Errors in Prayers thatmust be Avoided

Salat (namaaz) or prayer is one of the
most important pillars of Islam. The
Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) warned that the first thing
man will be questioned about on the
Day of Resurrection is prayer. Abu Hurairah said, "I heard the Messenger
of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
saying: The first act of worship man shall be
questioned about on the Day of
Resurrection is prayer. If it was performed correctly1, man shall certainly succeed and prosper, if it is
not, he shall certainly lose and fail.
If, however, man's prayer was
incomplete, the Lord, the Exalted,
would say (to His Angels), "See if
my slave performed supererogatory (nafl) prayers to
make up what he had missed of the
obligatory prayers. The rest of
man's deeds will be reckoned in the same manner2. Buraidah reported that the Messenger
of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said, The covenant3 which is between us and those (who
embrace Islam) is prayer. Whoso
neglects it, becomes an unbeliever4. On the other hand, Allah has prepared
great rewards for the believers who
observe prayer and are particular
about it. Perfect prayer effaces sins.
Abu Hurairah reported that the
Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: Have you considered, a river running by the
door of you in which he bathes five
times a day; would any of his dirt
stay on him? They said "None of his dirt would stay on him." The
Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) said So does Salah; therewith Allah eliminates sins5. Therefore, brothers and sisters it is
very important to be regular on
prayer, and perform it correctly. One
may perform prayer according to the
way he was taught by his parents or
sheikh, according to their madthhab. But you should always remember that
it is only the Messenger of Allah
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) who
must be followed. The angels will not
ask you, while in the grave, "Did you
follow this imaam or that imaam?" Your imaam will not be with you then,
nor will he defend you on the Day of
Resurrection. The traditions quoted here, and in
every issue of Ad-Deen an- Naseehah, are authentic. Anyone who rejects the authentic Sunnah of
the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) exposes himself to
destruction, as stated by Imaam
Ahmed. The following are some common
errors committed by Muslims in their
Salah. These errors must be avoided
hoping that Allah would accept this act
of worship and reward us for it. 1) Wearing pants, or garments that
hangs below the ankles. This is one of the greatest sins. Abu
Dtharr reported that the Messenger of
Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
said, There are three people whom Allah shall not speak to on the Day
of Resurrection, nor shall he look at
them, nor shall he purify them, and
they shall have a painful torment:
One whose garment hangs down below his ankles, almanaan6, and (a merchant) who sells of his
merchandise by means of false oath7. Some people think that wearing
clothes that hang below the ankles is
not a sin if they abstain from doing so
while praying only. Others think that
wearing such a garment is a sin only if
it is worn out of pride; otherwise, they believe there is no harm in doing so.
However, the above and many other
traditions indicate clearly that wearing
clothes that hang below the ankles
(for men) is a grave sin regardless of
whether such garments are worn out of habit or pride. There are other
authentic traditions that emphasize
wearing clothing that hangs below the
ankles out of pride entails harsher
punishment. Abu Hurairah reported
that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said The part of the garment which hangs
below the ankles is (punishable by) Fire (on the Day of Resurrection)8. It is commonplace to see brothers
folding up the hems of their pants for
prayer. However, as soon as prayer is
completed, they unfold their pants.
The belief that wearing garments that
hang below the ankles is prohibited during prayers only is a misconception
commonly held by many Muslims. Such
Muslims are unaware that the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) forbade praying with folded clothes9. Based on this prohibition, scholars have
agreed that praying with folded
sleeves or pants is unlawful. 2) Consuming food of bad smell such has garlic or onion, or smoking10 before coming to prayer. Angels and the praying people are
bothered by offensive smell. On the
contrary, one should wear perfume, if
available before coming into mosques.
