecognized by one who is familiar with Islamic law and its aim, purposeand wisdom.

Volume 1, Page 144: Sunnah acts of prayer, How TheProphet Would Recite the Qur’an

He would draw out his voice over the long vowels, pause at the endof every verse, and elongate his voice with the recital. This ends thesection that has been taken from the writings of Ibn al-Qayyim.

Volume 1, Page 144a: Sunnah acts of prayer, What IsPreferred to be Done During the Recitation

It is sunnah to make one’s voice beautiful and nice while recitingthe Qur’an. The Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “Beautify yourvoices with the Qur’an.” He also said, “He is not one of us who doesnot chant the Qur’an,” “The one with the best voice with the Qur’an isthe one that when you hear him, you feel that he fears Allah,” and”Allah never listened to anything like he listened to his Prophetchanting the Qur’an with a beautiful voice.”

Says an-Nawawi, “It is sunnah for anyone who is reciting the Qur’an,whether he is praying or not, to ask Allah for His blessings when hecomes to a verse of mercy. When he comes to a verse (describing)punishment, he should seek refuge in Allah from Hellfire, punishment,evil, from what is hated, or he may say, “Allah, I ask You forwell-being, etc.” When he comes to a verse that glorifies or exaltsAllah, he should say, “Glory be to Allah,” or “Blessed be Allah, theLord of the Worlds,” and so on. Huzhaifah ibn al-Yaman is reported tohave said, “I prayed with the Prophet, upon whom be peace, one night,and he started reading al-Baqarah. I said to myself, ‘He will bow afterone hundred verses,’ but he continued. Then I said, ‘He will completeit and bow,’ but he moved to recite very slowly al ‘Imran and thenan-Nisa’. When he came to a verse glorifying Allah, he would glorifyHim. If he came to a verse that mentioned a request, he would requestit. If he came to something that (one should) seek refuge from, hewould seek refuge.” This was related by Muslim. Among the Shafiyyah,the glorifying, requesting and seeking refuge should be done during theprayer and at other times. The imam, followers and one praying byhimself should all do so, for they are supplications that one shouldsay, like ‘ameen. It is preferred that when reading, “Is not Allah themost conclusive of all judges?” / at-Tin:8 / one should say,”Certainly, and I am one of the witnesses to that. When one reads, “Isnot He (who does so) able to bring the dead to life? / al-Qiyamah:40 /,he should say, “Certainly, and I bear witness (to it).” When one reads,”Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High,” ( al-A’la: 1 ), heshould say, “Glory to my Lord, the Most High.” That should be saidduring prayer and otherwise.

Volume 1, Page 145: Sunnah acts of prayer, When ThePrayer is to be Aloud or Subdued

It is sunnah to recite aloud in the two rak’ah of the morning andthe Friday congregational prayer, in the first two rak’ah of theevening and the night prayer, in the two ‘id prayers, the prayer foreclipses, and the prayer of asking for rain. The recital should besubdued during all of the noon and the afternoon prayer, during thelast rak’ah of the evening prayer, and during the last two rak’ah ofthe night prayer. Concerning voluntary prayers, those made during thedays should be subdued, while those made during the night can be eitherloud or subdued.

Volume 1, Page 145a: Sunnah acts of prayer, It is bestto be moderate in one’s recital

One night, the Prophet, upon whom be peace, passed by Abu Bakr whenhe was praying in a very low voice, and he passed by ‘Umar who waspraying with his voice raised. (Later), when they were together withhim, he said, “O Abu Bakr, I passed by you and you were praying in avery low voice.” He said, “O Messenger of Allah, the one who I waspraying to could hear me.” And he said to ‘Umar, “O ‘Umar, I passed byyou and you were praying with a raised voice.” He said, “O Messenger ofAllah, this was to stop the drowsiness and to drive away Satan.” TheProphet, upon whom be peace, said, “O Abu Bakr, raise your voicesomewhat. And ‘Umar, lower your voice somewhat.” (Related by Abu Dawudand Ahmad.) If one forgets and recites aloud when he should be silentor vice-versa, there is no blame upon him. If one recalls thecorrection while he is doing the mistaken act, he may change to thecorrect way.

Volume 1, Page 146: Sunnah acts of prayer, RecitingBehind an Imam

One’s prayer is not accepted unless al-Fatihah is recited in everyrak’ah. But, one who is praying behind an imam is to keep quiet whilethe imam is reciting aloud, as Allah says in the Qur’an, “When theQur’an is recited, listen and remain silent that you may attain mercy.”The Prophet, upon whom be peace, also said, “When the imam makes thetakbir, (you too) make the takbir. When he recites, be silent.”(Related by Muslim.) One hadith states, “Whoever is praying behind animam, the imam’s recital is his recital. If the imam reads quietly,then all of the followers must also make their own recital. If onecannot hear the imam’s recital, he must make his own recital.

Commenting on this subject, Abu Bakr al-‘Arabi says, “What we see asthe strongest opinion is that one must recite during the prayers inwhich the imam’s recital is subdued. But, during the prayers where theimam recites aloud, one may not recite. This is based on the followingthree proofs:

-1- This was the practice of the people of Madinah,

-2- it is the ruling of the Qur’an, as Allah says, “When the Qur’an isrecited, listen and remain silent,” and

-3- this is supported by two hadith: one from ‘Imran ibn Hussainstates, ‘I know that some of you compete with me (in my recital…),’and ‘If it is recited, you should listen.’ The preceding hadith is theweightiest position according to the following argument: If one cannotrecite along with the imam, then when can one recite? If one says,’While he is silent,’ then we say, ‘It is not necessary for him to besilent,’7 so how can something that is obligatory be dependent onsomething that is not obligatory? But we have found a way in which theperson may ‘recite’ with the imam, and that is the recitation of theheart and of concentrating on what is being recited. This is the methodof the Qur’an and the hadith, and the way the worship has beenpreserved. It is also part of following the sunnah. One is to act bywhat is the strongest (opinion). This was also the choice of az-Zuhriand Ibn al-Mubarak, and it is a statement from Malik, Ahmad and Ishaq.Ibn Taimiyyah supports it and shows it to be the strongest opinion.

