The Obligation To Recite In The Quiet Prayers - Part 22 - صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee - The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 22 - The Obligation To Recite In The Quiet Prayers

 

As for the quiet prayers, he [the Prophet [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] urged them to recite during them; Jaabir said: "We used to recite behind the imaam in Zuhr and 'Asr: Soorah al-Faatihah and another Soorah in the first two rak'ahs, and Soorah al-Faatihah in the last two."

[Recorded by Ibn Maajah with a saheeh isnaad. It is given in Irwaa' (506).]

However, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] dissuaded them from confusing him with their recitation, when:

"he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] prayed Zuhr with his Companions and said (afterwards):

"Which of you recited {Glorify the name of your Lord the Most High}"(Soorah al-A'laa, 87)? 

Someone said: It was I [but I was only intending nothing but good by doing so]. 

So he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ]said:

"I knew that someone was contending with me by it.""

[Recorded by Muslim, Abu 'Awaanah and Siraaj.]

In another hadeeth: "They used to recite behind the Prophet [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] [loudly], so he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"You have mixed up my (recitation of the) Qur'aan."

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree in his article, Ahmad and Siraaj with a hasan isnaad.]

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] also said:

"Truly, the person praying is privately consulting his Lord, so he should be careful about what he consults him with, and you should not recite the Qur'aan loudly over each other."

[Recorded by Maalik and al-Bukhaaree in Af'aal al-'Ibaad with a saheeh isnaad.]

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] also used to say:

"Whoever recited a harf (letter) from the Book of Allaah, it will count for him as one good deed, and a good deed is worth ten times over. I do not mean that "alif laam meem" is a harf, but "alif" is a harf, "laam" is a harf, and "meem" is a harf."

[Recorded by at-Tirmidhee and Ibn Maajah with a saheeh isnaad. Transmitted also by Aajurree in Aadaab Haml al-Qur.aan. As for the hadeeth, "He who recites behind the imaam, his mouth is filled with fire", it is fabricated (mawdoo') and this is explained in Silsilat al-ahaadeeth al-da'eefah (no. 569).]

[Additional Note: The view of the validity of recitation behind the imaam in quiet but not loud prayers was taken by Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee initially, and by Muhammad the student of Abu Haneefah in a narration from him which was preferred by Shaykh 'Alee al-Qaaree and other Shaykhs of the madhhab; it was also the position of, among others, the Imaams Zuhri, Maalik, Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, several of the muhadditheen, and it is the preference of Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.]

____________________________________

The Weakness of the Hadeeth condemning Recitation behind the Imaam

from: Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth ad-Da'eefah wal-Mawdoo'ah (568-570) by Shaykh al-Albaanee

1 - "He who recites behind the imaam, his mouth is filled with fire."

Mawdoo' (Fabricated). Ibn Taahir quoted it in Tadhkirah al-Mawdoo'aat (p.93), and said: "The isnaad contains Ma'moon ibn Ahmad al-Harawee, an utter liar who used to narrate fabrications." More of his description is given in hadeeth 2 below. Ibn Hibbaan mentioned this hadeeth under his name in ad-Du'afaa (The Weak Narrators) and adh-Dhahabee regarded it as one of his calamities!

Some Hanafees have been deceived by this hadeeth, arguing on its basis that any recitation behind the imaam is totally haraam! Abul Hasanaat al-Luknaawee said in at-Ta'leeq al-Mumajjid 'alaa Muwatta' Muhammad (p. 99), "It was mentioned by the author of Nihaayah and by others as marfoo' with the wording, '_there is a burning coal in his mouth', and it is totally baseless."

He had said before that, "In no saheeh marfoo' hadeeth is there a forbiddance of reciting al-Faatihah behind the imaam; all that they quote as marfoo' regarding this is either baseless or not authentic", and had then mentioned this hadeeth with both wordings as an example.

The people of knowledge, both past and present, have differed regarding recitation behind the imaam, taking one of three views:

That recitation in loud and quiet prayers is obligatory.

That silence in loud and quiet prayers is obligatory.

That there be recitation in quiet, but not in loud, prayers.

This last view is the most balanced and closest to the truth, for in it, all the evidences can be accommodated such that none of them is rejected totally. It is the view of Maalik and Ahmad, and has also been prefered after analysis by some Hanafees, including Abul Hasanaat al-Luknaawee in his aforementioned book.

 

Another example of Ma'moon al-Harawee's inventions is the following:

2 - "He who raises his hands during the prayer, there is no prayer for him."

Mawdoo' (Fabricated). Ibn Taahir quoted it in Tadhkirah al-Mawdoo'aat (p. 87), and said: "The isnaad contains Ma'moon ibn Ahmad al-Harawee, an utter liar who used to fabricate ahaadeeth."

adh-Dhahabee said about him, "He brought calamities and disgraceful reports. He invented ahaadeeth, this being one of them, and related them apparently on the authority of reliable narrators."

It is clear to me from the ahaadeeth which Ma'moon al-Harawee has invented that he is a bigoted zealot of the Hanafee Madhhab, for all the ahaadeeth mentioned under his descriptions (in books of narrators) revolve around supporting Imaam Abu Haneefah and insulting Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee; amongst them is this one: a clear insult to the ash-Shaafi'ee view, which approves the raising of the hands on going down into rukoo' and rising from it (which is the truth without doubt), while obviously backing the Hanafee view which says that this is makrooh. This disgusting man was not even satisfied with the position of his Madhhab that raising the hands was makrooh: he even went to the extent of inventing this hadeeth, in order to propagate amongst the people that raising the hands actually invalidates the prayer!

