Part 11

Therefore, I say that describing one who places his hands on his chest after bowing as an innovator, and his action as an innovation, is very hard upon a person and it is not fitting that his brothers should describe him thus.

The correct opinion is that placing the right hand over the left after straightening up from Ruku’ is a Sunnah, the evidence for which is the Hadith confirmed in Sahih Al-Bukhari, on the authority of Sahl bin Sa’d, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The people were ordered that a man should place his right

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hand over his left forearm in prayer. |")

The evidential aspect of the Hadith is derived from investigating it and studying it, for we say: Where are the hands placed during prostration? And the answer is: On the ground. And we say: Where are they placed during Ruku’? And the answer is: On the knees. And we say: Where are the hands placed when sitting? And the answer is: On the thighs. And so the situation when one is standing both before and after the Ruku’ is still covered by the words of Sahl, may Allah be pleased with him: The people were ordered that a man should place his right hand over his left forearm in prayer. Therefore, the Hadith proves that the right hand is placed over the left hand when standing both before and after the Ruku and this is the truth which is proven by the Sunnah of the Prophet #. So, the answer to this question consists of two parts:

1. That it is not fitting for us to be careless about applying the word innovation to an action in which there is room for Jjtihad.

2. The correct opinion is that placing the right hand over the left hand after rising from Ruku’ is a Sunnah and not an innovation, as is proven by the Hadith which we have mentioned, which is the Hadith of Sahl bin Sa‘d, may Allah be pleased with him, because it is general; but excluded from it are Ruku’, prostration, and sitting, because the Sunnah has determined a particular place for the hands in these positions.

Q. 248. Some people add the words: Wash-Shukr (and thanks) after saying: Rabbana Wa Lakal-Hamd (Our Lord, all praise is due to You). What is the opinion of Your Eminence regarding this?

’ A. There is no doubt that confining oneself to what has been reported is preferable, so if a person straightens up from Ruku’,

") The reference for this Hadith has been mentioned previously on page

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he should say: ‘Our Lord, all praise is due to You,’ and he should not add the words: ‘And thanks,’ because they have not been reported.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that the forms which have been reported regarding this matter are four in number:

1. Rabbana Wa Lakal-Hamd.

3. Allahumma Rabbana Lakal-Hamd.

4. Allahumma Rabbana Wa Lakal-Hamd.

These four forms may be said, but not all at once; rather you should say this one once and that one once; in some of your prayers, you should say Rabbana Wa Lakal-Hamd and in other prayers, you should say Rabbana Lakal-Hamd and in others, you should say Allahumma Rabbana Lakal-Hamd and in others, you should say Alla4humma Rabbana Wa Lakal-Hamd. But as for the words: Wash-Shukr, they have not been reported, therefore it is better not to say them.

Q. 249. What is the correct manner of going down into prostration?

A. Prostration should be on the knees first and then the hands. This is because the Prophet #¢ forbade a person from prostrating on his hands in his words:

“When one of you prostrates, he should not kneel as a camel kneels, but should place his hands before his knees."

"1 Reported by Imam Ahmad 2:381, by Abu Dawud in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: How He Placed His Knees Before His Hands

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This is the wording of the Hadith, but we shall speak about it: This first sentence:

“he should not kneel as a camel kneels.” is a prohibition of the manner of Sujud, because he # has used the expression: As a camel kneels. It is not a prohibition of the limbs upon which one prostrates; if what was intended here was a prohibition of the limbs upon which one prostrates, he would have said: He should not kneel on the limbs which a camel kneels upon, and in that case, we would say: Do not kneel on the knees, because a camel kneels on its knees. But

the Prophet #% did not say: he should not kneel on the limbs which a camel kneels upon, rather he said:

“he should not kneel as a camel kneels.”

So, the prohibition is of the manner and the description, not of the limbs upon which he prostrates.

This is why Ibn Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Zadul-Ma‘ad''! that the end of the Hadith was transmitted in a reversed fashion by the narrator, and so the end of the Hadith should be: But should place his knees before his hands, since if he placed his hands before his knees, he would be kneeling as the camel kneels, because when the camel kneels, it begins with its forelegs; and that is clear to anyone who has witnessed a camel kneeling.

