Supplications and Remembrances
Sayyidina Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates, saying:
لما نزلت ﴿فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيْمِ﴾ [الواقعة: ۷۴] قال رسول الله ﷺ: اجعلوها فى ركوعكم ، فلما نزلت ﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْاَعْليٰ﴾ [الاعليٰ: ۱] قال: اجعلوها فى سجودكم.
“When ﴿فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيْمِ﴾
was revealed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Make it in your ruku’. When ﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْاَعْليٰ﴾
was revealed, he said: Make it in your sujud.”
Imam Ibn Khuzaymah
and Imam Ibn Hibban
have called this hadith “sahih,” and Imam al-Hakim has called it “sahih al-isnad.” Musa bin Ayyub al-Ghafiqi has been declared “thiqah” by the majority of scholars except Imam Ibn Ma’in.
The second narrator in this hadith, Iyas bin Amir, has been declared “thiqah” by Imam al-Ijli, Imam Ya’qub bin Sufyan, Imam Ibn Khuzaymah, Imam Ibn Hibban and Imam al-Hakim, may Allah have mercy on them all. Therefore, al-Dhahabi’s ta’lil is rejected. Hafiz al-Nawawi (Khulasat al-Ahkam lil-Nawawi: 396/1) has called its chain “hasan.”
It is established that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded that dua be recited in ruku’ and sujud. Therefore, with utmost humility, submission, khushu’, khudu’, presence of heart and certainty, the du’as narrated from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ should be recited in ruku’. The explanation of this hadith is found in the following hadiths:
➊ Sayyidina Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that one night he prayed (tahajjud) with the Prophet ﷺ. (Narrating the hadith, he says):
ثم ركع، فجعل يقول: سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيْمِ فكان ركوعه نحواً من قيامه.
“Then the Prophet ﷺ bowed (in ruku’), and began with سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيْمِ (Glory be to my Lord, the Mighty). His ruku’ was about as long as his qiyam.”
➋ Sayyidina Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered his tribe, prayed and showed them, and declared it to be the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ:
ثم كبر ، فركع، فقال ؛ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهٖ، ثلاث مرارٍ.
“Then he said Allahu Akbar, bowed, and then said three times سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهٖ (Allah is free from imperfection, and praise is for Him).”
Its narrator Shahr bin Hawshab is “thiqah” according to the majority (jumhur).
➌ Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite this du’a frequently in ruku’ and sujud:
سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَ بِحَمْدِهٖ اللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْلِيْ.
“O Allah! You are free from imperfection, O our Lord! Praise is Yours. O Allah, forgive me.”
➍ Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite this du’a in ruku’ and sujud:
سُبُّوْحٌ، قُدُّوْسٌ، رَبُّ الْمَلٰئِكَةِ وَ الْرُّوْحِ. “(Allah) is most holy, Lord of the angels and the Spirit (Jibril), full of majesty and greatness, and free from every defect and imperfection.”
5* Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that one night she found the Prophet ﷺ missing. She thought he might have gone to one of his wives. She searched, then returned and suddenly found him reciting this du’a in ruku’ or sujud:
سُبْحَانَكَ وَ بِحَمْدِكَ، لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ.
“You are free from imperfection, and praise and glorification are Yours; there is no deity [truly worthy of worship] except You.”
➏ Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited this du’a in ruku’:
اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ رَكَعْتُ ، وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ، وَلَكَ اَسْلَمْتُ، اَنْتَ رَبِّيْ، خَشَعَ لَكَ سَمْعِيْ وَبَصَرِيْ وَ مُخِّي وَ عَظْمِيْ وَعَصَبِيْ وَمَا اسْتَقَلَّتْ بِهٖ قَدَمِيْ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ.
“O Allah! I bowed only for You, I believed in You, I submitted to You, You are my Lord. My hearing, my sight, my head, my bones, my sinews and [the body] that my feet carry are humbled before Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
➐ Sayyidina Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says that one night he stood with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (in prayer). He recited Surah al-Baqarah. Whenever he passed a verse of mercy, he stopped and asked for mercy; whenever he passed a verse of punishment, he stopped and sought refuge. The Prophet ﷺ made ruku’ for the length of his qiyam, and in ruku’ and sujud he recited this du’a:
سُبْحَانَ ذِيْ الْجَبَرُوْتِ وَالْمَلَكُوْتِ وَ الْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَ الْعَظَمَةِ .
“I glorify the Majesty of Power, the Might, the Grand Sovereignty and Kingship, the Greatness and the Magnificence of Allah.”
Hafiz al-Nawawi has called its chain “sahih.”
➑ Sayyidina Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with them both) says that when the Prophet ﷺ made ruku’, he would recite this du’a:
اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ رَكَعْتُ، وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ، وَلَكَ اَسْلَمْتُ ، وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ ، اَنْتَ رَبِّيْ، خَشَعَ لَكَ سَمْعِيْ وَبَصَرِيْ وَ دَمِيْ وَلَحْمِيْ وَعَظْمِيْ وَعَصَبِيْ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ.
“O Allah! I bowed only for You, I believed in You, I submitted only to You, I rely only upon You. You are my Lord. My hearing, my sight, my blood, my flesh, my bones and my sinews have bowed in awe before Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
Benefit No. 1:
Reciting the Qur’an in ruku’ and sujud is prohibited, as narrated from Sayyidina Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ألا وانّي نهيت أن أقرا القرآن راكعاً او ساجداً.
“Beware! I have been forbidden from reciting the Qur’an while bowing or prostrating.”
Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)
narrates:
نهاني رسول الله ﷺ أن أقرا القرآن راكعاً و ساجداً.
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade me from reciting the Qur’an while in ruku’ and sujud.”
Benefit No. 2:
The minimum number of tasbihat is three times. Sayyidina Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered his tribe, prayed and showed them, and declared it to be the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
ثم كبر ، فركع، فقال ؛ سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَبِحَمْدِهٖ، ثلاث مرارٍ.
“Then he said Allahu Akbar, bowed, and then said three times Subhan Allahi wa bihamdihi (Allah is free from imperfection, and praise is for Him).”
Ja’far bin Burqan (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
سألت ميموناً عن مقدار الركوع و السجود ، فقال ؛ لا أدري أن يكون أقلّ من ثلاث تسبيحات، قال جعفر ؛ فسألت الزّهري ، فقال ؛ اذا وقعت العظام و استقرّت ، فقلت له ؛ انّ ميموناً يقول ؛ ثلاث تسبيحات ، فقال ؛ هو الّذى أقول لك نحوٌ من ذٰلك.
“I asked Maymun bin Mihran, the Tabi’i (may Allah have mercy on him), about the amount of ruku’ and sujud, and he said: I do not consider less than three tasbihat to be correct. Ja’far bin Burqan says: I then asked Imam al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him), a Tabi’i, about this, and he said: When the bones have settled into place and become still. I said: Maymun says at least three tasbihat. He said: I also say the same thing.”
Imam Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say:
التّامّ من السجود قدر سبع تسبيحات ، والمجزئ ثلاث.
“A complete sujud is seven tasbihat; three are also permissible.”
Imam al-Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) also holds that the du’a should be recited (at least) three times.
The school of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) is the same.
It is established that in ruku’ and sujud, tasbihat should be recited at least three times, with no fixed upper limit. Whichever of these du’as one recites, it should be recited with utmost humility, submission, khushu’, khudu’, presence of heart and certainty, gathering the good of this world and the hereafter. These luminous and blessed du’as should be read with translation yourselves, and also taught to your children to memorize.
