Chapter Five: The Description of Prayer
باب صِفَةَ الصَّلوة
Bab Sifat al-Salah — How the Prayer Is Performed
This chapter — the longest and most detailed in the book — provides a comprehensive account of how the prescribed prayer (Salah) is to be performed: from purification and intention, through each posture and recitation, to the closing salam. The author draws on the Quran, on the most authentic hadiths of the major collections, and on the practice of the pious predecessors.
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ
"And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give Zakat. And that is the correct religion." (Sūrah al-Bayyinah 98:5)
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
"Indeed, the prayer is an obligation upon the believers prescribed at specific times." (Sūrah al-Nisāʾ 4:103)
The word 'kitaban mawqutan' means a prescribed and time-bound obligation. The prayer cannot be moved arbitrarily from its prescribed time; it must be performed within its window.
Purification: A Prerequisite for Prayer
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُءُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ
"O you who believe! When you rise to [perform] the prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles." (Sūrah al-Māʾidah 5:6)
This verse prescribes the wudu (ritual ablution) that is obligatory before the prayer. The four obligatory acts of wudu mentioned here are: (1) washing the face, (2) washing the hands and arms to the elbows, (3) wiping over the head, and (4) washing the feet to the ankles. The Sunnah adds many recommended acts: beginning with the basmallah, washing the hands three times before beginning, rinsing the mouth and nostrils, wiping the ears, running fingers through the beard, beginning with the right side, and performing each act three times.
Takbir al-Tahrimah — The Opening Takbir
The prayer begins with the Takbir al-Tahrimah: raising both hands to the level of the earlobes (or shoulders) and saying 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Greatest). The word 'tahrimah' means 'making forbidden' — with this takbir, all worldly speech and action becomes forbidden upon the worshipper; he has entered the sanctuary of the prayer.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا قَامَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ يُكَبِّرُ حِينَ يَقُومُ، ثُمَّ يُكَبِّرُ حِينَ يَرْكَعُ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ حِينَ يَرْفَعُ صُلْبَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): 'When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, rose to pray, he would say the takbir (Allahu Akbar) when he stood, then the takbir when he bowed, then say "Sami'a Allahu liman hamidah" (Allah hears whoever praises Him) when he raised his back from the bowing position.' (Agreed upon: Bukhari and Muslim)
The Opening Supplication (Du'a al-Istiftah)
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَتَعَالَىٰ جَدُّكَ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ غَيْرُكَ
"Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. Blessed is Your name and exalted is Your majesty, and there is no god besides You." This is the opening supplication (du'a al-istiftah or thana') recited silently after the opening takbir and before the recitation of al-Fatiha. It is a sunnah of the prayer.
Recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path — the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favour, not of those who have earned [Your] anger, nor of those who have gone astray." (Sūrah al-Fātiḥah 1:1–7)
Surah Al-Fatiha is the cornerstone of the prayer. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'There is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Fatiha).' (Agreed upon: Bukhari and Muslim) The Shafi'i school holds that reciting al-Fatiha is obligatory (fard) even for the person praying behind an imam. The Hanafi school holds that it is sufficient for the follower to remain silent while the imam recites on his behalf.
Ruku' — The Bowing Posture
After the recitation of al-Fatiha and an additional surah (or verses) in the first two rak'ats, the worshipper bows (ruku'), placing the hands on the knees and bending the back to approximately a right angle.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيمِ
"Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent." This dhikr is recited in ruku', a minimum of three times. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'When one of you bows, let him say in his bowing: "Subhana Rabbiya al-Azim" three times — and that is the minimum.' (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)
Sujud — The Prostration
After rising from ruku' and reciting 'Rabbana wa lakal hamd' (Our Lord, and to You is all praise), the worshipper descends to sujud (prostration), placing the forehead, nose, both palms, both knees, and the toes of both feet on the ground.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَىٰ
"Glory be to my Lord, the Most High." This dhikr is recited in sujud, a minimum of three times. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'When one of you prostrates, let him say: "Subhana Rabbiya al-A'la" — and that is the minimum.' (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)
The sujud is the closest the servant comes to Allah. The Prophet said: 'The closest a servant is to his Lord is when he is in sujud, so make much supplication [therein].' (Sahih Muslim)
The Tashahud
عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: عَلَّمَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ التَّشَهُّدَ — كَفِّي بَيْنَ كَفَّيْهِ — كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنِي السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ: التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
On the authority of Ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him): 'The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, taught me the Tashahud — my hand between his two hands — just as he would teach me a surah of the Quran: "All greetings (tahiyyat), prayers, and good deeds are for Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger."' (Agreed upon: Bukhari and Muslim)
The Tashahud is recited in the sitting position after every two rak'ats, and again at the end of the prayer before the salam.