Volume 1, Page 147: Sunnah acts of prayer, Making theTakbir upon Moving from Position to Position

It is sunnah to make the takbir upon every rising, lowering,standing or sitting, except when one comes up from bowing, in whichcase one should say, “Allah hears him who praises Him.” Reported IbnMas’ud, “I saw the Messenger of Allah make the takbir upon everylowering, rising, standing and sitting.” This is related by Ahmad,an-Nasa’i and at-Tirmizhi, who called it shaih.

Says at-Tirmizhi, “The companions of the Prophet, upon whom be peace,including Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali and others, acted according tothis hadith, as did their followers and the majority of the jurists andscholars.” Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abdurahman ibn al-Harith reported that heheard Abu Hurairah say, “When the Prophet, upon whom be peace, stoodfor prayer, he would make the takbir while standing. Then he made thetakbir while bowing. When coming up from the bowing, he would say,”Sami’Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears him who praises Him). Whilestanding, he would say, “Rabbana lakal-hamd (Our Lord, to You is thepraise).” Then he would say, “Allahu akbar” when he would go down forthe prostration, when he raised his head, and when he stood from hissitting after the two prostrations. He did that in every rak’ah untilhe finished the prayer. He prayed in that manner until he left thisworld.” (Related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud.)

‘Ikrimah said to Ibn ‘Abbas, “I prayed the noon prayer in al-Buthabehind a foolish old man. He would make twelve takbirs by saying itwhen he prostrated and when he raised his head.” Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Thatis the prayer of Abu al-Qasim (the Prophet).” (Related by Ahmad andal-Bukhari.) It is preferrable to start the takbir when one beginsone’s changing of position.

Volume 1, Page 147a: Sunnah acts of prayer, The Mannerof Bowing

When one bows, one’s hands must reach one’s knees. It is sunnah tomake the height of the head equal to that of the hips. The hands shouldbe supported by the knees and should be apart from one’s sides. Thehands should be open upon one’s knees and thighs, and the palms shouldbe flat. It is reported that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amr would bow with his armsseparated, his hands on his knees, and his fingers opened beyond hisknees. He said, “This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah pray.”(Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’i.)

Abu Humaid reported that when the Prophet, upon whom be peace, bowed,he would be straight, his head neither up nor down (with respect to hiships), and he would place his hands on his knees as if he was holdingthem.” (Related by an-Nasa’i.)

Muslim records ‘Aishah reporting that when the Prophet bowed, his headwould be neither risen nor lowered, but rather between those twopositions. Said ‘Ali, “If you put a cup of water on the back of theProphet, upon whom be peace, while he was bowing, its contents wouldnot spill.” This is related by Ahmad. Abu Dawud recorded it in hisKitab al-Muraseel.

Said Mus’ab ibn Sa’d, “I prayed next to my father. I joined both of myhands and put them between my thighs (while bowing). He stopped me andsaid, ‘We used to do that, but were later ordered (by the Prophet) toput our hands on our knees.”‘ (Related by “the group.”)

Volume 1, Page 148: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheRemembrance of Allah During the Bowing

It is preferred to remember Allah with the following words, “SubhanaRabiyy al-‘Azheem (Glory to my Lord, the Great.)” Reported ‘Uqbah ibn’Amr, “When ‘Glorify the name of your Lord, the Great,’ was revealed,the Prophet told us, ‘Do so in your bowings.” This is related by Ahmad,Abu Dawud and others with a good chain.

Reported Huzhaifah, “I prayed with the Messenger of Allah, upon whom bepeace, and while bowing he would say, ‘Subhana Rabiyy al-‘Azheem.”(Related by Muslim, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i, at-Tirmizhi and Ibn Majah.)

The phrase Subhana Rabiyy al-‘Azheem wa bihamdihi has been relatedthrough a number of chains, but all of them are weak. Ash-Shaukanimaintains, “The different chains support each other. It is perfectlyacceptable for one who is praying to limit himself to Subhana Rabiyyal-‘Azheem or to add one of the following:

-1- ‘Ali reported that while bowing, the Messenger of Allah, upon whombe peace, would say, “O Allah, for You have I bowed, and it is You thatI have believed in and to You have I submitted. You are my Lord. Myhearing, sight, marrow, bones and nerves and what is carried by my feetare for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim, AbuDawud and others.)

-2- ‘Aishah reported that while bowing and prostrating, the Messengerof Allah, upon whom be peace, would say, “Glorified and Holy are You,Lord of the angels and the souls.”

-3- Reported ‘Auf ibn Malik, “I prayed with the Messenger of Allah onenight. He recited al-Baqarah and while bowing said, ‘Glory be to theOne of Omnipotence, the Master of the dominions, of grandeur and ofhonor.”‘ (Related by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmizhi and an-Nasa’i .)

-4- ‘Aishah said that when the Prophet, upon whom be peace, bowed orprostrated, he would often say, “Glory and praise be to You, O Allah,our Lord. O Allah, forgive me.” This was how he applied the Qur’an.(Related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim and others.)

Volume 1, Page 149: Sunnah acts of prayer, What Is SaidUpon Rising From Bowing and Standing

It is preferred for the one who is praying, whether he be the imam,follower or praying by himself, to say, “Allah hears him who praisesHim,” upon coming up from the bowing. When he is standing straight, heshould say, “Our Lord, and to You is the praise,” or “O Allah, OurLord, and to You is the praise.” Abu Hurairah reported that when theProphet, upon whom be peace, rose from bowing he would say, “Allahhears him who praises Him,” and while standing (straight) he would say,”Our Lord, and to You is the praise.” (Related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari andMuslim.)

Al-Bukhari records in the hadith from Anas, “When he says, ‘Allah hearshim who praises Him,’ you say, ‘O Allah, our Lord, and to You is thepraise.” Ahmad and others record a hadith from Abu Hurairah in whichthe Prophet, upon whom be peace, is quoted as saying, “When the imamsays, ‘Allah hears him who praises Him,’ you say, ‘O Allah, our Lord,and to You is the praise.’ If one’s statement corresponds to that ofthe angels, all of his previous sins will be forgiven.” The Prophetsaid, “Pray as you have seen me pray.” This applies to all of hisglorifying and praise statements, even if the person is following theimam. The answer to those who say, ‘One should not combine both ofthese sayings’ (‘Allah hears him…’ and ‘O Allah, our Lord…’) butonly say the one of praise, has been given by an-Nawawi who said, “Ourcompanions say that the mentioning of the command, ‘And you should say,O Allah, our Lord…’ is in conjunction with ‘Allah hears him whopraises him.’ But the Prophet, upon whom be peace, only mentioned thestatement, ‘O Allah, Our Lord, to you is the praise,’ because they hadalready heard the statement, ‘Allah hears him who praises Him’ aloudfrom him. It was his sunnah to say that phrase aloud, but they did nothear him say, ‘Our Lord, to You is the praise’ because he said it in asubdued voice. They knew the Prophet’s words, ‘Pray as you have seen mepray,’ and knew that it was to be taken in the general sense withoutany restrictions. They used to say, ‘Allah hears him who praises Him,’and therefore there was no need for the Prophet, upon whom be peace, toorder them to say it again. But they did not know, ‘Our Lord, to You isthe praise,’ and therefore he ordered them to say it.”

