Part 14

+ He (PBUH) then raises his hands in the same way he does while saying

the opening takbir of prayer, saying, “Allahu-Akbar” (ie. “Allah is the Greatest”). He then bows putting his hands on his knees firmly, parting between his fingers, and stretching his back, making his head aligned with his back, neither raising nor lowering it, and says, “Subhdna Rabbiyal-' Azim” (i.e. “Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great”).

« Then, he (PBUH) raises his head saying, “Allah listens to the one who praises

Him”, raising both his hands in the same way he does upon bowing.

+ After that, he (PBUH) stands up straight saying, (following tasmi’),’

“Our Lord, to You be (all) the praise.” It is important to point out that the Prophet (PBUH) used to prolong standing following bowing.

+ He (PBUH) then says takbir (without raising his hands this time) then

prostrates. In prostration, he (PBUH) used to settle his forehead, nose, hands, knees, and the bottom of his toes on the ground (or the place of prayer), making his fingers and toes face the qiblah. He (PBUH) used to lean on the palms of his hands during prostration, keeping his upper arms apart from his sides, his abdomen apart from his thighs, and his thighs apart from his legs, saying, “Subhana Rabbiyal-A ‘Ia”

(i.e. “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High”); he (PBUH) used to make his prostration neither long nor short.

« Following the first prostration, he (PBUH) raises his head saying takbir, placing his left foot on its side and sitting on it, keeping the right foot as it was since prostration (i.e. resting on the bottom of its toes while the heel is up). He (PBUH) also places his hands on his thighs saying:

“O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, set me right, guide me, and sustain me.”

« He (PBUH) then says takbir and prostrates, doing in the second prostration the same as he did in the first.

« After that, he (PBUH) raises his head saying takbir, and then he stands upright after resting on the bottom of his toes and leaning on his knees and thighs.

+ When he (PBUH) stands upright, he starts recitation, performing the second rak ‘ah in the same way he did in the first.

+ At the end of the second rak'ah, the Prophet (PBUH) sits for the First Tashahhud, placing his left foot on its side and sitting on it just as he does while sitting between the two prostrations. Then he (PBUH) places his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his left thigh. He (PBUH) also places the thumb of his right hand on his middle finger making them like a ring, leaving the index finger extended forward as if pointing, and keeps looking at it, reciting the First Tashahhud, saying:

“(All) compliments, prayers and good things are due to Allah; peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the Mercy of Allah and His blessings (be upon you). Peace be upon us and upon the pious servants of Allah. I testify that there is no deity (worthy of worship) but Allah, Alone,

with no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.”

« He (PBUH) used to make this sitting as short as possible.

+ After this, he stands upright saying takbir, performing both the third and the fourth rak ‘ahs just like the first two, but making them shorter; he (PBUH) also recites Al-Fétihah in both the third and the fourth rak ‘ahs.

« He (PBUH) sits for the Final Tashahhud, placing his left foot on its side and sitting on it, keeping the right foot as it was since prostration (ie., resting on the bottom of its toes while the heel is up), or putting his left calf under his right one, keeping his right foot vertical, and sitting on the ground (or the place of prayer) instead.

¢ Then, he (PBUH) recites the Final Tashahhud, which is the same as the first with the following addition:

“..O Allah! Confer Your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You conferred Your blessings upon Ibrahim (Abraham)

and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, You are Praiseworthy and Honorable.

And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, You are Praiseworthy and Honorable. ”

+ Following the Final Tashahhud, he (PBUH) seeks refuge with Allah from the torture of the Fire, from the torture in the grave, from the trial of life and death, and from the evil of the trial of Antichrist. A Muslim may then invoke Allah with invocations mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

+ Finally, he (PBUH) closes prayer with taslim, turning his head to the right saying, “As-slamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatulldh” (i.e. “Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon you”), then turning to the left saying the same. He (PBUH) used to start uttering taslim while facing the qiblah and finish it when he completed turning his head to the right or the left.

“O Allah! I seek Your forgiveness (thrice). O Allah! You are the Perfection and You are the One Who grants perfection; Blessed are You, O Owner of Majesty and Honor. ”

« Then, he (PBUH) used to remember Allah with the invocations reported to have been observed by him.

This is, gentle Muslim reader, a brief description of the way the Prophet (PBUH) used to perform prayer according to the texts of hadiths mentioned in this regard. Therefore, you should take an interest in your prayer, trying your best to perform it perfectly, following in the Prophet’s footsteps as much as possible; Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the last day and [who] remembers Allah often.”

