Substitution in Prayer: Its Meaning and Manner
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The first message in this episode is from one of our brother listeners. He says: Your brother Abu 'Abdullah. Abu 'Abdullah’s message contained a collection of questions. In one of them, he asks and says: How is substitution in prayer carried out in all positions: in standing, before and after reciting al-Fatihah, during ruku' and sujud, in the sitting between the two prostrations, and in the first and final tashahhud? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions. As for what follows: Substitution in prayer means that an obstacle arises for the imam that necessitates his leaving the prayer, so he appoints one of the ma'mums to complete the prayer with them, becoming his deputy for the remainder of the prayer. For example, the imam might feel an illness that prevents him from continuing, or he might fear that his wudu' will be broken. He then steps back, and one of the ma'mums steps forward to take his place and complete the prayer. This applies whether it happens during standing or during sitting. The imam—meaning the substitute—builds upon the imam's prayer and completes what remains. This is the meaning of substitution in prayer, just as 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) appointed 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf as his substitute when he was stabbed. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good.
The questioner:
He asks about substitution in specific postures of the prayer. Shaykh Salih. He asks about the manner of substitution during ruku' or sujud, or in the sitting between the two prostrations, and in the first and final tashahhud.
The Shaykh:
We have explained this. We said that he steps back, whether he is in standing or in the sitting between the two prostrations, or in the tashahhud. He steps back, and the substitute steps forward to his place and completes the prayer.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you well.
The questioner:
If they are in the middle of the sitting between the two prostrations, does the substitute step forward while he is in that sitting, or how is the action performed? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
There is no objection to stepping forward whether he is sitting or he stands up and walks. There is no objection to that.
The first message in this episode is from one of our brother listeners. He says: Your brother Abu 'Abdullah. Abu 'Abdullah’s message contained a collection of questions. In one of them, he asks and says: How is substitution in prayer carried out in all positions: in standing, before and after reciting al-Fatihah, during ruku' and sujud, in the sitting between the two prostrations, and in the first and final tashahhud? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions. As for what follows: Substitution in prayer means that an obstacle arises for the imam that necessitates his leaving the prayer, so he appoints one of the ma'mums to complete the prayer with them, becoming his deputy for the remainder of the prayer. For example, the imam might feel an illness that prevents him from continuing, or he might fear that his wudu' will be broken. He then steps back, and one of the ma'mums steps forward to take his place and complete the prayer. This applies whether it happens during standing or during sitting. The imam—meaning the substitute—builds upon the imam's prayer and completes what remains. This is the meaning of substitution in prayer, just as 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) appointed 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf as his substitute when he was stabbed. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good.
The questioner:
He asks about substitution in specific postures of the prayer. Shaykh Salih. He asks about the manner of substitution during ruku' or sujud, or in the sitting between the two prostrations, and in the first and final tashahhud.
The Shaykh:
We have explained this. We said that he steps back, whether he is in standing or in the sitting between the two prostrations, or in the tashahhud. He steps back, and the substitute steps forward to his place and completes the prayer.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you well.
The questioner:
If they are in the middle of the sitting between the two prostrations, does the substitute step forward while he is in that sitting, or how is the action performed? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh:
There is no objection to stepping forward whether he is sitting or he stands up and walks. There is no objection to that.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 4579- الاستخلاف في الصلاة معناه وهيئته - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.