A brief method of prayer from Takbeer-e-Tahreema to Salaam in the light of authentic Ahadith

(1) When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stood for prayer, he would face the Qiblah (Ka’bah), raise his hands, and say: الله اكبر (

Its narrator Abdul Hamid bin Ja’far is considered trustworthy and authentic by the scholars of hadith,

Criticism on it is rejected. Muhammad bin Amr bin Ata is trustworthy

. It is established that Muhammad bin Amr bin Ata was present in the gathering of Abu Hamid al-Sa’di, may Allah be pleased with him, and the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all,

, therefore this narration is connected.)
And he said: “When you stand for prayer, say Takbir.”

(2) The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to raise both his hands up to the shoulders.

It is also established that he raised both hands up to the ears.

Therefore, both ways are permissible, but the majority of hadiths support raising hands up to the shoulders. Note that holding or touching the ears with the hands during raising hands is not proven by any evidence. Men always raise hands up to the ears and women up to the shoulders is not proven by any authentic hadith.
(3) The Prophet, peace be upon him, raised his hands with fingers spread.

(4) The Prophet, peace be upon him, placed his right hand over his left hand on the chest.

People were instructed (by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him) to place the right hand over the left forearm during prayer.

Forearm: from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger.

Sayyidna Wa’il bin Hujr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, placed his right hand on his left palm, wrist, and forearm.” (

Note: Men placing hands below the navel and only women placing hands on the chest is not proven by any authentic hadith.)
Forearm: the part from the elbow to the palm.

If the hand is placed on the entire forearm (palm, wrist, and forearm up to the elbow), it naturally comes above the navel and on the chest.
(5) The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would say the following supplication silently (without loud recitation) between Takbir (opening) and recitation:

اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ، كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْنِي مِنْ خَطَايَايَ بِالثَّلْجِ وَالْمَاءِ وَالْبَرَدِ

Translation of the above supplication: O Allah! Create a distance between me and my mistakes as far as the east is from the west. O Allah! Purify me from my mistakes as a white garment is purified from dirt. O Allah! Wash away my mistakes with water, snow, and hail (i.e., forgive them).
The following supplication is also established from the Prophet, peace be upon him:

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَتَعَالَى جَدُّكَ، وَلَا إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ

Translation: O Allah! You are pure, and with Your praise, Your name is blessed and Your status is exalted; there is no deity besides You (the true God).
Any of the established supplications is better to recite.
(6) The Prophet, peace be upon him, recited أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم.

The following supplication is also established:

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ

(7) The Prophet, peace be upon him, recited بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. (

Note: The narrator Saeed bin Abi Hilal narrated this hadith before the mixing (of narrations). The narration of Khalid bin Yazid from Saeed bin Abi Hilal is found in Sahih Bukhari

and Sahih Muslim

.)
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Reciting aloud is also correct and silently is also correct; due to the abundance of evidence, generally reciting silently is better. (For permissibility of aloud recitation

For permissibility of silent recitation

) It is better not to be strict on this issue.
(8) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite Surah Al-Fatiha.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ .‏ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ . ‏ مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ . ‏ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ . ‏ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ . ‏ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ ‎ .

❀ Translation of Surah Al-Fatiha: All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, Master of the Day of Judgment. (O Allah) We worship You alone and seek help from You alone. Guide us on the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked Your anger or of those who are astray.
He would recite Surah Al-Fatiha slowly or quickly, pausing at each verse.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: لا صلوٰة لمن لم يقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب
Whoever does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha, his prayer is incomplete.

And he said: كل صلوٰة لا يقرأ فيها بفاتحة الكتاب فهي خداج فهي خداج
Every prayer in which Surah Al-Fatiha is not recited is deficient, deficient.

(9) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Ameen.

Sayyidna Wa’il bin Hujr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that he prayed with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him; he placed his right hand over his left hand, then when he said ولا الضالين (aloud) (

In one narration it is mentioned that فجهر بآمين, so the Prophet, peace be upon him, said Ameen aloud.

In another narration from Sayyidna Wa’il bin Hujr, it is mentioned: وخفض بها صوته, so he said آمين (aloud). From this hadith it is understood that in loud prayer (Imam and followers) should say Ameen aloud.
And the Prophet, peace be upon him, lowered his voice with this (Ameen).

