Explanation of Walking Etiquette to Prayer
Authored by the prominent erudite scholar Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhāb (may Allah have mercy upon him)
This copy is edited, according to a manuscript in the Saudi public library under the identification no. 86/269 and other printed copies, by Shaykh ‘Abdul-Karīm ibn Muhammad al-Lāhim, Shaykh Nāsir ibn ‘Abdullah al-Turīm, and Shaykh Sa‘ūd ibn Muhammad al-Bishr.
It is recommended to head to prayer while being pure and with humility, based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “When one of you performs ablution and does it well, then heads to the mosque, he must not intertwine his fingers for he is (virtually) engaged in prayer.” One should say on leaving his house, even for a purpose other than the prayer: “Bismillāh āmantu billāh i‘tasamtu billāh tawakkaltu ‘ala Allāh la hawla wa la quwwata illā billāh. Allāhumma innī a‘ūdhu bika an adilla aw udal, aw azilla aw uzal, aw azhlima aw uzhlam, aw ajhala aw yujhala ‘alayy (In the Name of Allah, I believe in Allah, I seek the protection of Allah, I put my trust in Allah and there is no strength or power except with Allah. I seek refuge with You lest I should go astray or cause someone to go astray, slip or cause someone to slip, do injustice or have injustice done against me, or act foolishly or be treated foolishly).” One should walk to the mosque in a calm and tranquil demeanor, based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “When you hear the Iqāmah (second call to prayer), proceed to offer the prayer with calmness and solemnity. Pray what you can caught up with and complete what you missed.” One should also walk in close-ranging steps while saying: “Allāhumma innī asa’luka bi haqqi as-sā’ilīna ‘alayka, wa bi haqqi mamshāya hadha, fa innī lam akhruj asharan walā batran, walā rīyā’an, walā sum‘atan, kharajtu ittiqā’a sukhtika wa ibtighā’a mardātika, as’aluka an tunqidhani min an-nari wa an taghfira lī dhunūbi jamī‘an, innahu lā yaghfiru adh-dhunūba illā anta. (O Allah, I ask You by the right that those who ask of You have over You, and I ask by virtue of this walking of mine, for I am not going out because of pride or vanity, or to show off or make a reputation, rather I am going out because I fear Your wrath and seek Your pleasure. So I ask You to protect me from the Fire and to forgive me all my sins, for no one can forgive sins except You).” And say: “Allāhumma ij‘al fī qalbī nūran wa fī lisānī nūran waj‘al fī basarī nūran wa fī sam‘ī nūran wa amāmī nūran wa khalfī nūran wa ‘an yamīnī nūran wa ‘an shimālī nūran wa fawqī nūran wa tahtī nūran Allāhumma a‘tinī nūran (O Allah, give light to my heart, light to my tongue, light to my eyesight, light to my hearing, light in front of me and light from behind me, light on my right side, light on my left side, light above me, and light below me. O Allah, grant me light).” Once one enters the mosque, he is recommended to put forward his right leg and say: “Bismillāh a‘ūdhu billāhi al-‘azhīm wa biwajhihi al-karīm wa sultānihi al-qadīm min ash-shaytān ar-rajīm Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad Allāhumma ighfir lī dhunūbī waftahlī abwāba rahmatik (In the Name of Allah, I seek refuge with Allah, the Most Great, and with His noble Face, and His eternal authority from the accursed devil. O Allah, send Your peace and blessings upon Muhammad. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open for me the gates of Your mercy).” When departing the mosque, one should put forward his left leg and say: “Waftahlī abwāba fadlik (And open for me the gates of Your bounty).” Once one enters the mosque, he should not sit down until he first prays two Rak‘ahs (unit of prayer), based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “When anyone of you enters the mosque, he should not sit down until he prays two Rak‘ahs.” While inside the mosque, one should busy himself with the remembrance of Allah or remain otherwise silent without engaging in daily life conversations. If committed to this practice, he is considered as if he is praying and the angels keep asking Allah to forgive him so long as he does not cause harm or invalidate his ritual purity.
It is recommended to stand up and ready oneself for prayer once the Muezzin says: “Qad qāmat as-salāh (the prayer has commenced)” if the Imam is present at the mosque, otherwise he should stand up to prayer once he sees the Imam. Imam Ahmad was asked: “Is there anything to be said before making Takbīr (saying: Allāhu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great))?” He answered in the negative since nothing has been reported from either the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) or the Companions in this regard. Afterward, the Imam should straighten up the rows and line them up shoulder to shoulder and heel to heel.