Perhaps he also intended to support Makhool's narration from Abu Haneefah that he said: "He who raises his hands during prayer, his prayer is ruined", a narration which deceived Ameer Kaatib al-Itqaanee, who compiled a treatise on the basis of it to argue the invalidation of the prayer by the raising of the hands! Similarly deceived was the one who trod his path and ruled that it was not permissible for Hanafees to pray behind Shaafi'ees because the latter raise their hands! While all along, this narration from Abu Haneefah is utterly false, as 'Allaamah Abul Hasanaat al-Luknaawee has verified in al-Fawa'id al-Bahiyyah fee Taraajum al-Hanafeeyyah (pp. 116, 216-7).

Shaykh 'Alee al-Qaaree quoted this hadeeth in al-Mawdoo'at and then said (p. 81), "This hadeeth was fabricated by Muhammad b. 'Ukaashah al-Kirmaanee, may Allaah disgrace him." Later (p. 129), he quoted Ibn al-Qayyim as saying, "It is fabricated."

This is contrary to what has been established (above) that the fabricator was al-Harawee; if it is proved, than perhaps one of them stole it from the other!

We can see from all this what lack of heed to the Sunnah, and abandonment of verification of narrations from the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and the Imaams, can do!

NOTE: About raising the hands on going into rukoo' and rising from it, many many ahaadeeth have been narrated from the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam): they are actually mutawaatir in the eyes of the scholars; in fact, raising the hands with every takbeer is proven on his authority in many ahaadeeth; whereas not raising the hands is not authentically-related from him except once via 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood (radhi-yAllaahu 'anhu), but this is not suitable for putting into practice, for it is naaf (negatory). It is firmly established, in the eyes of the Hanafees and others, that the muthbit (affirmatory) takes precedence over the naaf (negatory); this is even when the affirmatory is on its own, let alone the case when it is a multitude of narrations, as in this issue! On the basis of this principle, and in the abscence of anything contrary, this renders it binding on them to adopt the raising of the hands, and not to stick zealously to the Madhhab after the establishment of proof. However, it is a pity that only a handful of the earlier or later ones have adopted it, so much so that not raising the hands has become a landmark for them!

Yet another of the inventions of this vile liar, this time a personal insult to Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee (Muhammad bin Idrees), is the following:

3 - "There will be a man among my ummah known as Muhammad bin Idrees, who will be more harmful to my ummah than Iblees, and there will be a man among my ummah known as Abu Haneefah, who will be the lamp of my ummah."

Mawdoo' (Fabricated). Ibn al-Jawzee quoted it in al-Mawdoo'aat(1/457) via:

Ma'moon ibn Ahmad as-Salmi, who said: Ahmad ibn 'Abdullaah al-Juwaybaaree narrated to us: 'Abdullaah ibn Mi'daan al-Azadi informed us from Anas, as marfoo';

and then said: "Fabricated; invented by Ma'moon or by Juwaybaaree. al-Haakim mentioned in Madhkal that it was said to Ma'moon, 'Do you not look to ash-Shaafi'ee and his followers?' So he said, 'Ahmad ibn 'Abdullaah al-Juwaybaaree narrated to us...' etc., so it becomes evident from this that he is the fabricator of it."

The following addition appears in Lisaan: "al-Haakim then said, 'Anyone whom Allaah has granted the least amount of intelligence would testify that a hadeeth such as this is a fabrication attributed to the Messenger of Allaah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)'."

The hadeeth does have other routes of narration, but these depend on liars and unknown reporters. Therefore, it is extremely bizarre that 'Allaamah 'Aynee should incline towards strengthening the hadeeth with those other routes, and that Shaykh Kawtharee should support him! However, it is no surprise from the latter, for he was notorious for being submerged in zealousy for Imaam Abu Haneefah (rahima-hullaah), even if it entailed insulting other Imaams; but it is very surprising from 'Aynee, for he was generally known not to go to such extremes. The opinion of these two has been refuted, with analysis of the other routes of narration referred to, in a unique way in 'Allaamah Yamaanee's valuable book, at-Tankeel bi maa fee Ta'neeb al-Kawtharee min al-Abaateel (1/20, 446-9).

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

From The Abridgement of The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer

 

"THE RECITATION OF SOORAH AL-FAATIHAH BY ONE WHO IS PRAYING ALONG WITH AN IMAAM

(54) It is obligatory that the one praying behind an imaam also recites it in quiet prayers. He should also recite it in loud prayers if he cannot hear an imaam reciting, or if it happens that the imaam remains silent after his own recitation in order to enable the follower to recite it. However, it is our view that this period of silence is not established from the Sunnah.

Note: I [Al-Albaani] say: I have mentioned the evidence used by those who support it, along with its rebuttal in Silsilatul-Ahaadeethid-Da'eefah, nos. 546 and 547."

__________________________________

 

[Additional Notes]

In case of issues with email display, a PDF file of this part of the book is attached.

The extracts from this book are being provided for beneficial knowledge of the religion of Islam in order to benefit a large number of people  إن شاء الله‎  inshaaAllaah. It is hoped by making material available that this will encourage brothers and sisters to seek knowledge of the deen and purchase authentic books of knowledge, listen to lectures from the scholars and eventually sit with scholars inshaaAllaah.

It is recommended that you purchase these books: 

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH).

The Abridgement Of The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH).

All English translations of The Qur'aan are taken from "Interpretation of the Meaning of The Noble Qur'aan in the English Language" By Dr. Muhammad Taqiuddeen al-Hilaalee, Ph.D. and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan" and it is recommended that you purchase this book in order to build your own Islamic Library at home so that you can easily reference authentic publications. Please note that the original translation of this book did not use this translation of The Qur'aan but it is being used in this series as it is the best English translation available and recommended by the major scholars.

Some of the scholars have said that there should be some leniency in spreading knowledge of the Religion of Islam and it is with this in mind that this post has been put together with as much of the details of the book being provided as necessary to aid the reader.

Please respect the rights of the organisations and individuals involved in producing this book. Further details on the issue of copyright and ownership are available here:

http://www.bakkah.net/interactive/q&a/aamb080-copyrights-translations-intellectual-property.htm

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 23 - The Aameen, And The Imaam's Saying It Loudly

 

When he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ]  finished reciting al-Faatihah, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would say:

"aameen" loudly, prolonging his voice.

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree in Juz' al-Qiraa'ah and Abu Daawood with a saheeh isnaad.]

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] also used to order the congregation to say aameen:

"When the imaam says,

"Not of those who receive (Your) anger, nor of those who go astray", then say "aameen" [for the angels say "aameen" and the imaam says aameen"] (in another narration: when the imaam says "aameen" say "aameen"), so he whose aameen coincides with the aameen of the angels (in another narration: when one of you says "aameen" in prayer and the angels in the sky say "aameen", and they coincide), his past sins are forgiven."

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree, Muslim, an-Nasaa'ee, and ad-Daarimee; the additional wordings are reported by the latter two, and prove that this hadeeth cannot justify that the imaam does not say aameen, as reported from Maalik; hence, Ibn Hajar says in Fat'hul-Baaree, "It clearly shows that the imaam says aameen." Ibn 'Abdul Barr says in Tamheed (7/[13), "It is the view of the majority of the Muslims, including Maalik as the people of Madeenah report from him, for it is authentic from Allaah's Messenger [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] through the ahaadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (i.e. this one) and that of Waa'il ibn Hujr (i.e. the previous one)." ] 

In another hadeeth: ...then say aameen; Allaah will answer you. 

[Recorded by Muslim and Abu 'Awaanah.]

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] also used to say:

"The Jews do not envy you over anything as much as they envy you over the salutation and aameen [behind the imaam]."

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree in al-Adab al-Mufrad, Ibn Maajah, Ibn Khuzaymah, Ahmad and Siraaj with two saheeh isnaads.]

_________________________________________________________

End Note: The aameen of the congregation behind the imaam should be done loudly and simultaneously with the imaam, not before him as the majority of worshippers do, nor after him. This is what I [al-Albaanee] finally find most convincing, as I have explained in some of my works, among them Silsilat al-ahaadeeth ad-da'eefah (no. 952, vol. 2) which has been printed and published by the grace of Allaah, and Saheeh at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb (1/205).

Analysis of the Ahaadeeth regarding the saying of 'aameen' by the Imaam and the Congregation

...from: Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth ad-Da'eefah (951-2) by Shaykh al-Albaanee

1 - "When he said aameen, those behind him would say aameen, such that there was a lot of noise in the mosque."

There is no basis for the hadeeth with this wording as far as we know. Ibn Hajr said in Talkhees al-Habeer (p. 90), "I do not find it with this wording, but its meaning is related by Ibn Maajah in the hadeeth of Bishr ibn Raafi'":

2 - "When he recited 'Not of those who received Your anger, nor of those who go astray', he said 'aameen', such that those close to him in the first row could hear [and the mosque trembled with it]."

Da'eef (Weak). Related by Ibn Maajah (1/281) and Abu Daawood without the addition (1/148), both via:

Bishr ibn Raafi' from Abu 'Abdullaah, cousin of Abu Hurayrah [ رضى الله تعالى عنه , radiyallahu 'anhu, may Allaah be pleased with him ], from Abu Hurayrah [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] from the Prophet [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ].

Ibn Hajar said in Talkhees (p. 90), "Bishr ibn Raafi' is weak; the cousin of Abu Hurayrah [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] has been said to be unknown, but Ibn Hibbaan has declared him reliable."

Boosayree said in Zawaa'id (56/1), "This is a weak isnaad; Abu 'Abdullaah's condition is not known; Bishr was declared weak by Ahmad, and Ibn Hibbaan said: 'He narrated fabrications'."

 

Hadeeth 2 only gives a part of the meaning of no. 1, i.e. the saying of aameen by the imaam alone. As for the aameen of those behind, this could be the reason for the phrase "the mosque trembled with it (the sound)", but the hadeeth literally implies that the aameen of the Prophet [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] was the reason for this.

3 - "When he finished reciting the Mother of the Qur'aan, he raised his voice and said 'aameen'."

Da'eef (Weak). Related by ad-Daaraqutnee, al-Haakim and al-Bayhaqee.

 

All the above sources contain Ishaaq ibn Ibraaheem ibn al-'Alaa' az-Zubaydee, also known as Ibn Zibreeq, who is weak: Abu Haatim said: "An old man, no harm in him"; Ibn Ma'een described him in good terms; an-Nasaa'ee said: "Not reliable"; Muhammad ibn 'Awf said: "I have no doubt that Ishaaq ibn Zibreeq used to lie." However, this wording is correct in meaning, for it has a supporting hadeeth of Waa.il ibn Hajar with a saheeh sanad.

(Since the text of this hadeeth does not imply the aameen of the congregation at all, it is incorrect to regard it as another version of hadeeth no. 2, as Shawkaanee did.)

The only support for no. 1 is what ash-Shaafi'ee related in his Musnad (1/76) via Muslim ibn Khaalid from Ibn Jurayj from 'Ataa', who said:

4 - "I used to hear the imaams: Ibn az-Zubayr [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] and others after him would say 'aameen', and those behind would say 'aameen', until the mosque echoed."

