Part 16

This is according to the hadiths related by Imams Ahmad, Aba Dawid, AnNasaii, Ibn Majah and other compilers of Hadith.

Among the ways of dhikr is saying, “Subhan-Allah” (Glory be to Allah), “Al-hamdu-lillah” (Praise be to Allah), “Allahu-Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest) respectively thirty-three times each, and then saying to complete a hundred:

“There is no deity but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner. To Him belongs dominion, and to Him belongs (all) praise, and He is over all things Omnipotent.”

It is stated in Sahih Muslim (Muslim's Authentic Book of Hadith) that the

“Ifanyone extols Allah (saying, Subhdn-Allah’ i.e. ‘Glory be to Allah’) after (performing) every prayer thirty-three times, and praises Allah (saying, Al-hamdu-lillah’ i.e. ‘Praise be to Allah’) thirty-three times, and declares His Greatness (saying, Allahu-Akbar’ i.e, Allah is the Greatest’) thirty-three times, ninety-nine times in all, and says to complete a hundred: ‘There is no deity but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner. To Him belongs dominion, and to Him belongs (all) praise, and He is over all things Omnipotent, his sins will be forgiven even if they are as abundant as the foam of the sea.”

After saying that dhikr following the performance of prayer, it is preferred for a Muslim to recite the following suras and verses:

1. Ayatul-Kursi (i.e. the Verse of the Throne)" 2. The surah of Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity of Faith)” 3. The surah of Al-Falaq (Daybreak)"”

An-Nasa’i and At-Tabar4ni related on the authority of Aba Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Whoever recites Ayatul-Kursi (i.e. the Verse of the Throne) following (performing) every prayer, nothing will be between him and (entering) Paradise but death?”

This means that nothing delays him from entering Paradise except being alive. In another jadith, the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Whoever recites Ayatul-Kursi following (performing) every prayer will be in Allah’s covenant of protection until the following prayer.”

It is also stated in the Sunan that ‘Ugbah Ibn * Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:

“Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) commanded metorecite Al-Mu ‘awwidhatan (the Suras of Al-Falag (Daybreak) and An-Nés (Mankind)) following every prayer”

All the aforementioned honorable hadiths state the legality of these religious supplications of dhikr following obligatory prayers, and the great rewards prepared for those who observe them. So, we should keep on observing them, following in the footsteps of the Prophet (PBUH). We should also bear in mind that they are to be said after concluding prayers with taslim (i.e. immediately after finishing performing prayers), before moving from the place where we have performed prayer.

Immediately after concluding prayer with faslim, these supplications of dhikr are to be said in the following sequence:

» Saying, “O Allah, You are the Perfection and You are the One Who grants perfection; Blessed are You, O Owner of Majesty and Honor.”

+ Saying, “There is no deity but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner. To Him belongs dominion, and to Him belongs (all) praise, and He is over all things Omnipotent. O Allah! None can withhold what You grant, and none can grant what You withhold, and the fortune of a man of means is useless before You (i.e. only good deeds are of value).”

« Saying, “There is neither might nor power except in Allah. There is no deity but Allah and we worship none but Him, Alone. To Him belong all bounties, to Him belongs all grace, and to Him is worthy praise accorded. There is no deity but Allah; we are sincere to Him in religion, although the disbelievers dislike it.”

+ Saying, “Subhdén-Allah” (Glory be to Allah), “Al-hamdu-lillah” (Praise be to Allah), “Allahu-Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest) respectively thirtythree times each, and then saying to complete a hundred, “There is no deity but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner, To Him belongs dominion, and to Him belongs (all) praise, and He is over all things Omnipotent.”

+ Saying ten times following the Fajr (Dawn) and the Maghrib (Sunset) Prayers, “There is no deity but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner. To Him belongs dominion, and to Him belongs (all) praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things Omnipotent; then saying seven times, “O my Lord, protect me from the Hellfire.”

¢ Reciting Ayatul-Kursi (the Verse of the Throne), and the Suras of Al-Ikhlds (Sencerity of Faith) and Al-Mu ‘awwidhatan (the Suras of Al-Falaq (Daybreak) and An-Nas (Mankind)). It is also desirable to recite each of these suras three times following the Fajr (Dawn) and the Maghrib (Sunset) Prayers.

« Following prayers, it is also desirable to say tahlil,* tasbih,” tahmid, "and takbir™ aloud, individually not chorally. To count saying tasbih, tahmid, and ftakbir thirty-three times each, one can use one’s fingers, as they will be questioned (by Allah) and will speak and testify about one's deeds on the Day of Judgment. It is also permissible to use a rosary instead of one’s fingers for that purpose, provided one is aware that it by no means has a special virtue over using one’s fingers. Still, using a rosary is deemed detestable by some scholars. So, if a Muslim believes that a rosary used for counting the times of the aforesaid dhikr has any special virtue or superiority, it becomes an innovation in religion, as is the case with the Sufis who wear rosaries as necklaces or make them like bracelets in their hands. This aforementioned behavior is not only an innovation in religion, but it is also a kind of ostentation and affectation.