From this hadith it is understood that in silent prayer Ameen should be said silently. There is consensus among Muslims on saying Ameen silently in silent prayers. Praise be to Allah.
(10) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم before the Surah.

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : انزلت على آنفا سوره، فقر بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم إنا أعطيناك الكوثر فصل لربك وانحر إن شانئك هو الأبتر Sayyidna Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with them both, once did not recite بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم before the Surah after Surah Al-Fatiha in prayer, which caused great displeasure among the Muhajirin and Ansar, may Allah be pleased with them. After that, Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, used to recite بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم before the Surah. Narrated by Al-Shafi’i

The Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, used to recite Surah Al-Fatiha and one other Surah in the first two Rak’ahs.

And in the last two Rak’ahs, he would recite only Surah Al-Fatiha.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, would pause after recitation before bowing. (

but his hadith from Samrah bin Jundub is authentic even if the hearing is not explicitly mentioned, also see

)
(12) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir for bowing (i.e., الله اكبر).

(13) The Prophet, peace be upon him, would raise both hands up to the shoulders.

He would raise hands (عند الركوع وبعده) then say Takbir.

If Takbir is said first and then hands are raised, that is also permissible. Abu Hamid al-Sa’di, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir and then raise hands.

(14) When the Prophet, peace be upon him, bowed, he would firmly hold his knees with his hands and then bend his back (straighten it).

His head was neither raised above nor lowered below (but level).

He placed both palms on his knees, then bowed moderately, neither lowering his head too much nor raising it too high.

That is, the blessed head of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was exactly level with his back.
(15) When the Prophet, peace be upon him, bowed, he placed both hands on his knees as if holding them firmly and stretched both hands like the string of a bow away from his sides. (

Note: Faleeh bin Sulaiman is a narrator of Sahihayn and Hasan al-Hadith, the majority of hadith scholars have authenticated him, so this narration is Hasan by itself, criticism on Faleeh is rejected. Praise be to Allah.)
(16) The Prophet, peace be upon him, would say سبحان ربي العظيم in bowing.

and the wording is: ثم ركع فجعل يقول: سبحان ربي العظيم، فكان ركوعه نحوا من قيامه
He instructed to recite this (supplication) in bowing. (

واختلف قول الذهبي فيه

Maymoon bin Mihran (Tabi’i) and Zuhri (Tabi’i) said that in bowing and prostration, one should recite no less than three Tasbihs.

The following supplications are also established from the Prophet, peace be upon him, in bowing:

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي

This supplication was frequently recited by the Prophet, peace be upon him.

سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ رَبُّ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحِ

سُبْحَانَكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ،لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ رَكَعْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ أَنْتَ رَبِّي خَشَعَ سَمْعِي وَبَصَرِي وَدَمِي وَلَحْمِي وَعَظْمِي وَعَصَبِي

Any of these supplications can be recited. Combining and reciting all these supplications in one bow or prostration is not proven by any explicit evidence.
However, combining these supplications in the state of Tashahhud ثم ليختر من الدعاء أعجبه إليه فيدعو

is permissible by general evidence. And Allah knows best.
(17) A person was not praying correctly, so the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught him the method of prayer: “When you stand for prayer, perform complete ablution, then face the Qiblah and say Takbir (Allahu Akbar), then recite whatever is available from the Qur’an (i.e., Surah Al-Fatiha), then bow with tranquility, then stand up straight with tranquility, then prostrate with tranquility, then sit up with tranquility, then prostrate again with tranquility, then sit up with tranquility, then do the same in all your Rak’ahs.”

(18) When the Prophet, peace be upon him, raised his head from bowing, he would raise his hands and say سمع الله لمن حمده ربنا ولك الحمد. (

The preferred view is that the Imam, followers, and individual all say سمع الله لمن حمده ربنا ولك الحمد. ) Saying ربنا لك الحمد is also correct and established.

Sometimes saying ربنا ولك الحمد aloud is also permissible. It is narrated from Abdul Rahman bin Harmuz al-A’raj that سمعت أبا هريره يرفع صوته باللهم ربنا ولك الحمد, meaning I heard Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reciting اللهم ربنا ولك الحمد loudly.