This has two defects:

(i) The weakness of Muslim ibn Khaalid az-Zanjee; Ibn Hajar said: "He was truthful, but made many errors."

(ii) The 'an'anah of Ibn Jurayj, who was a mudallis; perhaps he actually took it from Khaalid ibn Abee Anoof, who narrated it from 'Ataa' as follows:

 

4.1- "I came across two hundred Companions of the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] in this mosque (i.e. Masjid al-Haraam, Makkah): when the imaam had said 'Nor of those who go astray', they raised their voices in aameen (in one narration: I heard the thundering sound of their aameen)."

Related by al-Bayhaqee (2/59) and Ibn Hibbaan in Thiqaat (2/74); the alternative narration is from the former.

 

This Khaalid was described by Ibn Abee Haatim (1/2/355-6), but he did not include any authentication or disparagement. Ibn Hibbaan included him among the reliable narrators, but Ibn Hibbaan is well-known to be far from rigorous in such cases, so I am not satisfied that this narration is authentic. This is because if Ibn Jurayj indeed took it from him, this constitutes only one debatable route; if not, we do not know from whom Ibn Jurayj took it. It seems that Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee himself was not satisfied of the authenticity of this narration, for his position is contrary to it: he says in al-Umm (1/95), "So when the imaam completes reciting the Mother of the Book, he says 'aameen', raising his voice so that those behind may follow him: when he says it, they say it to themselves, but I do not like them saying it aloud"; had the above narration from the Companions been authentic in ash-Shaafi'ee's view, he would not have opposed their action.

Hence, the most correct opinion in this issue appears to be the madhhab of ash-Shaafi'ee: that the imaam, but not those following, should say 'aameen' loudly. Allaah knows best.

 

But then, I saw that al-Bukhaaree mentioned the text (only) of the narration about Ibn az-Zubayr [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] in his Saheeh (i.e. in mu'allaq form), designating it with certainty. Ibn Hajar said in Fat'hul-Baaree (2/208), "The connecting isnaad has been provided by 'Abd ar-Razzaaq from Ibn Jurayj from 'Ataa'. He (i.e. Ibn Jurayj) said, 'I said to him, "Did Ibn az-Zubayr [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] say aameen at the end of the Mother of the Qur'aan ?" He said: "Yes, and those behind him also said aameen, until the mosque echoed." He then said: "Verily, aameen is a supplication".'" This is found in the Musannaf of 'Abd ar-Razzaaq (2640/2), and from this route, in Ibn Hazm's al-Muhallaa (3/364).

In this narration, Ibn Jurayj has clarified that he took the narration from 'Ataa' face-to-face, so we are assured of the absence of tadlees, and the narration of Ibn az-Zubayr is established firmly. Similarly is proven from Abu Hurayrah[ رضى الله تعالى عنه ]; Abu Raafi' said:

5 - "Abu Hurayrah [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] used to call to prayer for Marwaan ibn al-Hakam, stipulating that the latter would not get to 'Nor of those who go astray' unless he knew that Abu Hurayrah [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] had entered the row. So when Marwaan said 'Nor of those who go astray', Abu Hurayrah [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] would say 'aameen', prolonging it. He also said, 'When the aameen of those on the earth coincides with the aameen of those in the heaven, they are forgiven'."

Related by al-Bayhaqee (2/59); its isnaad is saheeh.

 

Hence, since nothing is established from any of the Companions other than Abu Hurayrah [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] and Ibn az-Zubayr [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] contrary to their aameen aloud, this must be accepted. Presently, I know of no narration opposing this. Allaah knows best."

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 24 - The Recitation After Al-Faatihah

Next, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ]  would recite another Soorah after al-Faatihah, making it long sometimes, and on other occasions making it short because of travel, cough, illness or the crying of infants.

 

Anas ibn Maalik [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ,  may Allah be pleased with him ] said: "He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] made it [i.e. the recitation] short one day in the dawn prayer." (In another hadeeth: he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] prayed the morning prayer and recited the two shortest soorahs in the Qur'aan.) So it was said: "O Messenger of Allaah, why did you make it short?"

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"I heard the crying of a child, and I supposed that his mother was praying with us, so I wanted to free his mother for him."

[Recording by Ahmad with a saheeh isnaad; the other hadeeth was transmitted by Ibn Abee Dawood in al-Masaahif (4/14/2). This and other similar hadeeths contain permission for infants to enter the mosque. As for the hadeeth on many lips: "Keep your small children away from your mosques...", it is da'eef and cannot be used for proof at all; among those who have declared it da'eef are Ibn al-Jawzee, Mundhiree, Haytamee, Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalaanee and Boosayree. 'Abdul Haqq al-Ishbeelee said: "It is baseless". ]

 

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] also used to say:

"I enter into prayer intending to lengthen it, but I hear the crying of a child so I shorten my prayer because I know how deeply his mother feels about his crying."

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to start from the beginnning of a soorah, completing it most of the time.

[There are many ahaadeeth mentioned further on which prove this.]

 

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to say:

"Give every Soorah its share of rukoo' and sujood.

[Recorded by Ibn Abee Shaybah (1/100/1), Ahmad and 'Abdul Ghanee al-Maqdisee in his Sunan (9/2) with a saheeh isnaad.]

 

 

In another narration: Every Soorah should have a rak'ah."

[Recorded by Ibn Nasr and at-Tahaawee with a saheeh isnaad; I take the meaning of the hadeeth as: Make every rak'ah have a complete soorah. The order is one of preference, not compulsion, from the evidence which follows.]

 

 

 

Sometimes he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would divide the Soorah into two rak'ahs

[Recorded by Ahmad and Abu Ya'laa from two routes. Also see "Recitation in Fajr prayer".]

