An Explanation of the Manner of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) Prayer, from the sitting between the two prostrations to the closing salam.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Yes. What remains for us regarding the sitting is: how does one sit between the two prostrations? One sits in the iftirash position, meaning: he plants his right foot, placing its toes on the ground and its heel in the air. What is the heel? The heel is the ankle bone. It is astonishing that a man does not know his ankle bone from his heel. Yes. The heel here is the ankle bone, and whoever does not know the ankle bone, the heel is the back part of the foot. Good.
The toes are on the ground, and the heel is above; this is the right foot.
The second foot is spread out, so he places its back on the ground and its sole against his buttocks, so that it serves as a cushion for him.
As for the hands, he places his left hand on his right thigh, spread out with the fingers together, facing the qiblah. It is permissible to tuck it under the knee, and both practices are reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for the right hand, the well-known view among scholars, and the view of the majority of scholars, is that he places it spread out exactly like the left hand. However, the correct view is that he brings together the little finger, the ring finger, the middle finger, and the thumb, gathering the four together, and keeps the index finger raised in order to invoke Allah with it. Every time he mentions a phrase of supplication, he moves the finger, saying for example: “My Lord, forgive me,” and he raises the finger; “and have mercy on me,” and he raises the finger, and so on.
And this which we have mentioned was narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad from the hadith of Wail ibn Hujr with a good chain, and Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) relied upon it in his book Zad al-Ma’ad, which is a famous book in the hands of all students.
It is also permissible for him to bring together the little finger and the ring finger, and to circle the thumb and the middle finger, and to keep the index finger open without bringing it together, and to move it during supplication.
In the second rak’ah, we said it is like the first, but how does it differ from the first? Which of the phrases? Please? What?
The student: The takbir of ihram.
The Shaykh : This is one, the takbir of ihram, and what else? Rest.
The student: The opening supplication.
The Shaykh : Well done, the opening supplication, there is no opening supplication, and what else?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : What?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, he recites, in the second rak’ah what does he not recite? In the second rak’ah what does he not recite after al-Fatihah? I say: in the second rak’ah he does not recite anything after al-Fatihah, he recites, you recite, rest, yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Is there a tashahhud in the standing, man? May Allah help us.
The seeking of refuge.
Now, he does not say the takbir of ihram because he has already said the takbir of transition, and he does not make the opening supplication because the opening supplication is in the first rak’ah, and he does not seek refuge, and this last issue is a matter of disagreement. Some say: he seeks refuge in every rak’ah, because every rak’ah has an independent recitation, and some say: he seeks refuge in the first rak’ah, because the rest are subordinate to the first rak’ah, so the issue is one of disagreement among scholars.
And we hope that there is no harm on anyone if he seeks refuge in every rak’ah or leaves off seeking refuge after the first rak’ah, the matter is broad, if Allah wills.
After completing the two rak’ahs, he sits for the tashahhud as he sits between the two prostrations, meaning he sits, what? In the iftirash position, he sits in the iftirash position, and do you know what iftirash is?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, what does it mean to plant it?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And the toes...? That’s it, rest. Meaning he sits in the iftirash position, he answered, he answered, rest. Sit, may Allah reward you with good.
He sits in the iftirash position, and recites, what? The tashahhud: The blessings are for Allah, and the prayers and the good things. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.
This is the first tashahhud.
If the prayer is a two-rak’ah prayer, he completes the tashahhud: O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim, for You are Praiseworthy and Majestic. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim, for You are Praiseworthy and Majestic.
I seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the Hellfire, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the trial of life and death, and from the trial of the false messiah.
And know that seeking refuge from these four is very, very emphasized, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it, and he said:Sunan Ibn Majah 909Sahih (Darussalam).
And this supplication, some scholars held it to be obligatory, and it is a view in the madhhab of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), and therefore it should not be neglected.
And if it is a three-rak’ah or four-rak’ah prayer, he limits himself to saying: I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, then he stands up and does what remains.
And what comes after the first tashahhud differs from what comes before it in that he does not recite anything with al-Fatihah, as that came explicitly in the hadith of Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him).