The two phrases are the least that one should say while standing. Butone may add any of the supplicatory words mentioned in the followinghadith:

-1- Said Raf ah ibn Rafa’, “One day we prayed behind the Messenger ofAllah, upon whom be peace. When he raised his head from bowing, hesaid, ‘Allah hears him who praises Him,’ and a man behind him said,’Our Lord, to You is the praise, as much as it can be and as blessed asit can be.’ When the Prophet, upon whom be peace, finished the prayerhe said, ‘Who said that phrase earlier?’ A man said, ‘I did, OMessenger of Allah.’ The Prophet said, ‘I saw more than thirty angelschasing after you to see who would record it first.”‘ (Related byAhmad, al-Bukhari, Malik and Abu Dawud.)

-2- ‘Ali reported that when the Prophet raised his head from bowing hewould say, “Allah hears him who praises Him, and to You is the praisefilling up the heavens and the earth, what is between them and fillingup whatever You wish in addition to that.” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim,Abu Dawud and at-Tirmizhi.)

-3- ‘Abdullah ibn Abu ‘Aufa reported that when the Prophet raised hishead from bowing he would say, “O Allah, to You is the praise fillingup the skies and the earth and filling up whatever You wish in additionto that. O Allah, purify me with snow, hail and cold water. O Allah,purify me from sins and cleanse me from them as one cleans a whitegarment from filth.” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud and IbnMajah.)

-4- Said Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri, “When the Prophet, upon whom be peace,would say, ‘Allah hears him who praises Him,’ he would (also) say, ‘OAllah, to You is the praise filling up the skies and the earth, andfilling up what You wish in addition to that. You are the One who isworthy of praise and glory. This is the most correct statement that aslave could make. And we are all slaves unto You. There is no one whocan prevent what You have given. And there is no one who can give whatYou have prevented. No one can benefit from fortune (in the face of)Your fortune.”‘ (Related by Muslim, Ahmad and Abu Dawud.)

-5- It has also been authentically reported from the Prophet, upon whombe peace, that after saying “Allah hears him who praises Him,” he wouldsay, “To my Lord is the praise, to my Lord is the praise,” until hewould be standing for as long as he was bowing.

Volume 1, Page 151: Sunnah acts of prayer, How ToProstrate

Most scholars prefer that one place his knees on the floor beforehis hands. Ibn al-Munzhir related this from ‘Umar an-Nakha’i, Muslimibn Yasar, Sufyan al-Thauri, Ahmad, Ishaq and other jurists includingIbn al-Munzhir himself. Abu at-Tayyeb said that most jurists agree withthis. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “When the Prophet, upon whom be peace,prayed, he would place his knees (on the floor) before his hands, thenhis hands, his forehead and nose. This is what is authentic and hasbeen related by Shuraik from ‘Asim ibn Kaleeb on the authority of hisfather from Wa’il ibn Hajr who said, ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah,upon whom be peace, while prostrating, placing his knees (on the floor)before his hands. Upon getting up, he would raise his hands before hisknees. I never saw him do otherwise.” Malik, al-Auza’i, Ibn Hazm andAhmad maintain that it is preferred to place the hands down first andthen the knees. Says al-Auza’i, “I saw the people placing their handson the floor before their knees.” Ibn Abu Dawud comments, “That is thestatement of the people of hadith.” There is also a difference ofopinion concerning how one should stand up from the prostration afterthe first (or third) rak’ah. Some say one should raise the hands fromthe floor first while others say that one should raise the knees first.

It is preferred for the one who is prostrating to follow the followingpoints:

One should place one’s nose, forehead and hands upon the floor

They should be separated from the sides of the body. Wa’il ibn Hajrreported that when the Messenger of Allah prostrated, he would placehis forehead between his palms and separate his arms from the sides ofhis body. (Related by Abu Dawud.) Abu Humaid reported that when theProphet, upon whom be peace, prostrated, he would place his nose andforehead upon the floor, keep his arms away from his sides, and placehis hands parallel to his shoulders. This is related by Ibn Khuzaimahand at-Tirmizhi, who called it hassan sahih.

One should place one’s hands parallel to one’s ears or shoulders

As both of these acts have been related. Some scholars combine thesetwo acts by placing the ends of the thumbs parallel to the ears and thepalms parallel to the shoulders.

One should have one’s fingers together and stretched out

AlHakim and Ibn Hibban record that when the Prophet, upon whom bepeace, bowed he would have his fingers separated and when he prostratedhe would keep his fingers together.

One should have one’s fingers facing the qiblah

Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Humaid that when the Prophet, upon whom bepeace, prostrated, his fingers would be neither spread out nor claspedtogether, and his toes would be directed toward the qiblah.

Volume 1, Page 152: Sunnah acts of prayer, The lengthof time of the prostration and what is to be said therein

It is preferred for the one who is prostrating to say Subhana Rabiyyal-A’la (Glory to my Lord, the Most High). ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamr relatedthat when, “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High” was revealed,the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “Do so in your prostrations.”This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and al-Hakim. Its chainis good.

Huzhaifah reported that when the Prophet, upon whom be peace,prostrated, he would say “Subhana Rabiyy al-A’la. ” This is related byAhmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and at-Tirmizhi, whocalled it hassan sahih. It is a must that one not repeat these sayingsless than three times during the bowings and prostrations. Saysat-Tirmizhi, “The scholars prefer the one bowing or prostrating to makethe glorifications at least three times.” According to the majority,the minimum that is sufficient for the prostrations or bowings is oneglorification. We have already mentioned that “calmness” is obligatory,and this requires a time of at least one glorification.

According to some scholars, the complete glorification is ten. This isbased on the following hadith: Sa’eed ibn Jubair related that Anassaid, “I have not seen anyone being more similar to the Prophet’sprayer than this boy (‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-‘Aziz). We estimated the numberof the glorifications that he made during his bowing to be ten and inhis prostrations also to be ten.” This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawudand an-Nasa’i with a good chain.

Commenting on the subject, ash-Shaukani says, “Some hold that thisproves that the complete (number of) glorifications is ten. The moresound opinion is that an individual who is praying may offer as manyglorifications as he wishes. There are authentic hadith that state thatthe Prophet, upon whom be peace, elongated his glorifications duringprostrations. The imam may also do so if he knows the followers willnot get tired by making it longer.”

Says Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr, “It is a must that every imam should be easy (bynot making the prayers too long) as has been ordered by the Prophet,even if he knows that those behind him are strong, because he does notknow what may have happened to them and what needs they may have totend to.”

Ibn al-Mubarak maintains, “It is preferred for the imam to make fiveglorifications. Therefore, all the people behind him would be able tomake (at least) three. It is preferred that one not limit hisremembrance during the prostrations to just the glorifications, but heshould add some supplications to it. In an authentic hadith, it isrecorded that the Prophet said, ‘The closest one of you comes to hisLord is while he is prostrating, (therefore) make many supplicationstherein.’ And he also said, ‘I have prohibited you from reciting whilebowing or prostrating. During the bowing, glorify the Lord. During theprostrations, strive your hardest in making supplications. Most likely,you will be listened to.” This was related by Ahmad and Muslim.

Many hadith are related on this topic, including:

-1- ‘Ali reported that when the Prophet prostrated he would say, “OAllah, to You have I prostrated, in You have I believed, and to Youhave I submitted. I have prostrated my face to the One who created meand formed me in the best of forms. He is the One who gave it hearingand sight. Blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators.” (Related by Ahmadand Muslim.)

-2- While describing the Prophet’s late night prayers, Ibn ‘Abbas said,”Then he would go to pray and during his prayer or prostration, hewould say, ‘O Allah, place light in my heart, in my hearing, in mysight, on my right, on my left, in front of me, behind me, above me,below me, and make me light.” Reported Shu’bah, “Or he said, ‘And makefor me light.” (Related by Muslim, Ahmad and others.)

Talking of light, an-Nawawi observes, “The scholars say that asking forlight for all organs and sides means (asking) to have the truth andguidance made clear for one’s self. He asked for this so that therewould be no deviation or misguidance left in him.”

-3- Reported ‘Aishah, “I once noticed the Prophet missing from hisplace of sleep. I felt over his place with my hand and found himprostrating. He was saying, ‘O Lord, give my soul God-consciousness andpurify it, for You are the best of those who purify. You are itsGuardian and Protector.” (Related by Ahmad.)

-4- Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, wouldsay while prostrating, “O Allah, forgive all of my sins, the small andlarge, the first and last, the public and private.” (Related by Muslim,Abu Dawud and al-Hakim.)

-5- Reported ‘Aishah, “One night I missed the Prophet from his bed. Ilooked for him and found him praying. He was prostrating, his feet werein an upright position and he was saying, ‘O Allah, I seek refuge inYour pleasure from Your anger. I seek refuge in Your granting ofwell-being from Your punishment. I seek refuge in You from You. Thepraise cannot encompass You and You are as You have praised Yourself.”(Related by Muslim, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’i.)

-6- She also reported that one night he was missing and she suspectedthat he had gone to another one of his wives. She found him while hewas bowing or prostrating, and he was saying, “Glory be to You, OAllah, and to You be praise. There is no god besides You.” She said,”May my father and mother be sacrificed for you. I thought you weredoing something and you were doing something else.” (Related by Muslim,Ahmad and an-Nasa’i.)

-7- While prostrating the Prophet, upon whom be peace, would say, “OAllah, forgive me (those things that I have been) mistaken in orignorant, and the action that I have been extravagant in, for You aremore knowledgeable of them than me. O Allah, forgive me my seriousmistakes and my joking mistakes, my mistakes (that I was unaware of)and of my intentional mistakes, and everything of that which I havedone. O Allah, forgive me my past sins and later sins and what wasprivate and what was public. You are my God, and there is no god exceptYou.”

Volume 1, Page 154: Sunnah acts of prayer, SittingBetween the Two Prostrations

It is sunnah to sit “spread out” between the two prostrations (toput the left foot down and to sit upon it and to keep the right footupright with the toes pointing toward the qiblah). ‘Aishah reportedthat the Prophet would lay out his left foot and keep his right footupright. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Ibn ‘Umar reported that itis from the sunnah to keep the right foot upright, with its toespointing toward the qiblah, and to sit upon the left foot. (Related byan-Nasa’i.) Reported Nafa’, “When Ibn ‘Umar prayed, he would face theqiblah, even his shoes.” (Reported by al-Athram.) In the hadith of AbuHumaid, in which he described the prayer of the Prophet, he stated,”Then he would lay down his left foot and sit upon it until all of hisbones were in place, and then he would go to make the prostration(again).” (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and at-Tirmizhi who classifiedit as sahih.)

It has also been related that ifa’a (laying out both feet and sittingupon one’s heels) is a preferred act. Comments Abu ‘Ubaidah, “This isthe statement of the people of hadith.” Abu az-Zubair related that heheard Tawus say, “We asked Ibn ‘Abbas about ifa’a, and he said, ‘It issunnah to do so.’ We said, ‘We think it to be too harsh for the man.’He said, ‘It is a sunnah of your Prophet, upon whom be peace.” (Relatedby Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Umar reported that when the Prophet rose from the firstprostration, he would sit upon his toes. He used to say, “That is fromthe sunnah.” Reported Tawus, “I saw the ‘Abdullahs (‘Abdullah ibn’Abbas, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar and ‘Abdullah ibn az-Zubair) sitting withtheir feet laid flat.” The last two reports were related by al-Baihaqi.Talking of its authenticity, Ibn Hajr says, “Its chain is sound.”

Concerning iqa’a–sitting with the buttocks on the ground and with thethighs straight on the ground–it is disliked by all scholars. Said AbuHurairah, “The Prophet prohibited us from three things: pecking like arooster (making the prostration very quickly), sitting like a dog (iqa’a), and not turning one’s whole head like a fox.” This is related byAhmad, al-Baihaqi, at-Tabarani and Abu Tala with a hassan chain. It ispreferred for the one who is sitting between the two prostrations toput his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his leftthigh with the fingers stretched out and directed toward the qiblah.The fingers should be slightly separated and should not go beyond theknees.

