Prayer ritual queries: What is correct way of doing Sajda Sahuit when make a mistake in namaz and when all it is allowed
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
1.Where
do we hold our hands while standing in namaz?
2.Is it wrong to hold the hands on the navel, while standing for namaz?
3.Harkat of index finger while sitting in namaz. What is correct raising is
once, constant harkat or...?
4.Is it correct to do niyat verbally or in heart?
5.Is cap a must?
6.What is correct way of doing Sajda Sahuit when make a mistake in namaz and
when all it is allowed?
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Answer:
Prayer ritual queries
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person,
no grave, no prophet, no
imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah
Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the
seal of His Messengers.
Q-1: Where do we
hold our hands while standing in namaz?
Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.131
Said Sahl ibn Sa'd, "The people were
ordered to place their right hand on their left forearm during
prayers." (Related by Bukhari
and Muslim)
Al-Hafez related that the Prophet (saws)
said, "All prophets have been ordered to hasten the breaking of the fast
and to delay the (pre-fast dawn) meal, and to place our right hands on our left
during prayer."
Jabir narrated that "The Prophet (saws) passed by a man
praying with his left hand over his right, and (the Prophet (saws)) pulled them
away and put his right over his left." (Related by
Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.132
Sunnah acts of prayer, The Position of the
Hands
There are several opinions regarding the
exact placement of the hands. According to the Hanifiyyah, the hands are to be
placed below the navel, and the Shafiyyah say below the chest. Ahmad has two narrations corresponding
to both these opinions. Observes at-Tirmidhi, "Knowledgeable companions,
their followers and those that came after them believed that one should put his
right hand over the left during prayer, while some say above the navel and
others say below the navel..." Nevertheless, there do exist hadith that
the Prophet (saws) placed his hands on his chest. Reported Hulb at-Ta'i,
"I saw the Prophet (saws) praying with his right hand over his left upon
his chest above the elbow." This is related by
Reported Wa'il ibn Hajr, "Once when I
prayed with the Prophet (saws) and he placed his right hand over his left upon
his chest." The report is recorded by
If one puts his right hand over his left and places the
hands anywhere between his stomach and his chest while standing in prayer, he
would be in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
Q-2: Is it wrong to
hold the hands on the navel, while standing for namaz?
There is absolutely nothing wrong if one holds one’s
hands on the navel while standing in prayer for such a person would be in
accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
Q-3: Harkat of index
finger while sitting in namaz. What is correct raising is once, constant harkat
or...?
Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.157
Sunnah acts of prayer, Sitting for Tashahud
One should sit for the tashahud and place his
hands in the following manner:
1. Ibn 'Umar
reported that when the Prophet (saws) sat for the tashahud, he (saws) would
place his left hand on his left knee and his right hand upon his right knee,
and he (saws) would point with his index finger.”
(Related by Muslim.)
2.
3. Reported
az-Zubair, "When the Prophet (saws) sat for tashahud, he (saws) would
place his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his left thigh. He
(saws) would point with his middle finger, and would not look beyond his
pointing." (Related by
The preceding three hadith are all considered
authentic, and one may act by any of them. One should point with one's right
index finger, bending it a little, until one says the salaams at the end of the
prayer. Reported Numair al-Khaza'i,
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) sitting in the prayer with his
forearm along his right thigh. His index finger was raised, curved (or bent) a
little, and he was supplicating." This is related by
Said Anas ibn Malik, "The Messenger of
Allah (saws) passed by Sa'd while he was making supplications (and using) two
fingers. The Prophet (saws) said to him, 'Just one, Sa'd"' This is related
by
According to the opinion of
In light of the various quoted hadiths and the opinion of
the eminent scholars, if one simply points the finger when declaring the
Oneness of Allah or moves it, both have evidence from the authentic Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allah (saws); but the majority of the jurists are of the
opinion that one should point one’s index finger without constant
movement when declaring the Oneness of Allah in one’s tashahud.
Q-4: Is it correct
to do niyat verbally or in heart?
There is no evidence in the Sunnah that the Messenger of
Allah (saws) would make a verbal intention before starting his prayers; but
rather he (saws) would make an intention in his heart.
Q-5: Is cap a must?
The dressing norm at the time of
the Messenger of Allah (saws) was such that the Arabs used to wear a turban
over their heads; and thus the
Messenger of Allah (saws) normally always prayed with his head covered. Thus, if the normal dress code of the
person is such that he covers his head (like the Arab ‘gatra’ or
head-cover); then it is fine to
pray with the head cover. But
if the normal dress code of the person is such that in normal circumstances he
does not cover his head, there is
no need to specially cover his head while praying. Covering one’s head or leaving it
uncovered is not amongst the conditions of prayer.
Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh
1.114
Uncovering the Head
During the Prayer
Ibn 'Asakir related that the Prophet would sometimes remove his
head cover (turban) and place it in front of him as a ‘sutrah’ (end
of prayer place mark) for prayer.
It is obligatory for a believing
woman to cover her head and her full body while offering her prayers.
Q-6: What is correct
way of doing
The Prophet (saws) prayed (and the sub-narrator Ibrahim
said, "I do not know whether he prayed more or less than usual"), and
when he had finished the prayers he was asked, "O Allah's Apostle! Has
there been any change in the prayers?" He said, "What is it?' The
people said, "You have prayed so much and so much." So the Prophet bent his legs, faced the
Qibla and performed two prostration's (of Sahu) and finished his prayers with
Taslim (by turning his face to right and left saying:
"As-Salamu'Alaikum-Warahmat-ullah"). When he turned his face to us he
said, "If there had been anything changed in the prayer, surely I would have
informed you but I am a human being like you and liable to forget like
you. So if I forget remind me and
if anyone of you is doubtful about his prayer, he should follow what he thinks to be
correct, and complete his prayer
accordingly and finish it and do two prostrations (of Sahu)."
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "When anyone of you stands
for the prayers,
There are two authentic narrations on how the Messenger of
Allah (saws) performed the Sajdah-Sahoo and both are acceptable.
The way to perform the ‘Sajdah-Sahoo’ (or
Sajdahs of forgetfulness) is to go into sajdah and glorify Allah, then sit and
make supplication to Allah, then again go into sajdah and glorify Allah, and
then perform the tasleems on either side.
This whole set of actions related above is called
‘sajdah-sahoo’ and is to be done only once at the end of the
prayer, if the person has made a mistake/s in the prayer.
Sajdah-Sahoo 1:
If one realizes one’s mistake during one’s
prayer, one should recite the ‘tashahud’, and just before the
tasleems of either side, one should
make the two sajdahs for
‘sajdah-sahoo’ and then perform the taslems on either side.
Sajdah-Sahoo 2:
If one realizes one’s mistake after one’s
prayer and tasleems, one should
make the two sajdahs for ‘sajdah-sahoo’ and then again perform the
tasleems on either side.
Q-6B: when all it is
allowed?
Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.47
When to perform these prostrations of
forgetfulness
The "sujjud us-sahu" are to be
performed in the following circumstances:
1. If a person
makes the taslim before he actually completes the prayers in full, he should
complete what he has missed, and do the ‘sajdah-sahu’ at the end.
2. In the case
of an addition to the prayer, whereby one realizes that he has prayed more
rakahs than commanded.
3. In the case
of forgetting the first tashahud or one of the other sunnah acts of the prayer.
4. In the case
of doubt over whether or not one performed some act of the prayer. 'Abdurrahman
ibn 'Auf reported that he heard the Prophet (saws) say: "If one of you has
some doubt during his salah and he does not know if he prayed one rak'ah or
two, he should take it to have been just one. If he does not know if he prayed
two rak'at or three, he should take it to have been just two. If he does not
know if he prayed three rak'at or four, he should take it to have been just
three. [In all such cases] at the end of his prayer, while sitting, he should
make two sujjud (of ‘sajdah-sahu’) before the taslim." This is
related by
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s
Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the
Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in
Islam,
Burhan
Wister