May Allah grant us all success and acceptance of our good deeds,

1 The giblah: The direction of prayer, namely towards the Ka’ bah. 2 Tasmi*: Saying “Sami‘alldhu liman hamidah” ie. “Allah listens to the one who praises Him,’ when standing following bowing in prayer.

It is detestable to turn around with one’s face and chest, for the Prophet (PBUH) said about turning around in prayer, as related by Al-Bukhari:

“It is what Satan steals from the prayer of any one of you.”"

There are exceptional cases such as turning around in case of fear or for a valid excuse. However, if one turns around with all one’s body, or turns his back to the Ka‘ bah in cases other than fear, one’s prayer will be invalid, for one thus turns and does not face the giblah during prayer without a legal excuse. This shows that it is permissible to turn around in prayer only in the case of fear, for it is one of the things that fighting necessitates. So, in cases other than fear, it is permissible to turn with one’s face and chest only when necessary. Yet, it is detestable to turn around unnecessarily during prayer, and if one turns around with one’s whole body, one’s prayer becomes invalid.

It is also detestable to look toward the sky during prayer, as the Prophet (PBUH) disallowed this saying:

“What is wrong with those people who look toward the sky during prayer?”

The Prophet (PBUH) criticized such an act so bitterly that he continued saying:

“They should stop (looking toward the sky during prayer) or else their eyesight would be taken away.”

As we have previously mentioned, one should look only at the position of prostrating during prayer. One should never let one's sight wander everywhere during prayer, looking at the walls, engraved patterns, writings, and the like, as this distracts one during prayer.

It is detestable to close one’s eyes during prayer unnecessarily, as this is a Jewish practice. Yet, it is not detestable to close one’s eyes when necessary, such as closing them to avoid looking at what may distract one during prayer, like decorations, ornaments, etc. This is the opinion Ibnul-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentions in this regard’.

It is detestable to lean on one’s forearms when sitting during prayer, as the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“When you raise your head after prostration, do not squat as a dog squats.”

This hadith is related by Ibn Majah,’ and there are other hadiths stressing the same point.

It is also detestable to lean on a wall or the like when standing during prayer, unless in case of necessity, such as an illness or the like, as leaning on something facilitates standing up.

It is detestable to put one’s forearms flat while prostrating, stretching them with elbows touching the ground, for the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Perform the prostration properly and do not put your forearms flat with elbows touching the ground like a dog.”

It is detestable as well to trifle in prayer, such as playing with one’s leg, beard, garment or anything else during prayer, or playing with one’s hand on the ground, and so on.

Among the detestable acts is placing one’s hands on one’s waist during prayer, as such a posture is related to the unbelievers and the arrogant people, and the Prophet (PBUH) forbade Muslims to imitate them; it is authentically stated in a hadith related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim that the Prophet (PBUH) forbade performing prayer with the hands on the waist*.

Interlacing one's fingers and cracking one’s knuckles are also detestable in prayer.

Itis also detestable for one to perform prayer while there is some distracting thing in front of one (such as drawings on the prayer mat) as this negatively affects the perfection of one’s prayer.

It is detestable to perform prayer in a place where there are paintings or drawings, as this in a way resembles idolatry, be they hung on walls or not, according to the valid view in this regard.

It is detestable to perform prayer while being disturbed by something such as one’s need to answer the call of nature (to urinate, excrete or break wind) or being disturbed by extreme hot or cold weather, or extreme hunger or thirst, as such issues hinder one from performing prayer tranquilly and submissively.

It is also detestable to perform prayer in the presence of delicious food one desires, as the Prophet (PBUH) said in the hadith related by Muslim:

“No prayer should be performed when the food is present, or when one is prompted by the call of nature.”

The Muslim should avoid such detestable issues to observe the obligations decreed by Allah, Exalted be He, devoutly, and to stand before Allah in prayer attentively, tranquilly, and humbly.

It is detestable as well to make prostration restricted to the forehead excluding the nose, as maintained by a group of heretics called the Rafidah,* imitating whom is prohibited.

It is also detestable to wipe whatever attaches to one’s forehead or nose during prayer following prostration, yet one is allowed to do so after finishing prayer.

During prayer, it is detestable to play with one’s beard, to hem one's garment, to clean one’s nose, or the like, as this distracts one’s attention in prayer.