Salat al-Ibrahimiyyah — The Durood
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
"O Allah, send Your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Truly You are the Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, grant Your grace to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You granted grace to Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Truly You are the Praiseworthy and Glorious."
This is the Salat al-Ibrahimiyyah (the Ibrahimic blessing), also known as the Durood Ibrahim. It is recited in the final sitting (qa'dah akhirah) after the Tashahud and before the salam. This is an obligatory (or confirmed sunnah, according to some schools) part of the prayer.
The Salam — Closing the Prayer
The prayer is concluded by turning the head to the right and saying 'Al-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah' (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah), and then to the left saying the same. This closing salam marks the exit from the sacred state of the prayer.
Raf' al-Yadayn — Raising the Hands
There is a well-known scholarly difference regarding the raising of hands (raf' al-yadayn) during prayer — specifically, whether the hands are raised at the opening takbir only, or also at the time of bowing (ruku') and rising from it, and at standing for the third rak'at. The Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools, following strong narrations from Ibn Umar and others, hold that the hands are raised at all four positions. The Hanafi school, following narrations from Abdullah ibn Masud and the practice of the Kufan scholars, restricts raising the hands to the opening takbir alone.
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا قَامَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى يَكُونَا حَذْوَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ، وَكَانَ يَفْعَلُ ذَٰلِكَ حِينَ يُكَبِّرُ لِلرُّكُوعِ وَحِينَ يَرْفَعُ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ
On the authority of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): 'I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, when he stood for the prayer, raise his hands until they were level with his shoulders. And he used to do this when he said the takbir for the bowing, and when he raised his head from the bowing.' (Agreed upon: Bukhari and Muslim)
The author presents this scholarly difference with respect for both positions, noting that all major schools of jurisprudence are founded on authentic evidence. The believer should follow the practice of the school of law they adhere to.
Post-Prayer Dhikr and Supplication
After completing the prayer, the Prophet, peace be upon him, prescribed specific acts of remembrance (dhikr) and supplication.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: مَنْ سَبَّحَ اللَّهَ فِي دُبُرِ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِينَ، وَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِينَ، وَكَبَّرَ اللَّهَ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِينَ — فَتِلْكَ تِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ — ثُمَّ قَالَ تَمَامَ الْمِائَةِ: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ — غُفِرَتْ خَطَايَاهُ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مِثْلَ زَبَدِ الْبَحْرِ
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever glorifies Allah (says SubhanAllah) thirty-three times after every prayer, praises Allah (says Alhamdulillah) thirty-three times, and proclaims Allah's greatness (says Allahu Akbar) thirty-three times — that is ninety-nine — then completes a hundred with: "There is no deity but Allah, alone, with no partner. To Him belongs all sovereignty and all praise, and He is over all things powerful" — his sins will be forgiven even if they were like the foam of the sea.' (Sahih Muslim)
It is also the sunnah to recite Ayat al-Kursi (Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:255) after every prescribed prayer, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said that whoever does so, 'nothing will prevent him from entering Paradise except death.' (al-Nasāʾī, authenticated by al-Albānī)
The Twelve Sunnah Rak'ats
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: مَنْ ثَابَرَ عَلَىٰ ثِنْتَيْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً مِنَ السُّنَّةِ بَنَى اللَّهُ لَهُ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ: أَرْبَعًا قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَهَا، وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ، وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ، وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْفَجْرِ
On the authority of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): 'The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: Whoever persists in performing twelve rak'ats of the sunnah prayer, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise: four rak'ats before Zuhr and two after it, two after Maghrib, two after Isha, and two before Fajr.' (Tirmidhi, Nasa'i — sahih)
Qunut in the Witr Prayer
The Witr prayer (an odd-numbered prayer, typically one or three rak'ats, performed at night) includes the Qunut supplication, which is recited while standing before the ruku' of the final rak'at (according to the Hanafi school) or after rising from ruku' (according to Shafi'i and Hanbali schools).
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْكَ، وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
"O Allah, guide me among those You have guided, grant me well-being among those You have granted well-being, take me into Your care among those You have taken into care, bless me in what You have given me, and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed. For truly You decree and none decrees over You. And he whom You befriend is never humiliated, and he whom You oppose is never honoured. Blessed are You, our Lord, and Most High." (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i — hasan sahih)