It is also recommended to complete the first row, then the second row...etc. The people praying behind the Imam should stand adjacent to one another and fill the gaps. It should be noted that standing on the right side of each row is better and virtuous people should be the nearest to the Imam, based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “Let those who are mature and have good understanding be near me.” The best rows of men are the first and the worst of them are the last; and the best rows of women are the last, and the worst of them are the first. If one is capable of standing during prayer, he should stand and start the prayer by saying: “Allāhu Akbar” (Allah is Most Great), and there is nothing else to replace it. The rationale of commencing the prayer with this statement is to recall the greatness of the One Whom he is standing before so that he achieves humility. If he elongates the Hamzah of Allah [aaallah] or Akbar [aaakbar] or pronounces it as "Ikbār", it does not count. As for the mute person, he should make this statement by his heart without moving his tongue; and the same applies to the Qur’an recitation and other acts of remembering Allah.
It is recommended for the Imam to pronounce “Allāhu Akbar” audibly, based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “When the Imam says (Allāhu Akbar), all of you should say it after him.” The Imam should also speak audibly when he says: “Sami‘allāhu liman hamidah” (Allah hears the one who praises Him), based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “Say: Rabbana wa laka al-hamd (O our Lord, all praise be to You)’ when he says: ‘Sami‘allāhu liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him).’”
When praying alone or behind the Imam, one should pray inaudibly, raise his hands with drawn-out and connected fingers, and face the Qiblah (direction of the Ka‘ba) with his palms. The hands are to be raised in line with the shoulders unless one is unable to do so. Notably, raising the hands signify lifting the veil between one and his Lord and the index finger signifies the Oneness of Allah. Next, he is to hold his left elbow with his right palm while placing them under his naval to indicate his submission before Allah Almighty. One is recommended to fix his eyes on the spot of his prostration in every position during the prayer except when sitting for Tashahhud, in which case he is to look at his index finger. Then, he should commence the prayer with saying the opening supplication inaudibly: “Subhānak Allāhumma wa bihamdika” (Glory be to You, O Allah, and all praise is due to You). It means to hold Allah far greater than any imperfection in a way that suits His majesty, and in the praise of Allah, he brings together the praise and glorification of Allah; “wa tabāraka ismuka” (and blessed is Your name) means that blessing is obtained by the mention of Your name; “wa ta‘āla jadduka” (and high is Your majesty) means Your majesty is at a glorious status; “wa lā ilāha ghayruka” (and no deity is worthy of worship but You) means no deity on this earth or in the heaven is worthy of worship but You, O Allah. It is permissible to commence the prayer with any of the reported formulas of the opening supplication. Next, one should seek refuge in Allah by saying inaudibly: “A‘ūdhu billāh min ash-shaytān ar-rajīm” (I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed devil), or use any of the reported formulas. Then, one should say Basmalah (Bismillāh ar-Rahmān ar-Rahīm (in the Name of Allah the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful)) inaudibly. It is noteworthy that Basmalah is not part of Al-Fātihah nor any other surah in the Qur’an but it is an independent verse, occurring before Al-Fātihah and separating each surah from the other except Surat at-Tawbah and Surat al-Anfāl. It is recommended to begin every written correspondence with Basmalah, following the practice of Sulaymān (Solomon) (peace be upon him) and the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). It is to be mentioned also at the beginning of every action, since it expels the devil.
As an exception, Imam Ahmad said: “It is not to be written at the beginning of poetry or anywhere with it.”