The following supplications are also established:

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، مِلْءَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ، وَمِلْءَ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ بَعْدُ

أَهْلَ الثَّنَاءِ وَالْمَجْدِ، أَحَقُّ مَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ: وَكُلُّنَا لَكَ عَبْدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ، وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ

رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ حَمْدًا كَثِيرًا طَيِّبًا مُبَارَكًا فِيهِ

(19) Whether hands should be folded after bowing during standing or not, nothing explicit is proven on this issue, so both practices are permissible, but it is better not to fold hands during standing. (Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was asked whether hands should be folded after bowing or left open; he said: أرجو أن لا يضيق ذلك إن شاء الله مجهے اميد هے كه ان شاء الله There is no strictness in this.

)
(20) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir (الله اكبر) and prostrate.

(21) The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: ”إذا سجد أحدكم فلا يبرك كما يبرك البعير وليضع يديه قبل ركبتيه When any of you prostrates, he should not sit like a camel but place both hands on the ground before the knees. The Prophet’s practice was the same. (

Sayyidna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, used to place both hands on the ground before the knees

and said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, did the same

. The narration that the Prophet, peace be upon him, placed knees first and then hands during prostration

is weak due to the deception of Shareek bin Abdullah Al-Qadhi. All its evidences are weak. Abu Qulabah (Tabi’i) used to place knees first during prostration and Hasan Basri (Tabi’i) used to place hands first

. Muhammad bin Sirin (Tabi’i) also placed knees first

. According to the evidence, the preferred and better practice is to place hands first and then knees.
(22) The Prophet, peace be upon him, would place his nose and forehead firmly on the ground during prostration, keep his arms away from his sides (armpits), and place both palms on the ground at shoulder level.

Sayyidna Wa’il bin Hujr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “When the Prophet, peace be upon him, prostrated, he placed both his palms at the level of his ears.”

(23) In prostration, the Prophet, peace be upon him, kept both arms away from his sides.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, placed his hands on the ground during prostration, neither spreading them wide nor folding them tightly, and his toes pointed towards the Qiblah.

The whiteness of his armpits was visible.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Be moderate in prostration; do not spread your arms like a dog.” (

This command includes both men and women. Therefore, women should also not spread their arms during prostration.)
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead, nose, both hands, both knees, and the toes of both feet.”

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “When a person prostrates, seven parts of his body prostrate with him: the face, the palms, the two knees, and the two feet.”

It is understood that placing the nose, forehead, both palms, both knees, and both feet on the ground during prostration is obligatory (Fard). In one narration: لا صلوٰة لمن لم يضع أنفه على الأرض Whoever does not place his nose on the ground during prayer, his prayer is invalid.

(24) When the Prophet, peace be upon him, prostrated, if a goat kid wanted to pass between his arms, it could do so. (

meaning he kept his chest and stomach raised from the ground. The same ruling applies to women: ”صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي Pray as you have seen me pray.)
(25) In prostration, a person is closest to his Lord, so one should supplicate abundantly.

The following supplications are established to be recited in prostration:

سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلٰى

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي

سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ رَبُّ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحِ

سُبْحَانَكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ، دِقَّهُ، وَجِلَّهُ، وَأَوَّلَهُ، وَآخِرَهُ، وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ، وَسِرَّهُ

اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ سَجَدْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ سَجَدَ وَجْهِي لِلَّذِي خَلَقَهُ وَصَوَّرَهُ فَأَحْسَنَ صُورَتَهُ وَشَقَّ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ

It is preferable to recite any supplication that is proven with an authentic chain in prostration. Reciting Qur’an in bowing and prostration is prohibited,

(26) The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not raise his hands when going into prostration.

(27) In prostration, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would join the heels of both feet, and they faced the Qiblah.

In prostration, he kept both feet upright.

(28) The Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir (الله اكبر) when rising from prostration.

He would say الله اكبر when raising his head from prostration and then place his left foot down and sit on it.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not raise his hands when raising his head from prostration.

Sayyidna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said that the Sunnah in prayer is to stand with the right foot and place the left foot down.

(29) The Prophet, peace be upon him, would sit for a short while after rising from prostration.

Sometimes someone would say that he had forgotten.

