Rabi'ah ibn Malik al-Aslami reported that the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam said: "Ask (anything)." Rabi'ah said: "I ask of you to be your companion in paradise." The Prophet said: "Or anything else?" Rabi'ah said:"That is it." The Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam said to him: "Then help me by making many prostrations (i.e., supererogatory prayers)." (Muslim)
...'SINCERE PRAYER REMOVES SIN'... The Prophet Muhammad [ peace be upon him ]
Once went out when the leaves were falling from the Trees!
He took hold of a branch and said:- "Verily, when a servant of God prays
seeking only His pleasure, his sins fall away just as the leaves have fallen from this tree."
Source:-Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith # 199.
Once when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was praying, he stood for so long that his feet became swollen. His wife Ayesha saw this and asked him:- “Why do you do this in spite of the fact that all your sins have been pardoned by God?”
The Prophet replied:- “Ayesha, should I not therefore be a thankful servant of God?”
Source:-Sahih Muslim, Hadith# 1311
Salah -The Muslim Prayer: Transliteration & Translation
Takbir: At the beginning of prayers and on almost every change of posture“Allah Hoo Akbar”
Allah is Great
THANAA: (While standing in first rak’aa only):“Subhana Kalla Humma Wa Bee Hamdeeka Wata Baara Kasmooka Wa Ta’ala Jaddoo Ka Wa La ilaha Ghairuka”
O’Allah! All glory is due to You, I praise You, Your name is the Most Blessed, Your Majesty is highly exalted and there is none worthy of worship You.
TA’AWUZ: Seeking Allah’s refuge from Satan before reciting Qur’an
“Aoudhu Billahee Minash Shaitaanir Rajeem”
I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed devil.
TASMIYAH: Invoking Allah’s name before reciting Qur’an
“Bimillah Hir Rahmaanir Raheem”
Allah, in whose name I begin, the Most Affectionate, the Most Merciful.
SURAH FATEHA: Opening Chapter of the Qur’an that must be read in prayers
“Alhamdo Lillahi Rabbil Aalameen Ar Rahamaanir Raheem Maaliki Yaomid Deen iyya Kana Budoo Wa iyya kanastaeen Ihdinas Siratual Mustaqeem Siratual Lazeena An Amtaa Alaihim Ghairil Maghdoobe Alaihim Walad Dualleen”
All praise is due to Allah, the Sovereign Lord of all the universes. The Most Affectionate, the Most Merciful. The Owner of the Day of Retribution. O’ Allah! You alone do we worship and You alone do we beseech for help. Guide us to the straight path. The path of those whom You have Favoured. Not of those who earned Your wrath and nor of those who went astray.
SURAH IKHLAAS: A brief chapter of the Qur’an giving basic Islamic belief about Allah. One can read any portion of the Qur’an in its stead.
“Qul Huwal-Laahu Ahad. Allaa-hus Samad Lam Yalid Walam Yoolad Walam Yakul Lahoo Kufuwan Ahad.”
Say, He is Allah, the One. Allah is All Independent. Neither He begot anyone nor He was begotten. And none is equal to Him in any way.
RUKOO: Tasbih (i.e. Glorification of Allah) while bending
“Subhaana Rabbiy al Azeem”
Glory be to my Nourisher, the Most Great
TASMEE: After raising one’s head after Ruku (the bending)
“Samee Allahoo Layman Hamidah”Allah listens to him who praises Him.
TAHMEED: Adoration of the Almighty while standing straight after Ruku (the bending)
“Rabbana Lakal Hamd”
O’ our Sustainer! All praise is due to You alone.
SAJDAH: Tasbih (i.e. Glorifying Allah) during prostration.“Subhaana Rabbiy al ‘Alaa”Glory be to my Nourisher, the Most High.
TASHAH-HUD: Making Testimonies while sitting in the second and fourth rak’ aa (third in Maghrib and Witr too)
“Atthayyato Lillahe Wassalawato Wat Tayyebato Assalamu Alaika Ayyohan Nabiyo Wa Rehmatullahi Wa Barakatoh Assalamu Alaina Wa Ala Ibadillahis Sualaiheen Ashadu An La ilaah illal Laho Wa Ashadu Anna Mohammadan Abdohoo Wa Rasooluhoo”
O’ Allah! You alone deserve all veneration, worship and glory. O’Prophet! Peace be on you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and on virtuous servants of Allah. I bear witness that none is worthy of worship save Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His chosen servant and His Messenger.
DUROOD: Salutations on the Prophet
“Allah Humma Salle Ala Mohammadiyon Wa Ala Ale Mohammadin Kama Sallaita Aala Ibharima Wa Ala Aalay Ibarhima Inna Ka Hameedum Majeed. Allah Humma Baarik Aala Mohammadiyon Wa Ala Ale Mohammadin Kama Barakta Ala Ibrahima Wa ala Ale Ibarhima Inna Ka Hameedum Majeed.”
