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:

Dear Burhan,

I have previously written to you and thank you for your prompt reply. I

have more questions if you could highlight and guide me on this. I want to

know:-

Namaz- Being a bohra we have been brought up by saying the niyat, rakahs

(as per time) and then the atayat. Thereafter there is the takarub and

tasbeeh and ayatul kursi. Is this correct?? How do you say it?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Dua after bohra prayers

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.

Although the prayer performed by the Bohras is right in its essence, there are a lot of additional duas that they have added in and out of their prayers, which have absolutely no basis or evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah.

We have written an answer detailing the ‘salaah’ or prayer as performed by the Messenger of Allah (saws) and its meanings, and are attaching that answer for your reference.

The ‘tasbeeh’, whereby one repeats ‘Subhan-Allah’ (Glory be to Allah) 33 times, ‘Alhamdolillah’ (All Praise is due to Allah), ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ (Allah is the Greatest) 33 times, and declares once ‘Laa ilaaha illalaah…’ (There is no god but Allah…) is a proven and highly recommended Sunnah or Way of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Sahih Muslim Hadith 1243 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “If anyone extols Allah (Subhan-Allah) after every prayer thirty-three times, and praises Allah (Alhamdolillah) thirty-three times, and declares His Greatness (Allah-o-Akbar) thirty-three times, ninety-nine times in all, and say to complete a hundred: "There is no god but Allah, having no partner with Him, to Him belongs sovereignty, and to Him is all praise due, and He is Potent over everything," his sins will be forgiven even if these are as abundant as the foam of the sea.

Similarly, to recite Aayat ul Kursi (Quran 2:255) after every obligatory prayer is also proven from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Hadrat Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.) reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "Whoever recites the ‘Aayat ul Kursi” (Verse of the Throne, Quran 2:255) at the end (after) of every obligatory prayer will be in Allah's protection until the next prayer." This is related by at-Tabarani.

The ‘takarrub’ whereby one supplicates to get closer to Allah though the listing of the names of the ‘imaams’ is a man-made ritual and absolutely against the teachings and guidance of the Quran and Sunnah; and must therefore be avoided by the believers. This listing was not declared by Allah Subhanah, nor read by Prophet Mohamed (saws) after his prayers, nor did the noble companions or the noble ‘ahle-bayt’ ever read this list after their prayers! And if anything that was not commanded by Allah Subhanah, and not done by the Messenger of Allah (saws), then it cannot be considered part of the deen of Islam! This ‘takarrub…’ is an ‘innovation’ invented by man hundreds of years after the death of the Messenger of Allah (saws), and thus not part of the deen of Islam.

It has been reported in an authentic narration that the Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “Whoever introduces a ‘bida’ (innovation) in this deen brought by me (saws), it will be rejected.”

It has been reported by Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.) that the Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “If anyone introduces an innovation (in religion), he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (in religion), he is cursed by Allah, by His angels, and by all the people.”

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 in Islam,

Burhan