1 : When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stood for prayer, he would face the Qiblah (Kaaba), raise his hands, and say: الله اكبر
Its narrator, Abdul Hamid bin Ja’far, is trustworthy according to the majority of hadith scholars, see
. Criticism against him 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, see
. Therefore, this narration is connected
and it has a supporting narration about which Ibn al-Mulaqqin said: ”صحيح على شرط مسلم.“
.
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 used to raise both hands up to the ears.
Therefore, both ways are permissible, but the majority of ahadith support raising the hands up to the shoulders. Note that touching or holding the ears with the hands during raising the hands is not proven by any evidence. It is not proven by any authentic hadith that men always raise their hands up to the ears and women up to the shoulders.
3: The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to spread his fingers while raising his hands.
4 : The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to place 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 that then the Prophet, peace be upon him, placed his right hand on his left palm, wrist, and forearm.
Note: The specification that men should fold their hands below the navel and only women on the chest is not proven by any authentic hadith.
Forearm: the part from the elbow to the palm, see Al-Qamus Al-Wahid
.
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 al-Ihram and recitation:
اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنْ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَايَ بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ
The translation of the above supplication: O Allah! Distance me from my sins as far as the East is from the West. O Allah! Purify me from my sins as a white garment is purified from dirt. O Allah! Wash away my sins 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 إِلَٰهَ غَيْرُكَ
Translation: O Allah! You are pure, and with Your praise, Your name is blessed and Your status is exalted; there is no deity worthy of worship except You.
Among the established supplications, whichever is recited is better.
6 : After that, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite the following supplication:
أعوذ بالله السميع العليم من الشيطان الرجيم من همزه ونفخه ونفثه
7 : The Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.
Note: The narrator Saeed bin Abi Hilal narrated this hadith before the mixing (of men and women in prayer). Khalid bin Yazid’s narration from Saeed bin Abi Hilal is present
.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Reciting aloud is also correct and reciting silently is also correct; due to the abundance of evidence, generally reciting silently is better.
For the permissibility of reciting aloud see
with authentic chain. For the permissibility of reciting silently see
It is not preferable to be strict in this matter.
8: Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite Surah Al-Fatiha:
The 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 to 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.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿١﴾ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿٣﴾ مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿٤﴾ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ﴿٥﴾ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿٦﴾ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ ﴿٧﴾
The Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite Surah Al-Fatiha slowly and pause at each verse.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: ”لا صلوة لمن لم يقرأ بفاتحة الكتاب.“
Whoever does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha in prayer, his prayer is not valid
.
And he said: ”كل صلوة 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.
Narrated from Sayyidna Wa’il bin Hujr, may Allah be pleased with him, 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), he said آمين (aloud).
In one narration it is mentioned that فجهر بآمين, so the Prophet, peace be upon him, said Ameen aloud.
From this hadith, it is understood that in loud prayer (imam and followers) should say Ameen aloud.
In another narration from Sayyidna Wa’il bin Hujr, may Allah be pleased with him, it is mentioned: ”وخفض بها صوته.“ 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 before the Surah, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ”أنزلت على آنفا سورة، فقرأ 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, and the Muhajirin and Ansar were very displeased. After that, Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, used to recite بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم before the Surah as well.
Its chain is good.
11: The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Then recite Surah Al-Fatiha and whatever Allah wills.”
In the first two rak’ahs, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite Surah Al-Fatiha and one other Surah.
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.
Hasan Basri is a fabricator
but his narration from Sumrah bin Jundub, may Allah be pleased with him, is authentic even if explicit hearing is not mentioned because he narrated from Sumrah’s book; also see
12: Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir for bowing ( الله اكبر ).
13: The Prophet, peace be upon him, would raise both hands up to the shoulders.
He would raise his 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 that the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir and then raise his hands.
14: When the Prophet, peace be upon him, bowed, he would firmly hold his knees with his hands and then bend his back (and straighten it).
His head was neither raised above (the back) nor lowered (but level).
He placed both palms on his knees, then bowed moderately. He neither bent his head too much nor raised it too high.
Meaning 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, 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 Lidhatihi. Criticism on the original narrator is rejected. Praise be to Allah.
16: The Prophet, peace be upon him, would say سبحان ربي العظيم continuously in bowing.
“ثم ركع فجعل يقول: سبحان ربي العظيم، فكان ركوعه نحوا من قيامه”
He would command to recite this supplication in bowing.