Then one recites Al-Fātihah in its rightful order, each verse following the other without any breaks, and maintains its appropriate pronunciation. Recitation of Al-Fātihah is one of the pillars of prayer, and it should be recited in every Rak‘ah as reported in the following Hadīth: “The prayer of the one who does not recite Al-Fātihah is invalid.” It is called the "Mother of the Qur’an" because it includes references to the deity, Day of Judgment, prophethood, and destiny. The first two verses prove divine-related issues; the verse {Master of the Day of Judgment} refers to the Day of Judgment; {You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help} refers to the commands and prohibitions dictated by Allah, reliance on and sincerity to Allah. Just as this verse guides to the right path, its followers, and its leading figures, it also warns against the path of deviance. It is recommended to pause
after every verse, following the manner of the Prophet’s (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recitation. Al-Fātihah is the greatest Surah in the Qur’an though the greatest verse is the Verse of Al-Kursi (in Surat al-Baqarah). It contains eleven instances of Shaddah (doubled sound) and it is disliked to overpronounce it or extend the sound elongation beyond necessary. Once concluding the recitation of Al-Fātihah, one should take a short pause then say "Āmīn" (Amen) so as not to be mistaken for part of the Qur’an. "Āmīn" is a request to Allah to answer the supplication and it must be spoken audibly by both the Imam and those behind him in an audible prayer. As instructed by the Hadīth reported by Samurah, it is recommended for the Imam to make a short pause after finishing the recitation of Al-Fātihah in an audible prayer. An ignorant person must learn it so long as he is capable, otherwise his prayer is invalid if he did not learn it. And in case one failed to memorize it or anything else from the Qur’an, he must say: “Subhānallāh, wa al-hamdulillāh, wa lā ilāha illallāh, wa Allāhu Akbar” (Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, Allah is the Most Great), based on the saying of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “If you know any portion of the Qur’an, recite it or else say: Al-hamdulillāh, lā ilāha illallāh, and Allāhu Akbar (All praise is due to Allah, there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, and Allah is the Most Great) then prostrate.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and At-Tirmidhi] One then says the Basmalah once again inaudibly and follows it with a complete surah. Reciting a single verse is sufficient but Imam Ahmad recommended a long verse. Outside the prayer, one has the option either to recite the Basmalah audibly or inaudibly. In Fajr prayer, it is recommended to recite from the long surahs of the "Mufassal" (detailed), which starts from Surat Qāf. Aws reported that he asked the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “How do you divide up the Qur’an (into portions)?” They said: “Three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen, and Hizb al-Mufassal on its own.” It is disliked to recite the short surahs in Fajr prayer unless there is an excuse such as traveling or suffering from a sickness and the like. In the Maghrib prayer, one should recite from the short surahs though sometimes it is preferable to recite from the long ones, because the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) recited Surat al-A‘rāf once therein. In other prayers, however, one should recite a surah from the middle of the Qur’an unless there is an excuse, then one recites the shorter surahs. With regards to the woman’s prayer, she is allowed to recite audibly in an audible prayer so long as no foreign man hears her. If someone wishes to observe a voluntary prayer at night time, he should be mindful of his surroundings, i.e. he should remain inaudible if his audible recitation would annoy someone next to him. However, he may pray audibly if others are listening to him. In addition, if he were to perform an inaudible prayer audibly or vice-versa, he should resume his prayer thusly. He must also recite the verses in their rightful order, sticking to the letter of the scriptural texts. With regard to reciting the surahs in order, it is something left to Ijtihad (personal reasoning)
because there is no textual evidence to mandate an orderly recitation of the surahs, according to the opinion held by the majority of scholars. Hence, it is permissible to alternate the order currently found in the Mus-haf (bound copy of the Qur’an), which is why there are various versions of the Mus-haf possessed by the Companions. On a relevant note, [Imam] Ahmad disliked the recitation mode of Hamzah, Al-Kisā’i, and "Idghām kabīr" (total merging of two letters) as pronounced by Abu ‘Amr. After finishing the recitation, one should raise his hands like the first time but only after taking a short pause, in other words, he should not make Takbīr immediately after finishing his recitation.
After saying Allāhu Akbar, he should place each of his hands, with the fingers spaced out, on each knee, stretch out his back in a straight line, and level up his head without raising it up or bending it down, consistently with the Hadīth reported by ‘Ā’ishah. Moreover, he should keep his elbows away from his sides, following the Hadīth reported by Abu Humayd. When bowing, one should say: “Subhāna Rabbi al-‘Azhīm” (Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent), based on the Hadīth reported by Hudhayfah and narrated by Muslim. The least acceptable number is three and the maximum is ten allowed for the Imam; and the same applies to saying “Subhāna Rabbi al-A‘la” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High) during prostration.
There should be no Qur’an recitation in bowing or prostration because the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited that. The next step is to raise one’s head alongside the hands, as he did earlier. Both the Imam and the individual praying alone must say here: “Sami’allāhu liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him)”. It is basically a request to Allah to answer the supplication. Once one stands uprightly, he is to say:
“Rabbana wa laka al-hamdu mil’a as-samāwāti wa al-ard wa mil’a mā shi’ta min shay’in ba‘d (Praise be to You, our Lord, as much as what fills the heavens and the earth and what fills anything You will beyond that).”
“Ahla ath-thanā’i wa al-majd, ahaqqu mā qāl al-‘abd wa kullunā laka ‘abd lā māni‘a limā a‘tayta wa lā mu‘tiya limā mana‘ta wa lā yanfa‘u dhal jaddi minka aj-jaddu (O Worthy of praise and glory, that is the most truthful thing to be said by a slave and we are all slaves to You. There is none who can withhold what You give, and none can give what You withhold, and the greatness of the great will be of no avail to them against You).”