16.0 CHAPTER: DESCRIPTION OF THE PRAYER
Having explained the criteria for prayer, the author moves onto describing the prayer in detail. Description here refers to how the prayer is performed. There are two kinds of description: the complete description and the basic description. This difference appears because prayer consists of criteria (shurut), acts that are pillars (arkan), mandatory (wajib) and optional {sunan).
The complete description then will comprise all of the four components mentioned above. The partial description comprises all these components except the acts that are sunan.
It is Sunnah to stand up for prayer when the word “ qadd ” of the iqamah is pronounced. He then straightens his row.
“It is Sunnah to stand up for prayer when the word “qadd’ of the iqamah is pronounced. He then straightens his row”: It is Sunnah for the ma’mum or follower to stand up and prepare for the prayer when he hears the mu’adhin call out, “Qadd qamati as-salah”. This is the view of some scholars.(See Muntaha al-Iradat by Ibn al-Najar (1/204).) Some others are of the opinion that one should stand up when the iqamah starts. This is the more popular opinion and the correct one.(See al-Mughni (2/123).)
“He then straightens his row”: It is Sunnah for the imam and the ma’mum to straighten the rows. The imam helps to guide the followers in making the rows straight and inspects them. He also instructs them to fill all the gaps that are between themselves and the rows. This is the responsibility of the imam. In addition, he instructs them to align their shoulders and ankles such that a straight and tight row is achieved. Shaytan squeezes himself into any gap that is within the rows and takes the opportunity to distract the Muslims from the prayer. A tight, straight row prevents the entry of Shaytan amongst them. The lesson to take away here is that Shaytan will never be able to influence a close knit community. Only the stray individual falls prey to his whispers.
It must be pointed out that filling the gaps of the row does in no way refer to what some people who claim to be knowledgeable do nowadays. In his effort to close the gap, he spreads his legs far apart such that he takes up the standing space of two men. In doing so, he inconveniences those besides him. Islam teaches us to fill up the gaps in between a row by standing at ease and not with the legs far apart. Another mannerism of forming the rows for prayer is to start forming the later row only when the row before it is full and complete.
And he says, Allahu akbar whilst raising both hands. His fingers are kept close to each other. He raises his hands up to shoulder level as he does in prostration.
“And he says, ‘Allahu akbar”-. When the imam has helped align the rows for prayer, he makes the takbiratul ihram saying, “Allahu akbar”. The mamum do so likewise, after the imam. Takbiratul ihram is a pillar of the prayer. The spiritual covenant does not take place without it. It is called takbiratul ihram as it makes unlawful that which is lawful before the pronouncement was made, just as the ihram in Hajj and Umrah forbids hitherto lawful things once it is entered.
The phrase, “Allahu akbar” cannot be replaced with another phrase, such as, “Subhanallah”‘, “Alhamdulillah” or, “ La hawla wa la quwwata ilia billah”. No other form of dhikr (remembrance) can be used in its stead. This is what the Prophet(pbuh) taught us to do ( Reported by al-Bukhari (1/192), (8/68) and Muslim (2/10, 11) on the narration of Abu Hurairah that once the Prophet(pbuh) entered the masjid, a man came in, offered the prayer and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet returned his greeting and said to him , “Go back and pray again for you have not prayed.”The man offered the prayer again, came back and greeted the Prophet. He said to him thrice, “Go back and pray again for you have not prayed.”The man said, “By Him Who has sent you with the truth! I do not know a better way o f praying. Kindly teach me how to pray.” He said, “When you stand for the prayer, say takbir and then recite from the Qur’an what you know and then bow with calmness until you feel at ease, then rise from bowing till you stand straight. Afterwards prostrate calmly till you feel at ease and then raise (your head) and sit with calmness till you feel at ease and then prostrate with calmness till you feel at ease in prostration and do the same in the whole of your prayer. ) so any other phrase is forbidden.
“Whilst raising both hands. His fingers are kept close to each other”: It is recommended that he raise his hands, palms facing the direction of qiblah whilst saying the takbiratul ihram. His fingers are kept closely spaced, not spread out and his hands are raised to the shoulder level. The hands are raised at the beginning of the takbir and lowered as soon as the takbir is said. It is mentioned that raising the hands in the opening takbir signifies the removal of the veil between the worshipper and his Creator.
