إِنَّ الصَّلاَةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا
مَّوْقُوتًا (١٠٣:٤)
Indeed, the prayer is a duty incumbent on the faithful
to be discharged at appointed hours. (4:103)
The most important worship ritual of Islam is the prayer. A
little deliberation shows that the essence of religion is comprehension of God
and an expression of humility and meekness before Him. The most prominent
expression of this essence is worship. Invoking and glorifying Him, praising and
thanking Him and kneeling and prostrating before Him are the practical
manifestations of worship. The prayer is nothing but an expression of these
manifestations and, with graceful poise, combines all of them.
1. Importance of the Prayer
The prayer occupies extraordinary importance in Islam. In order to understand
this importance, the following aspects need to be appreciated.
i. The Foremost Directive
The prayer is the foremost directive of Islam. The status
monotheism occupies in beliefs is the exactly the same as the prayer occupies in
deeds. It is evident from the Qur'an that the prayer is the foremost consequence
of the comprehension of Allah which one gets after being reminded by His
revelations and as a result of which the emotions of love and gratitude that
appear for the Almighty or should appear in a person. The Almighty says:
إِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِآيَاتِنَا الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا
بِهَا خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَسَبَّحُوا بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا
وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ (٣٢:
١٥-١٦)
Only they believe in Our revelations who when are
reminded through them, prostrate themselves in adoration and give glory to their
Lord and praise and thank Him and do not adopt a rebellious attitude; who
forsake their beds to pray to their Lord in fear and hope; who spend [in His
way] from what We have given them. (32:15-16)
The following verses of Surah Rum also depict the same
thing:
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ
الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ
الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ مُنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ
وَاتَّقُوهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (٣٠:
٣٠-٣١)
Therefore, leaving everything aside, turn yourself to
this religion. [In this manner] obey [the dictates of human] nature on which God
created mankind. No change is allowed in this nature [created by] God. This is
surely the right religion, although most men may not know it. Turn to Him and
fear Him. [Stand steadfast on it] fully turning to God and fear Him only and
diligently attend to the prayer and be not among the Idolaters. (30:30-31)
The Prophet (sws) has called the prayer a pillar of Islam.
Consequently, at all places in the Qur'an where a compact style is adopted,
indeed the words عَمِلُوْا الصَالِحَات (righteous deeds) succeed a mention of
اِيْمَان (faith), but at places where a comprehensive style is adopted it is the
mention of the prayer which immediately comes after a mention of اِيْمَان:
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ
(٣:٢)
These who believe without [seeing] and show diligence in
offering the prayer. (2:3)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ
وَأَقَامُواْ الصَّلاَةَ (٢٧٧:٢)
Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and are
diligent in the prayer. (2:277)
The first thing towards which Muslims are directed in order
to attain tazkiyah (purification of the soul), which according to the Qur'an is
the very objective of Islam, is the prayer as well:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّى وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ
فَصَلَّى (٨٧:
١٤-١٥)
[At that time], indeed he succeeded who purified himself
and [for this] remembered the name of his Lord and offered the prayer.
(87:14-15)
Similarly, in verses where the Qur'an has referred to the
deeds which are essential for success in the Hereafter, the prayer is mentioned
the foremost:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي
صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ وَالَّذِينَ
هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ...وَالَّذِينَ
هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَوَاتِهِمْ
يُحَافِظُونَ (٢٣:
١-٩)
Successful are the believers, who are humble in their
prayers; who avoid profane talk, and give zakah; who preserve their chastity ...
who are true to their trusts and promises [both with regard to the Almighty and
with regard to their fellow human beings], and are diligent in their prayers.
(23:1-9)
In Surah Ma'arij, the Qur'an says:
إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ
جَزُوعًا وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ
عَلَى صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَّعْلُومٌ
لِّلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ وَالَّذِينَ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ
وَالَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ
غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ... وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ
لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِشَهَادَاتِهِمْ
قَائِمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ أُوْلَئِكَ فِي
جَنَّاتٍ مُّكْرَمُونَ (٧٠:
١٩-٣٥)
Indeed, man has been created very impatient. [If he does
not discipline himself, then indeed] whenever some affliction befalls him he
becomes depressed and when good fortune befalls him he becomes stingy. Not so
those who pray, who are always steadfast in prayer; who set aside a fixed
portion in their wealth for those who ask and for those [also] who are ashamed
to ask; who truly believe in the Day of Reckoning and dread the punishment of
their Lord - Indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not a thing to be fearless
of - and those who preserve their chastity ... and those who keep their trusts
and promises [both with regard to Allah and with regard to their fellow human
beings] and those who stand firm in their testimonies and those who keep guard
over their prayers. It is they who will be in gardens of paradise, laden with
honours. (70:19-35)
Ibn Mas'ud (rta) narrates that he once asked Prophet
Muhammad (sws): "Which deed does Allah like the best?" He replied: "Offering the
prayer on time."
'Umar (rta) once wrote an epistle to his administrators:
"The most important thing in your religious affairs is the prayer. A person who
protects the prayer, protects the whole religion and a person who squanders it
would be the foremost in sqaundering other [directives of] religion."
ii. A Requisite for Muslim Citizenship
The prayer is a requisite for a person to be called a
Muslim. The Qur'an has made it very clear that in an Islamic state only those
people can demand the rights of a Muslim who offer the prayer and pay zakah. In
Surah Tawbah, the Qur'an, while launching an offensive against the Idolaters of
Arabia, declared:
فَإِن تَابُواْ وَأَقَامُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتَوُاْ
الزَّكَاةَ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ (١١:٩)
So if they repent and are diligent in the prayer and pay
the zakah, they shall become your brothers in religion. (9:11)
It is evident from the above stated premise that in the
Hereafter also, a person should be dealt in a similar manner. The Qur'an has
very subtly alluded to this in the following words:
فَلَا صَدَّقَ وَلَا صَلَّى وَلَكِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّى ثُمَّ
ذَهَبَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ يَتَمَطَّى أَوْلَى لَكَ فَأَوْلَى ثُمَّ أَوْلَى لَكَ
فَأَوْلَى (٧٥:
٣١-٣٥)
But [look at this man]! He neither believed in [the good
fate of the Hereafter] nor prayed; on the contrary, he denied and turned away.
Then he went to his family conceitedly. Woe be to you, then woe be to you! And
again woe be to you, then woe be to you!! (75:31-5)
It is implied from the contrast between the words صَلَّى
with تَوَلَّى and ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ يَتَمَطَّى that this importance
has been invested in the prayer because in the sight of Allah a person who does
not offer the prayer is showing arrogance and pride and the Qur'an has made very
clear in 7:40 that a camel can enter the eye of a needle but an arrogant person
cannot enter Paradise.
The Prophet (sws) is reported to have said:
بين الرجل بين والكفر و الشرك ترك الصلاة (مسلم رقم
١٣٤)
The line which demarcates disbelief and polytheism in a person is abandoning
the prayer. (Muslim, No: 134)
Similarly, at another occasion, he remarked:
خمس صلوات افترضهن الله تعالى من أحسن وضوءهن وصلاهن لوقتهن وأتم ركوعهن وخشوعهن
كان له على الله عهد أن يغفر له ومن لم يفعل فليس له على الله عهد إن شاء غفر له
وإن شاء عذبه) ابو داؤد:رقم
٤٢٥ (
These are the five prayers which the Almighty has made obligatory on people:
a person who did ablutions in a befitting manner, offered the prayers on time
and prostrated both his inner and outer selves before he Almighty, has been
promised forgiveness by Him. And a person who does not do these things is not
promised anything. If He wants He will forgive him and if He wants He will
punish him. (Abu Da'ud, No: 425)
iii. Means of Strong Adherence to Islam
The prayer is a means to remaining steadfast on Islam. The Qur'an has
informed us that a devil is deputed on a person who becomes indifferent to
remembering the Almighty and evades Him: (٤٣:
٣٦) وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ
الرَّحْمَنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ (We shall impose a
devil on the person who does not heed the warning of the Merciful and he shall
be his companion, (43:36)). This devil then becomes his permanent companion. The
prayer saves a person from this indifference and evasion and protects him from
the devil. It can be seen from the verses of Surah Mu'minun and Surah Ma'arij
quoted earlier that the directive of prayer encircles all directives that were
mentioned there: they begin with the prayer and end with it. It is obvious from
this that it is safeguarding the prayer which ensures a person's adherence to
Islam. No doubt, the onslaughts of Satan continue even after this but he cannot
dwell permanently in the heart of a person who is punctual and ever-vigilant in
offering the prayer. Like a citadel, the prayer continues to ward off Satan and
protects a person's mind and heart from his offensives. It is precisely for this
reason that it has been emphasized that a person should offer it in all
circumstances: in times of danger also he should offer it in whatever way he can
while on foot or while riding. In Surah Baqarah, where the section on the
Islamic shari'ah ends, it is said:
حَافِظُواْ عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ والصَّلاَةِ الْوُسْطَى وَقُومُواْ لِلّهِ
قَانِتِينَ فَإنْ خِفْتُمْ فَرِجَالاً أَوْ رُكْبَانًا فَإِذَا أَمِنتُمْ
فَاذْكُرُواْ اللّهَ كَمَا عَلَّمَكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُواْ تَعْلَمُونَ (٢:
٢٣٨-٢٣٩)
Be watchful over your prayers, especially the one which comes in the middle
[of the morning and evening prayers when it is not easy for you to take out time
from your involvements], and stand before Allah devoutly [leaving aside
everything]. Then if you fear any danger, pray on foot or while riding, as may
be most convenient, but when there is security, remember Allah in the very
manner He has taught you, which you knew not. (2:238-9)
On these very grounds, the Qur'an has referred to indulgence in lust and
desires as if it was a consequence of wasting the prayer: فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ
خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ (١٩:
٥٩) (But after them
there followed a posterity who wasted the prayer and followed after their lusts,
(19:59)).