In that case, the correct opinion, if we wish the beginning and . end of the Hadith to accord is: But should place his knees before his hands, because if he placed his hands before his knees, as I said, he would be kneeling as the camel kneels and in that case,

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the beginning of the Hadith and the end of it would be contradictory.

One brother has written a book entitled: Fath Al-Ma‘bud Fi Wadh’ , Ar-Rukbataini Qabl Al-Yadaini Fis-Sujud and it is a well-written and informative work.

Based upon this, the Sunnah which the Messenger #% ordered in Sujud is to place the knees before the hands.

Q. 250. What is the ruling on stretching excessively in the Sujud?

A. Stretching excessively in the Sujud is contrary to the Sunnah, because none of those who have described the prayer of the Prophet #% have said that he used to stretch his back when performing Sujud, as they said that he did when performing Ruku’.'"!] what is prescribed at the time of Sujud is only for a person to lift his stomach off his thighs and raise it thereby, not to stretch it, as some of the people do.

Q. 251. Has it been reported regarding the mark on the forehead which is caused by Sujud that it is a mark of the righteous?

A. This is not a mark of the righteous; the mark of the righteous is only the light which is seen in the face, the expansion of the heart, good character and such like. As for the mark on the face which is cause by Sujud, it might be seen on

")) Reported by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih, on the authority of Abu Humaid, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “The Prophet 2 bowed, then he spread his back.” The Book of the adhan, in the Chapter: Making the Back Level in Ruku’ (758); and it was reported by Muslim in his Sahih, on the authority of ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: “And when he bowed, he did not used to let his head droop, nor raise it (higher than his back).” The Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: The Description of Ruku’ and Straightening up From it (498).

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the faces of those who only offer the obligatory prayers due to the delicateness of their skin, and it might not be seen in the face of one who prays much and lengthens his Sujud.

Q. 252. Has any authentic Hadith been reported concerning the movement of the forefinger between the two prostrations in prayer?

A. Yes, the Hadith has been reported which is in Sahih Muslim, on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, in which he said that when the Prophet #% sat in prayer and mentioned Allah, he would point with his finger.''! And in another version: When he sat in the Tashahhud.'?)

The first wording is general and the second is specific, and the tule is that mentioning the specific with a ruling that agrees with the general does not necessitate particularization. An example of this is that one man says to another: You should respect students of knowledge. And he says to him: You should respect Muhammad, and Muhammad is one of the students of knowledge. This does not necessitate that he does not respect the other students of knowledge. The scholars of Usul have written about this, and Shaikh Ash-Shangeeti, may Allah have mercy on him, has mentioned it in Adhwa’ Al-Bayan. But if he said: You should respect the students, then he said: Do not respect those who sleep in the lessons, this necessitates particularization, because it was mentioned with a ruling which contradicts the general ruling.

Also, there is a particular Hadith in this matter which was reported by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad with a chain of narrators about which the author of Al-Fath Ar-Rabbani said: Its

"1 Reported by Muslim in the Book of Masjids, in the Chapter: The Description of the Sitting in Prayer (1:408) 114 and 115, 580. 1 The previous location 115.

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chain of narrators is Hasan.'") And one of the commentators on Zadul-Ma‘ad"! said: Its chain of narrators is authentic. When the Messenger of Allah sat between the two prostrations, he would make a fist with his fingers and point with the forefinger. And whoever said that he did not move it, we say to him: Then what did he do with the right hand? If you say that he used to spread it on his thigh, then we request you to provide an evidence, for it has not been reported in the Ahadith that he used to spread his right hand on his thigh. And if he had spread it, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, would have made clear that he did so, as they made clear that he used to spread his left hand on his left thigh. So, these are three evidences.

Q. 253. What is the ruling on the sitting of rest (JalsatulIstirahah)?

A. The scholars hold three opinions regarding the sitting of Test: