salahdin
Junior Member
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Errors in Prayers that must be Avoided
part 3
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 body24. 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 you27.
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 void31. to be continued ISHALLAH.
Errors in Prayers that must be Avoided
part 3
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 body24. 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 you27.
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 void31. to be continued ISHALLAH.