In Surah 'Ankabut the words are even more explicit:
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ
(٤٥:٢٩)
And be steadfast in the prayer because it stops lewdness and evil. (29:45)
The verse says that like a preacher, the prayer cautions a person that in
spite of the onslaught of desire and emotions he should not forget the fact that
one day he will have to face the Almighty and present an account of his deeds
before Him. While explaining the above quoted verse, Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi has
written:
Those who offer the prayer, whether in public or in private, giving due
regard to its etiquette and conditions, the prayer with both its inner and outer
aspects reminds them of all those realities which are necessary to keep them on
the right path in life. In particular, the prayers offered in seclusion
influence the life of a person a lot. A person who does not offer the prayer is
like the driver of a car who is driving the car of his life with speed but who
is totally indifferent and unaware of the landmarks which appear on the road to
guide him and protect him from danger. It cannot be said when such a driver may
fling his car into some pit.
iv. The Prayer Wipes out Sins
When a person stands in prayer he renews his commitment with God that he
would try to refrain from disobeying Him. As a consequence of this, he
necessarily feels ashamed of the sins he has committed in between two prayers
and with new vigour and determination returns to the busy routine of life to
protect himself from indulging in them. A little deliberation shows that this is
the very essence of repentance and it is known that repentance cleanses a
person. It has thus been said:
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلاَةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ
الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَلِكَ ذِكْرَى لِلذَّاكِرِينَ (١١٤:١١)
And attend with diligence to your prayers at both ends of the day and in a
portion of the night too. No doubt, good deeds make amends for sins. That is an
admonition for thoughtful men. (11:114)
Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates from the Prophet Muhammad (sws): "Tell me if
there is a stream flowing near your door in which a person bathes five times a
day, then will he still have a stain of dirt on him?" The people replied: "In
this case, no speck of dirt would remain on him". The Prophet remarked: "This is
an example of the five prayers; through them, the Almighty in a similar manner
wipes out sins."
v. Means of Countering Hardships
When the Jews were invited by the Qur'an to revive their covenant with the
Almighty, it advised them to seek help from the prayer to discharge its
responsibilities. The same advice was given to the
Ismaelites as well:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاَةِ إِنَّ
اللّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ (١٥٣:٢)
Believers seek help from perseverance and from the prayer. Indeed, God is
with those who persevere. (2:153)
The Prophet (sws) too was advised to adhere to the prayer in order to bear
with perseverance the mischief and torments of the miscreants:
فَاصْبِرْ عَلَى مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ
الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْهُ وَأَدْبَارَ السُّجُودِ
(٥٠:
٣٩-٤٠)
So bear then with what they say. Give glory to your Lord and praise Him
before sunrise and before sunset. And glorify Him in the night also and also
after the sun bows down. (50:39-40)
This means that the prayer is the most effective means to draw the blessings
of the Almighty. Consequently, it is evident from a study of the life of the
Prophet (sws) that whenever he would encounter an important issue he would stand
to pray. When people requested him to invoke the help
of Allah for rain, the Prophet (sws) first offered the prayer and then put his
hands up for invocation. At the time of solar and lunar eclipses, when it was
felt that the Almighty might send His punishment, the Prophet (sws) offered the
prayer. In the battles of Badr and Ahzab when the Muslim forces were arrayed
against their opponents, the Prophet (sws) resorted to the prayer to seek help
from the Almighty through it.
vi. Symbol of True Da'wah
We are told by the Qur'an that true reformers are the ones who hold steadfast
to the divine book as the covenant of the Almighty and consider it to be the
distinguisher of good and evil and are diligent in the prayer:
وَالَّذِينَ يُمَسَّكُونَ بِالْكِتَابِ وَأَقَامُواْ الصَّلاَةَ إِنَّا لاَ
نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُصْلِحِينَ (١٧٠:٧)
And those who hold tightly the book of God and who are diligent in the prayer
[are the righteous and], We shall not deny these righteous their reward. (7:170)
While explaining these verses, Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi writes:
This declaration of the Qur'an is a benchmark to judge all movements and
undertakings that aim at reforming the Muslims and calling them to Islam. It is
evident from this that only that movement of calling people to Islam is on the
right path in whose basic ideology, program, objective - in short, in all its
spheres the prayer and adherence to it is the foremost and is of the same
importance which according to the Qur'an it occupies in the covenant with God
and in the struggle for its enforcement. Movements and undertakings that aim at
the revival of the Muslims and their reformation in which the prayer is not the
foremost and does not hold due significance are fruitless and devoid of any
blessings of Allah. The reason for this is that they are without the backing and
support on which the edifice of such movements rest and also bereft of the
spirit which this edifice needs to take life from.
vii. Means of Perseverance on the Truth
It is obvious that it is only in the companionship of the Almighty that one
can persevere on the path of truth and the prayer is so close to the Almighty
that it is His stand-in for us in this world. The verse (٩٦
:١٩) وَاسْجُدْ
وَاقْتَرِبْ (prostrate and attain my nearness, (96:16)) refers precisely to this
aspect. Therefore, if one wants to attain the companionship of the Almighty
while striving in His cause, he should adhere to the Book of God and to the
prayer. The most important way to achieve this end is through the late night
prayer of tahajjud. So, when the Prophet (sws) was directed by the Almighty to
expand his sphere of indhar, he was told to adhere to this prayer to get the
help needed to bear the heavy burden of responsibilities of this phase. The
reason for this, as informed by the Qur'an, was that the time of tahajjud is a
time when one's heart and mind are fresh and receptive and is a time that is
very appropriate to understand the Qur'an. In the words of Imam Amin Ahsan
Islahi: "Since this time is the very time at which the mind is at rest and the
heart fully conscious, hence the words that emanate from the tongue are very
effective and make room in one's heart. The reciter himself receives them as if
they were the testimony of his own heart and to other listeners the words are
also very stirring."
The Qur'an says:
يَاأَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّل.قُمْ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ..نِصْفَهُ أَوْ
انْقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلْ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا
إِنَّا سَنُلْقِي عَلَيْكَ قَوْلًا ثَقِيلًا إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ
وَطْئًا وَأَقْوَمُ قِيلًا إِنَّ لَكَ فِي اَلنَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا وَاذْكُرْ
اسْمَ رَبِّكَ وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًا )٧٣ :١-٨)
O you enfolded in your shawl! stand [in prayer] by night, but not all night.
Half the night, or even less or a little more and [in this prayer of yours]
recite the Qur'an in a slow measured tone. Because soon We shall lay on you the
burden of a heavy word [the burden of open warning]. Verily, this rising by
night is very suitable for the mind's peace and the heart's resolve and for the
correctness of the speech. Because during the daytime you will be hard-pressed
with [this task; so pray at this time] and remember the name of your Lord and
[in this loneliness of the night] devote yourself entirely to Him. (73:1-8)
It is evident from certain narratives that the Almighty directs His special
attention to this world at this time. Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates from the
Prophet (sws): "Every night the Almighty descends to this nearest sky. When
one-third time of the night remains He says: 'Who is offering supplications that
I may accept them? Who is asking that I may give him? Who is calling for
forgiveness that I may forgive him.'"
viii. As the Nature of every Object of the Universe
If only a person has eyes through which he can really see, there is a
doubtless reality that every particle of this universe glorifies and praises the
Almighty, offers his gratitude and bows down before Him. He may not be able to
understand this praise and glorification, but he can readily observe that just
as the outer self of a thing bows down before the Almighty and is ever-obedient
to Him, the inner self too can be no different. Animals which walk on the earth,
trees which flourish in the orchards, birds which chirp in the sky, fish which
swim in the seas, the sun, the moon and the stars which shine in the sky all
bear this testimony through their very existence:
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ وَإِن مِّن
شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدَهِ وَلَكِن لاَّ تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ إِنَّهُ
كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا (١٧:٤٤)
The seven heavens, the earth, and all who dwell in them give glory to Him.
There is not one thing that does not give glory to Him while praising and
thanking Him. Yet you cannot understand their praises. Benevolent is He and
forgiving. (17:44)
All these are fully aware of their prayer and glorification of the Almighty.
If a person has a keen eye, he can see that when birds with their wings
outstretched fly in the sky they are in fact bowing down in humility to the
Almighty:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ
بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ (٤١:٢٤)
Do you not see how God is glorified by those in the heavens and those on
earth and the birds as they wing their way [across the sky]. Each knows his
prayer and glorification of the Almighty and God has knowledge of all they do.
(24:41)
Writes Amin Ahsan Islahi:
Every object of this universe in its nature has an Abrahamic temperament. The
sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains the animals that tread the earth all
follow the divine law on which they have been created. None of them deviates
from this law in the slightest manner. The sun whom some foolish people worship
bears testimony from its very existence that it stands and bows before the
Almighty every day. It raises his head at the time of sunrise and then stands
before the Almighty till noon. After midday it kneels before Him and at sunset
prostrates before Him and remains in this state all night. It is to this reality
which the waxing and waning of the moon and the rising and setting of stars
point. The same is true for the mountains, trees and animals. Their shadows at
all times stand, kneel or bow down before the Almighty and a little deliberation
shows that such is the Abrahamic temperament of this shadow that it always
remains opposite to the sun. If the sun is in the east, the shadow will stretch
in the west and vice versa. In other words, the shadow of every object from its
very existence tells us that it is not the sun but its Creator who is worthy of
prostration.