واختلف قول الذهبي فيه. Maimun 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 إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ رَكَعْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ، خَشَعَ لَكَ سَمْعِي وَبَصَرِي وَمُخِّي وَعَظْمِي وَعَصَبِي
Any of these supplications can be recited. There is no explicit evidence to combine and recite all these supplications in one bow or prostration. However, combining them in the state of Tashahhud ثم ليتخير من الدعاء اعجبه اليه فيدعو
is generally permissible. 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 ( الله اكبر ), then recite whatever is available from the Qur’an (Surah Al-Fatiha), then bow with tranquility, then stand up straight with tranquility, then prostrate with tranquility, then rise and sit with tranquility, then prostrate again with tranquility, then rise and sit with tranquility, then perform your entire prayer (all the rak’ahs) in this manner.”
also see note: 25
18: When the Prophet, peace be upon him, raised his head from bowing, he would raise his hands and say سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ، رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ.
The preferred view is that the Imam, followers, and individual all say سمع الله لمن حمده ربنا ولك الحمد. Muhammad bin Sirin held that the follower should also say سمع الله لمن حمده. See Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah
.
Saying رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ 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 after bowing:
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ مِلْءَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمِلْءَ الْأَرْضِ وَمِلْءَ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ بَعْدُ،
أَهْلَ الثَّنَاءِ وَالْمَجْدِ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ، وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ،
رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، حَمْدًا كَثِيرًا طَيِّبًا مُبَارَكًا فِيهِ
19: Whether to fold the hands after bowing during standing or not, nothing is explicitly proven in this matter, so both practices are permissible, but it is better not to fold the 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” I hope, God willing, there is no strictness in this
20: Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir ( الله اكبر ) and bow down for prostration.
21: The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: ”إذا سجد احدكم 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 his 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 his 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 his knees first and then hands during prostration
is weak due to the concealment (tadlees) of Sharik bin Abdullah Al-Qadi. All its evidences are weak.
Abu Qabala (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, 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 his arms away from his sides.
He placed his hands on the ground during prostration, neither spreading them wide nor folding them tightly, and kept his toes facing the Qiblah.
The whiteness of his armpits was visible.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to maintain moderation in prostration and not to spread the arms like a dog.
This command applies to both men and women. 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.”
He also 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 صلوة لمن لم يضع انفه على الارض.“ 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 kid goat wanted to pass between his arms, it could pass.
Meaning the Prophet, peace be upon him, 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 praying.
25: In prostration, a person is very close to his Lord, so one should supplicate abundantly.
The following supplications are established to be recited in prostration:
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ، رَبُّ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحِ
سُبْحَانَكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ، دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ، وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ، وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ سَجَدْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ، سَجَدَ وَجْهِي لِلَّذِي خَلَقَهُ وَصَوَّرَهُ، 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, see
26: The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not raise his hands when going into prostration.
27: The Prophet, peace be upon him, would join the heels of both feet in prostration, and they would face the Qiblah. He kept both feet upright during prostration.
28: The Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir ( الله اكبر ) when rising from prostration.
He would raise his head from prostration saying الله اكبر 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: 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,
until sometimes someone would say: “You have forgotten.”
30: The Prophet, peace be upon him, would recite this supplication while sitting: رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي، رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي
In this narration, the man from Bani Abs refers to Sila bin Zafar, see
The gesture like Tashahhud in the sitting position mentioned in the narration
is weak due to the tadlees (concealment) of Sufyan (Al-Thawri).
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 والأعمش وأبي إسحاق وأضرابهم من الأئمة المتقنين
We only take proof from the narrations of mudallisīn who are trustworthy and just when they explicitly mention hearing, such as (Sufyan Al-Thawri, A’mash, Abu Ishaq, and other pious Imams)
Sufyan Al-Thawri is mentioned by Al-Hakim Nishapuri in the third category of mudallisīn (Tabaqah Thalithah) (see
31: Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir ( الله اكبر ) 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 the two prostrations is not established.
In prostration, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say سبحان ربي الاعلى.
For other supplications see note: 25.
32: Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say Takbir ( الله اكبر ) and raise his head from the second prostration.
He did not raise his hands when rising from prostration.
32 : When the Prophet, peace be upon him, rose from the second prostration in the odd (first or third) rak’ah, he would sit.
When he rose from the second prostration, he would place his left foot down and sit on it until every bone was in its place.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, commanded sitting after the second prostration
Also see note 17; 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.
If Salam is said after one rak’ah, it is permissible to perform Tork (changing the sitting position) or not, but it is better to perform Tork.
In one narration: “حتى إذا كانت السجدة التى فيها التسليم أخر رجله اليسرى وقعد متوركا على شقه الأيسر”
Makhool Tabi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, used to recite اللهم اغفر لي وارحمني واجبرني فارزقني between the two prostrations
The Prophet, peace be upon him, taught a man the supplication اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَعَافِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي in prayer
35: Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would stand up for the second rak’ah confidently placing both hands on the ground.
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 when starting recitation from Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘Alamin.
Mention of reciting بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم before Surah Al-Fatiha has already passed.
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ ﴿٩٨﴾
According to this, reciting بسم الله before اعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرحيم is also permissible and even better.
