He also asks, saying: Is the opening supplication obligatory in every prayer, whether obligatory or voluntary? And is it permissible to recite more than one type of opening supplication in a single prayer?
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The questioner : He also asks, saying: Is the opening supplication obligatory in every prayer, whether obligatory or voluntary? And is it permissible to recite more than one type of opening supplication in a single prayer?
The Shaykh : The opening supplication is a recommended practice (sunnah), not obligatory, neither in the obligatory prayer nor in the voluntary prayer. What a person should do in the opening supplication is to recite whatever has been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), reciting this one at times and that one at times, so that he performs the recommended practice in all its forms. If he does not know but one form of the recommended practice and restricts himself to it, there is no blame on him, because it appears that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) varied these forms in the opening supplication and in the tashahhud in order to make things easy for the servants. Likewise, in the dhikr after the prayer, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) varied them for two benefits. The first benefit is that a person does not stick to one type, because if a person sticks to one type, his recitation of that type becomes like a routine matter. Therefore, if he becomes inattentive, he finds himself saying this dhikr even without intention, because it has become a routine matter.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Automatically, as they say. So if the dhikr is varied and a person recites this one at times and that one at times, it becomes more present in his heart and more conducive to understanding what he is saying.
Second, what appears is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to make things easy for the Ummah, so that a person recites this one at times and that one at times according to what suits him. For the sake of these two benefits, some acts of worship are performed in varied forms, such as the opening supplication, the tashahhud, and the dhikr after the prayer. Yes.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The opening supplication is a recommended practice (sunnah), not obligatory, neither in the obligatory prayer nor in the voluntary prayer. What a person should do in the opening supplication is to recite whatever has been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), reciting this one at times and that one at times, so that he performs the recommended practice in all its forms. If he does not know but one form of the recommended practice and restricts himself to it, there is no blame on him, because it appears that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) varied these forms in the opening supplication and in the tashahhud in order to make things easy for the servants. Likewise, in the dhikr after the prayer, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) varied them for two benefits. The first benefit is that a person does not stick to one type, because if a person sticks to one type, his recitation of that type becomes like a routine matter. Therefore, if he becomes inattentive, he finds himself saying this dhikr even without intention, because it has become a routine matter.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Automatically, as they say. So if the dhikr is varied and a person recites this one at times and that one at times, it becomes more present in his heart and more conducive to understanding what he is saying.
Second, what appears is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to make things easy for the Ummah, so that a person recites this one at times and that one at times according to what suits him. For the sake of these two benefits, some acts of worship are performed in varied forms, such as the opening supplication, the tashahhud, and the dhikr after the prayer. Yes.
The questioner : Yes.