Jabir reported that the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: He who eats from the smelly plant
[garlic or onion], let him come not
near our mosque; the angels are
bothered by that which bothers men11. 3) Proceeding to mosque for prayer
with brisk walk, or even running for
fear of missing part of the prayer. This may disturb those who are
already in prayer. The Messenger of
Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
said: When prayer has already started, do not walk quickly to join
in. Proceed calmly and reposefully;
then join in whichever part you
catch up, and complete whichever
part you missed (i.e., soon after the imaam ends the prayer)12. 4) Saying Takbeer al-Ihram while
in rukoo'. Many of those who come late to the
mosque and join in prayer which is
already in progress, rush to take the
same posture, while people are in
rukoo', and say takbeer al-Ihram, or
the opening takbeer of prayer while bowing for fear of missing that ruk'ah.
Takbeer al-Ihram is to be pronounced
when one is standing upright, only. 5) Mumbling the niyyah or
intention, and uttering it in a low
audible voice. The heart is the place of intention.
Mumbling words such as "I intend to
pray such prayer or such number of
rak'aat, or I intend to fast, or do such
act of worship or another," just before
starting prayer is a bid'ah which was practiced neither by the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) nor his
companions, nor by their followers. Uttering the above words of niyyah
allows shaitaan to put irrelevant
words in the mouth of the person who
utters the niyyah. Do you remember at
one time or another that once you
stood up for dhuhr prayer and discovered yourself saying, "I intend
to pray four rak'aat of Isha," or when
you were standing for Asr prayer you
made your intention to pray fajr
instead? This confusion is from
shaitan. Had you kept silent, shaitan would have no chance of confusing
you. 6) Neglecting raising the hands in
the opening takbeer of salah and
before and after rukoo', and upon
standing up for the third rak'ah. Abdullah bin Umar said, "I saw the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
raising his hands to the level of his
shoulders, upon starting prayer, and
before bending for rukoo' and when he stood up again13. Raising hands with every takbeer,
subsequent to the first takbeer in
janazah, Eed or rain prayers is not
recommended. The Messenger of Allah
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used to
put his hands on his chest (while standing in prayer)14. 7) Neglecting the opening du'a of
prayer, t'awwudth, and basmalah. T'awwudth is saying "Aoudhu billahi
min ashshaitan ir-rajim" and basmalah
is saying "Bismillah hirRahmaan
irRaheem." 8) Neglecting praying facing a
sutrah. The sutrah is an object, such as a wall,
or a post, which a person faces while
praying. Or any other object which a
person places to serve as a sutrah, by
putting it on the ground in order that
no one may cross in front of him while praying. The Messenger of Allah SAWS
said: Pray facing a sutrah, and let no one cross in front of you while
praying. If he insists, then prevent
him by force because he is accompanied by shaitan15. And he said: When one of you prays facing a sutrah, let him pray close to
it so that shaitan may not be able to nullify his prayer 16. The above tradition indicates clearly
that shaitan crosses in front of a
praying person who prays without a
sutrah, causing his prayer to be null
and void without being aware of it.
Even if one prays in an open field, he should place a sutrah in front of him. Allah says: (Verily) He (the shaitan) and his own people
see you while you do not see them17 . 9) Reluctance to stand in the front
line in congregational prayer. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) said: Were people to realize the value of making
adthan (the call for prayer), and the
great reward (for doing so) and the
virtue of standing in the first line (in
congregational prayer), and had no
choice but to make a draw (to decide who makes adthan or stands
in the first line) they would have
justifiably done so. And were
people to know the significance of
coming early to (congregational)
prayer, they would have raced with one another (to reach the mosque
first). And if they were to know the
great reward (for coming to
mosque) for Isha' and Fajr prayers,
they would have come even if they
had to crawl (i.e. even if they were disabled, they would have come
crawling for fear of missing its great reward.)18. 10) Gazing upward during prayer, or
looking at the imam, right or left. This may cause loss of concentration.
We are commanded to lower our gaze,
and look at the point at which the
head rests during sujood. The Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) warned: Let those who raise their gaze up
during prayer stop doing so, or else
their sights would not return to
them. [i.e. lose their eyesight]. (Muslim) 11) Leaving gaps in lines of
congregational prayer. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) commanded: Straighten your lines, level your
shoulders and block the gaps.