The Qur'an says:
أَوَ لَمْ يَرَوْاْ إِلَى مَا خَلَقَ اللّهُ مِن شَيْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلاَلُهُ
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَالْشَّمَآئِلِ سُجَّدًا لِلّهِ وَهُمْ دَاخِرُونَ وَلِلّهِ
يَسْج ُدُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَالْمَلآئِكَةُ
وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ (١٦:
٤٨-٤٩)
And have they not seen that whatever the Almighty has created casts its
shadow right and left, prostrating itself before God in all humility? To God bow
all the creatures of the heavens and the earth, and the angels too. They are not
disdainful. (16:48-49)
Consequently, when a person stands in prayer, he in fact prays, prostrates
and glorifies on behalf of every object of this universe. He brings his deeds in
harmony with his nature and declares thereby that he would not lag behind anyone
and will prostrate not only his body but also his soul before the Almighty who
created Him. He will never take a separate route from the rest of the creation
in which he has no companion and if there are such people then they are the ones
for whom the wrath of the Almighty has become certain:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَسْجُدُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَن فِي
الْأَرْضِ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَالشَّجَرُ
وَالدَّوَابُّ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنَ النَّاسِ وَكَثِيرٌ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ
(١٨:٢٢)
Do you not see that those in the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon
and the stars, that mountains and the trees, the beasts, and countless men - all
prostrate before God? Yet many have deserved the punishment. (22:18)
ix. The Prayer is Real Life
The call of the Messengers of Allah has been called life by the Qur'an: (٨:
٢٤) يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِلّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا
دَعَاكُم لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ (O you who believe! respond to Allah and His
Messenger when He calls you to that which will give you life, (8:24)). The
reason for this is that no doubt every living person has a life to live but real
life, which has been called as light, inner calm and faith, is only secured
through the remembrance of the Almighty. The Prophets of Allah summon people
towards this remembrance of Allah and for this purpose they call them foremost
towards the prayer. What is the prayer? When the remembrance of God, His
cognizance and the sense of nearness to Him reaches the level of excellence then
this becomes the prayer. All the sages of the world are unanimous that real life
is the life of the soul and this life is nothing but the remembrance of God, His
cognizance and the sense of nearness to Him. Only the prayer can furnish such a
life to man. The Qur'an has made a subtle reference to this at one place by
placing "the prayer" parallel to "life" and "sacrifice" parallel to "death":
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلّهِ رَبِّ
الْعَالَمِينَ (١٦٢:٦)
Say: "My prayers and my sacrifice and my life and my death, are all for God,
Lord of the Universe." (6:162)
If a person grasps this reality, then he keenly awaits the time of a prayer
the way he awaits the time of food each day. His eagerness for prayer is the
eagerness of a thirsty person for water and that of a hungry person for food.
The prayer becomes his subsistence from the Almighty. It instils happiness in
him and invigorates him. The Prophet Jesus (sws) is reported to have said: "Man
does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God." (Matthew, 4:4). Just as people eat various types of food to savour their
taste, he nourishes his soul by reading various passages of the Qur'an,
different supplications and liturgies. It is the prayer which enlivens and
freshens up a person when hardships bog him down. It is the prayer which like a
breath of fresh air cleanses the filth of sin. In the autumn of frustrations,
the prayer is the hope of spring and when adversities embrace a person from all
sides, it is the prayer which is his rock of asylum. These lines should not be
counted as some poetical utterance. It is towards these feelings that the
Prophet (sws) has alluded by the words: قُمْ يَا بِلَال فَاَرِحْنَا بِالصَّلاةِ
(Rise O Bilal! And soothe us through the prayer!)
and جُعِلَتْ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلَاةِ (The coldness of my eyes has been
placed in the prayer.)
2. History of the Prayer
The history of the prayer is as old as religion itself. The concept of prayer
is present in every religion and its rituals and timings are also identifiable
in these religions. The hymns sung by the Hindus, the chants of the
Zoroastrians, the invocations of the Christians and the psalms of the Jews are
all its remnants. The Qur'an has informed us that all the Prophets of God have
directed their followers to offer it. It also occupies a very prominent position
in the religion of the Prophet Abraham (sws) which the Prophet Muhammad (sws)
revived in Arabia. When Abraham (sws) settled his son Ishmael (sws) in the
barren land of Makkah, he underlined the objective of this endeavour as: (١٤:
٣٧) رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ (Lord so that they show diligence in the
prayer, (14:37)). At that instance, he had also prayed:(١٤:
٤٠) رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي
مُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةِ (O Lord! Make me and my progeny diligent in the prayer,
(14:40)). About Ismael (sws), the Qur'an says: (١٩:
٥٥) وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ
بِالصَّلَاةِ (He would instruct his family to pray, (19:55)). The people of
Shu'ayb (sws) ridiculed him by saying: أَصَلاَتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَن نَّتْرُكَ مَا
يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا (١١:
٨٧) (Does your prayer teach you that we leave the
deities of our forefathers? (11:87)). About the Prophets that belong to the
progeny of Isaac (sws) and Jacob (sws), the Qur'an says:
(٢١:
٧٣) وَأَوْحَيْنَا
إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ الْخَيْرَاتِ وَإِقَامَ الصَّلَاةِِ (And We sent them
inspiration to do good deeds and to be diligent in the prayer, (21:73)). When
the Prophet Moses (sws) was commissioned, he was told:(٢٠:
١٤) وَأَقِمِ
الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي (Be diligent in the prayer to remember me, (20:14)). About
the Prophet Zakariyyah (sws), the words used are: وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فِي
الْمِحْرَابِ (٣:
٣٩) (While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, (3:39)).
The Prophet Jesus (sws) said about himself: (١٩:
٣١) وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ
(And God has directed me to offer the prayer, (19:31)). Luqman was considered a
wise person among the Arabs. We are told by the Qur'an that he gave the
following words of advice to his son: (٣١:
١٧) يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ (O
my son! Show diligence in the prayer (31:17)). The Almighty pledged a promise
with the Israelites in the words: (٥:
١٢) اِنِّي مَعَكُمْ لَئِنْ اَقَمْتُمُ
الصَّلاَةَ (I am with you if you are diligent in the prayer (5:12)). The Qur'an
bears witness to the fact that in the times of the Prophet Muhammad (sws), the
righteous among the Jews and Christians adhered to the prayer:
مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَآئِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللّهِ آنَاء
اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ (١١٣:٣)
Of the People of the Book, there is a group which is honouring their covenant
with God. They stand at night to recite his verses and prostrate themselves
before the Almighty. (3:113)
The same has been attributed to the Idolaters of Arabia:
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ (١٠٧:
٤-٥)
So woe to these [custodians of the Baytullah] who offer the prayer while
being unmindful of its reality. (107:4-5)
Jiran al-'Ud, a poet of the jahilliyah age:
وادركن اعجازاً من الليل بعد ما
اقام الصلوة العابد المتحنف
(And these means of transport caught the last part of the night when the
diligent and dedicated worshipper had finished the prayer)
وسبح على حين العيشات والضحى
ولا تعبد الشيطان ، و الله فاعبدا
(And offer tasbih day and night and do not
worship Satan; instead Worship God only)
Some Hadith narratives also mention that the Jews and Christians and the
followers of the religion of Abraham (sws) offered the prayer.
'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (rta) says that 'Umar (rta) or probably the Prophet (sws)
himself said: "If any one of you has two pieces of cloth, he should offer the
prayer in them and if he only has one then he should use it as a loin cloth. He
should not wrap it around himself in prayer like the Jews do."
Abu Bakr (rta) narrates from the Prophet (sws): "When anyone of you is
offering the prayer, he should not swing back and forth like the Jews [do in the
prayer]; he should stand still."
Shaddad Ibn Aws narrates from his father that the Prophet (sws) said: "In
contrast to the Jews, you should wear your socks and boots in the prayer."
Abu 'Abdul-Rahman narrates that the Prophet (sws) said: "Some good will
continue to exist in my ummah as long as they do not wait for night to fall in
the maghrib prayer as the Jews do and as long as they not wait for the stars to
set in the fajr prayer as the Christians do."
Mother of the faithfuls A'ishah (rta) says that joining the hands between the
knees while kneeling in the prayer is the way of the Jews. The Prophet (sws) has
prohibited this.
Abu Dharr Ghaffari (rta) narrates that he used to pray three years prior to
meeting the Prophet (sws). "For whom," it was asked. He said: "For Allah."
The prayer offered by the Jews and Christians has been referred to in the
Bible at various places and just as in the Qur'an the prayer has been called
after its constituent rituals and utterances like remembering Allah, reading a
portion of the Qur'an, invoking Allah, glorifying Him and kneeling and
prostrating before Him, likewise in the Bible also the prayer has been called
after its constituent practices and utterances:
From there he [--Abraham--] went on toward the hills east of Bethel and
pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an
altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. (Genesis, 12:8)
Abram bowed down in prostration, and God spoke to him. (Genesis, 17:3)
The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing
before the LORD. (Genesis, 18:22)
He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go
over there. We will prostrate ourselves and then we will come back to you."
(Genesis, 22:5)
Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. (Genesis,
26:25)
And they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them
and had seen their misery, they bowed down in prostration. (Exodus, 4:31)
In the morning O Lord, you will hear my voice. I will wait for you in your
presence after the prayer. (Psalm 5:3)
But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I
bow down in prostration toward your holy temple. (Psalm 5:7)
But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I will
cry out in distress, and he will hear my voice. (Psalm 55:16-17)
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let
us kneel and bow down in worship, let us bend our knees before the LORD our
Maker. (Psalm 95:5-6)
I will bow down in prostration toward your holy temple and will praise your
name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word. (Psalm 138:2)
When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have
sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name,
praying and making supplication to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and
forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave
to their fathers. (Kings, 8:33-4)
Stand at the gate of the Lord's house and there proclaim this message: Hear
the word of the Lord all you people of Judah who come through these gates to
prostrate before the Lord. (Jeremiah, 7:2)
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been signed, he went home to his
upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he
got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God and glorified him,
just as he had done before. (Daniel, 6:10)
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in
fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel, 9:3)
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.
When evening came, he was there alone. (Matthew, 14:23)
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said
to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." (Matthew, 26:36)
Going a little farther, he fell down in prostration and prayed, "My Father,
if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." (Matthew, 26:39)
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the
house and went off to a solitary place, where he used to pray. (Mark, 1:35)
"Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not
fall into temptation." (Luke, 22:46)
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at
the ninth part of the day. (Acts, 3:1)
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching
the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. (Acts,
10:9)
When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John,
also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. (Acts, 12:12)
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we usually
prayed. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
(Acts, 16:13)
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns and glorifying
God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. (Acts, 16:25)
When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. (Acts
20:36)
Here it should be noted that the prayer was always offered five times a day.
According to a narrative (Abu Da'ud, No: 393), Gabriel himself informed the
Prophet (sws) of this fact. No doubt, the Jews now offer the prayer thrice a day
and one of the above quoted excerpts also refer to three prayers. However, Lious
Ginsberg while presenting his research on the Talmud of Jerusalem has explained
that this phenomenon is similar in nature to what the Shiites have in them: by
combining zuhr with 'asr and maghrib with 'isha on the principle of jam' bayna
al-salatayn (combing two prayers) they have practically made these four into two
and if we add fajr to them, the total number of prayers will come out to be
three. Ginsberg has pointed to the fact that in the time of the writing down of
Talmud, the Jews used to pray five times a day: thrice for the prayer which was
said at that time too and twice for reciting the Shema. However, later because
of certain practical difficulties the prayers of the morning and evening were
combined and ultimately three prayers remained.
After the revelation of the Qur'an, Surah Fatihah is the supplication of the
prayer. It is evident from the Bible that similar supplications were revealed in
all the divine books.
In the Torah, the words of this supplication are:
The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger,
abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving
wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he will never leave the guilty unpunished; he
punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third
and fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6-7)
The supplication of the Psalms is:
Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am
devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy
on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to
you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in
love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble
I will call to you, for you will answer me. Among the gods there is none like
you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will
come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you
are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an
undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God,
with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love
toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life --
men without regard for you. But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious
God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have
mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your
maidservant. Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be
put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me. (Psalm 86:1-17)
The supplication of the Injil is:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our
debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil for kingdom and glory and power are always Yours.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
This is the history of the prayer. It is evident from it that when the Qur'an
directed people to pray, it was nothing unknown to them. They were fully aware
of its pre-requistes and etiquette, rituals and utterances. Consequently, it was
not required that the Qur'an mention its details. Just as it used to be offered
as a practice of Abraham's religion, the Prophet (sws) at the behest of the
Qur'an promulgated it with certain changes among his followers and they are
offering it generation after generation in the same manner. Thus, the source of
this prayer is the consensus of the Muslims and their perpetual adherence to it.
In the following sections, the details of the prayer shall be presented here
from this consensus of the Muslims and their perpetual adherence.
3. Objective of the Prayer
We have been told to remember the Almighty at all times in the following
verse: وَأَصِيلًا وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا
اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا (٣٣:
٤١-٤٢) (O you who believe! Celebrate the praises
of Allah, and do this often and glorify Him morning and evening, (33:41-42)).
The best manner to remember the Almighty is through the prayer because it is in
the prayer that a person's whole body remembers the Almighty and he becomes a
picture of this remembrance. Consequently, five prayers in a day have been made
obligatory to maintain this remembrance in a person.
When the Prophet Moses (sws) was appointed a Prophet, he was told:
إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ
طُوًى وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَى إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا
إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي (٢٠:
١٢-١٤)
I am your Lord. Take off your shoes, for you are now in the sacred valley of
Tuwa. And [be informed that] that I have chosen you for prophethood. Therefore
listen to what shall be revealed. "I am God. Indeed, there is no god but Me.
Serve Me, and for My remembrance pray with vigilance." (20:12-14)
4. Pre-Requisites of the Prayer
Following are the pre-requisites of the prayer:
i. A person must not be in a state of inebriation,
ii. A person must have done the ceremonial ablution (wudu) and in case of
janabah or menstruation or puerperal discharge must
have taken the ceremonial bath,
iii. In case of being on a journey or being sick or in case of
non-availability of water, a person can offer the tayammum (dry ablution) in
place of both the ceremonial ablution and the ceremonial bath,
iv. A person must face the qiblah.
These four things have always remained as the essential pre-requisites of the
prayer. However, since the Arabs were ignorant of divine guidance for a long
time ever since the Prophet Ishmael (sws) left them centuries ago they were not
very aware of these pre-requisites; thus the Qur'an in order to remind them of
these stated them with full clarity in the following words:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَأَنتُمْ سُكَارَى
حَتَّىَ تَعْلَمُواْ مَا تَقُولُونَ وَلاَ جُنُبًا إِلاَّ عَابِرِي سَبِيلٍ حَتَّىَ
تَغْتَسِلُواْ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَى أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاء أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم
مِّن الْغَآئِطِ أَوْ لاَمَسْتُمُ النِّسَاء فَلَمْ تَجِدُواْ مَاء فَتَيَمَّمُواْ
صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ
عَفُوًّا غَفُورً (٤٣:٤)
Believers, do not approach the place of the prayer when you are drunk till
you know what you are saying nor when you are [ceremonially] unclean until you
have washed yourselves except if the intention is to pass through [the prayer
place]. If you are sick or on a journey, or when you have relieved yourselves or
had intercourse with women and you find no water, take some clean mud and wipe
your faces and your hands with it. Gracious is God and forgiving. (4:43)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فاغْسِلُواْ
وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُواْ بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ
وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَينِ وَإِن كُنتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُواْ وَإِن
كُنتُم مَّرْضَى أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاء أَحَدٌ مَّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ
لاَمَسْتُمُ النِّسَاء فَلَمْ تَجِدُواْ مَاء فَتَيَمَّمُواْ صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا
فَامْسَحُواْ بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُم مِّنْهُ مَا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ
عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَلَـكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهَّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ
عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (٦:٥)
Believers, when you rise to pray wash your faces and your hands as far as the
elbow, and wipe your heads and wash your feet to the ankle. If you are
[ceremonially] unclean, cleanse yourselves. But if you are sick or on a journey,
or when, you have just relieved yourselves or had intercourse with women, you
find no water, take some clean mud and wipe your faces and your hands with it.
God does not wish to burden you; He seeks only to purify you and to perfect His
favour to you so that you may express gratitude. (5:6)
Regarding the qiblah, the Qur'an says:
قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاء فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً
تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ
فَوَلُّواْ وُجُوِهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ (١٤٤:٢)
We have seen you turn your face many times towards the sky. So, [O Prophet!]
We have decided to turn you towards the qiblah that you like. Turn your face
towards the Holy Mosque; wherever you are, turn your faces towards it [in the
prayer]. (2:144)
These verses have declared that the states of inebriation and janabah are
equal as far as terminating the prayer is concerned. The Almighty has directed
Muslims not to go near the place of prayer in these states. It is evident from
this that both are impure states. The only difference is that inebriation
affects the mind and janabah the body. It is evident to every person that just
as liquor arrests his intellectual power, the spiritual impediment caused by
janabah in a person deprives him of the inner satisfaction and presence of mind
that is a requirement of the prayer. The Almighty has however given one relief
to a person who is in the state of janabah that he can pass through a mosque in
this state if some need arises. In order to come out of this state, the
ceremonial bath has been prescribed. Without this bath, the prayer cannot be
offered. One should have this bath in a thorough and complete manner. The
Qur'anic words اِطَّهَرُوا (ittaharu) and اِغْتَسِلوُا (ightasilu) testify to
this. The way the Prophet (sws) set about following this directive, as mentioned
in various Ahadith, can be summarized as:
First the hands should be washed; then the genital area should be thoroughly
cleaned by the left hand; then wudu should be done except that feet should be
washed later at the end; then while inserting the fingers in the hair, water
should be soaked into it so that it reaches its roots; then water should be
poured all over the body. In the end, the feet should be washed.
'A'ishah (rta) reports that when the Prophet (sws) would have the ceremonial
bath after janabah, he would first wash both hands. Then he would clean his
genital area by the left hand by pouring water on it by the right one. Then he
would do wudu the same way as wudu is done for the prayer. He would then take
some water and insert his fingers in his hair until the water reached the skin.
He would then pour three handfuls of water on his head. Then he would drench all
his body with water and then wash both feet.
Ibn 'Abbas (rta) reports: "My aunt Maymunah [once] told me: 'I placed some
water [in a utensil] before the Prophet (sws) so that he could have the
ceremonial bath of janabah. He first washed both his hands two or three times.
Then he slid his hand in the utensil and poured some water over his private area
and washed it with his left hand. He then thoroughly rubbed this hand on the
ground and did wudu the way it is done before the prayer. He then took three
handfuls of water and poured them on his head. Then he washed all his body. He
then stepped aside and washed both his feet.'"
The method of doing wudu that is mentioned in these verses is that first the
face shall be washed and the hands up to the elbows and after that the whole of
the head shall be wiped and after that the feet shall be washed. The wiping of
the whole head is essential because for this directive the words are وَامْسَحُواْ
بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ (wipe your head) and those who are aware of the subtleties of the
Arabic language know that on such occasions the letter ب signifies completeness.
Similarly, it apparently seems that the directive regarding feet is governed by
the verb وَامْسَحُواْ (wipe). However, the words إِلَى الْكَعْبَينِ (up to the
ankles) after أَرْجُلَكُمْ (your feet) are decisive that this directive is
coordinated to أَيْدِيكُم (your hands). Had they been coordinated to ِرُؤُوسِكُمْ
(your heads) the words إِلَى الْكَعْبَينِ (up to the ankles) would have been
redundant. We can see this from the verses of tayammum where wiping has not been
made conditional to إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ (up to the elbows). Hence, the feet shall
necessarily be washed. Their directive has been deferred merely to keep intact
the sequence of washing the limbs in wudu.
How did the Prophet (sws) do wudu? If all the narratives are collected in
this regard the following picture emerges: First, he would clean his teeth and
then start with wudu from the right side. He would begin by washing both hands
and then rinsing the mouth three times. He would then pour water in his nose
three times and thoroughly clean his nose. Then he would wash his face three
times and run fingers through his beard, then would wash his hands till the
elbows and then he would take water separately and wipe the head and with it
clean the ears from the inside and the outside. The manner in which he would
wipe his forehead would be that he would take both his hands from the forehead
right to the back of his head and then would bring them back. He would then wash
his right foot first and then the left.
Sometimes, the Prophet (sws) would wash the limbs just one or two times in
wudu.
It is evident from certain Ahadith that the Prophet (sws) said: اَشْهَدُ اَنْ
لَا اِلهَ الا الله وَحْدَهُ وَ اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُوْلُهُ after doing wudu and mentioned the blessings of praying two rak'at.
It is also evident from certain other Ahadith that the Prophet (sws) would do
wudu before going off to sleep at night and urge other people also to do it.
In particular, he would like and urge people to do wudu in the state of janabah
before sleeping, eating food and going near one's wife a second time.
Following are some of the Prophetic sayings regarding the blessings of wudu:
'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (rta) says that the Prophet (sws) once said: "When a
believer does wudu wherein he rinses his mouth, the sins of his mouth are wiped
out and when he puts water in his nose, the sins of his nose get wiped out; when
he washes his face the sins of his face are wiped out even [as far as] from
under his eye lashes; and when he washes both his hands, the sins of hands are
wiped out even [as far as] from under his nails and when he wipes his head, the
sins of his head are wiped out even [as far as] from his ears; and when he
washes his feet the sins of his feet are wiped out even [as far as] from under
the nails." He then said: "Going to the mosque and praying further [adds] to
this."
Abu Hurayrah (rta) reports from the Prophet (sws): "When the people of my
ummah shall be called over on the Day of Judgement, their foreheads, hand and
feet will be bright because of the effects of wudu. So whoever wishes can
increase this brightness."
Once wudu is done, it remains intact until something which terminates it is
not encountered. Consequently, the directive of wudu is for the state in which
it no longer remains intact except if a person does wudu in spite of being in
the state of wudu for the sake of freshness. In such a situation, it is not a
requirement though something which earns a person a lot of reward.
Following are the things which terminate wudu.
i. urination,
ii. defecation,
iii. passing the wind whether with sound or without it, and
iv. Pre-seminal discharge and pre-ovular discharge.
The above things terminate the wudu except if they occur because of some
disease. Sleep and unconsciousness themselves do not terminate wudu; however,
since in these states a person is not able to know for certain whether his wudu
is intact or not, it is better to do wudu after them.
If, in the case of a journey, sickness or unavailability of water, wudu and
the ceremonial bath become difficult, in the verses of Surah Nisa and Surah
Ma'idah quoted above the Almighty has allowed the believers to do tayammum (dry
ablution). The verses go on to state the method of tayammum as well: hands
should be rubbed on a pure surface and wiped over the face and hands. It is
reported about the Prophet (sws) that for this he struck both his hands on mud
and blew on them and wiped the left hand on the right and the right hand on the
left and then wiped both hands on the face. The
Qur'an has clarified that the tayammum suffices for all type of impurities. It
can thus be done both after things that terminate the wudu and after states
which need the ceremonial bath. Similarly, it needs to be appreciated that in
case of being on a journey or being sick, tayammum can be done even if water is
available. Writes Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi:
In case of sickness, the ceremonial bath and wudu can cause harm and thus
this relief was given. Similarly, in case of a person being on a journey he may
encounter circumstances in which he might have to limit himself to tayammum
only. For example, water may not be available in large quantities. In such
cases, using it for bathing etc might leave it scanty for drinking or there is a
chance that if a person starts preparing to have a bath he might be left behind
from his fellow companions of the caravan or a situation may arise when having a
bath may become very difficult in a ship or aeroplane that a person is traveling
in.
The Prophet (sws), by drawing an analogy with this directive of tayammum
wiped his socks and turbans instead of washing the
limbs they are worn on. He allowed people to wipe their socks if they are worn
after doing wudu. For a stationed person this was allowed for one day and for a
traveler for three days.
Another relief given by the Prophet (sws) on the basis of this analogy was
that if the hair of women is plaited, then pouring water over them without
disentangling them was enough. Still another relief
on this basis was that if states which require the ceremonial bath to become
pure take the form of sickness, then the ceremonial bath can be done once and
other prayers can be offered without it as well.
Tayammum, no doubt, does not clean a person; however, a little deliberation
shows that it serves as a reminder of the real means of achieving cleanliness
and as such has special importance. The temperament of the shari'ah is that if a
directive cannot be followed in its original form or it becomes very difficult
to follow it, then lesser forms should be adopted to serve as its reminder. A
big benefit of this is that once circumstances return to normal, one becomes
inclined to follow the directive in its original form.
It is essential for the prayer that the direction of the qiblah be
ascertained. It is obvious that without this ascertainment, congregational
prayers cannot be arranged for. In divine religions, this directive has always
been present because of this very reason. It is mentioned in Surah Yunus (10:87)
that when the Prophet Moses (sws) started to organize the Israelites in Egypt on
the basis of religion, the Almighty directed him to identify certain areas in
Egypt for prayers and the houses which they identify for the prayer should be
adjudged qiblah and the congregational prayer should be offered facing them.
Later, this status was enjoyed by the ark of the covenant mentioned in Surah
Baqarah until the Bayt al-Maqdis was constructed. When the Prophet Muhammad (sws)
was commissioned, the Jews would pray while facing the Bayt al-Maqdis. He was
also directed by the Qur'an (2:143) to the same and was told that the rationale
behind this directive was to test the Ishmaelites that whether they follow the
Prophet (sws) or disobey him because of their prejudice. Once this objective was
achieved, the qiblah was reverted to the Bayt al-Haram.
The verses of Surah Baqarah quoted earlier state this directive. The words
Masjid al-Haram of this verse refers to the place of worship in whose centre
lies the Baytullah. The words which direct Muslims to turn towards it are فَوَلِّ
وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِالْحَرَامِ. (٢:
١٤٤) (So turn your face towards the
Holy Mosque, 2:144). It is evident from these words that the requirement is just
to face the Baytullah and not to face it dead straight. However, it is
emphasized that wherever the Muslims are whether inside the Masjid al-Haram or
outside it - wherever they are they should face this mosque while praying. The
reason for this emphasis is that the Jews while inside the Bayt al-Maqdis would
make it the qiblah; however, outside it they would make the east or the west as
their qiblah. Consequently, Muslims were directed that whether stationed at
their residences or while travelling and whether inside the Masjid al-Haram or
outside it, at all places they should face this mosque while praying.
Obviously, circumstances in which it is difficult to ascertain the direction
of the Masjid al-Haram or when a person is forced to pray while walking or on
some means of transport, there is an exception to this directive. It is reported
that the Prophet (sws) would pray the optional prayer on his camel in the
direction it walked thinking that stopping would cause problems for the caravan.
5. Rituals of the Prayer
Following are the rituals of the prayer which are laid down in the shari'ah:
The prayer should begin with raf' al-yadayn (raising high both hands);
qiyam (standing upright) should ensue;
It should be followed by the ruku' (kneeling down);
qawmah (standing up after the ruku') should then be done;
two prostrations should then follow;
in the second and last rak'at of each prayer, a person should do qa'dah (to
sit with legs folded backwards);
during the qa'dah, the pointing finger of the right hand should be used for
gesturing;
when a person intends to end the prayer, he can do so by first turning his
face to the right and then to the left during this qa'dah.
These rituals
are substantiated by the consensus of the Companions (rta) and perpetual
adherence (tawatur) to them by the ummah. The Prophet (sws) is reported to have
said: صَلُّوا كَمَا رَأَيْتُمُوْنِي أُصَلِّي (Offer the prayer in the very
manner you see me offer it). Consequently, for this
purpose, the thorough and befitting manner in which the Prophet (sws) used to
say his prayer is detailed out below:
i. Raf' al-Yadayn
Sometimes, the Prophet (sws) would do raf' al-yadayn while saying the takbir,
sometimes before it and sometimes after it. His
hands would be open, and he would not completely join together the fingers of
the hand nor open them completely. He would
sometimes raise his hands up to the level of his shoulders, and sometimes as
high as the upper portion of the ears.
It is evident from certain narratives that the Prophet (sws) at some
instances did the raf' al-yadayn before and after the ruku'.
Similarly, he would also do it after getting up from the third rak'at
and sometimes before and after prostrating too.
ii. Qiyam
In the qiyam position, he would stand straight
with hands tied in front. He would hold his hands
in a manner that a part of the right hand would be placed on the back of the
left hand, a part of it below the left hand and a part on the wrist.
He stopped people from tying hands in a manner that the left hand be placed on
top of the right one.
There are some Ahadith which mention that the Prophet (sws) tied his hands on
his chest. This depiction can be understood to mean
any place above the naval on which hands are tied. Thus it does not necessarily
follow, as certain people have concluded, that the Prophet (sws) tied hands
right on the chest.
iii. Ruku'
While doing the ruku', the Prophet (sws) would place his hands on his knees
such that it would seem that he is grasping them.
The fingers would be open and placed below the knees.
He would not let his elbows touch his sides. Both
hands would be stretched like a bow. He would
neither bend his head nor lift it upwards but would keep it aligned with his
back and would say: "O People! A person who did not
straighten his back while kneeling and prostrating has [in fact] not prayed."
iv. Qawmah
When the Prophet (sws) would rise after kneeling, he would stand up straight
such that his spine would come back to its original position.
Generally, he would stand for the same amount of time as he would kneel but
sometimes would stand for longer periods of time giving the impression that he
had forgotten to proceed for the next ritual. He
would remark: "A person's prayer would not be worth God's attention who while
rising after kneeling does not straighten his back and goes into prostration."
v. Prostration
When the Prophet (sws) would go into prostration, he would join his fingers
and spread his palms. The fingers would face the
ka'bah and the hands would be placed adjacent to
the shoulders and sometimes in front of the ears
and so far apart that a baby goat could pass below them.
He would also keep apart his arms from his body to the extent that a person
standing behind him could see the whiteness of his arm pits.
He would place his feet upright, join both his
heels, and would turn the fingers of his feet in
the direction of the ka'bah. He would say: "I have
been directed to prostrate through my forehead, nose, both hands, both knees and
the fore-feet."
vi. Jilsah
In between the two prostrations, the Prophet (sws) would spread his feet and
composedly sit on them. He would use up almost
equal time in jilsah, prostration, qawmah; however,
sometimes, like qawmah, he would sit in the jilsah for a long time giving the
impression that he had forgotten to proceed. It has
also been reported that sometimes instead of standing up straight after the
second prostration, he would sit down and then stand up for the next rak'at.
vii. Qa'dah
The Prophet (sws) would sit in qa'dah in just the same way as in jilsah by
spreading one feet and sitting on it. The right
foot would be upright and he would spread his right
hand on the right knee and the left one on the left knee and would raise his
pointing finger. He would do this by coiling all
the other fingers and placing his thumb on the centre finger and sometimes would
make a circle with both of them.
In the last rak'at of the prayer, he would sometimes sit in a manner that he
would place his left hip on the floor and take out the left feet towards the
right one.
To the end the prayer, he would generally turn to both his right and his
left.
He would complete all these rituals of the prayer with thoroughness and
diligence and would counsel people to do so as well.
6. Utterances of the Prayer
Following are the various utterances of the prayer:
The prayer shall begin by saying اللهُ أكْبَر (God is the greatest);
Then Surah Fatihah shall be recited during the qiyam, after which, according
to one's convenience, a portion from the rest of the Qur'an shall be recited;
While going into the ruku', اللهُ أكْبَر shall be pronounced;
While rising from the ruku', سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ (God heard him who
expressed his gratitude to Him) shall be uttered;
While going for the prostration and rising from it, اللهُ أكْبَر shall be
pronounced;
While rising from the qa'dah for the qiyam, اللهُ أكْبَر shall once again be
pronounced;
At the end of the prayer, السَّلاُمُ عَلَيكُمْ وَ رَحْمَتُ اللهِ (peace and
blessings of God be on you)shall be said while facing towards the right and then
the left;
اللهُ أكْبَر, سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ and السَّلاُمُ عَلَيكُمْ وَ
رَحْمَتُ اللهِ shall always be said loudly. In the first two rak'at of the
maghrib and 'isha prayers, and in both rak'at of the fajr, Friday and 'id
prayers, the recital shall be loud. The recital shall always be silent in the
third rak'at of maghrib and in the third and fourth of the 'isha prayer. In the
zuhr and 'asr prayers, the recital shall be silent in all the rak'at.
These are the utterances prescribed by the shari'ah for the prayer. They are
in Arabic, and, like the practices of the prayer, are validated by the consensus
and tawatur (perpetual adherence) of the Muslim ummah. Besides these, a person
can express any utterance in his own language which expresses the sovereignty of
the Almighty, gratitude towards Him or is a supplication. In this regard, the
sayings and preferences of the Prophet (sws) are enlisted below:
i. During Qiyam
1. In the first rak'at of the prayer, the Prophet (sws) would celebrate the
praises of the Lord or say some supplication after saying the takbir and before
beginning the recital.
Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates that the Prophet (sws) would remain silent after
the takbir and before the recital. I asked: "May my parents be sacrificed for
you, what do you say when you remain silent between the takbir and the recital?"
The Prophet (sws) replied: I pray:
اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَايَ كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ
الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنْ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا يُنَقَّى
الثَّوْبُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنْ الدَّنَسِ اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَايَ بِالْمَاءِ
وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ
O Lord! Distance me from my sins the way you have distanced the east and the
west from one another. O Lord! Cleanse me of my sins the way a white cloth is
cleansed of dirt. O Lord! Wash my sins with water and snow and hail.
'Ali (rta) narrates that the Prophet (sws) would say the following words
after the takbir:
وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا
أَنَا مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ
رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا مِنْ
الْمُسْلِمِينَ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْمَلِكُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ أَنْتَ
رَبِّي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَاعْتَرَفْتُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي
ذُنُوبِي جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَاهْدِنِي
لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِي لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَاصْرِفْ عَنِّي
سَيِّئَهَا لَا يَصْرِفُ عَنِّي سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ
وَالْخَيْرُ كُلُّهُ فِي يَدَيْكَ وَالشَّرُّ لَيْسَ إِلَيْكَ أَنَا بِكَ وَإِلَيْكَ
تَبَارَكْتَ وَتَعَالَيْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ
While leaving aside everything I have faced the Creator of the heavens and
the earth and I am not in any way among the polytheists. My prayer and my
sacrifice, my life and my death, are all for God, Lord of the Universe. No one
is His partner. It is this directive that I have been given, and I am the first
Muslim. O God! You are the king; there is no god besides you. You are my Lord
and I am your servant. I have wronged my soul and I confess my sins. So please
forgive all my sins. No doubt, only You can forgive sins. Please guide me to be
a morally good person and only You can guide me to this. Please dissociate me
from bad morals and only You can dissociate me from these. I am in Your presence
O Lord! And fully prepared to follow Your command. All good is in Your hands and
evil cannot be attributed to You. I exist because of You and I have to return to
You. You the Blessed One, the Almighty. I seek forgiveness from You and turn to
You.
It is narrated by 'A'ishah (rta), mother of the faithfuls that the Prophet (sws)
would begin the prayer with the following words:
سُبْحَانَكَ اللّّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ وَ تَبَارَكَ اسمُكَ وَتَعَالى جَدُّكَ
وَلاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُكْ
Glory be to you O Lord and You possess all worthy attributes. Blessed is Your
name. Lofty is Your Majesty, and there is no god except You.
It is also narrated by 'A'ishah (rta), mother of the faithful, that the
Prophet (sws) would begin the prayer with the following words:
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ جَبْرَائِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ فَاطِرَ
السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ
عِبَادِكَ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ اهْدِنِي لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ مِنْ
الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ إِنَّكَ تَهْدِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
O God! The Lord of Gabriel. Micheal and Raphael, the Creator of the Heavens
and the earth, One who knows what is apparent and what is hidden, You shall
decide the differences between Your creation. Please guide me with Your grace
regarding all the differences which are about the truth. No doubt you guide
whomsoever you want to [according to Your law] to the right path.
Ibn 'Abbas (rta) narrates that when the Prophet (sws) would stand in the
tahajjud prayer, he would say the following supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ قَيِّمُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ
فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ لَكَ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ
وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ
الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ مَلِكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ
وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ
وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ وَالنَّبِيُّونَ حَقٌّ وَمُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلَّمَ حَقٌّ وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ
وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ حَاكَمْتُ
فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ
أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَلاَ حَوْلَ
وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلَّا باِللهِ
O Lord! gratitude is for You. It is You who is instrumental in keeping
the heavens and the earth and what is in between them in existence and gratitude
is for You only. The sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatever is
between them belongs to You and gratitude is for You. You are the light of the
heavens and the earth and of those between the two and gratitude is for You. You
are the king of the heavens and the earth and gratitude is for You. You are a
certain reality, and your promise is true and meeting with You is a certainty
and Your books are true and Paradise is a truth and Hell is a truth and all the
prophets are true and Muhammad is true and the Day of Judgement is certain to
come. O Lord! I am obedient to You and accept You and repose my trust in You and
turn to You and fought with Your enemies with Your help and only to you brought
my pleadings. Forgive my sins of the past and of the future done in private or
in public. It is You Who sends forward and it is You Who relegates backwards.
There is no god except You; power and control is only because of You.
There are some other prayers and supplications as well which are found in
various narratives. It is also recorded in some narratives that the Prophet (sws)
was appreciative of similar words of supplication uttered by some people at the
beginning of the prayer and said: "The doors of the heavens have been opened for
them, and I have seen twelve angels with each of them trying to outdo others to
take these people away."
2. After these supplications, the Prophet (sws) would seek refuge with the
Almighty by saying:
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنْ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنْ
هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ
I seek refuge with the Almighty - who knows and sees all - from the accursed
Satan's evil suggestions, his blows and the thoughts he inspires.
3. After this the Prophet (sws) would begin reciting Surah Fatihah with the
verse :الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
الرَّحْمَانِ الرَّحِيمِ and would stop at each verse.
He is reported to have said:
A person who has not recited Surah Fatihah is as if he has not offered the
prayer.
The prayer without Surah Fatihah is incomplete; it is incomplete, it is
incomplete.
The Almighty says: "I have divided the prayer into two equal portions,
between Myself and My servant, and My servant will be granted what he asks for
in it." When the servant says الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (Gratitude
is for Allah), the Almighty says: "My servant has expressed his gratitude to
Me." And when the servant says: الرَّحْمَانِ الرَّحِيمِ (The Most Gracious, the
Ever Merciful), the Almighty replies: "My servant has praised Me." When the
servant says: مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ (Master of the Day of Judgement), Allah
says: "My servant has glorified Me." And when the servant says:إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ
وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ (You alone we worship, and You alone we call upon for
help), Allah says: "This [portion] is common between Me and My servant, and My
servant will be granted what he asks for." And when the worshipper says:
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ
الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ (Set us firm on the straight path.
The path of those you have blessed, not of those who have earned your wrath, nor
of those who have gone astray), God says: "This is for My servant, and My
servant will receive what he asks for."
4. The portion of the Qur'an, he would read after Surah Fatihah would at
times be lengthy, and, at others, short keeping in view the circumstances.
He used to say: "I would begin the prayer with the intention of offering it at
length, and then I shorten it when I hear the voice of a child crying, thinking
that his mother would be worried on these cries."
He would recite the Qur'an in a slow and measured tone such that each word
would be clear and distinct from the other. He
would advise people to recite the Qur'an in a good and melodious voice.
It is evident from various narratives that he would respond to the verses of the
Qur'an. Consequently, on occasions in which a verse would ask to glorify the
Almighty, he would do so, on occasions of prostration
he would prostrate, seek the mercy of God on
verses of mercy, and seek His refuge on verses which mention torment and
punishments, and would say آمِيْن (Amen) on the content of the supplication.
He is reported to have said that when he who recites the Qur'an says آمِيْن
you should also say آمِيْن because he whose آمِيْن is said in correspondence
with the آمِيْن of the angles, his previous sins are forgiven.
After the recital in the last rak'at of the tahajjud prayer the Prophet (sws)
would say various supplications. They are called the supplications of qanut. For
this very purpose, he taught Hasan (rta) the following prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ
وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنِي شَرَّ
مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ
وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
O Lord guide me by
including me among those whom You have guided and give me tranquillity by
including me among those whom You have given tranquillity and make me [your
friend] by including me among those whom You have befriended and shower Your
blessings on what you have given me, and save me from the evil of things which
You have ordained for me. Indeed, it is You who decides and no one can pass
judgement on You and indeed the person whom You befriend is never humiliated.
Very great and very Blessed and very Majestic are You O Our Lord!
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْـتَعِيْـنُكَ وَنَسْـتَغْفِرُكَ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِكَ
وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ وَنُثْنِيْ عَلَيْكَ الْخَيْرَ كُلَّهُ وَنَشْكُرُكَ وَلَا
نَكْفُرُكَ ونَخْلَعُ وَنَتْرُكُ مَنْ يَّفْجُرُكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِيَّاكَ نَعْـبُدُ
وَلَكَ نُصَلِّىْ وَنَسْجُدُ وَإِلَيْكَ نَسْعَى وَنَحْفِدُ وَنَرْجُوْ رَحْمَتَكَ
وَنَخْشَى عَذَابَكَ إِنَّ عَذَابَكَ بِالْكُفَّارِ مُلْحِقٌ
O Lord! We seek Your help and Your forgiveness. We profess faith in You and
put our trust in You and glorify You in the most befitting manner. We express
our gratitude to You and will never be ungrateful to You and stay away from
those who disobey You and leave them. O Lord! We worship You only and offer the
prayer for You only and prostrate before You only. All our efforts are for You
only. We seek Your mercy and are fearful of Your punishment. Indeed, Your
punishment is bound to come on the disbelievers.
ii. While Kneeling
The Prophet (sws) forbade Muslims to recite the Qur'an while kneeling in the
prayer, and bade them glorify the Almighty in
this position instead. Consequently, he would
sometimes repeat the words سُبْحَان رَبِّي الآعْلَى (Glorious is my Lord, the
majestic) during kneeling and sometimes would
say one of the following utterances:
سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ رَبُّ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحِ
He is free of all faults and blemishes; He is the Lord of the angels and
Gabriel.
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
O God! O Lord! Glorious are You and You possess all worthy attributes. O God!
Forgive Me.
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ رَكَعْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ
تَوَكَّلْتُ أَنْتَ رَبِّي خَشَعَ سَمْعِي وَبَصَرِي وَلَحْمِي وَدَمِي وَمُخِّي
وَعَصَبِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
O God I knelt before You alone and professed faith in You only and consigned
myself to You alone and put my trust in You only. You are my Lord! My ears and
my eyes and my blood and my meat and my bones and my muscles are in humble
obedience before God, Lord of the worlds.
In the tahajjud prayer, the Prophet (sws) is reported to have said the
following words as well:
سُبْحَانَ ذِي الْجَبَرُوتِ وَالْمَلَكُوتِ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَالْعَظَمَةِ
Glorious is He Who is the Controller, the Lofty and the Majestic.
iii. In the Qawmah
When the Prophet (sws) would rise after kneeling he would say رَبَّنَا لَكَ
الْجَمْد (Lord! Gratitude is for You only) after سَمِعَ اللّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ
and at times رَبَّنَا وَ لَكَ الْحِمْد (Lord! And gratitude is for You only) and
sometimes he would add the word أَللَّهُمَّ [O God!] in the beginning.
Some narratives show that he would also say the following words after رَبَّنَا
وَ لَكَ الْجَمْد:
...مِلْءَ الْأَرْضِ وَمِلْءَ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ بَعْدُ أَهْلَ الثَّنَاءِ
وَالْمَجْدِ أَحَقُّ مَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ وَكُلُّنَا لَكَ عَبْدٌ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا
أَعْطَيْتَ وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ
الْجَدُّ
... to the extent that the earth and the sky get filled with it and after
that what You wish also becomes brimful. Praise and majesty are for You only.
You most befittingly are worthy of what Your servants have [just] said, and all
of Us are Your servants. O Lord! whom You have given, no one can stop him [from
receiving it], and no one can give the one whom You stop giving, and the
greatness and majesty of none can save him from Your grasp.
This addition has been reported with similar words as well,
and in the tahajjud prayer the words لِرَبِّيَ الْحَمْد (gratitude is for my
Lord only) have also been reported. It is also
narrated that once in the last rak'at of this prayer in the qawmah the Prophet (sws)
offered supplications for some people by name for a month and supplicated for
the doom of some others. The manner in which this was done was that he would
raise his hands and recite the supplications in a loud voice while the people
behind him would be saying Amen.
He is reported to have said: "Respond to the words of the imam سَمِعَ اللّهُ
لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ by saying رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْجَمْد أَللَّهُمَّ because he who
pronounces these words in union with the angles, his previous sins are
forgiven."
When a Companion (rta) of the Prophet (sws) added the words حَمْداً كَثِيْراً
طَيِّباً مُبَارَكاً (heaps of gratitude which is pure and blessed), he
commented: "I have seen more than thirty angels trying to outdo each other to
write these words."
iv. During Prostrations
The Prophet (sws) has also forbidden Muslims to recite the Qur'an during
prostrations - just as he has done so during
kneeling, and has said that since during a prostration a person comes closest to
his Lord, he should say as much supplications as he can.
Consequently, words سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الأَعْلى (Glorious is my Lord, the
Greatest) have been reported to be recited by him during prostration,
and some other words also have been reported in place of these.
Of these, the ones which are mentioned in various narratives are the
following:
سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ رَبُّ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحِ
Above is He from all blemishes and shortcomings, the Lord of Gabriel and the
angels.
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
O God! O Lord! Glory be to You our Lord and You possess all worthy
attributes. O God! Forgive me.
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ
عَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ
O God! Forgive all my sins - small and big, of the past and of the future,
done openly or secretly.
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ سَجَدْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ
رَبِّي سَجَدَ وَجْهِي لِلَّذِي خَلَقَهُ وَصَوَّرَهُ وَشَقَّ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ
تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ
O God! I prostrated for You only and professed faith in You alone and gave up
myself to You only. My face is in prostration for He who created it and designed
it and then made in it ears and eyes. Very great and very benevolent is God, the
best of Creators.
In the tahajjud prayer, the following supplications are also reported:
سُبْحَانَكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Glory be to You, and You possess all worthy attributes. There is no God but
you.
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ
O God forgive all my sins done secretly or openly.
اللَّهُمَّ أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَبِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ
وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى
نَفْسِكَ
O Lord! I seek safe refuge with your pleasure from Your displeasure and with
Your safety from Your torment! And [O Lord] I seek Your refuge from You. It is
not possible for me to praise You of which You are worthy. You are exactly as
You have praised Yourself.
اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورًا وَفِي سَمْعِي نُورًا وَفِي بَصَرِي
نُورًا وَعَنْ يَمِينِي نُورًا وَعَنْ شِمَالِي نُورًا وَتَحْتِي نُورًا وَأَمَامِي
نُورًا وَخَلْفِي نُورًا وَفَوْقِي نُورًا وَ تَحْتِي نُورًا وَ اجْعَلْنِي نُورًا
O Lord! Create light in my heart, and create light in my ears and my eyes,
and create light on my right and on my left, and create light in front of me and
behind me, and create light over me and below me, and [O Lord!] make me an
embodiment of light.
v. During the Jilsah
The Prophet (sws) has also supplicated while sitting in between prostrations.
Consequently, it is reported that he used to repeat the words رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي
(O Lord! Forgive me) in this position and, in
the tahajjud prayer, the following supplication is reported:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَعَافِنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي
O Lord! Forgive me, have mercy on me, give me peace and guidance and
sustenance.
vi. During the Qa'dah
The qa'dah (sitting after completing the prostrations) of the prayer is
reserved for supplications, and a person can say whatever supplication he wants
to. The guidance provided by the practice of the Prophet (sws) in this regard is
detailed out below:
1. 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (rta) says that when we would pray with the Prophet (sws),
we would say: "Peace be to God from His servants and peace be to such and such
persons". When the Prophet (sws) heard this, he said: "Don't say: 'Peace be to
God', for God Himself is entirely peace. Say this instead: التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ
وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ
اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ
(All salutations, supplications and good deeds are for God. Peace be to you O
Messenger of God, and blessings and mercy. Peace be to us also and to all pious
people too). If you say these words, your supplication will reach every person
who is in the sky or is found somewhere between the sky and the earth. [He
further said:] أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ
مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ (I bear witness that there is no god except
Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad (sws) is His servant and messenger).