(30) In sitting, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite the following supplication: رب اغفر لي رب اغفر لي (

In this narration, the man from Bani Abs refers to Sila bin Zafar,

Abu Hamzah Mawla al-Ansar refers to Talhah bin Yazid,

and Taqreeb al-Tahdheeb

The gesture in sitting like Tashahhud, the narration in

is weak due to the deception (An’anah) of Sufyan al-Thawri in its chain. Hafiz Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, said: وأما المدلسون الذين هم ثقات وعدول فإنا لا نحتج بأخبارهم إلا ما بينوا السماع فيما رووا مثل الثوري و الأعمش وأبي اسحاق وأضرابهم من الأئمة المتقين Deceivers who are trustworthy and just, we only rely on their narrations in which they explicitly mention hearing, such as (Sufyan al-Thawri, A’mash, Abu Ishaq, and other pious Imams) (Sahih Ibn Hibban, Al-Ihsan with research by Shu’ayb al-Arna’oot

). Sufyan al-Thawri is mentioned by Al-Hakim Nisaburi among the third category of deceivers (second class)

)
(31) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir (Allahu Akbar) and perform the second prostration.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not raise his hands when going into prostration.

He did not raise his hands between the two prostrations. (

Raising hands during prostration, when raising the head from prostration, and between prostrations is not proven.)
In prostration, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say سبحان ربي الأعلي.

For other supplications see

(32) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir (Allahu Akbar) and raise his head from the second prostration.

He did not raise his hands when rising from prostration.

(33) When the Prophet, peace be upon him, rose from the second prostration in the odd (first or third) Rak’ah, he would sit.

After the second prostration, he would sit by placing his left foot down and sitting on it until every bone was in its place.

He ordered sitting after the second prostration.

Nothing contradicts this authentic Sunnah.
(34) One Rak’ah is complete. Now if you are praying Witr, then after Tashahhud, Durood, and supplications (mentioned later), say Salam on both sides.

If Salam is said after one Rak’ah, performing Turook (sitting posture) is permissible and not performing it is also permissible, but it is better to perform Turook. In one narration it is mentioned that حتي إذا كانت السجدة التى فيها التسليم أخر رجله اليسري وقعد متوركا على شقه الأيسر

)
(35) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would stand up for the second Rak’ah relying on both hands on the ground.

Azraq bin Qais

narrated that he saw Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, standing in prayer relying on both hands.

(36) When the Prophet, peace be upon him, stood for the second Rak’ah, he did not pause before starting recitation from الحمد للٰه رب العالمين.

Mention of reciting بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم before Surah Al-Fatiha has already passed.

According to ﴿فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ﴾

, it is permissible and even better to recite أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم before بسم الله.
The details mentioned in the first Rak’ah

and the hadith: “Then do the same in all your prayer”

indicate that the second Rak’ah should be performed similarly.
(37) After the second prostration in the second Rak’ah, when sitting for Tashahhud, the Prophet, peace be upon him, placed his right hand on his right knee and left hand on his left knee.

He formed a circle with the fingers of his right hand (i.e., ring) and pointed with the index finger.

That is, he would point while supplicating. It is also established that the Prophet, peace be upon him, placed both hands on his thighs and joined the thumbs with the middle fingers (forming a circle) and pointed with the index finger.

Therefore, both practices are permissible.
(38) The Prophet, peace be upon him, placed his right elbow on his right thigh.

He placed both forearms

on his thighs.

(39) When the Prophet, peace be upon him, sat for Tashahhud, he pointed with the index finger.

He raised the finger and supplicated with it in Tashahhud.

He slightly bent the index finger used for testimony.

He would move (shake) the index finger used for testimony. (

Note: Some people objected due to misunderstanding that the word يحركها is rare because only Za’idah bin Qudamah mentioned it and no one else. The answer is that Za’idah bin Qudamah is trustworthy

, so his addition is accepted, and the absence of mention by other narrators is not evidence of rarity because absence of mention is not evidence of negation. Note that the narration with ولا يحركها

is weak due to the deception of Muhammad bin Ajlan; see Anwar al-Sahifah fi al-Ahadith al-Da’ifah

. Muhammad bin Ajlan is a deceiver

)
(40) The Prophet, peace be upon him, would face the Qiblah and look at his Tashahhud finger. (

Note: This narration is present in a shorter form without this text in

.)
The Prophet, peace be upon him, would make this gesture in both the first Tashahhud after two Rak’ahs and the final Tashahhud after four Rak’ahs. (

Note: Raising the finger on لا إله and placing it on

is not proven by any hadith; rather, the generality of hadiths proves that the index finger is raised forming a circle from beginning to end. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saw a person pointing with two fingers in Tashahhud and said: ”أحد أحد“ Point with only one finger.