Shaitan passes through [line] gaps19. 12) Reciting surat al-Fatiha fast
without pausing after each verse. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) used to pause after each verse of this surah20. 13) Fidgeting during prayer, or
looking at a watch or fiddling with
one's fingers, clothes or moving feet
or other parts of the body restlessly. All of this diminish the reward for
prayer. Submissiveness is a condition
of acceptance of prayer. Allah's command signifies:And stand [in prayer] to Allah submissively21 . 14) Holding the Qur'an and reciting
from it by the muqtadi in
congregational prayer to check the
imam's recitation. This act distracts the person who is
doing so and prevents him from
concentration. It is a dispraised act
during salah. 15) Racing with the imam, or
moving with or before him in
congregational prayer. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) said: Move not before the imam does. When the
imam says. Allahu akbar, you say,
Allahu akbar. When he says,
waladh-dhalleen' you say, aameen. In another narration, he said: Surely the imam is there to be followed22. He also said: Does not the one who raises his head before the imam
does fear that Allah would
transform his head into a donkey's head23. 16) Lowering the head excessively,
or pushing it up, and arching the
back during rukoo'. The head must be kept in normal
position, while the back must be
straight during rukoo' to form with
legs a right angle. 17) Sticking the arms to the sides of
the body, in rukoo' or sujood, and
sticking the belly to the thighs in
sujood. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) said: Let not one of you support himself on his forearms
(in sujood ) like the dog. Let him rest
on his palms and keep his elbows away from his body 24. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) used to keep his arms away
from his body during rukoo' and
sujood that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen25. 18) Praying while part of the back
is exposed. This happens to those who wear tight
and short shirts or tight pants; when
they bow or prostrate, part of their
backs are exposed. Such part of the
body is awrah, or the part which must
be covered always. Exposing part of the back during salah, renders salah
null and void. 19) Neglecting ta'meen (to say
'Aameen) loudly when the imam
recites the concluding verse of surat
al-Fatiha, "waladh-dhalleen". The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) commanded: When the imam says, 'waladh-dhalleen', say
'Aameen', because the angels also
say, 'Aameen', and the imam says,
'Aameen'. He whose aameen
coincides with the aameen of the
angels, Allah forgives his past sins26. In another narration, the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
said: Then say, 'Aameen', Allah loves you 27. 20) Resting only the tip of the head
on the floor during sujood. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) said: I am commanded to
prostrate on seven bones the
forehead and the nose, the two hands
[palms], the two knees, and the two feet28. Applying the above command necessitates resting the forehead and
the nose on the ground during
sujood. 21) Hasty performance of prayer
which does not allow repose and
calmness in rukoo' or sujood. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) saw a man who did
not complete his rukoo' [bowing], and
made a very short sujood
[prostration]; he said: If this man dies while praying in this manner, he
would die upholding a religion
other than the religion of
Muhammad. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: My beloved
friend, Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) forbade me to perform
postures of prayer copying the
picking of a rooster; (signifying fast
performance of prayer), moving eyes around like a fox and the sitting like monkeys (i.e. to sit on thighs)29. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) said: The worst thief is the one who steals from his own
prayer. People asked, 'Messenger of Allah! How could one steal from his
own prayer?' He said: By not completing its rukoo' and sujood30. To complete rukoo' is to stay in that
posture long enough to recite
'subhana rabbiyal Adtheem' three
times, slowly, and 'subhana rabbiyal-
a'ala' three times, slowly, in sujood. He
also announced: He who does not complete his rukoo' and sujood, his prayer is void 31. 22) Sitting in tawarruk position in
the last rak'ah of Fajr and Jum'ah
prayers. It is praiseworthy to take tawarruk
position only in the last rak'ah of
Dhtuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha'
prayers. Tawarruk is described in
Sahih al-Bukhari as resting the body,
during sitting position, on the left thigh and putting the left foot under
the right leg, while setting the right
foot upright; and supporting the body
by the left hand with which the left
knee is grasped. See the
accompanying diagram, which was hand-drawn (not copied) after
looking at "The Reliance of the
Traveler." 23) Moving the two palms upon
saying, 'assalamu aleikum
warahmatul-lah' to end prayer. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) saw some of his
companions doing so. He objected: Why do I see you moving your
hands like the tails of wild horses. They never did that again32. 24) Counting tasbeeh with the left
hand. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) used to count tasbeeh on
the fingers of his right hand after
salah. Abdullah bin Amr reported that
the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) said, (There are) two good deeds, any Muslim who
does them shall enter Jannah but
few are those who do them: to say,
"subhanAllah" ten times, and
"alHamdulillah" ten times, and
"AllahuAkbar" ten times. And I have seen the Messenger of Allah
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) counting
them on his hand. lbn Qudamah said:
The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) used his right hand for tasbeeh33. The above hadeeth indicates clearly
that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam) used only one hand for
counting tasbeeh. No Muslim with
sound mind would imagine that the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used his left hand for counting
tasbeeh. Aa'ishah, with whom Allah is
pleased, said that the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used his
left hand only for Istinjaa', or cleaning
himself after responding to the call of nature. He never used it for tasbeeh.
