salahdin
Junior Member
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Errors in Prayers that must be Avoided
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 prayer16.
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.
Errors in Prayers that must be Avoided
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 prayer16.
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.