O’ Allah! Send blessings on our master Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad as You did send on our master Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim. You are, indeed, Praised, Glorified. O’ Allah! Bless our master Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad as You did bless our master Ibrahim and his progeny. Undoubtedly, You are Praised, Glorified.
DU’AA: Supplication towards the end of prayers
“Allaa-humma Innee Zalamtu Nafsee Zulman Kaseeran wa Innahu Laa Yaghfiruz-Zunooba Illaa Anta Faghfirlee Maghfiratam Min ‘Indika Warhamnee Innaka Antal Ghafoorur Raheem. “
Description of the Prophet’s prayer
What is Description of the Prophet’s prayer ?.
Praise be to Allaah.
1 – Facing the direction of the Ka’bah
1- When you stand up to pray, face the direction of the Ka’bah wherever you are, in both fard (obligatory) and naafil (supererogatory) prayers. This is one of the pillars of prayer, without which prayer is not valid.
2- The obligation of facing the direction of prayer does not apply to one who is engaged in warfare, when he prays the fear prayer (salaat al-khawf) or is engaged in heavy fighting. It also does not apply to those who are unable to do it, such as one who is sick, or one who is traveling on a ship, in a car or on a plane, if they fear that the time of the prayer will elapse (before they reach a place where they can find the correct direction). And it does not apply to one who is praying a naafil prayer or witr prayer whilst riding on a riding-animal etc., but it is mustahabb for him to face the qiblah if he is able to do so when pronouncing the takbeer of ihraam (at the beginning of the prayer), then he may face whatever direction he is facing.
3- Everyone who can see the Ka’bah must face it; those who cannot see it must face its direction.
Ruling on not facing the Ka’bah in prayer by mistake:
4- If a person prays not facing the qiblah, because of clouds [preventing him from working out the direction from the position of the sun] or some other reason, after he did his best to work out the right direction, his prayer is valid and he does not have to repeat it.
5- If someone whom he trusts comes – whilst he is praying – and tells him of the right direction, then he must hasten to turn that way, and his prayer is valid.
2 – Qiyaam (standing in prayer)
6- It is obligatory to pray standing. This is a pillar (essential part of prayer), except for the one who is praying the fear prayer or at times of intense fighting, when it is permitted to pray whilst riding; for the one who is sick and unable to stand, who should pray sitting if he is able, otherwise lying on his side; and the one who is praying a naafil prayer, who may pray whilst riding or sitting if he wishes, and he indicates the rukoo’ and sujood with his head. The one who is sick may also do this, and he should make his sujood lower than his rukoo’.
7- It is not permissible for one who is praying sitting down to put something raised up on the ground in order to prostrate on it. Rather he should make his sujood lower than his rukoo’ – as we have mentioned – if he is unable to touch the ground directly with his forehead.
Prayer on board a ship or airplane
8- It is permissible to pray fard prayers on board a ship or airplane.
9- It is permissible to pray them sitting down if one fears that one may fall.
10- It is permissible to lean on a pillar or stick when standing, if one is old or weak in body.
Combining standing and sitting in prayer
11- It is permissible to pray qiyaam al-layl standing or sitting with no excuse, or to do both. So a person may pray and reciting sitting down, and just before doing rukoo’ he may stand up and recite the rest of the aayahs standing up, then do rukoo’ and sujood, then he can do likewise in the second rak’ah.
12- If he prays sitting down, he should pray sitting cross-legged or in whatever position he finds comfortable.
Praying wearing shoes
13- It is permissible to pray barefoot, or to pray wearing shoes.
14- It is better to pray sometimes barefoot and sometimes wearing shoes, according to what is easy; one should not make it difficult to put shoes on or to take them off in order to pray If a person is barefoot, he should pray barefoot and if he is wearing shoes then he should pray wearing shoes, except when there is a reason not to do so.
15- If he takes them off, then he should not place them to his right; rather he should place them to his left, if there is no one on his left, otherwise he should put them between his feet. There is a subtle hint that he should not place them in front of himself. This is the etiquette which most worshippers ignore, so you see them praying facing their shoes! This is what was narrated in the saheeh reports from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Praying on the minbar
16- It is permissible for the imaam to pray on an elevated place such as the minbar, in order to teach the people. So he should stand up on it to pray, then say takbeer, recite Qur’aan and do rukoo’ whilst he is on that place, then he should come down backwards so that he can prostrate on the ground at the base of the minbar, then he may go back to it and do the same in the second rak’ah as he did in the first.
It is obligatory to pray facing a sutrah and be close to it
17- It is obligatory to pray facing a sutrah (screen or cover), there is no difference whether that is in the mosque or elsewhere, whether the mosque is big or small, because of the general meaning of the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Do not pray except facing a sutrah, and do not let anyone pass in front of you, and if he insists then fight him, for he has a companion (qareen) with him” – meaning the Shaytaan.
18- It is obligatory to be close to the sutrah, because this is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded.
19- Between the place where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prostrated and the wall there would be a space nearly big enough for a sheep to pass through. Whoever does that is close enough [to the sutrah] as is required. I say: from this we known that what people do in all the mosques that I have seen in Syria and elsewhere, by praying in the middle of the mosque far away from the wall or pillars is but negligence towards the command and action of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
How high should the sutrah be?