Yasirah reported: The Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
commanded women to count tasbeeh
on their fingers. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) said: They (the fingers) will be made to speak, and
will be questioned (on the Day of Resurrection.)34 The above hadeeth indicates that it is
preferable to count tasbeeh on the
fingers of the right hand than to do so
on masbahah (rosary). 25) Shaking hands with other
praying people right after fardh
prayer is over, saying, 'taqabbala-
llah', or 'haraman' This is a bid'ah which was never
practiced by the Prophet's
companions or their followers, may
Allah be pleased with them. 26) Raising hands for dua' soon as
prayer is over. This was not the practice of the
Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam). The Sunnah is to start with
dthikr soon after salah is over. The
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
said: When you recite, 'At- tahiyyat...', (just before tasleem), choose whichever du'a you like 35. The best forms of du'a are those
authentically related to the Prophet,
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam).. Insha'
Allah, we will publish the authentic
du'a masnoon, soon. 27) Walking away right after
tasleem, at the end of prayer, and
neglecting dthikr. Dthikr is reciting subhanal-Lah 33
times, alhamdu Lilah 33 times Allahu
Akbar 33 times, reciting La ilaha illal-
Laah 10 times reciting ayat al-Kursi [i.e.
verse 255 of surah 2 al Baqarah], or
other authentic dthikr. 28) Crossing in front of a praying
person. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) warned: Were the one who crosses in front of a
praying person to know the
consequences of doing so, he would
have waited for forty better than to cross in front of him36. The forty in the tradition may be days months or
even years. Allah knows best. 29) Neglecting prayer when one is
sick or ill. Salah is one of the most important
pillars of Islam. The Messenger of Allah
(sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) never
neglected it during his sickness, nor
while combating enemies. Prayer must
be performed regardless. If one cannot perform ablution for one legal
reason or another, then he must
perform dry ablution tayammum by
patting with his palms a dusty surface,
then wiping the face and hands. If he
cannot stand up in prayer, he may pray while sitting or lying down on his
side. Otherwise, it is enough for him to
pray by moving his eyes up for rukoo'
and down for sujood, and complete
the rest of the prayer postures in the
same manner. 30) Praying in a graveyard. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
'alaihi wasallam) said: Pray not in graveyards, nor sit on graves 37. The format of prayer is enjoined by the
Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi
wasallam). No imam or a scholar has
the right to alter it by adding to or
deleting from it. There is no book of
authentic hadeeth or Prophetic tradition reporting that the Messenger
of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)
commanded men to pray in one way,
and women in another. He
commanded: Pray as you saw me praying38. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) did not differentiate
between men and women in prayer. Some scholars opine that it is better for
women to gather themselves in
sujood. As every body knows, prayer
is an act of worship, and like every
other act of worship, there must be a
textual proof for it in the Qur'an or the authentic Sunnah. A future issue of
Naseehah will, insha'Allah, include the
format of prayer as reported in the
authentic traditions. Let us pray to
Allah, extolled be His glory, seeking
His forgiveness, and asking him to guide us to the straight path. Aameen.