Volume 1, Page 156: Sunnah acts of prayer,Supplications Between the Two Prostrations

It is preferred to make one of the following supplications betweenthe two prostrations. One may repeat them more than once if one wishesto do so. An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah recorded that Huzhaifah reported thatbetween the two prostrations, the Prophet would say, “O Lord, forgiveme.” Abu Dawud recorded from Ibn ‘Abbas that while prostrating, theProphet, upon whom be peace, would say, “O Allah, forgive me, havemercy on me, grant me well-being, guide me and provide for me.”

Volume 1, Page 156a: Sunnah acts of prayer, TheSitting of “Rest”

This refers to a quick sitting that one makes after the secondprostration of the first and third rak’ah. The scholars differ overthis regulation due to the differing hadith. Says Ibn al-Qayyim, “Thejurists differ over this act. Is it a sunnah of the prayer that oneshould perform, or is it only done due to some necessity? There are twostatements on this question and two narrations from Ahmad. Saidal-Khallal, ‘Ahmad referred to the hadith of Malik ibn al-Huwairithregarding the intermediate position of rest (between the twoprostrations). He said, ‘Yusuf ibn Musa informed me that Abu Umamah wasasked about standing up (in the prayer) and he said, ‘It should be doneon the tops of the feet according to the hadith of Rafa’.’ In thehadith of Ibn ‘Ajlan there is no proof that he would stand on the tipsof his feet. Many of the companions and others who described theprayers of the Prophet did not mention this sitting, except in what isrelated by Abu Humaid and Malik ibn al-Huwairith. If it was part of hisguidance, he would always do it, and those who described his prayerswould have mentioned it.

The fact that he may have done so does not necessarily make it one ofthe sunnahs of the prayer, unless he did it as a regular practice forthe people to follow. Otherwise, he may have done it out of some needto do so, and this would not prove that it is a sunnah of theprayer.~ø”

Volume 1, Page 157: Sunnah acts of prayer, Sitting forTashahud

One should sit for the tashahud and place his hands in the followingmanner:

-1- Ibn ‘Umar reported that when the Prophet sat for the tashahud, hewould place his left hand on his left knee and his right hand upon hisright knee, and he would form a ring like (fifty-three) and point withhis index finger. In another narration it is reported, “He would closehis hand and point with his index finger.” (Related by Muslim.)

-2- Wa’il ibn Hajr reported that the Prophet would place his left palmon his left thigh and knee. He would place the end of his right elbowupon his right thigh and would then close his right hand, forming acircle. In another narration it states, “He would make a circle withhis middle finger and thumb and point with his index finger. Then hewould raise his finger, and (Wa’il) saw him moving it to makesupplications.” (Related by Ahmad.) Explaining the hadith, al-Baihaqisays, “The implication of ‘he would move it’ is that he would pointwith it, not that he would continue to move it.” This would be inagreement with the narration of Ibn az-Zubair who reported, “TheProphet would point with his finger while supplicating, and he wouldnot move it.” This is related by Abu Dawud with a sahih chain.An-Nawawi also mentioned it.

-3- Reported az-Zubair, “When the Prophet sat for tashahud, he wouldplace his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his leftthigh. He would point with his middle finger, and would not look beyondhis pointing.” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim and anNasa’i.) This hadithshows that one is to place the right hand on the right thigh withoutclosing the hand (making a fist), and that he is not to look beyond hispointing.

The preceding three hadith are all authentic, and one may act by any ofthem.

One should point with one’s right index finger, bending it a little,until one says the salaams at the end of the prayer. Reported Numairal-Khaza’i, “I saw the Messenger of Allah sitting in the prayer withhis forearm along his right thigh. His index finger was raised, curved(or bent) a little, and he was supplicating.” This is related by Ahmad,Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Ibn Khuzaimah with a good chain.

Said Anas ibn Malik, “The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace,passed by Sa’d while he was making supplications (and using) twofingers. The Prophet said to him, ‘Just one, Sa’d”‘ This is related byAhmed, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i and al-Hakim.

Ibn ‘Abbas was asked about a man who pointed with his finger whilesupplicating, and he said, “This is sincere devotion.” Says Anas ibnMalik, “That is imploring.” Mujahid maintains “Doing this hindersSatan.” According to the Shai’iyyah, one points with the finger onlyonce, when saying “except Allah” in the statement bearing witness. TheHanifiyyah raise the finger in the denial part of the statement (thereis no god) and put it back down during the confirmation part (exceptAllah). The Malikiyyah move the finger to the left and right until theyfinish the prayer. The Hanbaliyyah point with the finger every timethey mention Allah, as a reflection of the oneness of Allah, and theydo not move it.

Volume 1, Page 158: Sunnah acts of prayer, Sitting forthe First and Second Tashahud

When Abu Humaid described the prayer of the Prophet, upon whom bepeace, he said, “When he sat after two rak’ah, he would sit upon hisleft leg and keep his right foot upright. When he sat for the lastrak’ah, he would pull over his left foot and put his right foot upright(over the left foot) and sit upon his entire posterior.” (Related byal-Bukhari.)

Most scholars say that the first tashahud is sunnah

This is based on the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn Buhainah who reported thatonce the Prophet stood during the noon prayer when he should have sat (for the first tashahud). When he finished the prayer, he made twoprostrations. He made a takbir for each prostration (and it was) whilehe was sitting before he made the tasleem. He made those twoprostrations because he had forgotten to sit (for the first tashahud).(Related by “the group.”)

In Subul as-Salaam, it is stated that this hadith proves that one whoforgets the first tashah ud must make the prostrations offorgetfulness. The Prophet is, however, reported to have said, “Pray asyou have seen me pray.” This would point to the first tashahud beingobligatory, and one would have to do some act to make up for it. But,this also proves that it is not obligatory, for if one misses an actthat is obligatory, the two prostrations of foregetfulness are notsufficient to make up for it. That is what Ibn Hajr says in Fathal-Bari.

Says Ibn Batal, “The proof is that the two prostrations due toforgetfulness cannot replace something that is obligatory. If oneforgets the opening takbir, they will not replace it. In the case ofthe tashahud, it is a remembrance that is not said aloud and it is notobligatory.” Some say otherwise, because the Prophet used to perform itand, as such, he let others follow him in performing it after he foundout that they were leaving it intentionally. But there is some doubtabout this argument. Those who say that it is obligatory includeal-Laith Ibn Sa’d, Ishaq, ash-Shaf’i and the Hanafiyyah. At-Tabariargues that it is obligatory because originally only two rak’ah and thetashahud were obligatory. When they were made longer, the originalobligations were not done away with. Therefore, it is still obligatory.

It is preferred to make the first tashahud quickly

Reported Ibn Mas’ud, “When the Prophet sat after the first two rak’ah,it seemed as if he was (sitting) on hot stones.” This is related byAhmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i, at-Tirmizhi and Ibn Majah. At-Tirmizhigrades it as hassan and says, ‘Ubaidah (ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud) didnot hear (hadith) from his father. He also says, “The scholars actaccording to this hadith. They prefer that one should not sit too longafter the first two rak’ah, and that he should not add anything to thetashahud.”

Says Ibn al-Qayyim, “It is not reported from the Prophet that he wouldsay prayers upon himself or his family during the first tashahud. Norwould he seek refuge from the torment of the grave or the Hell-fire, orfrom the test of life, death and of the false Messiah. Those who saysuch supplications are deducing their arguments from the generalapplication (of the supplications and the word tashahud), but thecorrect position is that their proper place is in the last tashahud.

Volume 1, Page 160: Sunnah acts of prayer, Prayers uponthe Prophet, Upon Whom Be Peace

In the last tashahud, it is preferred for the person to say prayersupon the Prophet in one of the following manners:

-1- Reported Mas’ud al-Badri, “Basheer ibn Sa’d said, ‘O Messenger ofAllah, we have been ordered to make prayers upon you. How are we to doit?’ The Prophet was quiet and then said, ‘Say, O Allah, showerblessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as you showeredblessings upon the family of Abraham. And grant favors to Muhammad andto the family of Muhammad as you granted favors to the family ofAbraham in this world. You are the Praiseworthy and Glorious.’ And makethe salutations as I have taught you.” (Related by Muslim and Ahmad.)

-2- Reported Ka’b ibn ‘Ajazah, “We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, show ushow we are to make salutations and prayers upon you.’ He said, ‘Say, OAllah, shower blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammadas you have showered blessings upon the family of Abraham. You are thePraiseworthy, the Glorious. O Allah . grant favors to Muhammad and thefamily of Muhammad as you granted favors to the family of Abraham.”

The salutations upon the Prophet, upon whom be peace, is a preferredact and is not obligatory. This contention is based on a hadithrecorded by at-Tirmizhi (who said it is sahih), Ahmad and Abu Dawudfrom Fizhalah ibn ‘Ubaid who said, “The Messenger of Allah heard a mansupplicating in his prayer and he did not make the prayers on theProphet. The Prophet said, ‘He has hastened.’

Then he called him and said, ‘When one of you prays, begin with thepraise and lauding of Allah. Then make prayers upon the Prophet, andsupplicate whatever you wish of Allah.” The author of al-Muntaqi says,”This is a proof for those who say that the prayers upon the Prophetare not obligatory, because he did not order the one who did not do itto repeat his prayer. This is supported by his statement to Ibn Mas’ud,after mentioning (only) the tashahud, ‘Then choose whatever you wish toask (of Allah).” In his comments on this hadith, ash-Shaukani observes,”In my opinion, there is no confirmed proof that it is obligatory.”

Volume 1, Page 161: Sunnah acts of prayer,Supplications After the Last Tashahud and Before the Tasleem

It is preferred for the person to supplicate after the finaltashahud and before making the final salutations (that end the prayer).The person may ask for whatever he wishes of the good of this life andthe hereafter. Ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet, upon whom bepeace, taught him the tashahud and then said, “Then choose whatever youwish to ask (of Allah).” (Related by Muslim.)

Supplications are preferred acts in general, regardless of whether theyare reported from the Prophet or not, although supplicationsauthenticated by the sunnah are better. Some of these are:

-1- Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom bepeace, said, “When one of you finishes the final tashahud, he shouldsay, ‘O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of the Hell-fireand the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the trialsof the false Messiah.” (Related by Muslim.)

-2- ‘Aishah reported that the Messenger of Allah would supplicate inhis prayer, “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of thegrave, from the trials of the anti-Christ, and from the trials of lifeand death. Allah, I seek refuge in You from sin and debt.” (Related byMuslim and al-Bukhari.)

-3- ‘Ali reported that when the Prophet prayed, the last thing he wouldsay between the tashahud and the tasleem was, “O Allah, forgive my pastand later sins, what was in private and what was in public, and what Ihave been extravagant in. You are more knowledgeable of it than I. Youare the Promoter and the Retarder. There is no god except You.”(Related by Muslim.)

-4- ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr reported that Abu Bakr said to the Messenger ofAllah, “Teach me a supplication that I may use in my prayers.” He toldhim, “Say, O Allah, I have wronged my soul a great wrong and no oneforgives sins except You, so forgive me with such forgiveness that onlycomes from You and have mercy on me. Verily, You are the Oft-Forgiving,the Oft-Mercful.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

-5- Hanzhalah ibn ‘Ali said that Muhjan ibn al-Adra’ related to himthat the Prophet entered the mosque while a man was just about tofinish his prayer. The latter made the tashahud and said, “O Allah, Iam asking You, O Allah, the One, the Only, the Absolute, who begets noris begotten, nor is anyone like Him, to forgive my sins, for You arethe Forgiving, the Merciful.” The Prophet then said three times, “Hehas been forgiven.” (Related by Ahmad and Abu Dawud.)

-6- Shaddad ibn Aus reported that during his prayer, the Prophet wouldsay, “O Allah, I ask You to confirm me in the affairs, to keep me onthe correct path, to make me thankful for your blessings and excellentin Your worship. O Allah, I ask You for a tranquil heart and truthfultongue. O Allah, I ask You for the good of what You know, and I seekrefuge in You from the evil of which you are aware, and I ask Yourforgiveness from what You know.” (Related by an-Nasa’i.)

-7- Said Abu Mijlaz, ” ‘Ammar ibn Yasar led us in the prayer and hemade it very short. The people blamed him for that and he told them,’Did I not complete my bowings and prostrations … and did I notsupplicate therein what the Prophet used to supplicate, saying, ‘OAllah by Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over the creation,let me live if You know that living is best for me, and let me die ifYou know that dying is better for me. I ask You (to forgive me) forfear of You in what is not seen and what is seen, to make my speechtruthful while angry or pleased, and to have the same aim in povertyand riches. Grant me the pleasure of looking to Your face and of thelonging to meet You. I seek refuge in You from a harmful loss and fromthe trials of a misguider. O Allah, embellish me with the beauty offaith, and make us of the guided of the guiders.” This is related byAhmad and an-Nasa’i with a good chain.

-8- Abu Saleh related from one of the companions that the Prophet saidto a man, “What do you say in your prayer?” He said, “I say thetashahud and then I say, ‘O Allah, I ask of you Paradise and seekrefuge in You from Hell-fire.’ But I cannot murmer as good as you orMu’azh (as eloquent as you are).” The Prophet said, “We ask concerningParadise and the Hell-fire.” (Related by Ahmad and Abu Dawud.)

-9- Ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet taught him to say thissupplication: “O Allah, bring our hearts together and make ourrelations good. Guide us to the paths of peace and bring us out of thedarkness and into the light. Keep us away from lewdness, both hiddenand open. O Allah, bless us in our hearing and our sight, in ourhearts, our wives and our offspring. Turn unto us, for You are theOft-Turning, the Oft-Merciful. Make us thankful for Your blessings andcomplete it upon us.” (Related by Ahmad and Abu Dawud.)

-10- Said Anas, “We were sitting with the Prophet and a man stood upand prayed. When he bowed and made the tashahud, he would supplicate,’O Allah, I ask of You, for to You is the praise. There is no godexcept You, the Giver without question, the Creator of the heavens andthe earth. O Sublime and Honorable One, O Living and Sustaining One, Iask of You.’ The Prophet said to his companions, ‘Do you know who hemade his supplication with?’ They said, ‘Allah and His Messenger knowbest.’ He said, ‘By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, hesupplicated Allah by His greatest name. If one supplicates by thatname, it will be listened to. If he asks by it, it will be given.”(Related by an-Nasa’i.)

-11- ‘Umair ibn Sa’d said, “Ibn Mas’ud used to teach us the tashahud ofthe prayer and then he would say, ‘When one of you finishes thetashahud, he should say: O Allah, I ask you for all good, that which Iam aware of and that which I am not. I seek refuge in You from allevil, that which I am aware of and that which I am not. O Allah, I askyou for the good that your devoted servants asked for. I seek refuge inYou from all evil, that which I am aware of and that which I am not. OAllah, I ask you for the good that your devoted servants asked for. Iseek refuge in You from the evil that your devoted servants soughtrefuge for. Our Lord, give us the good of this life and the good of theHereafter.’ He said, ‘No prophet or righteous person supplicated foranything except that it is contained therein.” (Related by Ibn AbuShaibah and Sa’eed ibn Mansur.)

Volume 1, Page 164: Sunnah acts of prayer, Words ofRemembrance and Supplications After the Tasleem

It is sunnah for the person to use a number of words of remembranceand supplications which have been related from the Prophet. The manyreports include the following:

-1- Reported Thauban, “When the Prophet would finish his prayer, hewould seek Allah’s forgiveness three times and then say, ‘O Allah, Youare the peace, and from You is peace. You are filled with good, OSublime and Honorable One.” This is related by “the group,” except foral-Bukhari. Muslim has the addition, “Waleed said, ‘I asked al-Auza’i,’How did he seek Allah’s forgiveness?’ He said, ‘By saying, ‘I seekAllah’s forgiveness, I seek Allah’s forgiveness, I seek Allah’sforgiveness.”

-2- One day the Prophet took Mu’azh ibn Jabal’s hand and said to him,”O Mu’azh, I love you.” Mu’azh responded, “May my father and mother besacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah, I love you.” Then the Prophetsaid, “I advise you, O Mu’azh, say at the end of every prayer, ‘OAllah, aid me in Your remembrance, Your thanks, and in perfecting Yourworship.” This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i, IbnKhuzaimah, Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim, who said it is sahih according toal-Bukhari’s and Muslim’s criterion. Abu Hurairah reported that theMessenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said, “Do you strive yourutmost in making a supplication? Then say, ‘O Allah, aid us in makingYour remembrance, in giving You thanks and in perfecting Your worship.”

-3- Reported ‘Abdullah ibn Zubair, “When the Prophet made the tasleemat the end of the prayer, he would say, ‘There is no god but Allah theOne. There is no partner with Him, to Him belongs the sovereignty andto Him is the praise. He has power over all things.

There is no might or power save with Allah. We do not worship any butHim. To Him belongs the fortune, the grace and the best praise. Thereis no god except Allah, and religion is sincerely for Him even if thedisbelievers abhor it.” (Related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari and Muslim. )

-4- Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah reported that the Prophet would say at theend of every obligatory prayer, “There is no god except Allah, the One.There is no partner with Him. To Him is the dominion and the praise. Hehas power over all things. O Allah, none can withhold what You haveconferred, nor can one confer what You have withheld. A fortune doesnot benefit its owner against You.” (Related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari andMuslim.)

-5- Abu Umamah reported that the Prophet said, “For whoever recites theverse of the throne al-Baqarah:244 at the end of every prayer, nothingwill prevent him from entering Paradise except that (he must) die(first).” (Related by an-Nasa’i and at-Tabarani.)

‘Ali reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “Whoeverrecites the verse of the throne at the end (after) of every obligatoryprayer will be in Allah’s protection until the next prayer.” This isrelated by at-Tabarani with a hassan chain.

-6- Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet said, “Whoever glorifiesAllah after every prayer thirty-three times, and praises Allahthirty-three times and extols Allah’s greatness thirty-three times andthen says, ‘There is no god except Allah, the One. There is no partnerwith Him. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has powerover all things,’ is forgiven, even if his sins are as abundant as thefoam of the sea.” (Related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud.)