And know that the second rak’ah is shorter than the first rak’ah, shorter than the first rak’ah, as that came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that he used to lengthen the recitation in the first rak’ah and make the second rak’ah less than it.
In the final tashahhud, you heard that he recites the first tashahhud and the sending of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the sending of blessings upon him, and seeking refuge in Allah from the punishment of the Hellfire, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the trial of life and death, and from the trial of the false messiah.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indeed advised Mu’adh ibn Jabal with an advice, and he said:.
And for this reason, it should be that one concludes the supplication of the tashahhud with this supplication: O Allah, help me to remember You, to give thanks to You, and to worship You in the best manner.
This is what was facilitated of mentioning the description of the prayer.
And what remains for us is the final tashahhud, if the prayer has two tashahhuds, how is the sitting for it? It is by the tawruk position, and how is the tawruk? The tawruk has three descriptions:
The first description: that he plants his right leg, and you know the meaning of planting, you know it, and we do not repeat it? It is known. And he brings out the left one from under the shin to the left side, and his buttocks, what? On the ground. This is one.
The second: that he spreads out both legs, and brings them out to the left, meaning the right leg and the left leg he spreads them out, in this case the thumb of the right will be near the ground and the little finger of the left will be near the ground, meaning because he has spread them out or placed them to his left.
The third description: that he spreads them out, meaning the two legs, to the left, but he inserts the left leg between the thigh of the right and its shin. This is how it came in Sahih Muslim, and in the narration of Abu Dawud:. But there is no doubt that the narration of Muslim is more authentic, and that is that he inserts the left one between the thigh and the shin, and there is no hardship or difficulty in this.
These are three descriptions of the tawruk, all of them are permissible.
But these descriptions, if there is no harm to anyone, if there is harm, as if the row is very tightly packed, then if you were to sit in the tawruk position you would harm the one next to you, so do not harm, sit in the iftirash position, and the matter is broad, and if Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows that if it were not for your fear of harming your brothers you would have sat in the tawruk position and it was your habit to sit in the tawruk position.
The toes are on the ground, and the heel is above; this is the right foot.
The second foot is spread out, so he places its back on the ground and its sole against his buttocks, so that it serves as a cushion for him.
As for the hands, he places his left hand on his right thigh, spread out with the fingers together, facing the qiblah. It is permissible to tuck it under the knee, and both practices are reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for the right hand, the well-known view among scholars, and the view of the majority of scholars, is that he places it spread out exactly like the left hand. However, the correct view is that he brings together the little finger, the ring finger, the middle finger, and the thumb, gathering the four together, and keeps the index finger raised in order to invoke Allah with it. Every time he mentions a phrase of supplication, he moves the finger, saying for example: “My Lord, forgive me,” and he raises the finger; “and have mercy on me,” and he raises the finger, and so on.
And this which we have mentioned was narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad from the hadith of Wail ibn Hujr with a good chain, and Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) relied upon it in his book Zad al-Ma’ad, which is a famous book in the hands of all students.
It is also permissible for him to bring together the little finger and the ring finger, and to circle the thumb and the middle finger, and to keep the index finger open without bringing it together, and to move it during supplication.
In the second rak’ah, we said it is like the first, but how does it differ from the first? Which of the phrases? Please? What?
The student: The takbir of ihram.
The Shaykh : This is one, the takbir of ihram, and what else? Rest.
The student: The opening supplication.
The Shaykh : Well done, the opening supplication, there is no opening supplication, and what else?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : What?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, he recites, in the second rak’ah what does he not recite? In the second rak’ah what does he not recite after al-Fatihah? I say: in the second rak’ah he does not recite anything after al-Fatihah, he recites, you recite, rest, yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Is there a tashahhud in the standing, man? May Allah help us.
The seeking of refuge.
Now, he does not say the takbir of ihram because he has already said the takbir of transition, and he does not make the opening supplication because the opening supplication is in the first rak’ah, and he does not seek refuge, and this last issue is a matter of disagreement. Some say: he seeks refuge in every rak’ah, because every rak’ah has an independent recitation, and some say: he seeks refuge in the first rak’ah, because the rest are subordinate to the first rak’ah, so the issue is one of disagreement among scholars.
And we hope that there is no harm on anyone if he seeks refuge in every rak’ah or leaves off seeking refuge after the first rak’ah, the matter is broad, if Allah wills.
After completing the two rak’ahs, he sits for the tashahhud as he sits between the two prostrations, meaning he sits, what? In the iftirash position, he sits in the iftirash position, and do you know what iftirash is?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, what does it mean to plant it?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : And the toes...? That’s it, rest. Meaning he sits in the iftirash position, he answered, he answered, rest. Sit, may Allah reward you with good.
He sits in the iftirash position, and recites, what? The tashahhud: The blessings are for Allah, and the prayers and the good things. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.
This is the first tashahhud.
If the prayer is a two-rak’ah prayer, he completes the tashahhud: O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim, for You are Praiseworthy and Majestic. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim, for You are Praiseworthy and Majestic.
I seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the Hellfire, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the trial of life and death, and from the trial of the false messiah.
And know that seeking refuge from these four is very, very emphasized, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it, and he said:
When anyone of you finishes the last Tashah-hud, let him seek refuge with Allah from four things: From the torment of Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the Fitnah (tribulation) of Masihud-Dajjal.
إذا تشهد أحدكم الأخير فليستعذ بالله من أربع يقول : أعوذ بالله من عذاب جهنم، ومن عذاب القبر، ومن فتنة المحيا والممات، ومن فتنة المسيح الدجالAnd this supplication, some scholars held it to be obligatory, and it is a view in the madhhab of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), and therefore it should not be neglected.
And if it is a three-rak’ah or four-rak’ah prayer, he limits himself to saying: I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, then he stands up and does what remains.
And what comes after the first tashahhud differs from what comes before it in that he does not recite anything with al-Fatihah, as that came explicitly in the hadith of Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him).
And know that the second rak’ah is shorter than the first rak’ah, shorter than the first rak’ah, as that came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that he used to lengthen the recitation in the first rak’ah and make the second rak’ah less than it.
In the final tashahhud, you heard that he recites the first tashahhud and the sending of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the sending of blessings upon him, and seeking refuge in Allah from the punishment of the Hellfire, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the trial of life and death, and from the trial of the false messiah.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indeed advised Mu’adh ibn Jabal with an advice, and he said:
O Mu’adh, I love you, so do not leave saying after every obligatory prayer: O Allah, help me to remember You, to give thanks to You, and to worship You in the best manner.
يا معاذ إني أحبك فلا تدعن أن تقول دبر كل صلاة مكتوبة : اللهم أعني على ذكرك وشكرك وحسن عبادتكAnd for this reason, it should be that one concludes the supplication of the tashahhud with this supplication: O Allah, help me to remember You, to give thanks to You, and to worship You in the best manner.
This is what was facilitated of mentioning the description of the prayer.
And what remains for us is the final tashahhud, if the prayer has two tashahhuds, how is the sitting for it? It is by the tawruk position, and how is the tawruk? The tawruk has three descriptions:
The first description: that he plants his right leg, and you know the meaning of planting, you know it, and we do not repeat it? It is known. And he brings out the left one from under the shin to the left side, and his buttocks, what? On the ground. This is one.
The second: that he spreads out both legs, and brings them out to the left, meaning the right leg and the left leg he spreads them out, in this case the thumb of the right will be near the ground and the little finger of the left will be near the ground, meaning because he has spread them out or placed them to his left.
The third description: that he spreads them out, meaning the two legs, to the left, but he inserts the left leg between the thigh of the right and its shin. This is how it came in Sahih Muslim, and in the narration of Abu Dawud:
That he brings out the left one from under the shin of the right one.
أنه يخرج اليسرى من تحت ساق اليمنىThese are three descriptions of the tawruk, all of them are permissible.
But these descriptions, if there is no harm to anyone, if there is harm, as if the row is very tightly packed, then if you were to sit in the tawruk position you would harm the one next to you, so do not harm, sit in the iftirash position, and the matter is broad, and if Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows that if it were not for your fear of harming your brothers you would have sat in the tawruk position and it was your habit to sit in the tawruk position.