Question:
What is the Shar‘i ruling regarding Durood and Du‘ā in the middle Qa‘dah (Tashahhud) of Salah?
Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il, Ṣalāh Section, Vol. 1, p.194
Explanation of Durood in the Middle Qa‘dah
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
◈ Evidence for Du‘ā in the Middle Qa‘dah
The proof for making du‘ā in the middle Qa‘dah exists. Its evidence is the ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) in which Tashahhud is mentioned. In this ḥadīth, the command of du‘ā is given.
- Both Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim contain this ḥadīth.
- In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, there is a narration that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered nine rakʿāt with a single salām, and in this narration, the mention of du‘ā in the middle Qa‘dah is present:
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb Ṣalāt al-Musāfirīn, Bāb Jāmiʿ Ṣalāt al-Layl, Ḥadīth: 746)
It is also clear that there is no separate ruling for nafl and farḍ prayers regarding this matter.
◈ Durood in the Middle Qa‘dah
Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an:
﴿يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيۡهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسۡلِيمًا﴾
(Al-Aḥzāb: 56)
In the tafsīr of this verse, there is a ḥadīth in which the noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم) said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
"Allah has commanded us to send ṣalāt (Durood) and salām upon you. You have taught us how to send salām, but how should we send ṣalāt (Durood)?”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then taught them the words of Durood and ṣalāt.
In this ḥadīth, there is no distinction between the first and the second Qa‘dah, which shows that wherever there is Tashahhud and Salām in the prayer, ṣalāt and Durood should also be recited.
◈ Analysis of Narrations about Not Reciting Durood and Du‘ā in the Middle Qa‘dah
The narrations used as evidence by those who say that Durood and du‘ā should not be recited in the middle Qa‘dah are:
- Either weak (ḍaʿīf)
- Or mauqūf (statements of Companions only)
Therefore, the correct position is that in both Qa‘dahs, just like Tashahhud, Durood and du‘ā must also be recited.
◈ Useful Reference for Further Research
For further study, the famous book of Shaykh al-Albānī (رحمه الله):
“Ṣifat Ṣalāt an-Nabī ﷺ”
is highly beneficial, and, in shā’ Allāh, it will provide great insight.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
