Is there any advice for the imams of the mosques regarding the fact that during the takbir in prayer, and especially during the first or last tashahhud, their tone of voice is uniform in all the takbirs?
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The questioner : I ask you to direct advice to the imams of the mosques, may Allah reward them with good, regarding the fact that during the takbir in prayer, and especially when sitting for the first or last tashahhud, their tone of voice is uniform in all the takbirs. This causes confusion for the worshippers, and especially for those who did not catch up until the second rak'ah. The imam says takbir to sit for the first tashahhud, and this worshipper might stand thinking that he has risen for the second rak'ah, meaning the imam, because he did not change his tone of voice to alert the worshippers to sit for the first tashahhud. The same situation occurs if the ma'mum lines up at the beginning of the third or fourth rak'ah, so this confusion will be repeated among the worshippers. I hope you will clarify this for the imams in general. And are there any hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on this subject, meaning lowering the voice when sitting for the two tashahhuds, or is there a text that prohibits that? We hope for a detailed clarification. May Allah reward you with good?
The Shaykh : What the questioner mentioned, that some imams do not distinguish in the takbir between standing, sitting, bowing, and prostrating, is the apparent Sunnah. For I do not know, up to this moment, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to distinguish between the takbirs. Rather, the apparent Sunnah is that his takbirs were the same. And it is established in the authentic hadith: that he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) one day [prayed] on the minbar, and the minbar, as is well known, has steps فكان عليه الصلاة والسلام يقوم ويركع وهو على المنبر، فإذا أراد السجود نزل فسجد على الأرض ثم قال : إنما فعلت هذا لتأتموا بي ولتعلموا صلاتي .
وفي هذه إشارة إلى أنه لا يفرق بين التكبير ، لأنه لو فرق بين التكبيرات لكان الناس يعرفون أنه راكع أو ساجد أو جالس أو قائم في التكبيرات ، ولا أعلم أيضا أن أحدا من أهل العلم قال : إنه يفرق بين تكبيرات الجلوس والسجود والركوع .
غاية ما سمعت أو غاية ما اطلعت عليه من كلام العلماء أن بعض العلماء قال : ينبغي أن يمد التكبير إذا سجد وإذا قام من السجود لطول الفصل بين السجود والقيام ، وأما أن يفرق بين الجلوس للتشهد الأخير والجلوس لما بين السجدتين أو التشهد الأول والجلوس لما بين السجدتين فهذا لا أعلم له أصلا من السنة ، وعلى هذا فما كان يفعله الأئمة الذين شكاهم هذا السائل هو ظاهر السنة ولا ينكر عليهم .
وأما ارتباك المأمومين فإن ارتباكهم في الغالب يكون لغفلتهم حيث يسرحون في الوساوس وأحاديث النفس ولا يتابعون الإمام إلا على نبرات صوته ، لكن إذا كان لا يفرق بين التكبيرات كان هذا أدعى لحضور قلوبهم وانتباههم ، لأن الإنسان لا يحب أن يقوم والناس جلوس أو أن يجلس والناس قيام ، فتجده قد شد نفسه وانتبه إلى إمامه أشد مما لو كان يتابع مجرد نغمات الصوت .
وأما من دخل في أثناء الصلاة فهذا ربما يحصل منه ارتباك وإن كان حاضر القلب لكن هو سيصلي إلى جنبه أناس قد سبقوه في الدخول في الصلاة فسوف يراهم ثم يتابع الإمام على حسب ما يرى المأمومين الذين خلفه ، ولا شك أن الإنسان كما يأتم بالإمام يأتم بمن خلفه إذا كان لا يمكنه الائتمام بالإمام.
السائل : بارك الله فيكم على هذا التوجيه المبارك. So he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) would stand and bow while on the minbar, and when he wanted to prostrate, he would descend and prostrate on the ground. Then he said: "I only did this so that you may follow me and so that you may learn my prayer." And in this is an indication that he did not distinguish between the takbirs, because if he had distinguished between the takbirs, people would have known whether he was bowing, prostrating, sitting, or standing in the takbirs. And I do not know, either, that anyone from the people of knowledge said: that he distinguished between the takbirs of sitting, prostrating, and bowing. The most I have heard, or the most I have come across in the words of the scholars, is that some scholars said: it is recommended to lengthen the takbir when prostrating and when rising from prostration, due to the long interval between prostration and standing. As for distinguishing between sitting for the last tashahhud and sitting between the two prostrations, or the first tashahhud and sitting between the two prostrations, I do not know any basis for this from the Sunnah. And on this basis, what the imams who were complained about by this questioner were doing is the apparent Sunnah, and it is not to be censured. As for the confusion of the ma'mums, their confusion is usually due to their negligence, where they let their minds wander in whispers and thoughts of the self, and they do not follow the imam except by the tones of his voice. But if he does not distinguish between the takbirs, this is more conducive to the presence of their hearts and their attentiveness, because a person does not like to stand while people are sitting, or to sit while people are standing. So you will find that he has tightened himself and paid more attention to his imam than if he were following mere tones of voice. As for the one who enters during the prayer, he may experience confusion, even if his heart is present, but he will pray next to people who entered the prayer before him, so he will see them and then follow the imam according to what he sees of the ma'mums behind him. And there is no doubt that a person, just as he follows the imam, follows the one behind him if he is unable to follow the imam. The questioner: May Allah bless you for this blessed guidance.
