This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book The Search for Truth.
As for the issue of collective supplication after the five daily obligatory prayers, it is not proven. It should be noted that respected Muhammad Sadiq Sahib Sialkoti has a book on the subject of prayer called
Reference: Salat al-Rasool
, in which the topic and very weak narrations are also recorded. Then there is a book
Reference: Al-Qawl al-Maqbool
authored by Abdul Rauf Chappi, which is a research on the book [Salat al-Rasool] and its third edition consists of 810 pages. Then, keeping these two books in view, Idara Darussalam Lahore wrote the book
Reference: Namaz-e-Nabawi ﷺ
, which consists of 304 pages. Here, we present references from [Namaz-e-Nabawi ﷺ] regarding supplication after the five daily obligatory prayers:There is no authentic hadith to prove congregational supplication after the obligatory prayer. It is very surprising that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stayed in Madinah Munawwarah for ten years. He led the five daily prayers. A large number of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, prayed behind him, yet not a single one mentions congregational supplication, which is clear evidence of its invalidity. Maulana Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri says that if someone individually raises their hands and supplicates after prayer, there is no harm in that. Imam Ibn Qayyim, Imam Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on them, and many other scholarly researchers have denied the customary congregational supplication after the obligatory prayer and have called it an innovation. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Soon there will appear among my Ummah people who will exceed limits in the use of water and in supplication.
Reference: Abu Dawood, Chapters of Witr, Chapter of Supplication: 1480. Imam Hakim and Imam Dhahabi have declared it authentic.
All the narrations cited as evidence for congregational supplication are weak; the details are as follows:
[1] It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه that whoever raises both hands and makes dua after every prayer, Allah Almighty does not return his hands empty.
Reference: (Ibn al-Sunni:138)
In its chain, firstly, Ishaq bin Khalid is a narrator who transmits weak hadiths; secondly, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمه الله states that the narrations from Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman from Khasif are false and fabricated. Thirdly, Khasif is not known to have directly heard from Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه, and lastly, this narration does not mention any collective dua.[2] Sayyiduna Yazid bin Aswad Amri رضي الله عنه says: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ completed the Fajr prayer with salam and raised both hands to make dua.
Reference: (Fatawa Nazeeriya)
The chain of this hadith is good, but Maulana Ubaidullah Rahmani (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: The original hadith in the books of hadith does not contain the words ((ورفع يديه فدعا)) (raised both hands to make dua). Moreover, this also does not mention any collective dua.[3] Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar and Abdullah bin Zubair, may Allah be pleased with them, used to pray and (at the end) would wipe both their palms over their faces.
Reference: Al-Adab Al-Mufrad by Bukhari, Chapter on Raising Hands in Dua: 612
Its chain of narration meets Bukhari's criteria; however, even in this, there is no mention of collective dua after the congregation. Almost all the narrations presented in this regard are not only very weak but also do not mention collective dua, and some hadiths are from different occasions but have been forcibly linked to the discussion of collective dua. For details, please refer to
Reference: Salat al-Rasool ﷺ (authored by Hakim Sadiq Sialkoti)
, the edition annotated and authenticated by Sheikh Abdul Rauf bin Abdul Hanan. (A,R)The following points are worth considering in this regard:
[1] Raising hands for collective dua is a continuous act of worship and not temporary, meaning it can be done at any time. However, preference should be given to occasions where it is established by Sunnah to perform it.
[2] The worship that is permissible at all times, if you want to perform it daily at a specific time for your convenience, then in principle this is also permissible. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The deed most beloved to Allah is the one that is done consistently, even if it is little.
Reference: Muslim, Salat al-Musafirin, Chapter on the Virtue of Consistent Deeds...... etc:782
But it is not permissible for anyone to abandon all permissible times and practically elevate only one time to the status of an obligatory act and compel other Muslims to adhere to it, because if the Shariah has not prescribed that time for Muslims, then why should they do so? For example, if different individuals recite different Surahs of the Holy Quran at different times daily, it would be a permissible act. However, if a certain cleric starts preaching that all Muslims should recite Surah Al-Qamar twenty times daily after Fajr prayer, claiming this is the reward, and then all Muslims within his influence strictly adhere to this, then their act will require evidence. If there is explicit evidence in Shariah, it will be Sunnah; otherwise, it will be an innovation (Bid'ah).
[3] The worship that is permissible at all times, if you want to perform it on a specific occasion, then as a precaution, find out whether the Shariah has prescribed any obligatory act for that occasion. Because if the Shariah has imposed an obligation for that occasion, then it is absolutely not permissible to abandon the obligatory act and engage in permissible acts. For example, if the congregational prayer is being held and someone has not yet prayed this prayer with the congregation, it is not permissible for them to keep praying Sunnah or Nawafil instead of joining the congregation, or to keep reciting any dhikr, wazifa, dua, or recitation, because there is room to delay these permissible good deeds, but there is absolutely no room to delay the obligatory act of the occasion without a valid reason.
[4] If Shariah has prescribed a Sunnah for a particular occasion, then even if it is not obligatory, the Sunnah will be preferred over a permissible act. Performing it brings great reward, and if it is missed for some reason, there is no sin. However, if the Sunnah of an occasion is always abandoned, then it becomes sinful. This is because Sunnah is meant to be adopted, not abandoned. Adopting it is a requirement of love for the Prophet ﷺ, while abandoning it indicates disinterest. The Holy Quran states: Whoever shows disinterest in my Sunnah is not from me.
