Part 12

It is important to know that some people have done strict innovations in religion concerning intentions of prayer which have never been decreed by Allah. For example, when intending to perform a certain prayer, some declare overtly which prayer they are going to perform, how many rak‘ahs (units of prayer) they intend to perform, and who the imdém (leader) of prayer is, and so on. Such acts had never been done by the Messenger (PBUH) who had neither been reported to have declared his intention, whether secretly or overtly, upon performing prayer, nor had he been reported to have enjoined that.

“Declaring intention overtly is neither obligatory nor desirable as uniformly agreed upon by Muslim scholars. Rather, one who pronounces it overtly is regarded to be an innovator in religion who contradicts the Shari'ah (Islamic Law). If one does so intentionally, thinking that it is an act of Shari'ah, one is deemed an ignorant, straying Muslim who deserves discretionary punishment for that. If such a person insists on declaring intention overtly upon each prayer after being informed and enlightened, especially if he disturbs his prayer mates with his voice or repeats it several times, he deserves to receive severe discretionary punishment for that...”

“1. Some of the modern scholars maintained the obligation of doing so (i.e. pronouncing intention overtly) basing their opinion on misinterpretation of an opinion of Imam Ash-Shafi'i. However, the majority of the followers of Imam Ash-Shafi'i viewed the invalidity of such an interpretation of the Shafi'is opinion. This is because, Imam Ash-Shafi'i said about prayer, ‘Tt is obligatory to begin it with overt pronunciation. So, those modern scholars mistakenly thought

that Imam Ash-Shafi‘i meant that it was obligatory to pronounce one’ intention overtly upon each prayer. However, all the followers of Imém Ash-Shafi'i deemed this a misinterpretation, pointing out that Imém Ash-Shdfi'i only meant the overt pronunciation of the opening takbir of prayer, not the intention...””

In addition to the fact that expressing intention overtly is bid ah (a matter innovated in religion), it could also lead to hypocrisy; one’s intention has to be expressed secretly in one’s heart as a sign of sincerity and devotion to Allah while performing acts of worship.

To sum up, a Muslim has to abide by the limits set by the Shari'ah (Islamic Law), to adhere to the acts of the Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition), and to avoid whatsoever kinds of innovation (in religion) regardless of its adherents. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Say, ‘Would you acquaint Allah with your religion while Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allah is Knowing of all things?” (Qur'an: Al-Hujurat: 16)

Allah is Knowing of the intention of the heart, so a Muslim does not have to pronounce it overtly whether upon performing prayer or in any other act of worship; Allah, Exalted be He, knows best. May Allah guide us all to what He likes and pleases!

5 See Muslim (1424) [3/130] and Al-Bukhari (4533) [8/245]; see also Mustim (1425) [3/130].

7 Al-Bukhari (561) [2/55], Muslim (1438) [3/137] and Al-Tirmidhi (164) [1/304].

10 ‘Awralt: The private parts or parts of the body which are illegal to expose to others; a male's ‘awrah is from the navel to the knees whereas in another view it is said to be the external organs of sex and excretion. As for a female's ‘ awralt, it includes all her body in one view whereas in another it is all her body with the exception of her face and hands.

11 Ahmad (25823) [6/248], Abd Dawid (641) [1/298], Al-Tirmidhi (377) [2/215] and Ibn Majah (655) [1/362].

12 Ahmad (19978) [5/5], Aba Dawad (4017) [4/197], Al-Tirmidhi (2799) [5/110], Ibn Majah (192) [2/448]; see also Al-Bukhari (1/500) [1/500].

14 Ahmad (2492) [1/342] and Al-Tirmidhi (2801) [5/111]; see also Aba Dawad (4014) [4/197] and Al-Tirmidhi (2803) (5/111).

17 Ahmad (25823) [6/248], Aba Dawdd (641) [1/298], Al-Tirmidhi (377) [2/215] and Ibn Majah (655) [1/362].

22 Ahmad (11903) [3/121], Aba Dawid (492) [1/236], Al-Tirmidhi (317) [2/131] and Ibn Majah (745) [1/412].

23 Muslim (2248) [4/42], Ahmad (17184) [4/185], Aba Dawad (3229) [3/359], AtTirmidhi (1051) [3/367] and An-Nasa’i (759) [1/401].

25 Al-Bukhari (1336) [3/261] and Muslim (2208) [4/27]; see also Al-Bukhari (1337) [3/261] and Muslim (2212) [4/29].

26 See Ibn Taymiyah’s Majmit‘ul-Fatawa [4/521-523}, [11/290, 291], [17/502, 503], [19/41], [21/304, 321-322], [22/194-195}, [27/140].

27 The qiblah: The direction of prayer, namely towards the Ka’ bah.

28 ‘The Lawgiver of Shari‘ah (Islamic Law) is Allah, Exalted be He; the term can also refer to the Prophet (PBUH) as he never ordained but what was revealed to him by Allah.

34 The opening takbir (in prayer): Opening prayer with saying, “Allahu-Akbar” (i.e. Allah is the Greatest).

Gentle Muslim reader, you really have to know the legalized standards of behavior prior to prayer, so as to get ready for it properly. This is because prayer is a great act of worship that must be preceded with the proper preparation and readiness, so that a Muslim can engage in such a glorious act of worship in the best state.