 

and sometimes he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would repeat the whole Soorah in the second rak'ah

[As he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] did in Fajr, as will follow.].

 

 

 

Sometimes he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would combine two or more soorahs in one rak'ah.

[Details and sources will follow shortly.]

 

 

 

One of the Ansaar used to lead them in the mosque of Qubaa', and every time he [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] recited a Soorah [i.e. a Soorah after al-Faatihah] for them, he [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] would begin with "Say: He is Allaah, the One and Only " (Soorah al-Ikhlaas, 112) until its end, and then recite another Soorah with it, and he would do this in every rak'ah. Because of this, his people spoke to him, saying: "You begin with this soorah, and then you do not regard it as enough until you recite another one: you should either recite it (only) or leave it and recite another one. He [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] said: "I will not leave it: if you do not mind me leading you with it, I shall carry on, but if you do not like it, I shall leave you." They knew that he was one of their best, and they did not like to be led by anyone else, so when the Prophet [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] came to them, they told him [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] the story. He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"O so- and-so, what stops you from doing what your people ask you to? What makes you recite this Soorah in every rak'ah?

 

He [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] said: "I love this soorah."

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said: Your love for it will enter you into the Garden."

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree as ta'leeq and at-Tirmidhee as mawsool, and he declared it saheeh.]"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

From The Abridgement of The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer

 

"The Recitation After Soorah Al-Faatihah

(55) It is from the Sunnah that after reciting al-Faatihah, he recites another Soorah - even in the Funeral Prayer, or that he recites some aayahs, in the first two rak'ahs.

 

(56) He may sometimes lengthen the recitation after it and shorten it at other times, due to the needs of travel, having a cough and cold, being ill or due to the crying of a child.

 

(57) The length of recitation will vary according to the different Prayers. So generally, the recitation in the Dawn (Fajr) Prayer is longer than the recitation in any of the other Prayers. Next comes the Zuhr, then the 'Asr and the Maghrib, then the 'Ishaa.

 

(58) The recitation in the (optional) Night Prayer (Salaatul-Layl) is longer than any of those.

 

I [Al-Albaani] say: I have mentioned the evidence used by those who support it, along with its rebuttal in Silsilatul-Ahaadeethid-Da'eefah, nos. 546 and 547

 

(59) The Sunnah is also to make the recitation in the first rak'ah longer than the recitation in the second rak'ah.

 

(60) Also that he makes the recitation in the last two rak'ahs shorter than that in the first two, by about a half."

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 25 - Combining Similar Soorahs And Others In One Rak'ah

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ]  used to combine the pairs [163] of the mufassal [164] soorahs, so he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite one of the following pairs of soorahs in one rak'ah [Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]:

 

ar-Rahmaan (55:78) and an-Najm (53:62);

 

al-Qamar (54:55) and al-Haaqqah (69:52);

 

at-Toor (52:49) and Dhaariyaat (51:60);

 

al-Waaqi'ah (56:96) and al-Qalam (68:52);

 

al-Ma'aarij (70:44) and an-Naazi'aat (79:46);

 

al-Mutaffifeen (83:36) and 'Abasa (80:42);

 

al-Muddaththir (74:56) and al-Muzzammil (73:20);

 

ad-Dahr (76:31) and al-Qiyaamah (75:40);

 

an-Naba (78:40) and al-Mursalaat (77:50);

 

ad-Dukhaan (44:59) and at-Takweer (81:29).

 

[ The first number is that of the soorah, while the second is the number of aayaat in the soorah. By inspecting the first of the two numbers in each case, it is easy to see that in many of these combinations, he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did not stick to the Qur'aanic order of the soorahs, so this is evidence for the permissibility of doing this, even though it is better to follow the sequence of the Qur'aan. A similar case is to be found later in "Night prayer".“ ]

 

 

Sometimes he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would combine soorahs from the seven tiwaal (long soorahs), such as al-Baqarah, an-Nisaa' and aal-Imraan in one rak'ah during night prayer (below). He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to say:

"The most excellent prayer is one with long standing."

[Recorded by Muslim and at-Tahaawee.]

When he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] recited,

 

أَلَيْسَ ذَٰلِكَ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَىٰ أَن يُحْيِيَ الْمَوْتَىٰ

 

“Is not He (Allah Who does that), Able to give life to the dead? (Yes! He is Able to do all things).”

[ القرآن الكريم The Noble Qur'aan, سورة القيامة Soorah al-Qiyaamah - (The Resurrection) 075, Verses 040 ]

[Translation - "Interpretation of the Meaning of The Noble Qur'aan in the English Language" By Dr. Muhammad Taqiuddeen al-Hilaalee, Ph.D. and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, Published By Darussalam.],

 

he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would say,

 

 

"Glory be to You, of course!"

 

 

 

and when he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] recited,

 

سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى

 

"Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High,"

[ القرآن الكريم The Noble Qur'aan, سورة الأعلى Soorah al-A'laa - (The Most High) 087, Verse 001 ]

[Translation - "Interpretation of the Meaning of The Noble Qur'aan in the English Language" By Dr. Muhammad Taqiuddeen al-Hilaalee, Ph.D. and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, Published By Darussalam.]

 

 

he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would say,

 

"Glorified be my Lord Most High"

[Recorded by Abu Daawood and al-Bayhaqee with a saheeh isnaad. This hadeeth is general, so it applies to both recitation during prayer, whether voluntary or obligatory, and outside it. Ibn Abee Shaybah (2/[132/2) has transmitted from Abu Moosaa al-Ash'aree and Mugheerah ibn Shu'bah that they used to say this in obligatory prayers, and from 'Umar and 'Alee without such specification.]

