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:

If some one said some thing that is incorrect to prayers, after the parayer finished.

Do I need to publicly reply or take him aside and advise him?

(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:

Correct mistake in private or public

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.86

Topic: Saying Subhanallah and clapping

It is allowed for men to say ‘Subhanallah’ and for women to clap if there is some need to do so (such as alerting the imam to a mistake in prayer, etc.). Sahl ibn Sa'd as Sa'di relates that the Prophet (saws) said: "If someone is faced with something during the salah, he should say 'Subhanallah.' Clapping is for the women and saying ‘Subhanallah’ is for the men." Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and an-Nasa'i.

If the ‘imaam’ leading the prayer has made a mistake or an error while in the state of prayer, the believers offering the prayer behind the ‘imaam’ should declare ‘Subhan-Allah’ aloud so that the ‘imaam’ leading the prayer can rectify his error.

But if one’s believing brethren has made a slight error in his individual prayer, or said something incorrect regarding prayers, etc., rather than correct him in public and maybe cause a commotion or confusion if the person starts arguing, it would be best if one took him aside in private, and with absolute humility and sincerity, and only for the Sake of Allah Subhanah, respond to the brothers incorrect actions or statements regarding the prayer. It is only natural that one would be more affable to accept one’s errors in private rather than in public.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan