Sunnahs in Prayer That Can Be Practiced

This article explains various Sunnahs in prayer, both in words and deeds, which if performed bring additional reward but are not sinful if neglected.

Sunnahs in Prayer That Can Be Practiced

Know that there are two types of Sunnahs in prayer:

1. Verbal Sunnahs in prayer

2. Actions Sunnahs in prayer

These Sunnahs in prayer are not obligatory for the person praying, but if he performs all or some of them he will receive reward, while the one who neglects all or some of them incurs no sin, just as with other Sunnahs (besides those of prayer).

However, it should be for a believer to perform them while remembering the saying of al-Mustafa (peace and blessings be upon him),

'It is obligatory upon you to adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Hold fast to it with your molars.' (Reported by At-Tirmidhi from Al-Irbadh ibn Sariyah, may Allah be pleased with him)

The Sunnahs in Prayer are as follows:

The Opening Supplication (Dua Istiftaah)

It is called the opening supplication because prayer is opened with it. Among the opening supplications are:

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَتَعَالَى جَدُّكَ وَلاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ

Subhaanakalloohumma wabihamdika watabaarokasmuka wata'aalaa jadduka walaa ilaaha ghoiruka

'Glorified are You, O Allah, and praised; Blessed is Your Name, Exalted Your Majesty; there is no deity worthy of worship but You.'

One may recite any opening supplication that is authentically reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is recommended (among the Sunnahs) that a Muslim perform the opening supplication sometimes with one supplication and sometimes with another, so that he becomes one who performs all the Sunnahs in this matter.

Placing the right hand over the left hand on the chest while standing before bowing

As explained in the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him),

'Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed his right hand over his left hand.' (Reported by Imam Ahmad and Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also said,

'Indeed, we prophets have been commanded to hasten our breaking of the fast, delay our pre-dawn meal, and to place our right hand over our left hand in prayer.' (Reported by Abu Dawud with a sound chain from Tawus, mursal)

And there are other ways mentioned in various narrations. However, in this matter, the preferred and stronger opinion is to place the hands on the chest (that is, directly on the chest, not near the neck), or near the chest around the heart, and Allah knows best.

Raising both hands with fingers spread (not clenched) to the level of the shoulders or ears at the initial takbir, during bowing, when rising from bowing, and when standing from the first tashahhud to the third rak'ah

Based on the hadith reported by Abu Dawud which explains that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands with fingers spread.

From the hadith of Abu Humaid (may Allah be pleased with him), 'He (the Prophet) (peace and blessings be upon him) raised both his hands to the level of his shoulders.' (Reported by Abu Dawud)
From the hadith of Malik ibn Huwayrith, 'He (the Prophet) (peace and blessings be upon him) raised both his hands until they reached the tips of his ears.' (Agreed upon)

Raising the hands is a sign of removing the veil between a servant and his Lord, just as the forefinger points to the Oneness of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted.

Additional glorifications during bowing and prostration

According to the hadith of Hudhayfa (may Allah be pleased with him), he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say when bowing, 'Glorified is my Lord the Most Great,' and when prostrating, 'Glorified is my Lord the Most High.' (Reported by Abu Dawud)
It may also be added with 'and praised be He.' (Reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawud)

The obligatory minimum is one glorification, while the minimum for perfection is three times and the maximum is ten times (for the imam). As the scholars said, 'For the imam, the minimum for perfection is three times and the maximum is ten times.'

Or choosing another supplication, see 'The Description of the Prayer of the Prophet' (peace and blessings be upon him) by Shaikh Al-Albani. If one wishes, one may supplicate (in Arabic) during prostration, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

'As for prostration, increase your supplications in it, for it is fitting that it be answered for you (in such a state).' (Reported by Muslim)

Know that it is not permissible to recite verses or chapters from the Qur'an during bowing and prostration because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it! (Reported by Muslim)

Such as adding,

مِلْءُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَمِلْءُ الْأَرْضِ وَمِلْءُ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ شَيءٍ بَعْدُ

Mil-ussamaawaati wamil-ul ardhi wamil-u maa syi`ta min syai-im ba'du

'Filling the heavens and the earth and filling whatever else You will.' (Reported by Muslim)

If one wishes, one may add further,

أَهْلُ الثَّنَاءِ وَالْمَجْدِ أَحَقُّ مَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ وَكُلُّنَا لَكَ عَبْدٌ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَلاَ مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ وَلاَ يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ

Ahluts-tsanaa-i wal majdi, ahaqqu maa qoolal 'abdu wakullunaa laka 'abdun, laa maani'a limaa a'thoita walaa mu'thiya limaa mana'ta walaa yanfa-u dzal jaddi minkal jadd

'O Possessor of praise and majesty, the most worthy words a servant has said are those, and we are all Your servants. O Allah, there is none to withhold what You have given, and none to give what You have withheld, and no amount of wealth or status can avail before You.' (Reported by Muslim, Abu Dawud and Abu Awanah)
One may also say it without the wa at the beginning: 'Rabbana wa laka al-hamd.' (Agreed upon)

Additional supplication for forgiveness between the two prostrations

The obligatory minimum is one supplication as in Hudhayfa's report that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said between the two prostrations, 'O my Lord, forgive me!' (Reported by An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah)

Keeping the head level with the back during bowing

Based on the hadith of 'Aishah: 'When he bowed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not raise his head nor lower it, but keep it in between.' (Reported by Muslim)
Based on the hadiths describing the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he would not press both elbows to the ground. (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud)
He (peace and blessings be upon him) would raise both his elbows from the ground and keep them away from his sides so that the whiteness of his armpits was visible from behind. (Agreed upon)

Sitting iftirash (sitting on the left foot as a base while keeping the right foot upright) during the first tashahhud and between the two prostrations

Based on the hadith reported by 'Aishah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used the left foot as a base and kept the right foot upright. (Reported by Muslim)
Shaikh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab said, 'Then sit in iftirash for the tashahhud, place both hands on the thighs with the fingers of the left hand spread and close together facing the Qibla, while on the right hand the ring finger and pinky are clenched, the middle finger is coiled with the thumb, then recite the tashahhud softly while the index finger gestures to the Oneness of Allah.'

Sitting tawarruk (sitting with the buttocks touching the ground and placing the left foot under the upright right foot) during the final tashahhud in three or four rak'ah prayers

Abu Humaid As-Sa'idi said, 'When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat in the last rak'ah, he would bring forward his left foot and keep the other (right) upright and sit with his buttocks on the ground.' (Reported by Al-Bukhari 2/828)
From the hadith of Rifa'ah ibn Rafi', it is explained, 'Then when you have sat at the midpoint (end) of your prayer, be at ease, place your left thigh on the ground then recite the tashahhud.' (Reported by Abu Dawud no.860)

Gesturing with the index finger during the first and final tashahhud from when you start sitting until you finish the tashahhud

this is one of the Sunnahs in prayer.

Sending prayers and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his family, and upon the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his family during the first tashahhud

Supplicating during the final tashahhud

From the hadith, 'Then let him choose from the supplication that he likes.'

Raising the voice when reciting in Fajr, Friday, the two Eid prayers, the Prayer for Rain, and the first two rak'ahs of Maghrib and Isha prayers

Lowering the voice when reciting in Dhuhr, Asr, in the third rak'ah of Maghrib and the final two rak'ahs of Isha prayers

Imam Ibn Qudamah said, 'It is agreed upon that it is recommended to raise the voice in the places of jahr (audible recitation) and to lower it in the places of sirr (silent recitation), and the Muslims do not differ about these places. This is based on the clear practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as narrated by the later scholars from the early scholars.'

Reciting more than al-Fatihah

Imam Ibn Qudamah said, 'Reciting a surah after al-Fatihah is recommended in the two rak'ahs (first) of all prayers; we do not know of any differing opinion on this matter.'

Other Sunnahs in Prayer

Among the Sunnahs is for the imam to raise his voice during the takbir and when saying 'Sami'allahu liman hamidah,' in accordance with the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), 'When the imam pronounces the takbir, then pronounce the takbir.'

Also the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him),

'When the imam says 'Sami'allahu liman hamidah,' then say, 'Rabbana wa laka al-hamd.' (Agreed upon)

As for the follower and the one praying alone, they lower both of these statements.

It is recommended to say the ta'awwudh (seeking refuge) softly, by saying 'I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan,' or 'I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan, from his evil suggestions, his pride and his temptations.' Then recite the basmalah softly. The basmalah is not part of al-Fatihah, nor of other surahs (except in surah An-Naml verse 30), rather it is a separate verse at the beginning of each surah except At-Taubah.

It is recommended to write the basmalah at the beginning of each book as was done by the Prophet Sulaiman and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and it should be recited at the beginning of every work, for it drives away Satan.

When reciting al-Fatihah, it is recommended to pause at each verse as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite, then say 'Amin' (O Allah, grant it!) after a pause so that it is known that 'Amin' is not from the Qur'an.

One should not say 'O my Lord, forgive me' before 'Amin,' as there is no evidence for it. Both the imam and the follower pronounce 'Amin' audibly together during the prayers with audible recitation. After that, it is recommended for the imam to pause slightly during audible recitation based on the hadith of Samurah.

It is recommended to recite one complete surah after al-Fatihah (from the beginning to the end of the verses in one surah) although it is permissible to recite just one verse; according to Imam Ahmad, it is preferred that this verse be lengthy. As for outside of prayer, reciting the basmalah may be done audibly or softly.

The surah that is recited in Fajr should be from the lengthy portions of the Mufassal (the surahs from Qaf onwards),

based on the statement of Aus, 'I asked the companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), 'How do you divide the Qur'an?' Each of them said, 'Into three parts, five, seven, nine, eleven and thirteen, plus one section of the Mufassal (beginning from surah Qaf to surah An-Nas).'

Then in the Maghrib prayer, recite the short portions of the Mufassal. As for the other prayers, recite the medium portions of the Mufassal if there is no excuse; however, if there is an excuse, then recite only the short ones.

There is no harm for a woman to recite audibly during the prayers with audible recitation, as long as there is no unrelated man hearing her.

As for one who performs voluntary night prayer, he should pay attention to what is in the best interest; if someone nearby is disturbed, let him recite softly, and if the person nearby is actually listening to his recitation, then let him recite audibly. Not too loud and not too soft, just as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) when praying at night to raise his voice slightly and instructed 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to lower his voice slightly.

One should raise the voice when reciting in places of jahr and lower it in places of sirr, although the prayer remains valid if one does the opposite; however, it is the Sunnah that deserves to be followed. As for the order of the verses, it must be observed because the order of verses is based on the textual command.

Among the Sunnahs is to turn to the right and left when giving the final greeting, and one should turn to the left more deeply so that the cheek is visible. The imam pronounces the first greeting audibly only, while others should recite both greetings softly. It is recommended not to prolong the voice when giving the greeting, and to intend by it the conclusion of prayer and greeting to the guardian angels and those present.

Among the Sunnahs, after the prayer the imam leans toward the followers on either his right or left side, the imam does not stay long facing the Qibla after the greeting, and the followers do not leave before the imam. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

'Indeed, I am your imam, so do not precede me in bowing, prostration or leaving.'

If there is a group of women praying, they should leave first, while the men remain in their places to remember Allah so as not to pass by the women.

This concludes the discussion regarding the Sunnahs in prayer and the other Sunnahs of prayer.

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