The raising o f the hands is recommended during the takbiratul ihram, bowing (ruku) and whilst rising from it. This will be explained in detail later on. So we have three places for this action, however some add a fourth place, proclaiming that it is also done when one rises up after the first tashahud.
“He raises his hands up to shoulder level as he does in prostration”: The hands are raised to shoulder level and parallel to it as he would place them whilst prostrating.
The imam should be heard by those behind him, like his recitation in the first two units of the prayers besides the two afternoon prayers. Others should only read it quietly to themselves.
“The imam should be heard by those behind him”: The imam should utter the takbiratul ihram aloud such that those praying behind him can hear. He should do this for all of the prayers. As for the recitation o f the Q ur’an in the prayer, he should make it audible for the night prayers. Recitals in the two afternoon prayers are done silently. For this reason, prayers done at night are known as audible prayers (salat al-jihriyah) while those done in the day are called silent prayers (salat al-siriyyah).
The only objective for raising the voice is for the ma’mum to hear the imam. As for those who intend it to be audible to people in their houses and neighbouring masjids using speakers, they are actually transgressing the Shari’ah. This overindulgence also causes harm to others like the one praying in the other masjids as he is distracted by the noise. There is no benefit behind this act. Hence, the imam should reduce the volume of the microphone inside the masjid. However it is a must that the adhan is heard aloud outside the masjid so that those faraway can prepare to attend the congregation. However, the volume o f the takbir and recitation in the prayer should be minimised such that it is sufficiently heard by those within the masjid. People elsewhere should not be disturbed.
“Like his recitation in the first two units of the prayers besides the two afternoon prayers”: That is, he should make the takbir audible like his recitation in the first two units of the audible prayers.
“Others should only read it quietly to themselves”: The followers should only recite to themselves, raising the voice only to the extent that he can hear himself read.
Then he clutches his left wrist and places it below the navel while looking down at the place of prostration.
After making the takbiratul ihram as explained earlier, it is recommended that he place his right hand over his left hand, clutching his left wrist. He places his hands below the navel as this has been narrated by ‘Ali. He said, “It is Sunnah to put the hands below the navel whilst performing the prayer.”( Reported by Ahmad (1/110), Abu Dawud (756), Ibn Abi Shaybah (1/343) and al-Daraqutni (1/286). )
The correct opinion however is to place the hands on the chest.(Reported by Ibn Khuzaymah (479) and al-Bayhaql (2/30) from the narration of Wa’il ibn Hajr who said, “I prayed with the Messenger of Allah and he placed his right hand over his left hand upon his chest.” ) This is a Sunnah act of prayer. If one places his hands to his side, it is still accepted but he has omitted a Sunnah act.
“While looking down at the place of prostration”: That is the spot on the ground that he will place his forehead upon whilst prostrating. He should not look straight ahead as this will definitely distract him from concentrating on his prayer.
Then he says, “ Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdikka wa tabaraka ismuka wa ta’ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuka.” Then he recites isti’adhah followed by the basmallah silently as it is not a verse of al-Fatihah.
The above verbal act is a Sunnah. It is known as istiftah which is, “Subhanakalla humma wa bihamdikka wa tabaraka ismuka wa ta’ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuka.” It means, “Glory is to You O Allah and praise. Blessed is Your Name and exalted is Your Majesty. There is no deity worthy of worship besides You.” If he reads any other istiftah which is authentically narrated from the Prophet(pbuh), it is accepted.
“Subhanak”: Meaning: I glorify you O Allah from all that which is inappropriate for You.
“Wa bihamdikka”: I.e. I glorify You in gratitude and I glorify Your eminence and kindness. Our glorification of Allah is a bounty from Allah to us in fact and denotes His guidance and approval.
“Wa tabaraka ismuka”-. Blessed is Your Name. Blessings are gained by mentioning Him for the name of Allah is full of blessings just like all of His other names. If Allah’s name is mentioned over a thing or before doing an act, He(swt) blesses it. Allah says: {Blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honour.}(Al-Rahman: 78)
“Ismuka : Referring to all of Allah’s names.
“Wa ta’ala jadduka”: Exalted is Your Majesty. It can also mean Your Bounties. Allah says: {And [it teaches] that exalted is the nobleness of our Lord.}(Al-Jinn: 3) That is, His majesty is venerated.
“Wa la ilaha ghairuka”: I.e. there is none worthy of worship except Him. Some claim that it means that there is none worshipped except You. This is wrong as there are many things worshipped besides Allah. However the only one worthy of worship is Allah.
“Then he recites isti’adhah”: That is to say, “A’udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajim ” , which means, “I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan the accursed.” This was the Sunnah of the Prophet(pbuh) . (Reported by Ahmad (3/50), Abu Dawud (775), al-Tirmidhi (242) and al-Nasa’i (2/132) from the narration of Abu Sa’id. Also in Ahmad (4/82,85), Abu Dawud (764), Ibn Majah (807) from the narration o f Jubayr ibn Mat’am.) This is a verbal Sunnah act as gathered from the ayah: {So when you recite the Qur’an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy]}(Al-Nahl: 98)
“Followed by the basmallah”: That is to say, “Bismillahi rahmanir rahim.”
“Silently”: Without raising one’s voice.
“As it is not a verse of al-Fatihah”: The basmallah is not regarded as an ayah of
Surah al-Fatihah.( See Majmu al-Fatdwa (22/351). ) It is detached from the Qur’an, except in Surah al-Naml where it appears in between ayahs: {Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: ‘In the name o f Allah , the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.’}(Al-Naml: 30)
Then he reads Surah al-Fatihah. Pausing for remembrance or being silent in a manner which is not sanctioned by the Shari’ah, lengthening it, missing out on the stressed intonations ( tashdid) or a letter, or not reading it in sequence will render it invalid and so he would need to recite it again. The follower is excluded. All should say‘ amin’ during the vocal prayers.
“Then he reads Surah al-Fatihah”: After reading the istiftah, isti’adah and basmallah, he goes on to read Surah al-Fatihah which means, “The Opening.” It is called as such because it is the opening surah of both the mus-haf and the prayer, and it is the greatest surah of the Quran.
“Pausing for remembrance or being silent in a manner which is not sanctioned by the Shari ‘ah”: The whole surah should be read in a flow without hindrance. If one stops mid-way for remembrance or remains silent in a manner which has not been sanctioned by the Shariah, then it is deemed invalid. He has to read the surah again.
An example of a pause for remembrance during recitation that is sanctioned by the Shariah would be to seek refuge in Allah when the torment of the hereafter is being read and seeking the bounty of Allah when the ayat of mercy are read.
Silence condoned by the Shari’ah includes being silent when the imam is reciting the Quran. One might start reading al-Fatihah and then stop to listen to the imam’s recital. He then completes al-Fatihah after the imam’s recital. This is permitted and the surah is valid.
“Lengthening it”: I.e. a person remaining silent to ponder over something or just remaining silent without a valid reason will interfere with the flow of al-Fatihah and the ayat in effect become disjointed from one another. This action renders it invalid.
“Missing out on the stressed intonations (tashdid), a letter”: Tashdid indicates a repetition of the same letter. Hence if one omits the tashdid, he is in fact omitting a letter. This means that he did not recite al-Fatihah completely and so it becomes invalid. Likewise if any o f the other letters are omitted.
“Or not reading it in sequence”: If he were to rearrange the sequence, for example reading the third ayah, followed by the first, then the second. His recitation is futile as one should read it as it was revealed by Allah.
“The follower is excluded”: This means that the imam and the one praying by himself are affected by their faultiness in the reading o f al-Fatihah as it is a rukn of the prayer. The ma’mum (follower) is not affected by his own faulty reading for the imam’s (correct) reading will supersede his own.
“All should say, ‘amin”’: When al-Fatihah is completed it is a verbal Sunnah that the congregation, the imam and the ma’mum, say “amin.” It means, “O Allah! Accept it.” As al-Fatihah is a supplication in its entirety, we seek its acceptance by saying “amin”. Supplication for worship is sought at first followed by supplication to make good our affairs. Therefore, the “amin ” is very befitting at the end o f the recital.
“During the vocal prayers”: That is, prayers in which one reads aloud. As for the silent prayers, the “amin” is also uttered silently.
He then reads another surah after it; for the subh prayer he may read the long surahs of mufassal and at maghrib, he can read its short surahs. He can read from its mid-length surahs for the rest of the prayers. It is not permitted for him to read anything apart from the ‘Uthmani mushaf.
“He then reads another surah after it”: After reading al-Fatihah, he reads another surah from the Qur’an.
“For the subh prayer he may read the long chapters o f mufassal’-. Mufassal is the last hizb of the Qur’an. It is named in this manner due to the many partitions between the surahs and the aydt. Mufassal starts from Surah Qaf to the end of the Qur’an. Some others say it starts from al-Hujurat while another view is that it starts from al-Dhukhan. But the first view is more popular.
“For the subh prayer he may read the long surahs of mufassal and at maghrib he can read its short surahs. He can read from its mid-length surahs for the rest of the prayers”: Subh refers to the fajr prayer. The long surahs in the hizb of mufassal are from Surah Qaf to Surah al-Naba’. The mid-length surahs are from al-Nazi’at until Surah al-Dhuha. The short surahs are from Surah al-Sharh until the end of the Qur’an.
However, it is still permitted for one to read a long surah from mufassal or other long surahs for maghrib. The Prophet(pbuh) read Surah al-A’raf(As narrated by ‘Aishah. It was reported by al-Nasa’i (2/170) with the words, “The Messenger of Allah(pbuh) read Surah al-A’raf for maghrib, dividing it into two rak’ats.”) during maghrib and once recited Surah al-Tur.(Reported by al-Bukhari (1/194), (4/84), (5/110) and (6/175) and Muslim (2/41) from the narration of Jubayr ibn Mut’am.) He once also read Surah al-Mursalat.(As reported by al-Bukhari (1/193-194), (6/11) and Muslim (2/40-41) from the narration of Umm al-Fadl.) However, this was very seldom. The present day imams have left out reading mufassal altogether in the vocal prayers. This is in contrast to the Sunnah of the Prophet(pbuh)
“It is not permitted for him to read anything apart from the ‘Uthmani mushaf: The prayer in which the Quran recital is not based upon the ‘Uthmani mushaf becomes invalid. This mushaf was compiled during the lifetime of ‘Uthm an ibn Affan and it is in agreement with all of the Companions of the Prophet. It was then distributed throughout the world. Before this effort was taken, people used to differ in their readings of the Qur’an as they had different mushafs with different sequences and writing. The Companions of the Prophet realised that if this was not rectified, it would disunite the Ummah. They suggested to ‘Uthman, who was the caliph at that time, to standardise the Qur’an. So he gathered all of the Companions and the reciters of the Qur’an and discussed regarding it. They all agreed to the standardisation of the Qur’an.(The incident of standardising the Qur’an as reported by al-Bukhari (6/226) from the narration of Anas ibn Malik.) Alhamdulillah, the achievement of this only confirms Allah’s promise in the Quran when He said: {Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We Will be its guardian.}(Al-Hijr: 9)
‘Uthman then ordered that copies be made of this standardised mushaf and that it be distributed throughout the lands. He also commanded the Muslims to only read this edition and gathered all o f the other editions and burnt some of them and buried the rest. With this, the difference and dispute came to an end, alhamdulillah.
Hence, it is not permissible for anyone to read in prayer other than from the standard ‘Uthmani edition. If one does, then his prayer is invalid.
Then he bows for ruku as he says the takbir whilst raising his hands. He places his hands upon his knees with his lingers splayed and levels his back. He then says, “ Subhana rabbi al-azim.” He then raises his head and hands. If he is the imam or is praying individually, he says, “Sami’allahu liman hamidah.” After standing erect, he says, “ Rabbana wa laka al-hamd. Mila assamawati wa mila al-ardhi wa mila ma shi’ta min shayin ba’d.” The ma’mum only says, “ Rabbana wa laka al-hamd.”
“Then he bows for ruku’ as he says the takbir whilst raising his hands. He places his hands upon his knees with his fingers splayed and levels his back”: Once he completes his recital in the first rakat (unit) o f the prayer, he bows for ruku saying the takbir. This takbir is known as “takbiratul intiqal’, that is takbir for the moving from standing erect to the ruku.This is a mandatory (wajib) act.
He raises his hand for the takbiratul intiqal as he raises them for the takbiratul ihram. The raising of the hands here is a Sunnah act. He then places his hands upon his knees with his fingers splayed out.(As in the hadith of Ibn Masud which was reported by Muslim (2/69)) He should level his back such that it is straight(Reported by Ahmad (1/123) as narrated by ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib.) during the bowing and level his head(Reported by Muslim (2/54) as narrated by ‘Aishah.) in line with his back and not tilt it up or down. These are the characteristics of the ruku of the Prophet(pbuh)
“He then says, ‘Subhana rabbi al-azim ” : This is a wajib (mandatory) act. This is because when the ayah: {So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great.}(Al-Waqi’ah:74)
was revealed, the Prophet(pbuh) said, “Say it in your ruku’.”(Reported by Ahmad (4/155), Abu Dawud (869) , Ibn Majah (887) and Ibn Khuzaymah (600) from the narration of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir.)
“He then raises his head and hands. If he is the imam or is praying individually, he says,‘Sami’allahu liman hamidah.”This means, “Allah hears those who praise Him.’’ The ma’mum should only say “Rabbana wa laka al-hamd.” (O our Creator! To You be all praises).
The imam and the one praying individually should say “Sami’allahu liman hamidah.” The ma’mum does not. This is according to the teachings of the Prophet(pbuh) who said, “If he (the imam) says, “Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah”, all of you should say, “Rabbana wa laka al-hamd.”(Reported by al-Bukhari (1/186-187, 203) and Muslim (2/18) from the narration of Anas ibn Malik.) The word “sami ” in this context means “accept”.
He can also say: “Allahumma rabbana wa laka al-hamd’ or “Allahumma rabbana laka al-hamd’, and the first of these is better.(Reported by al-Bukhari (1/201). See also Zad al-Ma ’ad (1/219-220).)
He proceeds to prostrate whilst saying the takbir with seven body parts touching the ground. They are the feet, knees, hands and the forehead along with the nose; even if they are covered by another material besides the limbs of prostration. The shoulders should be extended away from the side of the body and his stomach from the thighs. His knees are kept apart. He then says, “Subhana rabbi al-’ala.”
After standing erect and saying, “Rabbana laka al-Hamd’, he adopts a prostrating position where seven parts of the body are touching the ground.
“They are the feet, knees, hands and the forehead along with the nose”: The sequence with which the descent occurs is like this: first to touch the ground will be the knees, then the hands, then the forehead and nose. The elderly and sick can place their hands upon the ground before their knees so that the movement is easier.
“Even if they are covered by another material”: That is, even if he were to prostrate on a carpeted floor, it is permissible though prostrating on a plain floor is better. Sometimes, there is a pressing need for a carpeting of some sort. The Companions of the Prophet(pbuh) used to place the corners of their turbans and clothes to protect themselves, when they made sujud, from the ground baked hot by the sun.(Reported by al-Bukhari (1/107, 143), (2/81) and M uslim (2/109) from the narration of Anas ibn Malik.) When the ground is too hot, has gravel or thorns, it is permissible to cover it with something. Even our Prophet(pbuh) used to pray on what was comfortable to him. At times, he used to pray on a plain floor while at others, he used to pray on a straw mat. (Reported by Muslim (2/62, 128), Ahmad (3/52), al-Tirmidhi (332) as narrated by Abu Sa’id al-Khudri.)
“The shoulders should be extended away from the side of the body and his stomach from the thighs”: While prostrating, he should keep the body parts apart. One should not be touching the other. Each part should be prostrating to Allah(swt) very distinctively. His feet and shins should be apart and his thighs are kept apart from his shins while prostrating. His shoulders are kept apart from the side of his body. This is the recommended (mustahab) way of prostration.
However, if the place to make sujud is constricted, then placing the shoulders apart will inevitably be an inconvenience to the person next to you as he will feel discomfort. Causing such harm is not permitted. Hence, he should draw his shoulders close to himself to prevent any inconvenience to the person next to him. If the sujud is prolonged, like in the night or eclipse prayer, then one is permitted to rest his upper arm and elbows upon his knees while prostrating. This is to ease the tiredness that may result from prolonged prostration. When the Companions complained to the Prophet(pbuh) that they had difficulty keeping their arms raised during a prolonged sujud, the Prophet said, “Ease it with your elbows.”(Reported by Ahmad (2/339), Abu Dawud (902), al-Tirm idhl (286) from the narration of Abu Hurairah.)
“He then says, ‘Subhana rabbi al – ala Which means, “Glory is to my Lord, the Most High.” When one prostrates as described, he says, “Subhana rabbi al-’ala.” This is among the mandatory {wajib) acts of prayer. If one were to say something different such as, “subhanallah”, “alhamdulillah”’, or “la ilaha illalah”, it shall not be accepted because when the ayah: {Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High.} was revealed, the Prophet commanded, “Include it in your prostration.” (Reported by Ahmad (4/155), Abu Dawud (869), Ibn Majah (887) and Ibn Khuzaymah (600) as narrated by ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir.)
By Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.