The details of the first rak’ah have already been mentioned
Hadith: “Then perform the entire prayer in this manner”
According to this, the second rak’ah should be recited in the same manner.
37: After the second prostration in the second rak’ah (when sitting for Tashahhud), the Prophet, peace be upon him, would place his right hand on his right knee and left hand on his left knee.
He would make a circle with the fingers of his right hand and point with the index finger.
It is also established that the Prophet, peace be upon him, placed both hands on his thighs and made a circle with the thumbs and middle fingers 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 would point with the index finger.
He would raise it and supplicate with it during Tashahhud.
He would slightly bend his index finger.
He would move (wiggle) his index finger.
Note: Some people objected due to misunderstanding that the word يحركها is rare because only Zaida bin Qudamah mentioned it. The answer is that Zaida bin Qudamah is trustworthy, reliable, and a person of Sunnah
, so his addition is accepted, and the absence of this word from 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 tadlees of Muhammad bin Ajlan, see my book “ألــوار الصحيفة فى الأحاديث الضعيفة”
Muhammad bin Ajlan is a mudallis
40: The Prophet, peace be upon him, would point his Tashahhud finger towards the Qiblah and keep looking in that direction.
Note: This narration without this text is present briefly in
.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, would point with this finger in both the first Tashahhud after two rak’ahs and the final Tashahhud after four rak’ahs.
Note: Raising the finger on La ilaha and placing it on Allah is not proven by any hadith; rather, the generality of the ahadith proves that the index finger is raised throughout the Tashahhud making a circle.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saw a man 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 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 here definitely does not mean present. Remember 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، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Note: Besides this famous التحيات, other forms proven by authentic and good ahadith to be recited here are permissible and rewarding.
42: Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, would command to recite Durood:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
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 whether it is the last or first Tashahhud. Also see
However, if a person does not recite Durood in the first Tashahhud and only recites At-Tahiyyat and stands up, this is also permissible as Abdullah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, taught At-Tahiyyat (up to ‘Abduhu wa Rasuluhu) and said: “Then if it is in the middle of the prayer (first Tashahhud), he should stand up.”
and it is authentic hadith; this also proves that the index finger should be raised from the beginning of Tashahhud to the end.
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 absolutely authentic; criticism by some hadith scholars is rejected; it has authentic evidence in Sunan Abi Dawood (730 with authentic chain) etc. Praise be to Allah.
45: The third rak’ah should be recited like the second rak’ah, 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), then after completing the third rak’ah (like the second rak’ah), recite Tashahhud and Durood and supplications (mentioned later), then say Salam on both sides.
If Salam is said in the third rak’ah, Tork should be performed, see
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 recited like the third rak’ah.
Meaning only Surah Al-Fatiha should be recited; however, reciting other Surahs along with Surah Al-Fatiha in the third and fourth rak’ahs is permissible as proven by
.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, performed Tork in the fourth rak’ah
. Tork means “the worshiper places his right thigh on the right foot in such a way that he is standing, and the toes face the Qiblah, and the left thigh rests on the ground with the left foot stretched out to the right.”
Tork should be performed in the final Tashahhud of the prayer. See Sunan Abi Dawood
After completing the fourth rak’ah, recite At-Tahiyyat and Durood.
If Salam is said in the second rak’ah, performing Tork is better but not obligatory, see
49: Then recite any supplication you prefer (in Arabic).
On this, the Commander of the Faithful in Hadith, Imam Bukhari, has established this chapter: ”باب ما يتخير من الدعاء بعد التشهد وليس بواجب“ meaning: The chapter of choosing any supplication after Tashahhud, and this (supplication) is not obligatory.
Some supplications are as follows which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to recite or command to recite:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ النَّارِ، وَمِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ وَمِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, commanded this supplication
, so this supplication is better than all others in Tashahhud. It is narrated from Tawus (Tabi’i) that he used to order the repetition of prayer without this supplication
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَفِتْنَةِ الْمَمَاتِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْمَأْثَمِ وَالْمَغْرَمِ
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَعُوذُ 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 إِنَّكَ 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, used to recite this supplication frequently:
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
After supplication, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would turn his head to the right and left saying Salam.
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
Note: Abu Ishaq Al-Hamdani explicitly mentioned hearing (sama’) in this narration, see Al-Sunan Al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi: 177/2, 2974, 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.
If one says السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته to the right and السلام عليكم ورحمة الله to the left, it is also permissible, see Sunan Abi Dawood
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 Prophet, peace be upon him, and when he said Salam, we also said Salam.
Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, did not like the followers to say Salam after the Imam had said 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 permissible, see Fath al-Bari
“حدثني علقمة بن قيس والأسود بن يزيد وأبو الأحوص”
Dua Qunoot:
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
and An-Nawawi declared it authentic)
