Ruling on Saying Rabbana wa lakal-ḥamd Aloud After Rukūʿ
Source: Fatāwā Rāshidiyyah, p. 289
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to say aloud after rising from rukūʿ:
“Rabbana wa lakal-ḥamd ḥamdan kathīran ṭayyiban mubārakan fīh”?
❖ Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، أما بعد!
✿ Evidence from Hadith
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Rifāʿah ibn Rāfiʿ رضي الله عنه narrated:
((سمع الله لمن حمده قال رجل وراء ربنا ولك الحمد حمدا كثيرا طيبا مباركا فيه، فلما انصرف قال: من المتكلم؟ قال: أنا. قال: رأيت بضعة وثلاثين ملكا يبتدرونها أيهم يكتبها أول.))
“When the Prophet ﷺ said: Samiʿallāhu liman ḥamidah after rising from rukūʿ, a man behind him said: Rabbana wa lakal-ḥamd ḥamdan kathīran ṭayyiban mubārakan fīh.
After prayer, the Prophet ﷺ asked: ‘Who said these words?’ The man replied: ‘I did.’ The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘I saw more than thirty angels rushing to be the first to record these words.’”
✿ Points Derived
① On Saying It Aloud
- The Companion said these words aloud, since the others — and the Prophet ﷺ — heard them.
- If he had whispered them, no one would have noticed.
② Prophet’s ﷺ Tacit Approval
- The Prophet ﷺ did not disapprove nor forbid it.
- Rather, he affirmed the act, and his silence is an indication of permissibility.
③ General Practice of the Companions
- Despite this incident, the Companions generally did not recite these words aloud.
- If it had been common, the Prophet ﷺ would not have asked: “Who said these words?”
④ Reality of the Virtue
- The virtue mentioned in the hadith is due to the words themselves, not the raising of the voice.
- The Companion uttered them with sincerity and devotion, prompting the angels to hasten in recording them.
Conclusion
- Saying Rabbana wa lakal-ḥamd ḥamdan kathīran ṭayyiban mubārakan fīh after rukūʿ is highly virtuous.
- It may be said quietly or aloud — both are permissible.
- However, the preferred and common practice of the Companions was to say it quietly.
