The Ruling on the Imam Lengthening the Prayer
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Question:
He says: I remember the meaning of a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he said: Please direct the imams regarding the meaning of this hadith, as I observe that some imams lengthen the prayer, which drives people away from the mosques?
Answer:
This is what is prescribed for the imams: not to drive people away, neither by lengthening the prayer, nor by delaying it beyond the time when the prayer should be established. Rather, the imam should seek to be gentle with the congregation in terms of being consistent in establishing the prayer at its time, and in terms of not lengthening it. His recitation, bowing, and prostration should be in a manner that is not severe and not lengthened. He should seek to follow the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and what he used to do. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bulugh al-Maram 2:316.
So my advice to all the imams is to pay attention to this matter, to strive to be gentle with their congregants, to be keen on encouraging them to pray in congregation, and not to drive them away. Some people complained about Mu'adh, saying that he prolongsThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became angry about this and said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6110 and he was strict about it, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him.
So the Sunnah is for the imam to seek to be gentle with the followers and not to lengthen the prayer for them, but his shortening should not be to the detriment of the prayer. His shortening should be accompanied by completeness; shortening with completeness in his recitation, bowing, and prostration, such that he is moderate in his recitation. He should recite what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised, such as al-Ghashiyah and [Al-Alaq:1]: [Al-Buruj:1] and similar surahs in the Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha prayers, and similarly shorter ones in the Maghrib prayer, such as al-Zalzalah, al-Adiyat, and al-Duha, and similar to that.
And if he lengthens it sometimes in the Maghrib prayer, which is a Sunnah, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, for he prayed in it on some nights with al-Mursalat, and on some nights with and a written book [At-Tur:1-2], this indicates that there is no harm in lengthening it sometimes, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did in the Maghrib prayer.
And the Fajr prayer is usually lengthened; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to lengthen it, reciting in it with (Qaf) and similar surahs such as al-Waqi'ah and similar to that. And if he shortens it sometimes, there is no harm. The point is that he seeks to follow the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his actions, (peace and blessings be upon him).
And similarly in the bowing and prostration, he does not lengthen it to the point of burdening the people. Rather, he is moderate and says the tasbih five times, or seven times, or ten times. The minimum of perfection is three times, and the obligatory is once. But he should be at rest, and similarly in the prostration. In the bowing he says: Subhan Rabbi al-Azim (Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great), Subhan Rabbi al-Azim. In the prostration he says: Subhan Rabbi al-A'la (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), Subhan Rabbi al-A'la. And it is prescribed for him to say with that: (Subhanaka Allahumma Rabbana wa bihamdika Allahumma ighfir li) (Glory be to You, O our Lord, and with Your praise, O Allah, forgive me) in the bowing and prostration. And between the two prostrations, he is at rest and does not rush, saying: Rabbighfir li (My Lord, forgive me), Rabbighfir li, Rabbi ighfir liSahih Muslim 2697a,
And similarly, when he stands up after the bowing, he straightens himself and does not rush, and says:Mishkat al-Masabih 813 And if he adds sometimes: Sahih Ibn Hibban 10:192 this is good; because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do this and that, (peace and blessings be upon him).
So the Muslim emulates him (peace and blessings be upon him) and seeks to follow his actions and words in all his matters of worship, meaning: in all acts of worship, from prayer and fasting and others. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
He says: I remember the meaning of a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he said:
Indeed, among you are those who drive people away. Let the one who leads the people shorten the prayer.
إن منكم منفرين، من أم الناس فليخففAnswer:
This is what is prescribed for the imams: not to drive people away, neither by lengthening the prayer, nor by delaying it beyond the time when the prayer should be established. Rather, the imam should seek to be gentle with the congregation in terms of being consistent in establishing the prayer at its time, and in terms of not lengthening it. His recitation, bowing, and prostration should be in a manner that is not severe and not lengthened. He should seek to follow the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and what he used to do. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
I have not prayed behind an imam who was more complete in prayer, or shorter in prayer, than the Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him).
ما صليت خلف إمام أتم صلاة، ولا أخف صلاة من النبي، عليه الصلاة والسلامWhen one of you leads the people in prayer he should be brief, for among them are the young and the old, the weak and those who have needs to attend to
أيها الناس! أيكم أم الناس فليخفف؛ فإن فيهم الصغير والكبير والضعيف وذا الحاجةSo my advice to all the imams is to pay attention to this matter, to strive to be gentle with their congregants, to be keen on encouraging them to pray in congregation, and not to drive them away. Some people complained about Mu'adh, saying that he prolongsThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became angry about this and said:
O people! There are some among you who make others dislike good deeds) cause the others to have aversion
أيها الناس! إن منكم منفرينSo the Sunnah is for the imam to seek to be gentle with the followers and not to lengthen the prayer for them, but his shortening should not be to the detriment of the prayer. His shortening should be accompanied by completeness; shortening with completeness in his recitation, bowing, and prostration, such that he is moderate in his recitation. He should recite what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised, such as al-Ghashiyah and
Recite in the name of your Lord
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَBy the sky containing great stars
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْبُرُوجِAnd if he lengthens it sometimes in the Maghrib prayer, which is a Sunnah, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, for he prayed in it on some nights with al-Mursalat, and on some nights with
By the Mount
وَالطُّورِ And the Fajr prayer is usually lengthened; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to lengthen it, reciting in it with (Qaf) and similar surahs such as al-Waqi'ah and similar to that. And if he shortens it sometimes, there is no harm. The point is that he seeks to follow the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his actions, (peace and blessings be upon him).
And similarly in the bowing and prostration, he does not lengthen it to the point of burdening the people. Rather, he is moderate and says the tasbih five times, or seven times, or ten times. The minimum of perfection is three times, and the obligatory is once. But he should be at rest, and similarly in the prostration. In the bowing he says: Subhan Rabbi al-Azim (Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great), Subhan Rabbi al-Azim. In the prostration he says: Subhan Rabbi al-A'la (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), Subhan Rabbi al-A'la. And it is prescribed for him to say with that: (Subhanaka Allahumma Rabbana wa bihamdika Allahumma ighfir li) (Glory be to You, O our Lord, and with Your praise, O Allah, forgive me) in the bowing and prostration. And between the two prostrations, he is at rest and does not rush, saying: Rabbighfir li (My Lord, forgive me), Rabbighfir li, Rabbi ighfir li
O Allah, grant me pardon, have mercy upon me, direct me to the path of righteousness and provide me sustenance.
اللهم اغفر لي وارحمني واهدني واجبرني وارزقني وعافنيAnd similarly, when he stands up after the bowing, he straightens himself and does not rush, and says:
to Thee belongs praise in the whole of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and in whatever Thou createst afterwards
ربنا ولك الحمد حمدًا كثيرًا طيبًا مباركًا فيه، ملء السماوات، وملء الأرض، وملء ما بينهما، وملء ما شئت من شيء بعدYou are the most worthy of the praise and glory that the servant says, and all of us are Your servants. There is no one who can prevent what You have given, and there is no one who can give what You have withheld, and the wealth of the wealthy does not benefit them in the least with You.
أهل الثناء والمجد أحق ما قال العبد وكلنا لك عبد، لا مانع لما أعطيت، ولا معطي لما منعت، ولا ينفع ذا الجد منك الجدSo the Muslim emulates him (peace and blessings be upon him) and seeks to follow his actions and words in all his matters of worship, meaning: in all acts of worship, from prayer and fasting and others. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.