Reference: Bukhari, An-Nikah, Chapter on Encouragement in Marriage: 5063
An example of this is the collective recitation of ،،لا الہ الا اللہ،، after the obligatory prayer. There is no doubt that ،،لا الہ الا اللہ،، is the best remembrance (the most excellent dhikr), but it is permissible to do it at any time. Since the time after the obligatory prayer is also one of the prescribed times, if a person recites ،،لا الہ الا اللہ،، on his own after any obligatory prayer, it is completely permissible. However, when we see that the regular practice and Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ immediately after the obligatory prayer is something else, then always reciting ،،لا الہ الا اللہ،، after every obligatory prayer means abolishing the Sunnah of that occasion. The recitation of ،،لا الہ الا اللہ،، can be delayed, but always delaying the prescribed adhkar and supplications after the prayer is not permissible in any way. Moreover, there is no example in the entire era of Prophethood of collective recitation of ،،لا الہ الا اللہ،، aloud in the form of a course.
[5] If along with a Sunnah of an occasion, another Sunnah comes up, then it will be correct to perform both Sunnahs. For example, if a congregational obligatory prayer is taking place, and the Imam and the followers are engaged in Sunnah remembrances and supplications, suddenly someone says to pray for the sick or that a certain person is ill and to pray for them, etc., then making a supplication at someone's request is also Sunnah, therefore making a supplication will be permissible.
[6] Remember! Raising hands for a collective supplication is neither a part of the obligatory prayer nor a part of the subsequent Sunnah remembrances, so it is not correct to make it a permanent practice because:
[7] The obligatory prayer is a separate act of worship, and raising hands for a collective supplication is a separate act of worship. And when, without any Shariah evidence:
(a) two separate acts of worship are always performed together in a specific sequence so that
(b) both seem to be parts of each other to the extent that one is considered incomplete without the other, and also
(c) people are invited, encouraged, and taught this as if it were a Shariah ruling.
(D) And if a person who does not perform these acts of worship according to your ﷺ method is labeled as a denier and disrespectful, then you will stray from the path of Sunnah because when various acts of worship are combined according to one's own desire to establish a new method, it ceases to be Sunnah and becomes an innovation.
The matter is one of principle: if there is a practice that is necessary in the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and there is no obstacle to performing it, yet no one did it throughout the entire period of prophethood, but we not only always do it ourselves but also invite others to do it, then it is undoubtedly an innovation (bid'ah). The question arises: was there any obstacle during the time of prophethood to raising hands and organizing collective supplication after the obligatory prayers? Certainly not. Yet if after any obligatory prayer this was never organized, it indicates that not organizing it is Sunnah, because it is impossible for something to be part of the religion and yet no one did it during the time of prophethood despite being able to do so, or if it was done, it would have been found somewhere in the vast collection of authentic hadiths.
[9] Human beings are naturally inclined towards ease; they find it burdensome to memorize prescribed supplications, and since they are very busy, they cannot devote five or six minutes with concentration after the obligatory prayers. Therefore, to avoid this Sunnah, an alternative was invented (that is) the cleric, immediately after giving the salam, raised his hands, recited a few small sentences consisting of some prescribed and non-prescribed words, wiped his face with his hands, and dismissed all the worshippers. After that, they all stood up (without reciting the prescribed remembrances). In reality, this is not a supplication but a ritual performed with the best intentions after every obligatory prayer, and in this way, unconsciously, the sin of erasing a Sunnah is committed. It is regrettable that people find plenty of time to practice innovations, but no time to adopt the Sunnah. The person who rejects innovation is outright labeled as a denier of supplication, whereas the one who abandons the Sunnah اہل السنۃ والجماعۃ!
[10] After the obligatory prayers, instead of abandoning the prescribed adhkar and supplications, the collective recitation of ،،لا الہ الا اللہ،، and raising hands for collective dua has been promoted so that these become the symbol and identity of our sect. Is it permissible to manipulate Shariah issues and rulings in this way for the protection of a sect? What is the command of Islam? Should sectarianism be eliminated or promoted?
The summary is: that raising hands for collective dua after the obligatory prayer is in itself permissible, but this permissible act conflicts with a Sunnah, so it should not be made a regular practice because the Sunnah of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ has a greater right to be made the routine of every Muslim who utters the kalima. And this should become the Muslim’s sect and identity, therefore, generally, we should be content with those adhkar and supplications which our beloved Prophet ﷺ and his noble companions, may Allah be pleased with them, always adhered to. May Allah grant us all success. Ameen! (A.R)
It should be noted that when the Imam concludes the salaam, the congregation ends, but the gathering of the worshippers does not end; rather, each worshipper sits in their own place, usually reciting the same type of Sunnah phrases. This is considered the Sunnah of the collective supplication after the congregational prayer, and this was the practice of the pious predecessors. However, the notion that the Imam and the followers must necessarily raise their hands and perform a brief supplication ritual in a specific customary manner to dismiss the worshippers is not correct in any way. (Muhammad Abdul Jabbar)