 

 

End Notes:

 

“[163] nazaa'ir: soorahs which are similar in meaning, e.g. they both contain advice, commandments, or stories.

 

 

[164] These are agreed to end at the end of the Qur'aan; the soundest view is that they begin with Soorah Qaaf (no. 50)."

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 26 - The Permissibility Of Reciting Al-Faatihah Only

Mu'aadh ibn Jabal [ رضى الله تعالى عنه , radiyallahu 'anhu, may Allaah be pleased with him ] used to pray 'Ishaa' [the last] with the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ], and then return and lead his people in prayer. One night when he [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] returned and prayed with them, a young man [called Sulaym [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ], of the Banu Salamah] from his people prayed, but when it became too long for him, he [went away and] prayed [in the corner of the mosque], then came out, took the reins of his camel and departed. When Mu'aadh [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] had prayed, this was mentioned to him, so he [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] said: "He surely has some hypocrisy in him! I will surely tell the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] what he has done." 

The young man said: "And I will tell the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] what he has done." 

So in the morning they came to the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ], and Mu'aadh [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] informed him of what the young man had done. The young man [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] said: "O Messenger of Allaah! He stays a long time with you, and then he returns and lengthens it for us." 

So the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"Are you one who causes great trouble, Mu'aadh?!" and he said to the young man [In the original, "the young man said".]:

"What do you do when you pray, son of my brother?"

He [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] said: "I recite the opening chapter of the Book, then I ask Allaah for the Garden, and seek refuge with Him from the Fire. I know neither your dandanah [170] nor the dandanah of Mu'aadh!" 

So the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"I and Mu'aadh are similar in this."

The narrator said: The young man said: "But Mu'aadh will know (about me) on going to the people when they will have been informed that the enemy has arrived." The narrator said: So the enemy came, and the young man attained shahaadah (martyrdom). So after that the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said to Mu'aadh [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ]:

"What did the one disputing with me and you do? 

He [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] said: "O Messenger of Allaah, he was true to Allaah, and I spoke falsely - he was martyred.""

[Recorded by Ibn Khuzaymah in his saheeh (1634) and al-Bayhaqee with a saheeh isnaad. It has a supporting narration in Abu Daawood (no. 758, Saheeh Abee Dawood) and the basic story is in al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. The first addition is in one narration of Muslim, the second in Ahmad (5/74), and the third and fourth in al-Bukhaaree. Also under this heading is the hadeeth on the authority of Ibn `Abbaas: "that the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] prayed two rak`ahs in which he recited only al-Faatihah", transmitted by Ahmad (1/282), Haarith ibn Abee Usaamah in his musnad (p.38 of its zawaa.id) and al-Bayhaqee (2/62) with a da`eef isnaad. I used to declare this hadeeth hasan in previous works, until I realised that I had been mistaken, because this hadeeth depends on Hanzalah ad-Dawsee, who is da`eef, and I do not know how this was unknown to me; maybe I thought he was someone else. Anyway, praise is due to Allaah who guided me to recognise my mistake, and that is why I hurried to correct it in print. Then Allaah compensated me with this better hadeeth of Mu`aadh which relates to what the hadeeth of Ibn `Abbaas indicated. Praise be to Allaah by whose Grace good actions are completed.]

_______________________________________________________

[170] dandanah: when someone speaks some words such that their intonation is audible but they cannot be understood; it is a little bit more than murmuring. (Nihaayah) "

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

From The Abridgement of The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer

 

"RECITING SOORAH AL-FAATIHAH IN EVERY RAK'AH

(61) It is obligatory that he recites al-Faatihah in every rak'ah.

(62) It is from the Sunnah that he sometimes recites something in addition to it in the last two rak'ahs also.

(63) It is not allowed for the imaam to prolong the recitation more than what occurs in the Sunnah. By doing so he would cause difficulty to some of those who may be praying behind him, such as old people, sick people, nursing mothers and those who have needs to attend to."

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 27 - Quiet And Loud Recitation In The Five Prayers And Others

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite loudly in the morning prayer and in the first two rak'ahs of Maghrib and 'Ishaa', and quietly in Zuhr, 'Asr, the third rak'ah of Maghrib and the last two rak'ahs of Ishaa'.

[There is Ijmaa` (consensus of opinion) of the Muslims on this, with successors passing it on from the predecessors, along with authentic hadeeths which establish this, as an-Nawawee has said, and some of them follow. See also Irwaa' (345).]

 

 

They could tell when he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] was reciting quietly from the movement of his beard [Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Abu Daawood], and because he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would let them hear an aayah or so sometimes.

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim].

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] also recited loudly in Friday prayer and the two 'Eed prayers, in the prayer for rain [Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Abu Daawood], and in the eclipse prayer [Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

From The Abridgement of The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer

 

"LOUD AND QUIET RECITATION

(64) He should recite aloud in the Dawn (Fajr) Prayer, the Jummu'ah Prayer, the two 'Eid Prayers, the Prayer for seeking rain, the Eclipse Prayer and in the first two rak'ahs of the Maghrib and 'Ishaa Prayers. He should recite quietly in the Zuhr and 'Asr Prayers, in the third rak'ah of the Maghrib Prayer and the last two rak'ahs of the 'Ishaa Prayer.

 

(65) It is permissible for the Imaam sometimes to recite an aayah loud enough to be heard by the people in the quiet Prayers.

 

(66) As for the Witr Prayer and the Prayer during the night (Salaatul-Layl), then he should sometimes recite quietly in it, and recite loudly at other times. However, his voice should only be raised moderately."

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 28 - Quiet And Loud Recitation In The Night Prayer (Tahajjud) [178]

As for night prayer, he [ The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would sometimes recite quietly and sometimes loudly [Recorded by Muslim and al-Bukhaaree in Af'aal al-'Ibaad],

 

and "he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite in his house such that he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] could be heard in the courtyard."

[Recorded by Abu Daawood and at-Tirmidhee in Shamaa'il with a hasan isnaad. The hadeeth means that he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to moderate between quietness and loudness.]

 

"Occasionally he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would raise his voice more than that until someone lying in bed could hear him [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ]"

[Recorded by an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee in Shamaa'il and al-Bayhaqee in Dalaa'il with a hasan isnaad.] (i.e. from outside the courtyard).

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] ordered Abu Bakr [ رضى الله تعالى عنه , radiyallahu 'anhu, may Allaah be pleased with him ] and 'Umar [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] likewise, when:

"he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] came out at night to find Abu Bakr [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] praying in a low voice, and he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] passed by 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ] who was praying in a loud voice. Later, when they gathered around the Prophet [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"O Abu Bakr, I passed by you and you were praying in a low voice?"

 

He [Abu Bakr رضى الله تعالى عنه ] said: "I let Him whom I was consulting hear, O Messenger of Allaah."

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said to 'Umar [ رضى الله تعالى عنه ]:

"I passed by you and you were praying raising your voice?"

 

So he [ Umar رضى الله تعالى عنه ]said: "O Messenger of Allaah, I repel drowsiness and keep the devil away."

 

The Prophet [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"O Abu Bakr, raise your voice a little bit and to 'Umar: lower your voice a little bit."

[Recorded by Abu Daawood and al-Haakim, who declared it saheeh, and adh-Dhahabee agreed.]

 

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to say: The one who recites the Qur'aan loudly is like the one who gives charity loudly, and the one who recites the Qur'aan quietly is like the one who gives charity quietly.

[Recorded by Abu Daawood and al-Haakim, who declared it saheeh, and adh-Dhahabee agreed.]

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

[178] 'Abdul Haqq said in Tahajjud (90/1):

"As for voluntary prayers during the day, there is nothing authentic from him [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] regarding either quiet or loud recitation, but it would seem that he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite quietly during them. It is reported from him [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] that once, during the daytime, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] passed by 'Abdullaah ibn Hudhaafah who was praying and reciting loudly, so he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said to him: O 'Abdullaah, let Allaah hear, not us. But this hadeeth is not strong."  "

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 29 - What He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Used To Recite In The Different Prayers

As for which soorahs and aayaat he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite in prayer, this varied according to the different prayers. The details now follow, beginning with the first of the five prayers:

 

1 - Fajr Prayer

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite the longer mufassal [The last seventh of the Qur'aan, beginning with Soorah Qaaf (no. 50) according to the soundest view, as before.] Soorahs

[Recorded by an-Nasaa'ee and Ahmad with a saheeh isnaad.],

 

hence "he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] (sometimes) recited al-Waaqi'ah (56:96) and similar Soorahs in two rak'ahs"

[Recorded by Ahmad, Ibn Khuzaymah (1/69/1) and al-Haakim who declared it saheeh and adh-Dhahabee agreeed.].

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] recited from Soorah at-Toor (52:49) during the Farewell Pilgrimage.

[Reported by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

Sometimes "he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would recite Soorah Qaaf (50:45) or similar [in the first rak'ah]."

[Recorded by Muslim and at-Tirmidhee. It is given along with the next one in Irwaa' (345).]

 

 

Sometimes "he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would recite the shorter mufassal soorahs, such as:

 

{When the sun is folded up}, (Soorah at-Takweer 81:29)."

[Recorded by Muslim and Abu Daawood.]

 

 

Once, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] recited:

{When the Earth is shaken}, (Soorah az-Zilzaal 99:8) in both rak'ahs, so that the narrator said: "I do not know whether the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] forgot or recited it on purpose."

[Recorded by Abu Daawood and al-Bayhaqee with a saheeh isnaad. And what is apparent is that he ('alayhis-salaam) did it on purpose to establish its validity.]

 

 

Once, on a journey, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] recited:

{Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak}, (Soorah al-Falaq 113:5) and:

 

{Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Mankind}, (Soorah an-Naas 114:6).

[Recorded by Abu Daawood, Ibn Khuzaymah (1/76/1), Ibn Bushraan in al-Amaalee and Ibn Abee Shaybah (12/176/1); al-Haakim declared it saheeh and adh-Dhahabee agreed.]

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] also said to 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir [ رضى الله تعالى عنه  ,  may Allah be pleased with him ]:

"Recite the mu'awwadhatain [lit. "the two by means of which refuge is sought", i.e. the last two soorahs of the Qur'aan, both beginning:

 

{Say: I seek refuge...}, (Soorah al-Falaq and Soorah an-Naas) ] in your prayer, for no seeker of refuge has sought refuge by means of anything like them."

[Recorded by Abu Daawood and Ahmad with a saheeh isnaad.]

 

 

Sometimes he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite more than that: "he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would recite sixty aayaat or more" [Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.] - one of the narrators said: "I do not know whether this was in each rak'ah or in total."

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite Soorah ar-Room (30:60) [Recorded by an-Nasaa'ee, Ahmad and Bazzaar with a good isnaad.]

 

and sometimes Soorah Yaa'seen (36:83)

[Recorded by Ahmad with a saheeh isnaad.].

 

 

Once, "he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] prayed the Subh [i.e. Fajr Prayer] in Makkah and started reciting Soorah al-Mu'minoon (23:118) until, when he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] got to the mention of Moosaa and Haaroon or the mention of 'Isa

 

[Moosaa is mentioned in aayah 45:

{Then We sent Moosaa and his brother Haaroon, with our signs and manifest authority.};" `Eesaa is mentioned soon after in aayah 50:

 

{And We made the son of Maryam and his mother as a sign - we gave them both shelter on high ground, affording rest and security and furnished with springs.}]

 

- one of the narrators was not sure - he started coughing and so made rukoo'."

[Recorded by Muslim, and al-Bukhaaree in ta`leeq form. It is given in Irwaa' (397).]

 

 

Sometimes, "he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would lead them in Fajr with as-Saaffaat" (77:182).

[Recorded by Ahmad and Abu Ya'laa in their musnads, and Maqdisee in al-Mukhtaarah. ]

 

 

"In Fajr on Friday, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would recite as-Sajdah (32:30) [in the first rak'ah, and, in the second,] ad-Dahr" (76:31).

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to make the first rak'ah longer than the second.

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]."

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 30 - Recitation In The Sunnah Prayer Before Fajr

His [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] recitation in the two rak'ahs of sunnah in Fajr used to be extremely short

[Recorded by Ahmad with a saheeh isnaad],

 

so much so that 'Aa'ishah [ رﺿﻲ اﷲ ﻋﻨﻬﺎ , Radhi-yallaahu 'anhaa, May Allaah be pleased with her ] used to say: "Has he recited Soorah al-Faatihah or not ?"

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim].

 

 

Sometimes, after al-Faatihah, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would recite the aayah:

"Say (O Muslims): "We believe in Allâh and that which has been sent down to us ...",

[ القرآن الكريم The Noble Qur'aan, سورة البقرة Soorah al-Baqarah - (The Cow) 002, Verse 136 ]

in the first rak'ah;

 

 

 

in the second, the aayah:

"Say (O Muhammad [sal-Allâhu 'alayhi wa sallam]): "O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Come to a word that is just between us and you, ...",

[ القرآن الكريم The Noble Qur'aan,  سورة آل عمران Soorah Aal-'Imraan - (The Family of 'Imraan) 003, Verses 064 ].

[Recorded by Muslim, Ibn Khuzaymah and al-Haakim.]

 

 

Occasionally, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would recite instead of the latter:

"Then when 'Isâ (Jesus) came to know of their disbelief, ...",

[ القرآن الكريم The Noble Qur'aan,  سورة آل عمران Soorah Aal-'Imraan - (The Family of 'Imraan) 003, Verses 052 ].

[Recorded by Muslim and Abu Daawood.]

 

 

 

Sometimes he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would recite Soorah al-Kaafiroon (109:6) in the first rak'ah, and Soorah al-Ikhlaas (112:4) in the second;

[Recorded by Muslim and Abu Daawood.]

 

also, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to say:

"An excellent pair of soorahs they are!"

[Recorded by Ibn Maajah and Ibn Khuzaymah.]

 

 

He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] heard a man reciting the former Soorah in the first rak'ah, so he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"This is a slave who believes in his Lord."

Then the man recited the latter Soorah in the second rak'ah, so he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] said:

"This is a slave who knows his Lord."

[Recorded by at-Tahaawee, Ibn Hibbaan in his saheeh and Ibn Bushraan; Ibn Haajar declared it hasan in al-Ahaadeeth al-'Aaliyaat (no. 16).]"

[S. Munir]

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

 

 

صِفَةُ صَلاةِ النَّبِيِّ Sifatu Salaatin an-Nabee [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam]

The Prophet's [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] Prayer Described

- min at-takbeer ilaa at-tasleem ka'annaka taraahaa - from the beginning to the end as though you see it.

by Shaykh Muhammad Nassiruddeen al-Albaanee ( رحمه الله , rahimahullaah, may Allaah have mercy on him, died 1420AH)

The Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم , may Allaah exalt his mention and render him and his message safe from every derogatory thing ] said "Pray as you have seen me praying ..."

[Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

 

 

"Part 31 - Recitation In The Zuhr Prayer

"He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite al-Faatihah and two soorahs in the first two rak'ahs, making the first one longer than the second." 

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. ]

 

Sometimes he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would make lengthen it to the extent that "the Zuhr prayer would have started, and someone could go to a plain: al-Baqee,' fulfil his need, [come back to his place,] make his ablution, and then come (to the mosque) while the Messenger of Allaah [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] was still in the first rak'ah, it was that long." 

[Recorded by Muslim, and al-Bukhaaree in Juz' al-Qiraa'ah (Article on Recitation).]. 

Also, "they used to think that he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] did it so that the people could catch the first rak'ah." 

[Recorded by Abu Daawood with a saheeh isnaad and Ibn Khuzaymah (1/165/1).]

 

"He [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] used to recite in each of these two rak'ah about thirty aayaat, such as al-Faatihah followed by Soorah as-Sajdah 032, Verses 1 - 30." 

[Recorded by Ahmad and Muslim.]

 

Sometimes "he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] would recite:

Soorah at-Taariq 086, Verses 1 - 17,

 

Soorah al-Burooj 085, Verses 1- 22,

Soorah al-Layl 092, Verses 1 - 21 and similar soorahs." 

[Recorded by Abu Daawood, at-Tirmidhee and Ibn Khuzaymah (1/67/2); the latter two declared it saheeh.]

 

Occasionally, he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] recited:

Soorah al-Inshiqaaq 084, Verses 1 - 25 and similar ones. 

[Recorded by Ibn Khuzaymah in his saheeh (1/67/2).]

 

"They could tell that he [ صلى الله عليه و سلم ] was reciting in Zuhr and 'Asr from the movement of his beard." 

[Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Abu Daawood.] "