Therefore, if one heads for the mosque to join one’s fellow Muslims in a congregational prayer, one should walk calmly, peacefully, and tranquilly, without haste. One should be in a state of solemnity and calmness, averting one’s vision (from looking at what Allah prohibits), lowering one’s voice and trying as much as possible not to look around.

It is stated in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Tf the igamah is declared - (in another narration, ‘When you hear the iqamah...’)' - proceed to perform the prayer with calmness and solemnity and do not make haste. And pray whatever rak'ahs (units of prayer) you get (with the people) and complete the rest which you have missed.”)"

.. When one of you is preparing for prayer, he is in fact engaged in n prayer”

When a Muslim heads for the mosque to perform prayer, he should not be late, so as not to miss the opening takbir, i.e. to attend the congregational prayer from the beginning. In addition, while making towards the mosque, one should make one’s pace slow, taking one’s steps close to one another to get more rewards. It is stated in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“If a person performs ablution and does it perfectly, and then proceeds to the mosque with the sole intention of performing prayer, then for each step he takes toward the mosque, Allah raises. hima degree in reward and blots out (i.e. forgives) one of his sins.”

When a Muslim reaches the mosque, he should step in with his right leg, saying the following invocation:

“In the Name of Allah, I seek refuge with Allah the Most Great, in His Honorable Face, and in His infinitely preexistent Sovereignty, from the accursed Satan. O Allah! Confer Your blessings upon Muhammad. O Allah! Forgive my sins and let the doors of Your Mercy be open for me.”

When one wishes to come out of the mosque, one should step out with one’s left leg saying the aforesaid invocation, but instead of saying, “.. and let the doors of Your Mercy be open for me”, one should rather say, “.. and let the doors of Your Favor be opened for me.” This is because the mosque is the place of seeking Allah’s Mercy, while outside the mosque is where one seeks livelihood, which Allah bestows upon His servants out of His Favor.

Once one enters the mosque, one should perform two rak‘ahs before sitting, for the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“If anyone of you enters a mosque, he should perform two rak’ahs before sitting”

Then one sits waiting for the igamah; while waiting for the igamah, one should spend the time between the two rak’als and the iqamah in glorifying and praising Allah, and in reciting the Qur‘én. One has also to avoid frivolous play, such as interlacing one’s fingers and the like, for the Prophet (PBUH) forbade doing so while waiting for the iqamah, saying:

“When anyone of you is in the mosque, he should not interlace (his fingers), for interlacing (fingers) is from Satan.”*

As for those in the mosque for reasons other than waiting for the igamah, they are allowed to interlace their fingers, as it is stated that the Prophet (PBUH) once interlaced his fingers after concluding prayer with taslim’.

While waiting for prayer in the mosque, one should not enter into talks unrelated to religion, because it is stated i in a hadith that doing so eats up rewards in the same way as fire eats up wood". In another hadith, the Prophet stated that when anyone enters a mosque, he is considered to be in prayer as long as he is waiting for the prayer, and the angels keep on asking for Allah's forgiveness for him’, Therefore, a Muslim should not miss such great rewards by being engaged in frivolous play or idle talks.

When the iqamah is declared, one should stand up when the prayer caller says “qadi-qamatis-salah” (ie. “Prayer is commenced”), for the Prophet (PBUH) used to do so. It is also allowed for one to stand up on the beginning of declaring the iqamah if one sees the imam (prayer leader); if not, it is better not to stand up until one sees the imam. Besides, one should always be keen on standing in the first row (in congregational prayers), for the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“If the people knew the reward for pronouncing the adhdn (prayer call) and for standing in the first row (in congregational prayers), and found no other way to get that reward except by casting lots, they would cast lots.”"

(Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) He (PBUH) also said: “The best rows for men are the first rows..."

As for men, it is better to be close to the imam, as the Prophet (PBUH), who used to lead the Muslims in prayer, said:

“Let those of you who are sedate and prudent be near me (i.e. be in the first row).

As regards women, it is better for them to be in the last rows, for the Prophet (PBUH) said:

This is because women will not be visible to men in this way.

The imam and the ones led behind him ought to be cautious to straighten rows, for the Prophet said:

“Straighten your rows, for the straightening of a row is part of the perfection of prayer.”

(Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) In another hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Straighten your rows or else Allah will alter your faces.”

Thus, when standing for congregational prayer, Muslims should straighten their rows so that their shoulders and ankles become aligned, leaving no space between one another, for the Prophet (PBUH) said in this regard:

This hadith means that the ones led in prayer ought to stand close to one another, leaving no gaps between them for Satan.

The Prophet (PBUH) has always been greatly concerned with straightening rows and making the ones led in prayer stand close to one another, which indicates how important and useful it is. This does not mean that people should widen between their feet in a way that disturbs those standing beside them, as mistakenly done by some ignorant people. Such people thus leave gaps in rows, causing harm and annoyance to those standing next to them without having any legal proof supporting such an act. Therefore, Muslims should pay more attention to such issues and care for straightening their rows in prayers, following the example of the Prophet (PBUH) and ensuring the perfection of their prayer; may Allah guide us all to whatever He likes and pleases.