After this, a person can say any supplication he wants to for himself.
With slight variations, the above supplication is also reported by 'Umar (rta),
'A'ishah (rta), 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (rta), 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (rta) and Abu
Musa 'Ash'ari (rta). It is evident from the
narratives that after this, the Prophet (sws) would diligently teach this
supplication to his Companions (rta).
2. Abu Mas'ud (rta) narrates: "We were sitting at the place of Sa'd Ibn 'Ubadah
(rta). When the Prophet (sws) came over, Bashir Ibn Sa'd (rta) asked: 'O
Messenger of God! God has directed us to send blessings on you; please let us
know how we should do this?' At this, the Prophet (sws) kept silent and we
wished that we had not asked this question. He then said: 'You should say:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى
آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ
عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي الْعَالَمِينَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
O God! be merciful to Muhammad and his clan the way you have been merciful to
Abraham and his clan and send Your blessings on Muhammad and his clan the way
you have sent Your blessings on Abraham and his clan in this whole world.
Indeed, You are great and possess all worthy attributes.'"
There are some variations in the words of this supplication; however, by and
large the theme is the same. It is also narrated that the Prophet (sws) has said
about the darud: "A person who sends mercy on me once, the Almighty will send
mercy on him ten times."
The Qur'anic directive referred to in the narrative is:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا (٥٦:٣٣)
The Prophet is blessed by God and His angels. Bless him, then, you that are
true believers, and greet him with a worthy salutation. (33:56)
3. Other supplications which the Prophet (sws) has said in the qa'dah or has
urged Muslims to say are:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ
وَمِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ
الدَّجَّالِ
O God! I seek Your refuge from the torment of Hell and seek Your refuge from
the torment of the grave and from the trial of life and death and from the trial
of the great deceiver who will claim to be Jesus.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ
إِلَّا أَنْتَ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ وَارْحَمْنِي إِنَّك أَنْتَ
الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
O God! I have wronged my soul a lot and [I know that] none except You can
forgive my sins. So [O Lord!] Please forgive me through Your compassion and have
mercy on me. Indeed You are Compassionate and Ever Merciful.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَمِلْتُ وَمِنْ شَرِّ مَا لَمْ
أَعْمَلْ
O Lord! I seek Your refuge from the evil of what I have done and what I have
not done.
اللَّهُمَّ حَاسِبْنِيْ حِسَابًا يَّسِيْرًا
O Lord! Show lenience to me in taking my account.
اللَّهُمَّ بِعِلْمِكَ الْغَيْبَ وَقُدْرَتِكَ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ أَحْيِنِي مَا
عَلِمْتَ الْحَيَاةَ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا عَلِمْتَ الْوَفَاةَ خَيْرًا
لِي اللَّهُمَّ وَأَسْأَلُكَ خَشْيَتَكَ فِي الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ وَأَسْأَلُكَ
كَلِمَةَ الْحَقِّ فِي الرِّضَا وَالْغَضَبِ وَأَسْأَلُكَ الْقَصْدَ فِي الْفَقْرِ
وَالْغِنَى وَأَسْأَلُكَ نَعِيمًا لَا يَنْفَدُ وَأَسْأَلُكَ قُرَّةَ عَيْنٍ لَا
تَنْقَطِعُ وَأَسْأَلُكَ الرِّضَاءَ بَعْدَ الْقَضَاءِ وَأَسْأَلُكَ بَرْدَ
الْعَيْشِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَأَسْأَلُكَ لَذَّةَ النَّظَرِ إِلَى وَجْهِكَ
وَالشَّوْقَ إِلَى لِقَائِكَ فِي غَيْرِ ضَرَّاءَ مُضِرَّةٍ وَلَا فِتْنَةٍ
مُضِلَّةٍ اللَّهُمَّ زَيِّنَّا بِزِينَةِ الْإِيمَانِ وَاجْعَلْنَا هُدَاةً
مُهْتَدِينَ
O Lord! through the help of Your knowledge of the unknown and Your power over
Your Creation give me life till the time You deem it appropriate for me, and
take me away from this world when You deem it appropriate for me. O God! and I
seek humility towards You in open and in private, and want to be guided to the
truth in happiness and in sorrow and request You to make me a balanced person
between poverty and richness and want a blessing which will never finish and the
coldness of the eyes which will never cease, and seek the courage to be happy at
Your decisions and seek the serenity of life after death, and seek from You the
fondness of meeting You and the joy of seeing You in a manner that I do not
remain in hardships which are harmful and in a trial which lead [a person]
astray. O God! please grant us the grace of faith, and make us such that we
ourselves remain among the guided and are instrumental in providing guidance to
others.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا
عَلِمْتُ مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ أَعْلَمْ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ
عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ أَعْلَمْ وَأَسْأَلُكَ
الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ
النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ
مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَرَسُوْلُكَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
وَأَسْتَعِيْذُِكَ مِمَّا اسْتَعَاذَكَ مِنْهُ عَبْدُكَ وَرَسُوْلُكَ مُحَمَّدٌ
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مَا قَضَيْتَ لِيْ مِنْ أَمْرٍ أَنْ
تَجْعَلَ عَاقِبَتَهُ رُشْدًا
O God! I seek from You goodness of every sort - that which is to be given to
me in the immediate future and that also which is to be given at the time You
have appointed for it, that also which I know and that also which I do not. I
seek refuge with You from every kind of evil - the one which may befall soon and
also for which You appointed a time, that which I know and that also which I
have no knowledge of and I seek Paradise from You and the urge to have beliefs
and do deeds which will take me near it. And I seek refuge with You from Hell
through beliefs and deeds which take me near it. [Lord!] I seek goodness from
You - the goodness which Your servant and messenger Muhammad intended, and seek
Your refuge from things from which Your servant and messenger has sought refuge.
And whatever decision You have made for me, I seek from You a good fate in it.
It is narrated by 'Ali (rta) that in the qa'dah the Prophet (sws) would
generally say the following supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا
أَعْلَنْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَفْتُ وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّي أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ
وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
O God forgive my sins of the past and of the future done in private or in
public. And also forgive whatever excesses I have committed and all those things
also which You know more than I know. It is You Who sends forward and it is You
Who relegates backwards. There is no god except You.
Wa'il (rta) narrates that sometimes the Prophet (sws) would add the word
وَبَرَكَاتُهُ to السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ when he would say
salam on the right side.
vii. After the Prayer
After finishing the prayer also, the Prophet (sws) would say various
supplications and remember the Almighty.
Ibn 'Abbas (rta) narrates: "Upon hearing اللهُ أكْبَرْ I would come to know
that Prophet (sws) had ended his prayer."
'A'ishah (rta) says that after saying the salam, the Prophet (sws) would sit
for just enough time so as to say:
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا
الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
O God! You are peace in entirety and all peace is from You. O Possessor of
respect and honour! You are blessed.
Thaw'ban (rta) says that before saying the above prayer, he would ask for the
forgiveness of the Almighty three times.
Mughirah Ibn Shu'bah (rta) reports that the Prophet (sws) would say the
following supplication after the prayer:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ
الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا
أَعْطَيْتَ وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ
الْجَدُّ
There is no god except Allah. He is one of His kind and no one is His
partner. Sovereignty is His and all glorification and gratitude is for Him, and
He has power over all things. O Lord! Whom You give, no one can stop him [from
receiving it], and no one can give the one whom You stop giving, and the
greatness and majesty of none can stop You to grasp [someone].
'Abdullah Ibn Zubayr (rta) reports that the Prophet (sws) would recite the
following supplication right after the prayer:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ
الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا
بِاللَّهِ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَا نَعْبُدُ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ لَهُ
النِّعْمَةُ وَلَهُ الْفَضْلُ وَلَهُ الثَّنَاءُ الْحَسَنُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا
اللَّهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ
There is no god except Allah. He is one of His kind and no one is His
partner. Sovereignty is His and all glorification and gratitude is for Him, and
He has power over all things. Power and strength - all are a blessing from Him.
There is no god except Allah and we worship Him only. Favours and blessings are
from Him and befitting glorification is for Him only. There is no god except
Allah. Obedience is purely for Him even though the disbelievers dislike this.
It is reported that Sa'd (rta) used to teach these words to his children and
would say that after every prayer, the Prophet (sws) would seek refuge with the
Almighty through these words:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ الْبُخْلِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ الْجُبْنِ
وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُرَدَّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ
الدُّنْيَا وَ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ
O God! I seek Your refuge from miserliness and cowardice and seek Your refuge
from going to old age and seek Your refuge from the trial of life and from the
torment in the graves.
It is narrated by Abu Hurayrah (rta) that the Prophet (sws) instructed the
poor among the Companions who belonged to the muhajirun to recite سُبْحَانَ
اللَّه (glory be to God), أَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ (gratitude is for God), اَللَّهُ
أَكْبَرُ (God is the greatest) 33 times each after the prayer.
Abu Hurayrah (rta) also narrates that if after the above 99 words the
following 100th words are said, then the sins of a person are forgiven even if
they equal the foam of the sea:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ
الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
There is no god except Allah. He is one of His kind and no one is His
partner. Sovereignty is His and all gratitude is for Him, and He has power over
all things.
In a narrative of Ibn 'Ujrah, it is reported that سُبْحَانَ اللَّه should be
said 33 times, أَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ should be said 33 times and اَللَّهُ أَكْبَر
should be said 34 times.
It is narrated by Zayd Ibn Thabit (rta) that a person from the ansar told the
Prophet (sws) that in a dream someone told him to recite سُبْحَانَ اللَّه 25 times, أَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّه 25 times, اَللَّهُ أَكْبَر 25 times and لَا إِلَهَ
إِلَّا اللَّهُ 25 times. The Prophet said: "Do so".
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