20- The sutrah should be approximately a handspan or two above the ground, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When one of you places in front of him something such as the stick on the end of a saddle, he should pray and not worry about anyone who passes in front of that.” This hadeeth indicates that a line on the ground is not sufficient, and the hadeeth narrated concerning that is da’eef (weak).
21- He should face the sutrah directly, because this is apparent meaning of the command to pray towards the sutrah. Stepping slightly to the right or left so that one is not facing it directly, is not correct.
22- It is permissible to pray facing a stick planted in the ground and the like, or a tree, or a pillar, or one’s wife lying down in bed underneath her blanket, or an animal, even if it is a camel.
Prohibition of praying towards graves
23- It is not permitted to pray facing graves at all, whether they are the grave of Prophets or of others.
Prohibition of walking in front of one who is praying even in al-Masjid al-Haraam
24- It is not permitted to walk in front of one who is praying if there is a sutrah in front of him [i.e., it is not permissible to come between him and his sutrah]. There is no difference in this regard between al-Masjid al-Haraam and other mosques, all of them are the same in that this [walking in front of one who is praying] is not permitted, because of the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “If the person who passes in front of one who is praying knew how great a burden of sin resulted from that, standing for forty [years] would be better for him than passing in front of one who is praying.” This refers to passing between him and the place of his prostration. The hadeeth which speaks of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) praying in Haashiyat al-Mataaf without a sutrah and with people passing in front of him is not saheeh, even though it does not say that they were passing between him and his place of prostration. It is obligatory for the one who is prostrating to prevent the one who wants to pass in front of him, even in Masjid al-Haraam.
25- It is not permissible for the one who is praying towards a sutrah to let anyone pass in front of him, because of the hadeeth quoted above, “Do not let anyone pass in front of you…” And because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When one of you is praying towards something which is a sutrah between him and the people, and someone wants to pass in front of him, then he should push him in the upper chest and repel him as much as he can.” According to another report: “… he should stop him twice, but if he insists then he should fight him, for he is a devil.”
Stepping forward to prevent someone passing in front of him
26- It is permissible for a person to take one or two steps to the front, in order to prevent one who is not responsible from passing in front of him, such as an animal or a small child, and to make them pass behind him.
What breaks prayer
27- The sutrah is so important to prayer that it prevents a person’s prayer from being invalidated, if someone passes in front of him. This is in contrast to the one who does not use a sutrah, whose prayer is broken if an adult woman, a donkey or a black dog passes in front of him.
3 – Niyyah (intention)
28- The worshipper must have the intention of praying the prayer for which he is standing. He must have the intention in his heart of performing a specific prayer, such as the fard (obligatory prayer) of Zuhr or of ‘Asr, or the Sunnah of those prayers. This is a condition or pillar (essential part) of the prayer, but uttering the intention verbally is a bid’ah which goes against the Sunnah, which was not suggested by any of the imams who are followed.
4 – Takbeer
29- Then he should start the prayer by saying “Allaahu akbar (Allaah is Most Great).” This is an essential part of the prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The key to prayer is purifying oneself (wudoo’), it is entered by takbeer (saying ‘Allaahu akbar’) and exited by tasleem (saying ‘al-salaamu ‘alaykum’)” i.e, once you say takbeer, certain things are prohibited and this prohibition ends when you say tasleem.
30- He should not raise his voice when saying takbeer in all the prayers, unless he is acting as an imaam.
31- It is permissible for the muezzin to convey the takbeer of the imaam to the people, if there is a need to do so, such as if the imaam is sick and his voice is weak, or because there are many worshippers praying behind him.
32- The one who is following the imaam should not say takbeer until the imaam has finished saying takbeer.
Raising the hands – how it is to be done
33- He should raise his hands when saying the takbeer, or before or after doing so. All of these are proven in the Sunnah.
34- He should raise them with the fingers stretched out.
35- He should raise them level with his shoulders, or sometimes until they are level with his earlobes. I say: with regard to touching the earlobes with the thumbs, there is no basis for this in the Sunnah, rather in my view this has to do with waswaas (insinuating whispers of the Shaytaan).
Placing the hands – how it is to be done
36- Then he should place his right hand on his left, immediately after the takbeer. This is the way of the Prophets (peace be upon them), and this is what the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined upon his companions. It is not permissible to let the arms hang at the sides.
37- The right hand should be placed on the back of the left hand, wrist and forearm.
38- Sometimes the left hand may be grasped with the right. The combination of placing and grasping, which was favoured by some later scholars, has no basis.
Where they should be placed
39- The hands should be placed on the chest only; there is no difference between men and women in this regard. I say: placing them anywhere other than on the chest is da’eef (weak) or has no basis.
40- It is not permissible to put the right hand on the waist.
Humility and looking at the place of prostration
41- The worshipper must be humble in his prayer, and should avoid everything that may distract him from it, such as adornments and decorations. He should not pray where there is food that he wants to eat, or when he needs to urinate or defecate.
42- Whilst he is standing, he should look towards the place where he will prostrate.
43- He should not look to the right or the left, because looking here and there is a snatching away which the Shaytaan steals from the prayer of the slave.
44- It is not permissible for him to look up at the sky.
Du’aa’ al-Istiftaah (du’aa’ at the start of prayer)
45- Then he should start the prayer with some of the du’aa’s which are narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). There are many of these, the most famous of which is “Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabaaraka ismuka wa ta’aala jadduka, wa laa ilaaha ghayruka (Glory and praise be to You O Allaah, blessed be Your name and exalted be Your Majesty, and there is no god but You).” The command to do this is proven so we should adhere to it. Whoever wants to see the other du’aa’s may refer to Sifat al-Salaah, p. 91-95, Maktabat al-Ma’aarif, Riyadh, edition. [In English, see “The Prophet’s Prayer described” by Shaykh al-Albaani, al-Haneef Publications, p. 14-19]
Recitation of Qur’aan
46- Then he should seek refuge with Allaah – this is obligatory, and he is sinning if he omits to do so.
47- The Sunnah is sometimes to say “A’oodhu Billaahi min al-Shaytaan il-rajeem, min hamzihi wa nafkhihi wa nafathihi (I seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Satan, from his madness, his arrogance and his poetry),” – poetry here refers to blameworthy kinds of poetry.
48- And sometimes he may say, “A’oodhu Billaah il-Samee’ il-A’leem min al-Shaytaan… (I seek refuge with Allaah, the All-Hearing, All-Knowing, from the Shaytaan…).”
49- Then he should say silently – whether the prayer is to be recited aloud or silently – “Bismillah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem (In the Name of Allaah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful).”
Reciting al-Faatihah
50- Then he should recite Soorat al-Faatihah (the first soorah of the Qur’aan) in full, including the Basmalah (Bismillaahi il-Rahmaan il-Raheem). This is an essential part of the prayer, without which the prayer is not valid. Those who do not speak Arabic must memorize this soorah.
51- Those who cannot remember it should say: “Subhaan Allaah, wa’l-hamdu-Lillaah, wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, wa Allaahu akbar, wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god but Allaah, Allaah is Most Great, and there is no strength and no power except with Allaah).”
52- The Sunnah is to recite it one verse at a time, and to pause at the beginning of each aayah. So he should say: “Bismillaah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem (In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful),” then pause. Then say, “Al-Hamdu Lillaahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen (All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists), then pause. Then say: ‘al-Rahmaan il-Raheem (The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), then pause… and so on, until the end of the aayah.
This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite the whole soorah, pausing at the end of each aayah and not joining one aayah to the next, even if there is continuity of the meaning.
53- It is permissible to read it as Maaliki Yawm id-Deen or Maliki Yawm id-Deen.
How the one who is praying behind the imaam should recite it
54- The one who is praying behind the imam should recite it behind the imaam in prayers where Qur’aan in recited silently and in prayers where it is recited aloud, if he cannot hear the imam’s recitation, or if he pauses after completing it so that those who are praying behind him can recite it. We think that this pause was not proven in the Sunnah. I say I have mentioned the evidence of those who think that this pause is permissible and the refutation of that evidence, in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah, no. 546, 547, part 2, p. 24-26, Dar al-Ma’aarif edition.
Recitation after al-Faatihah
55- It is Sunnah to recite – after al-Faatihah – another soorah, even in Salaat al-Janaazah (funeral prayer), or some aayahs, in the first two rak’ahs.
56- The recitation may be made lengthy sometimes, and shorter sometimes, for reasons of travel, coughing, sickness or the crying of an infant.
57- The recitation varies according to the prayers. The recitation in Fajr prayer is longer than it is in all the other prayers. Next longest is Zuhr, then ‘Asr, then ‘Isha’, then Maghrib, usually.
58- The recitation in the night prayers (qiyaam al-layl) is longer than all of these.
59- The Sunnah is to make the recitation longer in the first rak’ah than in the second.
60- He should make the recitation in the last two shorter than in the first two rak’ahs, half the length. If you want more details on this topic, see Sifat al-Salaah p. 102 (Arabic original).
Reciting al-Faatihah in every rak’ah
61- It is obligatory to recite al-Faatihah in every rak’ah.
62- It is Sunnah to add to it in the last two rak’ahs as well.
63- It is not permissible for the imaam to make his recitation longer than that which is described in the Sunnah, because that is difficult for those who may be praying behind him, such as the elderly and sick, or nursing mothers, or those who have other things to do.
Reciting aloud and reciting quietly
64- Qur’aan should be recited aloud in Fajr and Jumu’ah prayers, Eid prayers, prayers for rain (istisqaa’), prayers at the time of an eclipse (kusoof) and in the first two rak’ahs of Maghrib and ‘Isha’.
He should recite silently in the first two rak’ahs of Zuhr and ‘Asr, in the third rak’ah of Maghrib and in the last two rak’ahs of ‘Ishaa’.
65- It is permissible for the imaam occasionally to make an aayah audible in the prayers where recitation is to be done silently.
66- In Witr and Qiyaam al-Layl, he should recite silently sometimes and aloud sometimes, and he should be moderate in raising his voice.
Tarteel – reciting at a measured pace
67- The Sunnah is to recite the Qur’aan at a measured pace, not quickly or hastily. It should be read in a manner that clearly distinguishes each letter, beautifying the Qur’aan with one’s voice. He should observe the well known rulings of the scholars of Tajweed and he should not recite it in the innovated manner of singers or according to the rules of music.
Prompting the imaam
68- It is prescribed for the one who is praying behind the imaam to prompt the imaam if he hesistates in his recitation.
6 – Rukoo’ (bowing)
69- When he has completed the recitation, he should pause briefly, to catch his breath.
70- Then he should raise his hands in the manner described for takbeerat al-ihraam (the takbeer at the beginning of prayer).
71- And he should say takbeer (“Allahu akbar”). This is obligatory.
72- Then he should do rukoo’, bowing as deeply as his joints will let him, until his joints take the new position and are relaxed in it. This is an essential part of prayer.
How to do rukoo’
73- He should put his hands on his knees, firmly, spacing the fingers out, as if he is grasping his knees. All of this is obligatory.
74- He should spread his back and make it level so that if water were poured on it, it would stay there (not run off). This is obligatory.
75- He should not lower or raise his head, but make it level with his back.
76- He should keep his elbows away from his sides.
77- In rukoo’, he should say “Subhaana Rabbiy al-‘Azeem (Glory be to my Lord, the Almighty) three times or more. There are others kinds of dhikr which may be said in rukoo’, some of which are long, some of medium length and some short. See Sifat Salaat al-Nabi (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), p. 132, Maktabat al-Ma’aarif edition [The Prophet’s Prayer Described, p. 44].
Making the essential parts of prayer equal in length
78- It is Sunnah to make the essential parts of prayer equal in length, so the rukoo’, the standing after rukoo’, the prostration and the sitting between the two prostrations should be make approximately the same in length.
79- It is not permissible to recite Qur’aan in rukoo’ or in sujood.
Straightening up from rukoo’
80- Then he should straighten up from rukoo’. This is an essential part of the prayer.
81- Whilst straightening up, he should say, “Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah (Allaah listens to the one who praises Him).” This is obligatory.
82- He should raise his hands when straightening up, in the manner described above.
83- Then he should stand straight until every vertebra has returned to its place. This is an essential part of the prayer.
84- Whilst standing thus, he should say, “Rabbanaa wa laka al-hamd (our Lord, to You be all praise).” (There are other kinds of dhikr which may be said at this point. See Sifat al-Salaah, p. 135/The Prophet’s prayer described, p. 47). This is obligatory for every person who is praying, even if he is following an imaam, because this is the dhikr of standing after rukoo’, and saying “Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah” is the dhikr of straightening up from rukoo’. It is not prescribed to put the hands one over the other during this standing, because this was not narrated (from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)). For more details, see Sifat Salaat al-Nabi, 1 – Istiqbaal al-Qiblah (The Prophet’s Prayer Described – Facing the Ka’bah).
85- He should make this standing equal in length to the rukoo’, as stated above.
7 – Sujood (prostration)
86- Then he should say “Allaahu akbar” – this is obligatory.
87- He should raise his hands sometimes.
Going down on the hands
88- Then he should go down into sujood on his hands, putting them down before the knees. This is what was commanded by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is proven that he did this, and he forbade imitating the manner in which a camel sits down, which camel is by kneeling with its forelegs first.
89- When he prostrates – which is an essential part of the prayer – he should put his weight on his palms and spread them out.
90- He should keep the fingers together.
91- And point the fingers towards the qiblah.
92- He should put his palms level with his shoulders.
93- Sometimes he should make them level with his ears.
94- He should keep his forearms off the ground. This is obligatory. He should not spread them along the ground like a dog.
95- He should place his nose and forehead firmly on the ground. This is an essential part of the prayer.
96- He should also place his knees firmly on the ground.
97- The same applies to his toes.
98- He should hold his feet upright with his toes touching the ground. All of this is obligatory.
99- He should make his toes point in the direction of the qiblah.
100- He should put his heels together.
Being at ease in sujood
101- He should be at ease in sujood, distributing his weight equally on the parts of the body which should be in contact with the ground during sujood. They are: the nose and forehead, the palms, the knees, and the toes.
102- Whoever is at ease in his sujood in this manner has got it right. And this being at ease is also an essential part of the prayer.
103- In sujood, he should say, “Subhaana Rabbiy al-‘A’laa (Glory be to my Lord Most High)” three times or more. (There are other kinds of dhikr also, see Sifat Salaat al-Nabi (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), p. 145/The Prophet’s Prayer described, p. 55).
104- It is mustahaab to offer a lot of du’aa’ during sujood, because it is a time when du’aa’ is likely to be answered.
105- He should make his sujood almost as long as his rukoo’, as described above.
106- It is permissible to prostrate on the bare ground, or on something covering the ground such as a garment or carpet, or a mat, etc.
107- It is not permitted to recite Qur’aan whilst prostrating.
Iftiraash and Iq’aa’ between the two sajdahs
[Iftiraash means sitting on the left thigh with the right foot upwards and its toes pointed towards the qiblah; iq’aa’ means resting on both heels and feet]
108- Then he should raise his head, saying takbeer. This is obligatory.
109- He should raise his hands sometimes.
110- Then he should sit at ease, until every vertebra returns to its place. This is obligatory.
111- He should spread his left leg and sit on it. This is obligatory.
112- He should put his right foot upright.
113- And make its toes point towards the qiblah.
114- It is permissible to sit in iq’aa’ sometimes, which means resting on the heels and feet.
115- Whilst sitting thus, he should say, “Allaahumma ighfir li warhamni wajburni, warfa’ni, wa’aafini warzuqni (O Allaah, forgive me, have mercy on me, strengthen me, raise me in status, pardon me and grant me provision).”
116- If he wishes, he may say, “Rabbi ighfir li, Rabbi ighfir li (My Lord, forgive me, my Lord, forgive me).”
117- He should make this sitting almost as long as his sujood.
The second sajdah
118- Then he should say takbeer – this is obligatory,
119- He should raise his hands sometimes when saying this takbeer.
120- He should do the second prostration – this is also an essential part of the prayer.
121- He should do in the second prostration what he did in the first.
The sitting of rest
122- When he raises his head from the second prostration and he wants to get up for the second rak’ah, he should say takbeer. This is obligatory.
123- He should raise his hands sometimes.
124- He should sit up straight, sitting on his left foot, until every bone returns to its place.
The second rak’ah
125- Then he should get up for the second rak’ah, supporting himself on his hands with his fists clenched as if kneading dough. This is an essential part of the prayer.
126- He should do in the second rak’ah what he did in the first.
127- Except that he should not recite the du’aa’ for starting the prayer.
128- He should make it shorter than the first rak’ah.
Sitting for the Tashahhud
129- When he completes the second rak’ah, he should sit for the Tashahhud. This is obligatory.
130- He should sit in iftiraash, as described above for the sitting between the two prostrations.
131- But it is not permitted to sit in iq’aa’ at this point.
132- He should put his right hand on his right thigh and knee, and the end of the right elbow on the thigh, not far from it.
133- He should spread his left palm on his left thigh and knee.
134- It is not permissible to sit resting on one’s arms, especially the left arm.
Moving the finger and looking at it
135- He should clench all the fingers of his right hand, and put the thumb on the middle finger sometimes.
136- Sometimes he should make a circle with them.
137- He should point with his index finger towards the qiblah.
138- He should look towards it.
139- He should move it, making du’aa’ with it, from the beginning of the Tashahhud until the end.
140- He should not point with the finger of his left hand.
141- He should do all of this in every Tashahhud.
How to say Tashahhud and the du’aa’ following it
142- The Tashahhud is obligatory, and if he forgets it, he must do the two prostrations of forgetfulness (sajdat al-sahw).
143- He should recite it silently.
144- The wording of the Tashahhud is: “Al-tahiyyaatu Lillaahi wa’l-salaawaatu wa’l-tayyibaat. Al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuha’l-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu. Al-salaamu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibaad-Illaah il-saaliheen. Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu (All compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allaah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allaah. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allaah. I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the slave and Messenger of Allaah).” [Other versions are mentioned in Sifat Salaat al-Nabi/The Prophet’s Prayer Described, but what is mentioned here is the most sound].
Sending salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): this is what was prescribed after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and is narrated in the Tashahhud of Ibn Mas’ood, ‘Aa’ishah and Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them). For more details see Sifat Salaat al-Nabi, p. 161, Maktabat al-Ma’aarif, Riyadh, edition/ The Prophet’s Prayer Described, p. 67).
145- After that, he should send prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), by saying: “Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama salayta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed. Allaahumma baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama baarakta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innak hameedun majeed (O Allaah, send prayers upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers upon Ibraaheem and upon the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory. O Allaah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You sent blessings upon Ibraaheem and upon the family of Ibraaheem); You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory).”
146- If you wish you may shorten it and say: “Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad, wa baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad, kama salayta wa baarakta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka haamedun majeed (O Allaah, send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers and blessings upon Ibraaheem and the family of Ibraaheem; You are
Talkhees Sifat Salaat al-Nabi (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) min al-Takbeer ila al-Tasleem ka annaka turaahaa
by Shaykh Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him).
“Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Aali Muhammad kama salayta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, wa baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama baarakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem innaka hameedun majeed (O Allaah, send prayers upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You sent prayers upon the family of Ibraaheem, and send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon the family of Ibraaheem, You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory).”
“Allaahumma” means, O Allaah.