6 Ahmad (11324) [3/43] and Ibn Abd Shaybah (4824) [1/420]. Al-Haythami in his book ‘Majma’ Az-Zaw@id’ (‘The Collection of Additional Hadiths) (2/25).

8 This tradition was not mentioned by any one of the compilers of Hadith as said by Al-‘Iraqi in his book Takhrijul ‘Thyd’ (1/136); Ibn As-Subki in his book “Tabagat AshShafi ‘iyyah’ (4/145) and Al-Albéni in his book ‘As-Silsilah Ad-Da ‘ifah’ (4) [1/18]

9 Al-Bukhari (477) [1/730] and Muslim (1504) [3/168] 10 Al-Bukhari (615) [2/126] and Muslim (980) [2/378] 11 Muslim (984) [2/38]

13 Al-Bukhari (723) [2/271] and Muslim (974) [2/376] 14 Al-Bukhari (717) [2/268] and Muslim (977) [2/377] 15 Al-Bukhari (719) [2/269]

Prayer is a great act of worship which includes decreed statements and postures forming the perfect form of its performance. Scholars define prayer as special statements and postures starting with takbir and ending with taslim.

These statements and postures of prayer are divided into three sections, namely the integral parts, the obligatory practices, and the acts of the Sunnah. The integral parts of prayer are those the negligence of any of which, intentionally or inattentively, invalidates prayer or invalidates the rak ‘ah (unit of prayer) in which it is neglected; being replaced by the next one, as we will point out later. As for the obligatory practices of prayer, if any of them is intentionally neglected, prayer is invalidated, but if inattentively, it is not invalidated, and performing the Prostration of Forgetfulness will be obligatory then. Concerning the acts of the Sunnah to be observed during prayer,

the negligence of any of them neither affects the validity of prayer nor makes it incomplete. Still, we have to bear in mind that whenever the Prophet (PBUH) performed prayer, he observed its integral parts, obligatory practices, and acts of the Sunnah, and we have to follow his example, for he (PBUH) said:

The first is to stand while performing an obligatory prayer; Allah, Exalted be He, says:

Moreover, in the marfii’ (traceable) hadith narrated on the authority of ‘Imran, the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Perform prayer while standing; if you cannot, perform it while sitting; if you cannot, then perform it while lying on your side.”

The above-mentioned verse and hadith prove that standing is obligatory while performing one of the obligatory prayers so long as one is able to. Yet, if one is unable to pray while standing due to an illness, one is allowed then to pray while sitting or lying on one's side. The same goes for one in a state of extreme fear, one who is naked (finding no clothing to conceal one’s ‘awral), one whose recovery requires sitting or lying on one’s side rather than standing, or one who is unable to stand because the roof of the place where one prays is not high enough provided one is unable to go out (to pray in the mosque). Likewise, in case the regular imam of a mosque leads the people in prayer while sitting, due to a legal excuse, the people led in prayer behind him should also perform it while sitting, following their regular imam. This is because the Prophet (PBUH) was once ill and led the people in prayer while sitting, commanding them to do the same, ie. to sit as well’,

As for a supererogatory prayer, it is permissible to perform it while standing or sitting. In other words, it is not obligatory to perform it while standing, as it is stated that the Prophet (PBUH) sometimes performed supererogatory prayers while sitting, without any legal excuse’.

Chapter 5: Prayer: Integral Parts, Obligatory Practices and Acts of the Sunnah 121

The second integral part of prayer is the opening takbir (in the beginning of prayer); the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“... Then face the qiblah (direction of prayer towards the Ka‘bah) and say takbir?”

This is also supported by the hadith in which the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“. And takbir is the beginning of prayer (that makes all lawful acts outside prayer unlawful in prayer.”

The Prophet (PBUH) was never reported to have started performing prayer without the opening takbir (saying, “Alléhu-Akbar’, i.e. “Allah is the Greatest”), There is by no means any other sufficient substitute for it when opening a prayer, according to what is reported to have been observed and enjoined by the Prophet (PBUH).

The third integral part of prayer is the recitation of the Al-Fatihah (the Opening Chapter of the Quran). The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“No prayer is (accepted) from whoever does not recite Al-Fatihah (in it)”

Reciting Al-Fatihah is one of the integral parts of each rak‘ah in prayer, as authentically narrated to have been observed by the Prophet (PBUH). Moreover, when the Prophet (PBUH) taught the one who used to perform prayer improperly, he ordered him to recite AlFatihah in each rak‘ah'.

The question here: Is everyone performing a congregational prayer obliged to recite Al-Fatihah, or is it only obligatory to be recited by the imdém in case of a publicly-recited prayer and by the single worshipper? In fact, scholars disagree in this concern. So, to avoid any doubt and to be in the safe side, one is to recite Al-Fatihah if one is led in a secretlyrecited prayer, and to recite it during the pause made by the imdm (after his recitation of Al-Fatihah) in case of publicly-recited prayers.