+ After finishing the aforesaid supplications of dhikr, a Muslim should invoke Allah secretly asking Him for whatever he desires, for invocation after performing prayer and saying those glorious supplications of dhikr is more likely to be granted by Allah. It is prohibited for a Muslim to raise his hands while invoking Allah after obligatory prayers as some people mistakenly do, for this is an act of innovation in religion; this may sometimes be done after supererogatory prayers. Similarly, A Muslim should not raise his voice while invoking Allah, so as to be nearer to sincerity and submissiveness and far away from ostentation.

In some countries, some people are used to raising their voices and hands chorally while invoking Allah after performing prayer, and sometimes the imam (one who leads people in prayer) invokes Allah while raising his voice and hands, and the attendants reply “Amin (amen),’ raising their voices and hands as well. Such a practice is an abominable innovation in religion, as it has neither been narrated to have been observed by the Prophet (PBUH) following prayers - be it the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer, the ‘Asr (Afternoon) Prayer, or any other obligatory prayer - nor deemed desirable by any Muslim. ShaykhulIslam Ibn Taymiyah said” in this regard:

“Whoever reported that Imam Ash-Shdfi'i deemed it desirable (i.e. deeméd raising the voices and hands chorally in supplication desirable) must have misquoted him.”

According to the above, we have to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (PBUH) and stick to his Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition), for Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“..And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” (Qur'an: Al-Hashr: 7)

“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.”

2 The Two Sahihs: The Two Authentic Books of Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

5 The Sunan refers to compilations of the Prophetic hadiths classified according to the Islamic jurisprudential subjects; the main four compilers of the Sunan are Abd Dawad, Ibn Majah, Al-Tirmidhi and An-Nasaii.

7 Ahmad (26430) [6/298] and Haythami mentioned, in his book Majma’ Az-Zawd'id (The Collection of Additional Hadiths), deemad it hasan hadith (10/108).

11 Verse No. 255 of the surah of Al-Bagarah (the Cow); Chapter No. 2 of the Quran.

14 Chapter No. 114 of the Qur'an, i.e., the last Chapter of the Qur'in.

15 An-Nasa’i in his book “Amal Al-Yawm Wal-Laylah (Supplications of the Day and Night) (100); At-Tabarani in his book Al-Mu ‘jam Al-Kabir (The Great Lexicon) (7532) [8/114] and Ibnus-Sunni in his book ‘Amal Al-Yawm Wal-Laylah (Supplications of the Day and Night) (124).

16 At-Tabarani in his book Al-Mu jam Al-Kabir (The Great Lexicon) (2733) (3/83-84]. 17 Aba: Dawa (1523) [2/123]; Al-Tirmidhi (2908) [5/171] and An-Nasa’'i (1335) [2/77]. 18 Tahlil: Saying, “Ld Haha illaliah” (i.e, There is no deity but Allah).

We should know that our Lord, Glorified and Exalted be He, has ordained voluntary prayers, side by side with the obligatory ones, as a means for His servants to draw near to Him. Performing voluntary prayers is considered among the best means of bringing oneself nearer to Allah. It ranks next to jihad (fighting or striving in the Cause of Allah) and seeking knowledge, for the Prophet (PBUH) always drew himself near to Allah by means of voluntary prayers as he (PBUH) said:

“Keep on the right course and (know that) you will not be able to do all good acts; and know that the best of your (good) deeds is prayer.”'

Prayer combines different acts of worship such as reciting the Noble Qur‘an, bowing, prostrating, supplicating Allah, being humble and submissive to Him, imploring and glorifying Him, declaring His greatness (by saying takbir), and praying to Him to confer His blessings upon the Prophet (PBUH).

The first is called “regular supererogatory prayers,’ as they have specified times of performance, and the second is called “non-regular supererogatory prayers,’ whose performance is not restricted to certain times. The first type of voluntary prayers has some subcategories of which some are more stressed than others; the most stressed of them are the Witr Prayer, the Tardwih Prayer, the Prayer for Rain, and the Eclipse Prayer respectively. Each of these prayers will be dealt with separately in detail in the following chapters, Allah willing.

1 Ibn Majah (277) [1/178]; Ahmad (22278) [5/277] and Al-Hakim. Al-Hikim graded it as authentic, and Adh-Dhahabi was of the same opinion as that of Al-Hakim. Al-Albani also graded it as authentic in his book ‘Sahihul Jami* ’ (952).

2 The Witr Prayer: A supererogatory prayer consisting of an odd number of rak’ahs (one, three, five, seven, nine, eleven or thirteen) and it is performed any time between the ‘Isha’ (Night) and the Fajr (Dawn) Prayers.

3 The Taréwih Prayer: Supererogatory prayer performed after the ‘Isha’ (Night) Prayer during the month of Ramadan.

Let us start with the Witr Prayer since it is important, as it is the most stressed voluntary prayer, and some scholars are of the opinion that it is obligatory to perform it. Generally, the act of worship whose incumbency is disputable is more stressed than any other act which is agreed to be not obligatory. Muslims agree on the legality of the Witr Prayer so it should not be abandoned. The testimony of whoever insists on leaving this prayer is not to be accepted. Imam Ahmad says, “Whoever abandons (performing) the Witr Prayer intentionally is a bad man whose testimony is not to be accepted.”' Ahmad and Abi Dawad relate as marfi* (traceable) hadith that the Prophet (PBUH) says:

“Whoever does not perform the Witr Prayer does not belong to us.”

‘The Witr is the name of the rak’ah (unit of prayer) separated from its preceding rak'ahs, or three, five, seven, nine, or eleven (continuous) rak ‘ahs (performed with only one final taslim). If these rak ‘ahs are separated by two or more taslims (final Salams in prayer), the Witr is the rak'ah separated alone. The time for the Witr Prayer starts immediately after the ‘Isha’ (Night) Prayer

and continues until dawn. In the Two Sahihs, ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) says:

“Allah's Messenger (PBUH) performed the Witr Prayer at different nights at various hours extending (from the Night Prayer) up to the last hour of the night.”

It is stated in many hadiths that the time of performing the Witr Prayer is the whole night except the time before the ‘Isha’ Prayer. If a Muslim is sure to wake up late at the last time of the night, it is desirable for him to perform the Witr Prayer then; however, if he is not certain (to be awake at this time), he should perform this prayer before going to bed as recommended by the Prophet (PBUH). Imam Muslim relates on the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH) says:

“If anyone of you is afraid that he may not be able to get up at the end of the night, let him perform the Witr Prayer and then sleep. And if he is confident of getting up and performing prayer at night, then let him perform it at the end of it, for the recitation (of the Quréan) at the end of the night is witnessed (by angels), which is better.”*

The Witr Prayer can be as short as one rak'ah (unit of prayer) according to the kadiths (related to this ruling) and as narrated from ten of the Prophet's Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all). Yet, it is desirable to perform the Shaf’” before the Witr Prayer. The rak'ahs of the Witr Prayer can be as many as eleven or thirteen, uttering taslim at the end of every two rak ‘ahs and performing the Witr with a single rak'ah. Imam Muslim relates that ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates:

“Allah's Messenger (PBUH) used to perform eleven rak ‘ahs at night, performing the Witr with a single rak’ah.””

“uttering taslim at the end of every two rak'ahs and performing the Witr with a single one.”

Moreover, a Muslim is permitted to perform eleven continuous rak ‘ahs, with one Tashahhud in the tenth rak ‘ah and another Tashahhud in the eleventh, and then end his prayer with taslim. Also, he may perform eleven continuous rak'‘ahs with only one Tashahhud in the last one (before ending his prayer with taslim). Yet, the first way of performing the Witr Prayer is more desirable.

Besides, a Muslim is permitted to perform nine continuous rak ‘ahs, with a Tashahhud in the eighth rak'ah and another in the ninth, and then end his prayer with taslim. He also may perform seven or five continuous rak‘ahs, with one Tashahhud in the end after which he is to end the prayer with taslim. Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:

“Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) used to perform the Witr with five or seven rak ‘ahs (units of prayer) without talking or uttering taslim between them.”

A different way to perform the Witr Prayer is to perform two rak’ahs and say taslim then perform a single (last) one.

It is desirable to recite the surah of Al-A‘ld (the Most High)’ in the first rak ‘ah, the surah of Al-Kafiriin (the Disbelievers) "in the second and the surah of Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity of Faith)'' in the third.

Therefore, it became evident that it is permitted to perform eleven, thirteen, nine, seven, five, three, or one rak'ah, yet the highly desirable is to perform eleven rak ‘ahs and the least desirable is three rak‘ahs, but it is sufficient to perform only one rak‘ah. In addition to this, it is desirable to recite quntit (invocation) after rising from bowing in the last rak’ah, invoking Allah and saying the following supplication related about the Prophet (PBUH):

5 The Shaf"; It generally refers to any prayer consisting of an even number of rak'ahs, and it particularly refers to the even number of rak'ahs performed before the final rak ‘ah of the Witr Prayer. :

12 Aba Dawid (1425) [2/90]; Al-Tirmidhi (463) [2/328]; An-Nasa’i (1744) (3/275] and Ibn Majah (1178) [2/49].

The Taréwih Prayer (Nightly Supererogatory Prayer during the month of Ramadan) is among what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has ordained for Muslims in Ramadan, and it is a stressed act of the Sunnah. It is called ‘the Tarawih’ which means in Arabic ‘intervals of relaxation; because Muslims used to take an interval of relaxation after every four rak‘has' of the Tarawih Prayer as they used to prolong the prayer. It is more desirable to perform the Tardwih Prayer in congregation in the mosque, as the Prophet (PBUH) led his Companions in performing the Tardwih Prayer for some nights then he stopped for fear that it (i.e. the Tarawih Prayer) might become a burden on Muslims. In the Two Sahihs, ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:

“One night, Allah's Messenger (PBUH) performed prayer in the mosque and some people followed him. The next night he also performed prayer and too many people gathered. On the third or the fourth night, more people gathered, but Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) did not come out to them. In the morning he said, ‘I saw what you were doing and nothing but the fear that it (i.e. the prayer) might be enjoined on you, stopped me from coming to you.”