In brief, Muslims are required to stand before Allah during prayer in full devotion, in both heart and soul, doing nothing that may distract them, for Allah says:

“Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle [i.e. ‘Asr] prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient.” (Qur'an: Al-Baqarah: 238)

Accordingly, Muslims are required to perform prayer attentively, submissively, and devoutly, observing what is decreed to be done therein, and refraining from whatever acts or words that may affect its validity. By doing so, their prayer will be performed properly, both in form and essence. It will be a valid and sufficient prayer.

May Allah guide us all to goodness and felicity in both this world and the Hereafter.

8 The Rafidah: A Shiite group who refused the caliphates of Abi Bakr As-Siddig and ‘Umar Ibnul-Khattéb and waged accusations against them and against many of the Prophet's Companions as well.

It is an act of the Sunnah for the one performing prayer to let no one pass in front of him, for the Prophet (PBUH) said in a hadith related by Muslim:

“When anyone of you performs prayer, he should not let anyone pass in front of him; if he (the passer) refuses to go, he (the prayer) should turn him away forcibly for there is a devil with him (the passer).”'

However, if there is a concrete object in front of the one performing prayer, such as a wall or the like, it is permissible to let others pass behind that barrier. Similarly, it is permissible for the one performing prayer to let others pass in front of him if the place is not wide enough and they have no other way to pass from; in this case, the one performing prayer should not turn them away if they want to pass in front of him, In addition, if one is performing prayer in the Precinct of Mecca, one should not turn away those passing in front of one, as it was related by the Five Compilers of Hadith that the Prophet (PBUH) used to perform prayer in Mecca while people were passing in front of him and there was no barrier or screen between both’.

It is an act of the Sunnah for the imam (i.e., leader in prayer) or the one praying alone to perform prayer placing a concrete object in front of him as a barrier so as to let no one pass in front of him. This is illustrated in the hadith related by Abii Dawid and Ibn Majah on the authority of Abd Sa‘id, in which the Prophet (PBUH) says:

“When any one of you performs prayer, he should have (or place) a concrete object in front of him and keep close to it.””

As for the ones led in prayer, they are screened by their imam, so they do not have to place any concrete object in front of them if their imam does. It is worth mentioning that it is not obligatory for one to place a concrete object as a screen while performing prayer, for Ibn *‘ Abbas reported:

“The Prophet (PBUH) performed prayer in an open space without placing a concrete object in front of him as a screen.”

The concrete object put in front of one during prayer should be something erect, which is approximately one cubit high, be it thin or wide. It is put, as mentioned above, to hinder anyone from passing in front of one while performing prayer. In case one is performing prayer in a desert, one should perform prayer behind something fixed such as a tree, a stone, a stick, or the like. If one is unable to insert a stick into the ground, it is permissible to put it in front of oneself in a crosswise position.

It is permissible for the ones led in prayer to correct the imam publicly during prayer if the latter makes a mistake while reciting the Quran therein.

During prayer, it is permissible for one to put on a garment and the like, to carry something or put it down, and to kill a snake or a scorpion, for the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Kill the two black things during prayer: the snake and the scorpion.”*

(Related by Aba Dawdd and Al-Tirmidhi, and deemed shih (authentic) by the latter)

Yet, one should not do many of these permissible acts during prayer unnecessarily. So, if one does such permissible acts excessively, repeatedly, and unnecessarily, one’s prayer becomes invalid, as they distract one’s attention during prayer.

It is permissible for the one engaged in prayer to draw another's attention to something urgent, such as answering someone knocking at the door, drawing the imdm’s attention to the latter's inattention in prayer, warning someone who is in danger, and so on. Still, this is not to be done freely; men are only allowed to say, “Subhdn-Allah” (i.e. “Glorified be Allah), and women just to clap when they want to draw someone's attention to something urgent, for the Prophet said:

“If some problem arises during prayer, then the men should say, ‘Subhan-Allah’ (i.e. Glorified be Allah), and the women should clap?”

It is not detestable to greet the one performing prayer if the latter knows how to return it; the one performing prayer is allowed to return greetings by means of gesture, not words. In other words, if the one performing prayers returns greeting by speaking, his prayer becomes invalid, as it is regarded among the kinds of human speech which are prohibited during prayer; one is allowed in this case either to return a greeting by gesture or to postpone returning it until one ends prayer with taslim.