Prayer in Sharh Muntaha al-Iradat

Al-Buhuti's prayer sections in Sharh Muntaha al-Iradat cover the full range of Hanbali salah law with the systematic thoroughness that characterizes both his major commentaries. The text complements Kashshaf al-Qina while sometimes presenting additional discussions or alternative formulations of the school's positions.

The obligatory elements of prayer are listed in Sharh Muntaha with the same fourteen elements identified in Kashshaf al-Qina, including the distinctively Hanbali requirement of prayers upon the Prophet's family (the Ibrahim formula) in the final tashahhud. Al-Buhuti discusses the specific wording of the tashahhud and the two forms of the Ibrahim prayer that the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught, noting the Hanbali school's preference for the complete form.

The sections on prostration in Sharh Muntaha address the Hanbali requirements for valid sajdah: the forehead must be placed on the prayer surface without a intervening barrier (except for a turban edge naturally in place), the nose must touch the surface, and the worshipper must place weight on the forehead rather than merely touching it. Al-Buhuti discusses the treatment of disabilities that prevent normal prostration: the person who cannot prostrate on the ground may prostrate on a chair or elevated surface, while one completely unable to prostrate may make a gesture with the head.

The travel prayer sections of Sharh Muntaha al-Iradat address the conditions for shortening (qasr) and combining (jam') prayers. The Hanbali school requires a minimum journey distance for qasr to be permitted — traditionally calculated as approximately 80 km. Al-Buhuti presents the Hanbali positions on: the journey distance threshold, the conditions under which a traveler is considered stationary (and thus may no longer shorten prayers), and the Hanbali permission for combining prayers during actual rain that inconveniences worshippers traveling to the mosque.

The Eid prayers receive detailed treatment in Sharh Muntaha. The Hanbali school holds that the two Eid prayers are wajib (obligatory) for free adult Muslim males, not merely sunnah as other schools hold. Al-Buhuti presents the evidential basis — including the prophetic command to bring women and children to the Eid prayer — and the conditions for the prayer's validity, including the minimum number required and the correct time (after sunrise has risen the height of a spear).

The funeral prayer (salah al-janazah) is addressed comprehensively in Sharh Muntaha. Al-Buhuti covers the obligatory elements (four takbirs, recitation of al-Fatiha after the first, prayers upon the Prophet after the second, dua for the deceased after the third, and taslim after the fourth), the recommended du'as, the treatment of multiple funerals, and the Hanbali positions on praying over those who died in states of spiritual compromise (those who committed major sins, those who died by suicide).

The prayer sections of Sharh Muntaha al-Iradat, used alongside Kashshaf al-Qina, give Hanbali scholars and students the most complete available reference for the school's salah law — a reference that remains active in Saudi Arabia's highest Islamic educational institutions.