Excerpt Source
This excerpt is taken from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh an-Nabī ﷺ, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus, authored by al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz.
وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
“And We will surely make them taste the lesser punishment before the greater punishment, so that they may return.”
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
هَذِهِ الْآيَاتُ الَّتِي يُرْسِلُ اللَّهُ لَا تَكُونُ لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلَا لِحَيَاتِهِ وَلَكِنْ يُخَوِّفُ اللَّهُ بِهَا عِبَادَهُ فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَافْزَعُوا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَدُعَائِهِ وَاسْتِغْفَارِهِ
“These signs (calamities) that Allah sends do not occur due to the death or birth of anyone. Rather, Allah frightens His servants through them. So when you see anything of that sort, hasten towards the remembrance of Allah, supplication to Him, and seeking His forgiveness.”
❀ The prayer performed on occasions such as earthquakes consists of two rakʿahs, and three rukūʿs are performed in each rakʿah. ʿAbdullāh bin al-Ḥārith narrates:
عن ابن عباس أنه صلى فى الزلزلة بالبصرة فأطال القنوت ثم ركع ثم رفع رأسه فأطال القنوت، ثم ركع، ثم رفع رأسه فأطال القنوت ثم ركع فسجد ثم قام فى الثانية ففعل كذلك، فصارت صلاته ست ركعات و أربع سجدات ثم قال ابن عباس هكذا صلاة الآيات
“ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما led the prayer during an earthquake in Basrah. He prolonged the standing, then performed rukūʿ, then raised his head and again prolonged the standing, then performed rukūʿ, then stood again for a long time, then performed rukūʿ, then performed the prostrations. He then stood for the second rakʿah and did the same. Thus, his prayer consisted of six rukūʿs and four prostrations. Then ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said: ‘This is the manner of performing the prayer of calamities.’”
Imām ʿAbd al-Razzāq stated that there is consensus regarding six rukūʿs in two rakʿahs, meaning three rukūʿs in each rakʿah.
❀ The remaining method of this prayer is the same as Ṣalāt al-Kusūf.
❀ When calamities appear, it is also permissible to perform only prostration (sujūd). Further details can be found in the chapter on Sujūd, under the discussion of Sujūd al-Āfāt.
This excerpt is taken from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh an-Nabī ﷺ, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus, authored by al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz.
Prayer During Calamities (Ṣalāt al-Āfāt)
❀ Calamities occur so that people may reform themselves. Allah the Exalted says:وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
Reference: as-Sajdah: 21
“And We will surely make them taste the lesser punishment before the greater punishment, so that they may return.”
❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
هَذِهِ الْآيَاتُ الَّتِي يُرْسِلُ اللَّهُ لَا تَكُونُ لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلَا لِحَيَاتِهِ وَلَكِنْ يُخَوِّفُ اللَّهُ بِهَا عِبَادَهُ فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَافْزَعُوا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَدُعَائِهِ وَاسْتِغْفَارِهِ
“These signs (calamities) that Allah sends do not occur due to the death or birth of anyone. Rather, Allah frightens His servants through them. So when you see anything of that sort, hasten towards the remembrance of Allah, supplication to Him, and seeking His forgiveness.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Kusūf, Bāb al-dhikr fī al-kusūf: 1059 – Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 912
❀ The prayer performed on occasions such as earthquakes consists of two rakʿahs, and three rukūʿs are performed in each rakʿah. ʿAbdullāh bin al-Ḥārith narrates:
عن ابن عباس أنه صلى فى الزلزلة بالبصرة فأطال القنوت ثم ركع ثم رفع رأسه فأطال القنوت، ثم ركع، ثم رفع رأسه فأطال القنوت ثم ركع فسجد ثم قام فى الثانية ففعل كذلك، فصارت صلاته ست ركعات و أربع سجدات ثم قال ابن عباس هكذا صلاة الآيات
“ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما led the prayer during an earthquake in Basrah. He prolonged the standing, then performed rukūʿ, then raised his head and again prolonged the standing, then performed rukūʿ, then stood again for a long time, then performed rukūʿ, then performed the prostrations. He then stood for the second rakʿah and did the same. Thus, his prayer consisted of six rukūʿs and four prostrations. Then ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said: ‘This is the manner of performing the prayer of calamities.’”
Reference: al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī: 3/343, ḥadīth: 6382 – Isnād ṣaḥīḥ
Reference: Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 3/101, ḥadīth: 4229
Reference: al-Awsaṭ li-Ibn al-Mundhir: 5/314–315
Imām ʿAbd al-Razzāq stated that there is consensus regarding six rukūʿs in two rakʿahs, meaning three rukūʿs in each rakʿah.
❀ The remaining method of this prayer is the same as Ṣalāt al-Kusūf.
❀ When calamities appear, it is also permissible to perform only prostration (sujūd). Further details can be found in the chapter on Sujūd, under the discussion of Sujūd al-Āfāt.