“Salli ‘ala Muhammad (send prayers upon Muhammad).” The prayers of Allaah upon Muhammad means His praising him before the higher assembly, i.e., the angels who are close to Him.
“Wa ‘ala aali Muhammad (and upon the family of Muhammad)” means and send blessings upon the family of Muhammad. It was said that the family of Muhammad are his followers who follow his religion; or it was said that the family of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are his relatives who believed. The first view is the one which is correct because the word “aal” (translated here as “family”) means followers.
“Kama salayta ‘ala Ibraaheem (as You sent prayers upon the family of Ibraheem).” Some of the scholars said that what this means is: as You previously bestowed Your bounty upon the family of Ibraaheem, then bestow Your bounty upon Muhammad and His family.
“Baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad (Send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad)” means send down blessings. Blessings means a lot of good things on a continuous and ongoing basis.
“Kama baarakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem (as You sent blessings upon the family of Ibraaheem)” i.e., O Lord, You bestowed Your favour upon the family of Ibraaheem and blessed them, so send blessings upon the family of Muhammad.
“Innaka hameedun majeed (You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory). Hameed means praising and praiseworthy, praising His slaves and close friends who obey His commands, and praiseworthy, to be praised for His attributes of perfection and great blessings.
Majeed means Owner of Majesty. Majesty means greatness and perfect power.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/227.
Is there any difference on offering between blessing's and salaams on the prophet?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is prescribed for the Muslim to pray for peace for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and to send salaams upon him, just as it is prescribed to pray for blessings for him. The evidence that it is prescribed to send salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah sends His Salaah (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad), and also His angels (ask Allaah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salaah on (ask Allaah to bless) him (Muhammad), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As‑Salaamu ‘Alaykum)”
[al-Ahzaab 33:56]
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has angels who travel about the earth, conveying to me the salaams of my ummah.” (Saheeh Sunan al-Nasaa’i, 1215; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 2853).
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah said: “When we prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we used to say, ‘Peace be upon Allaah from His slaves and peace be upon So and so.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not say “Peace (salaam) be upon Allaah”, for Allaah Himself is al-Salaam. Rather say, “Al-tahiyyaatu Lillaahi wa’l-salawaatu wa’l-tayyibaat. Al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuha’l-Nabiyyu wa rahmat Allaahi wa barakaatuhu. Al-salaamu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ibaad-illaah il-saaliheen (All compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allaah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings. Peace be on us, and on the righteous slaves of Allaah).” If you say this it will be for all the slaves in heaven and between the heavens and the earth. [Then go on to say] “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger).” Then choose whichever du’aa’ you like and recite it.’”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 835)
It was narrated that Faatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered the mosque, he would say, ‘Bismillaah wa’l-salaam ‘ala Rasool-illaah. Allaahumma ighfir li dhunoobi waftah li abwaab rahmatika (In the name of Allaah, and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah. O Allaah, forgive me my sins and open to me the gates of Your Mercy).’ And when he exited he would say, Bismillaah wa’l-salaam ‘ala Rasool-illaah. Allaahumma ighfir li dhunoobi waftah li abwaab fadlika (In the name of Allaah, and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah. O Allaah, forgive me my sins and open to me the gates of Your Bounty).’”
(Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah, 625)
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no one who sends salaams upon me, but Allaah will restore to me my soul so that I may return his salaams.”
(Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, 1795)
It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Talhah from his father that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came one day with evident signs of happiness on his face, and he said: “Jibreel (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to me and said, ‘Would it not please you, O Muhammad, to know that no one among your ummah will send blessings upon you but I will send ten blessings upon him, and no one among your ummah will send salaams upon you but I will send ten salaams upon him.”
(Saheeh Sunan al-Nasaa’i, 1228)
Sending salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is one of the rights that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has over his ummah. The Muslim is commanded to do this either in general word or in the specific phrases narrated in the reports, such as sending salaam on him in the Tashahhud, and when entering or leaving the mosque. The command to send salaams upon him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) even in his absence is one of the unique blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon him alone, which he does not share with anyone else, for it is not prescribed to send salaams upon any specific person in his absence apart from him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Another of his unique privileges is that the salaams of his ummah are conveyed to him, so a person may attain the virtue of sending salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and it reaching him even if he did not have the opportunity to meet him during his lifetime and even if a person is not able to go to his grave after he died.
With regard to praying for blessing for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), this is also prescribed in Islam. One of the reports that prove that it is prescribed is the saheeh report from Abu Mas’ood al_Ansaari who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to us when we were sitting with Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah, and Basheer ibn Sa’d said to him: ‘Allaah has commanded us to send blessings upon you, O Messenger of Allaah. How should we send blessings upon you?’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) remained silent until we wished that he had not asked him. Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Say: Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kamaa salayta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem. Wa baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama baarakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem fi’l-‘aalameen innaka hameedun majeed (O Allaah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon the family of Ibraaheem, and bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed the family of Ibraheem among the nations. Verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Full of Glory). And the salaam is as you know.”
(Narrated by Muslim, 405)
Sending salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) may be done by saying “Al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuha’l-Nabiyyu wa rahmat Allaahi wa barakaatuhu (peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings). Or it may take the form of a du’aa’, praying that Allaah may keep him sound, such as saying Sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (may Allaah send blessings and peace upon him [i.e., the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)]. A person’s sending salaam upon the Prophet may be done by mentioning Allaah’s name al-Salaam by way of seeking the blessing of that name and this name is suited to the context because you are asking Allaah to keep him safe and sound, as if one is saying “O Allaah, Whose name is al-Salaam, keep your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) safe and sound.” When the word Salaam refers to the name of Allaah, it appears with the definite article al-, unlike when the word salaam appears in the context of praying for peace, tranquility and soundness to be bestowed by Allaah upon His slaves, in which case it appears without the definite article. “Because salaam from Him means any amount of salaam, and any amount of salaam from Him will be sufficient to make any slave of Allaah have no need of salaam from anyone else and no need for any greeting from anyone else; and any salaam from Allaah will be sufficient to grant him all of his wishes. So the least salaam from Allaah – and nothing can be described as least when it comes from Allaah – will bring the greatest blessings and will ward off all causes of misery, and will make life good and will ward off all causes of doom and destruction. Therefore in this context, when speaking of salaam from Allaah, there is no need for the definite article.”
See Dabaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id, 2/143
What is meant by salaam is being free from evil and faults. So the one who sends salaams upon the Prophet is praying for him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in this sense, asking for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to be protecte from evil, faults and shortcomings. As for blessings (barakah), what this means is steadfastness and stability. Blessing means growth and increase.
What is meant by praying for blessing for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is asking Allaah to bestow good upon him, to make it lasting, to increase and multiply it.
And Allaah knows best.
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Allah‘s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged the Muslims to safeguard Fajr and Asr.
Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “ We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he looked at the moon on a full moon night and said,” Certainly you will see your Lord as you see this moon and you will have no trouble seeing Him. So if you can avoid missing (through sleep or worldly affairs) a Salah before sunrise and before sunset, you must do so.” He the recited Allah’s verse: “ And glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its’ setting.” [50:39] [ Bukhari 554]
* Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said,” This hadeeth establishes that Allah will be seen in Jannah. .. This hadeeth points to the great importance of Fajr and Asr prayers. They are the best out of the five daily prayers. And for that reason some people call both of them the middle prayer.” [ Fathul Bari 4/ 554 maktabul Ghurabah1996]
Angels come in succession at Fajr and Asr.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said,” Angels come to you in succession by night and day and all of them get together at the time of Fajr and Asr prayers. Those who have passed the night with you ascend and Allah asks them, though he knows everything about you, “ In what state did you leave my slaves?” The angels reply: When we left them, they were praying and when we reached them they were praying.” [ Bukhari 555]
Whoever prays Fajr and Asr will enter Paradise. [ inshallah]
Abu Bakr ibn Abe Musa narrated that his father told him that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever prays the the two cool Salat (Asr and Fajr prayers) will enter Paradise.” [Bukhari 574]
The Morning and Evening supplications are done at these times.
..and glorify your Lord by the praising of Him before the rising of the sun
and before its setting, and during hours of the night do also glorify (Him) and during parts of the day, that you may be well pleased [Taha 130 ]
..and sing the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before the setting.[ Qaf 39 ]
The recitation of the Quran is witnessed at Fajr and Asr.
…and the morning recitation; surely the morning recitation is witnessed [Isra 78]
* Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih AL-Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him said,” This witnessing also applies to Asr, because the recording Angels gather together at that time too.”[ Sharhus Saheeh Al-Bukhari 1/143]
Allah will been seen in Jannah after Asr and Fajr
Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “ We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he looked at the moon on a full moon night and said,” Certainly you will see your Lord as you see this moon and you will have no trouble seeing Him. So if you can avoid missing (through sleep or worldly affairs) a Salah before sunrise and before sunset, you must do so.” He the recited Allah’s verse: “ And glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its’ setting.” [50:39] [ Bukhari 554]
* Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) said,” Since these are the two special times when the people of Paradise will see Allah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) urged the Muslims to safeguard them in this world. [Al-Muhajjah fee seerid Daleejah ]
Love RASULALLAH (Sallallahu Alahi Wasallim)
As the fighting increased in severity at the battle of Uhud, the disbelievers began to shower the Prophet's Companions (ra) with arrows and stones. They would use these missiles from a distance and then charge with swords, either mounted on horses or on foot. To shield the Prophet (saw) from the arrows, Abu Dujanah stood in front of him, with his back to the Quraish infantry, from which came most of the arrows. After some time the back of Abu Dujanah was so studded with arrows that he looked like a porcupine, but he continued passing his own arrows to Sa'd. Talha also stood beside the Prophet. On one occasion, when an arrow seemed about to hit the Prophet (saw) in the face, Talha put his hand in the arrow's line of flight and stopped it with his his hand. Talha lost a finger as a result, but saved the Prophet (saw).
