Ruling on Reciting Duʿāʾ al-Istiftāḥ Aloud in Prayer
Source: Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amunpūrī
❖ Question
What is the ruling on reciting Duʿāʾ al-Istiftāḥ aloud in prayer?
❖ Answer
Reciting Duʿāʾ al-Istiftāḥ aloud in prayer is not established. The Prophet ﷺ used to recite it quietly. As for ʿUmar (RA), he once recited it aloud for the purpose of teaching.
❖ Evidence
◈ Abū Hurayrah (RA) reported:
((رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا كبر فى الصلاة، سكت هنية قبل أن يقرأ، فقلت: يا رسول الله... ما تقول؟ قال: أقول: اللهم باعد بيني وبين خطاياي...))
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said the takbīr for prayer, he would remain silent for a short while before reciting. I asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, may my parents be sacrificed for you, what do you say during your silence?’ He replied: ‘I say: O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the east from the west. O Allah, purify me of sins as a white garment is purified of dirt. O Allah, wash away my sins with snow, water, and ice.’”
— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 744, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 598
❖ Scholarly Consensus
◈ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728H):
((اتفق العلماء على أن الجهر بذلك ليس بسنة راتبة، لكن جهر به للتعليم))
“The scholars are agreed that reciting Duʿāʾ al-Istiftāḥ aloud is not a regular Sunnah. However, ʿUmar (RA) recited it aloud only for teaching purposes.”
— al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā 2/121
Conclusion
- The Prophet ﷺ recited Duʿāʾ al-Istiftāḥ quietly.
- It is not Sunnah to recite it aloud.
- The instance of ʿUmar (RA) doing so was solely for instructional purposes.