-7- Ka’b ibn ‘Ajrah related that the Prophet said, “There are certainstatements which, if one were to utter or observe them at the end ofevery obligatory prayer, one would not be dismayed. (They are)glorifying Allah thirty-three times, praising Allah thirty-three timesand extolling His greatness thirty-four times.” (Related by Muslim. )

-8- Sumayy reported from Abu Saleh on the authority of Abu Hurairahthat the poor emigrants went to the Messenger of Allah, upon whom bepeace, and said, “The wealthy have gotten the high ranks andeverlasting bounties.” The Prophet said, “Why is that?” They said,”They pray as we pray and they fast as we fast. (But) they give incharity and we do not give in charity. They free the slaves and we donot free the slaves.” The Messenger of Allah told them, “Shall I teachyou something by which you may overtake those who surpass you, by whichyou will surpass those who will come after you, and none will then bebetter than you except if he does what you do?” They said, “Certainly,O Messenger of Allah.” He told them, “Glorify Allah thirty-three times,praise Him thirty three times, and extol His greatness thirty-fourtimes.” So I returned to Abu Saleh and told him what they had said. Hetook my hand and said, “Allahu akbar, subhaan Allah, al-hamdu lillah,Allahu akbar, subhaan Allah, al-hamdu lillah…” until all of themreached thirty-three.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

-9- The Prophet would say each of the following twenty-five times:Subhaan Allah, al-hamdu lillah, Allahu akbar and La ilaha illa Allah,wa ashadu anna la shareeka lahu. Lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd wa huwa’ala kulli shaian qadeer (There is no god except Allah, the One. He hasno partner. His is the dominion, His is the praise, and He has powerover all things.)

-10- ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace,said, “There are two characteristics which, if one observes them, willcause him to enter Paradise. They are very easy actions, but very fewperform them.” The people said, “What are they, O Messenger of Allah?”He said, “To praise Allah, extol His greatness and glorify Him at theend of every obligatory prayer ten times each. When one goes to bed, heshould glorify Allah, praise Him and extol His greatness one hundredtimes each. Those are, in total, only 250 actions of the tongue, yetthey are equal to 2500 on the scale. Does any of you commit 2500 sinsduring one day and night?” They asked, “How come those easy actions areperformed by so few?” He said, “Satan comes to one during his prayerand reminds him of such and such need, and he fails to say the (above).He comes to him in his bed and makes him sleep so that he can not saythem.” ‘Abdullah said, “I have seen the Messenger of Allah countingthem on his fingers.” This is related by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmizhi,who called it hassan sahih.)

-11- It is related from ‘Ali that he and Fatimah were seeking a servantto make their work easier. The Prophet refused and said to her, “ShallI tell you of something better than what you have asked for?” Theysaid, “Certainly.” He said, “These are words that were taught to me byGabriel, peace be upon him. Glorify Allah at the end of every prayerten times, praise Him ten times and extol His greatness ten times. Whenyou go to bed, glorify Allah thirty-three times, praise Himthirty-three times and extol His greatness thirty-four times.” Said’Ali, “By Allah, I never neglected to do what the Messenger of Allahtaught us.”

-12- ‘Abdurahman ibn Ghanim reported that the Messenger of Allah said,”Whoever says, ‘There is no god but Allah, the One. There is no partnerwith Him. His is the dominon and His is the praise. In his hand is allthe good. He gives life and death, and He has power over all things,’ten times after the sunrise and dawn prayer, before turning away andlifting his leg, will have written for him for each repetition ten gooddeeds, and will have erased for him ten evil deeds. He will also beraised ten degress, will be protected from every plot, and he will beprotected from the outcast Satan. No sin will lead to his destructionexcept idolatry, and he will be the person with the best deeds,surpassed only by the one who does more and says more than what he hassaid.” This is related by Ahmad and at-Tirmizhi, but without “In Hishand is all the good.”

-13- Muslim ibn al-Harith reported that his father said, “The Messengerof Allah said to me, ‘When you pray the morning prayer, before you talkto anyone say, ‘O Allah, I seek your protection from the Hell-fire’seven times. If you should die on that day, Allah will record for youprotection from the Hell-fire. When you pray the sunset prayer, saybefore you speak to anyone, ‘O Allah, I ask Paradise of You. O Allah, Iseek Your protection from the Hell-fire’ seven times. If you die duringthat night, Allah will record for you protection from the Hell-fire.”(Related by Ahmad and Abu Dawud.)

-14- Al-Bukhari and at-Tirmizhi related that Sa’d ibn Abu Waqqas usedto teach the following words to his children, “The Messenger of Allahwould seek refuge at the end of every prayer (by saying), ‘O Allah, Iseek refuge in you from cowardice. I seek refuge in You frommiserliness, I seek refuge in You from senility, and I seek refuge inYou from the trials of this world, and I seek refuge in You from thetorment of the grave.”

-15- Abu Hatim related that the Prophet would say, upon finishing hisprayers, “O Allah, make my religion, which encompasses all of myaffairs, good. O Allah, make this world of mine in which I live good. OAllah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger. I seek refuge inYour pardoning from your vengeance. I seek refuge in You from You. Nonecan withhold what You have conferred, no one can confer what You havewithheld. No possesser of fortune can benefit from his fortune againstyou.”

-16- Abu Dawud and al-Hakim recorded that at the end of every prayerthe Prophet would say, “O Allah, give me well-being in my body. OAllah, give me well-being in my hearing. O Allah, give me well-being inmy seeing. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty. OAllah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave. There is nogod but You.”

-17- Ahmad, Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’i recorded, with a chain containingDawud at-Tafawi who is a weak narrator, from Zaid ibn Arqam that theProphet would say at the end of his prayers, “O Allah, our Lord, Lordof everything. I bear witness that You are the Lord, You are One, Youhave no partner. O Allah, Our Lord, Lord of everything. I bear witnessthat Muhammad is Your servant and Messenger. O Allah, our Lord, theLord of everything. I bear witness that all of your worshippers arebrethren. O Allah, our Lord, Lord of everything. Make me and my familysincere to you during every moment of this life and the Hereafter. OSublime and Honorable One, listen and respond. Allah is the greatest ofthe greatest, the light of the heavens and the earth. Allah is thegreatest of the greatest, Allah is sufficient for me and He is the mostblessed guardian. Allah is the greatest of the greatest.”

-18- Ahmad, Ibn Shaibah and Ibn Majah recorded, with a chain thatcontains an unknown narrator, from Umm Salamah, that the Prophet wouldsay after the tasleem of the morning prayer, “O Allah, I ask of Youbeneficial knowledge, sufficient provisions, and acceptable deeds.”