)
(41) The Prophet, peace be upon him, taught the following supplication (At-Tahiyyat) in Tashahhud:
التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ( عليك Here “here” means absent, not present. Abdullah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, passed away, we used to recite: السلام يعني على النبي”

The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, reciting علي instead of عليك is strong evidence that عليك does not mean present here at all. Note that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, knew their narrations better than later people.
أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، فَإِنَّكُمْ إِذَا قُلْتُمْ ذَلِكَ أَصَابَ كُلَّ عَبْدٍ صَالِحٍ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ، أَوْ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(Note: Besides this famous التحيات, all other forms proven by authentic or good hadiths are permissible and rewarding to recite here.)
(42) Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would order to recite Durood:

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰي مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلٰٓي اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلٰٓي اِبْرَاهِيْمَ وَعَلٰٓي اٰلِ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ اِنَّكَ حَمِيْدٌ مَّجِيْدٌ اَللّٰهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلٰي مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلٰٓي اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلٰٓي اِبْرَاهِيْمَ وَعَلٰٓي اٰلِ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ اِنَّكَ حَمِيْدٌ مَّجِيْدٌ

(43) Two Rak’ahs are complete. Now if it is a two Rak’ah prayer (e.g., Fajr prayer), then after supplication, say Salam on both sides. If it is a three or four Rak’ah prayer, then say Takbir and stand up. Reciting Durood in the first Tashahhud is highly recommended and rewarding. General evidence commands reciting Durood with قولوا, and this command does not specify the last or first Tashahhud. However, if someone does not recite Durood in the first Tashahhud and only recites At-Tahiyyat and stands up, that is also permissible, as Abdullah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, taught At-Tahiyyat (up to “Abduhu wa Rasooluhu”) and said: “Then if it is in the middle of the prayer (i.e., first Tashahhud), then stand up.”

(44) Then when the Prophet, peace be upon him, stood up after two Rak’ahs, he would say Takbir (Allahu Akbar) and raise his hands.

(Note: This narration is completely authentic; criticism by some hadith scholars is rejected. Sunan Abi Dawood

and others have authentic evidence for this. Praise be to Allah.)
(45) The third Rak’ah should be performed like the second, except that in the third and fourth (last two) Rak’ahs, only Surah Al-Fatiha should be recited, without adding any other Surah, as proven by the hadith narrated by Sayyidna Abu Qatada, may Allah be pleased with him.

(46) If it is a three Rak’ah prayer (e.g., Maghrib prayer), after completing the third Rak’ah, recite Tashahhud and Durood like the second Rak’ah, then supplicate (mentioned later) and say Salam on both sides.

If Salam is said in the third Rak’ah, then Turook should be performed.

(47) If it is a four Rak’ah prayer, then after the second prostration, sit and then stand up.

(48) The fourth Rak’ah should be performed like the third (i.e., only Surah Al-Fatiha should be recited, although reciting other Surahs besides Al-Fatiha in the third and fourth Rak’ahs is permissible as proven by Sahih Muslim

). The Prophet, peace be upon him, performed Turook in the fourth Rak’ah.

Turook means “the worshiper places his right thigh on his right foot in such a way that he is standing, with the toes pointing towards the Qiblah, and rests his left thigh on the ground, spreading the left foot out to the left.”

After completing the fourth Rak’ah, recite At-Tahiyyat and Durood.

If Salam is said after the second Rak’ah, performing Turook is better but not obligatory.

Then recite any preferred supplication in Arabic.