The Shaykh : What the questioner mentioned, that some imams do not distinguish in the takbir between standing, sitting, bowing, and prostrating, is the apparent Sunnah. For I do not know, up to this moment, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to distinguish between the takbirs. Rather, the apparent Sunnah is that his takbirs were the same. And it is established in the authentic hadith: that he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) one day [prayed] on the minbar, and the minbar, as is well known, has steps فكان عليه الصلاة والسلام يقوم ويركع وهو على المنبر، فإذا أراد السجود نزل فسجد على الأرض ثم قال : إنما فعلت هذا لتأتموا بي ولتعلموا صلاتي .
وفي هذه إشارة إلى أنه لا يفرق بين التكبير ، لأنه لو فرق بين التكبيرات لكان الناس يعرفون أنه راكع أو ساجد أو جالس أو قائم في التكبيرات ، ولا أعلم أيضا أن أحدا من أهل العلم قال : إنه يفرق بين تكبيرات الجلوس والسجود والركوع .
غاية ما سمعت أو غاية ما اطلعت عليه من كلام العلماء أن بعض العلماء قال : ينبغي أن يمد التكبير إذا سجد وإذا قام من السجود لطول الفصل بين السجود والقيام ، وأما أن يفرق بين الجلوس للتشهد الأخير والجلوس لما بين السجدتين أو التشهد الأول والجلوس لما بين السجدتين فهذا لا أعلم له أصلا من السنة ، وعلى هذا فما كان يفعله الأئمة الذين شكاهم هذا السائل هو ظاهر السنة ولا ينكر عليهم .
وأما ارتباك المأمومين فإن ارتباكهم في الغالب يكون لغفلتهم حيث يسرحون في الوساوس وأحاديث النفس ولا يتابعون الإمام إلا على نبرات صوته ، لكن إذا كان لا يفرق بين التكبيرات كان هذا أدعى لحضور قلوبهم وانتباههم ، لأن الإنسان لا يحب أن يقوم والناس جلوس أو أن يجلس والناس قيام ، فتجده قد شد نفسه وانتبه إلى إمامه أشد مما لو كان يتابع مجرد نغمات الصوت .
وأما من دخل في أثناء الصلاة فهذا ربما يحصل منه ارتباك وإن كان حاضر القلب لكن هو سيصلي إلى جنبه أناس قد سبقوه في الدخول في الصلاة فسوف يراهم ثم يتابع الإمام على حسب ما يرى المأمومين الذين خلفه ، ولا شك أن الإنسان كما يأتم بالإمام يأتم بمن خلفه إذا كان لا يمكنه الائتمام بالإمام.
السائل : بارك الله فيكم على هذا التوجيه المبارك. So he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) would stand and bow while on the minbar, and when he wanted to prostrate, he would descend and prostrate on the ground. Then he said: "I only did this so that you may follow me and so that you may learn my prayer." And in this is an indication that he did not distinguish between the takbirs, because if he had distinguished between the takbirs, people would have known whether he was bowing, prostrating, sitting, or standing in the takbirs. And I do not know, either, that anyone from the people of knowledge said: that he distinguished between the takbirs of sitting, prostrating, and bowing. The most I have heard, or the most I have come across in the words of the scholars, is that some scholars said: it is recommended to lengthen the takbir when prostrating and when rising from prostration, due to the long interval between prostration and standing. As for distinguishing between sitting for the last tashahhud and sitting between the two prostrations, or the first tashahhud and sitting between the two prostrations, I do not know any basis for this from the Sunnah. And on this basis, what the imams who were complained about by this questioner were doing is the apparent Sunnah, and it is not to be censured. As for the confusion of the ma'mums, their confusion is usually due to their negligence, where they let their minds wander in whispers and thoughts of the self, and they do not follow the imam except by the tones of his voice. But if he does not distinguish between the takbirs, this is more conducive to the presence of their hearts and their attentiveness, because a person does not like to stand while people are sitting, or to sit while people are standing. So you will find that he has tightened himself and paid more attention to his imam than if he were following mere tones of voice. As for the one who enters during the prayer, he may experience confusion, even if his heart is present, but he will pray next to people who entered the prayer before him, so he will see them and then follow the imam according to what he sees of the ma'mums behind him. And there is no doubt that a person, just as he follows the imam, follows the one behind him if he is unable to follow the imam. The questioner: May Allah bless you for this blessed guidance.