On this, Amir al-Mu’minin Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, titled a chapter: باب ما يتخير من الدعاء بعد التشهد و ليس بواجب (meaning: The chapter on the supplication chosen after Tashahhud, and this supplication is not obligatory.) Some supplications are listed below which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to recite or order:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ، ومِنْ عَذَابِ النَّارِ، ومِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ ومِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, ordered this supplication

(Therefore, this supplication is better than all others in Tashahhud. Tawus (Tabi’i) used to order the prayer to be repeated without this supplication.)

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا و فِتْنَةِ الْمَمَاتِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْمَأْثَمِ وَالْمَغْرَمِ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي اعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ، وَارْحَمْنِي إِنَّك أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ، وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ، وَمَا أَسْرَفْتُ، وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّي، أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

(50) Besides these, other established supplications are permissible and rewarding to recite, for example, the Prophet, peace be upon him, frequently recited this supplication:

اللهم رَبَّنَآ اٰتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَّ فِي الْاٰخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَّقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

After supplication, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would turn his face to the right and left saying Salam.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله، السلام عليكم ورحمة الله

Note: Abu Ishaq al-Hamdani explicitly mentioned hearing (Sama’) by saying حدثني علقمة بن قيس والأسود بن يزيد وأبو الأحوص,

so criticism on this narration is not correct. This narration from Abu Ishaq was narrated by Sufyan al-Thawri and others. Praise be to Allah. Saying السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته on the right side and السلام عليكم ورحمة الله on the left side is also permissible,

(51) If the Imam is leading the prayer, when he says Salam, the followers should also say Salam. Atban bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ”صلينا مع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فسلمنا حين سلم“ We prayed with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and when he said Salam, we also said Salam.

Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, preferred that when the Imam says Salam, the followers then say Salam

Therefore, it is better that the followers say Salam only after the Imam has said Salam on both sides. If the followers say Salam simultaneously or immediately after the Imam, it is also permissible.

ثقه ثبت، صاحب سنه

(1) Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, says that in كنت أعرف انقضاء صلوٰة النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بالتكبير the end of the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was recognized by the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar).

and the phrase: كنا نعرف انقضاء صلوٰة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالتكبير. Imam Abu Dawood dedicated a chapter to this hadith باب التكبير بعد الصلوٰة (before Hadith 1002). Therefore, it is established that after the obligatory prayer, the Imam and the followers should say “Allahu Akbar” aloud; this ruling also applies to the individual prayer. رفع الصوت بالذكر in Al-Dhikr refers to “Takbeer” as proven by the hadith of Bukhari and others. It is established in principle that: الحديث يفسر بعضه بعضا meaning one hadith explains (clarifies) another hadith.
In one narration, it is stated that ما كنا نعرف انقضاء صلوٰة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلا بالتكبير we did not know the end of the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, except by hearing the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar).

(2) After completing the prayer, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would seek forgiveness three times (Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah) and say:

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ، وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ، تَبَارَكْتَ ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالإِكْرَامِ

(3) The Prophet, peace be upon him, also recited the following supplications:

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ، وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ

اللهم اعني على ذكرك وشكرك وحسن عبادتك

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Whoever recites thirty-three (33) times SubhanAllah, thirty-three (33) times Alhamdulillah, and thirty-three (33) times Allahu Akbar after every prayer, and then recites لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ once, his sins will be forgiven even if they are as much as the foam of the sea.”

Saying thirty-three (33) times SubhanAllah, thirty-three (33) times Alhamdulillah, and thirty-four (34) times Allahu Akbar is also correct.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, instructed Uqbah bin Amir, may Allah be pleased with him, to recite the Mu’awwidhat (those Surahs that begin with قل أعوذ) after every prayer.

Besides these, it is preferable to recite supplications proven from the Qur’an and Hadith, and since the prayer is now complete, one may supplicate in their own language. There is no evidence for a collective supplication after the prayer. Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and Abdullah bin Zubair, may Allah be pleased with him, used to supplicate and at the end would wipe their palms over their faces.

In this narration, the narrators of Asr, Muhammad bin Faleeh and Faleeh bin Sulaiman, both have rejected criticism; their hadith does not fall below the grade of Hasan.

(4) The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: من قرأ آية الكرسي فى دبر كل صلوٰة مكتوبة لم يمنعه من دخول الجنة إلا أن يموت

Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi at the end of every obligatory prayer (after the Salam), will enter Paradise immediately upon death.