Errors In Prayers That Must Be Avoided

[KIWI MUSLIM]

14. Holding the Qur'an and reciting from it by the muqtadi in congregational prayer to check the imam's recitation. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC15

14) Holding the Qur'an and reciting from it by the muqtadi in congregational prayer to check the imam's recitation.
This act distracts the person who is doing so and prevents him from concentration. It is a dispraised act during salah.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

15. Racing with the imam, or moving with or before him in congregational prayer. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC16

15) Racing with the imam, or moving with or before him in congregational prayer.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: Move not before the imam does. When the imam says. Allahu akbar, you say, Allahu akbar. When he says, waladh-dhalleen' you say, aameen. In another narration, he said: Surely the imam is there to be followed22. He also said: Does not the one who raises his head before the imam does fear that Allah would transform his head into a donkey's head23.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

16. Lowering the head excessively, or pushing it up, and arching the back during rukoo'. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC17

16) Lowering the head excessively, or pushing it up, and arching the back during rukoo'.
The head must be kept in normal position, while the back must be straight during rukoo' to form with legs a right angle.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

17. Sticking the arms to the sides of the body, in rukoo' or sujood, and sticking the belly to the thighs in sujood. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC18

17) Sticking the arms to the sides of the body, in rukoo' or sujood, and sticking the belly to the thighs in sujood.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: Let not one of you support himself on his forearms (in sujood ) like the dog. Let him rest on his palms and keep his elbows away from his body24. The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used to keep his arms away from his body during rukoo' and sujood that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen25.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

18. Praying while part of the back is exposed. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC19

18) Praying while part of the back is exposed.
This happens to those who wear tight and short shirts or tight pants; when they bow or prostrate, part of their backs are exposed. Such part of the body is awrah, or the part which must be covered always. Exposing part of the back during salah, renders salah null and void.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

19. Neglecting ta'meen (to say 'Aameen) loudly when the imam recites the concluding verse of surat al-Fatiha, "waladh-dhalleen". http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC20

19) Neglecting ta'meen (to say 'Aameen) loudly when the imam recites the concluding verse of surat al-Fatiha, "waladh-dhalleen".
The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) commanded: When the imam says, 'waladh-dhalleen', say 'Aameen', because the angels also say, 'Aameen', and the imam says, 'Aameen'. He whose aameen coincides with the aameen of the angels, Allah forgives his past sins26. In another narration, the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: Then say, 'Aameen', Allah loves you27.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

20. Resting only the tip of the head on the floor during sujood. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC21

20) Resting only the tip of the head on the floor during sujood.
The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: I am commanded to prostrate on seven bones the forehead and the nose, the two hands [palms], the two knees, and the two feet28. Applying the above command necessitates resting the forehead and the nose on the ground during sujood.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

21. Hasty performance of prayer which does not allow repose and calmness in rukoo' or sujood. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC22

21) Hasty performance of prayer which does not allow repose and calmness in rukoo' or sujood.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) saw a man who did not complete his rukoo' [bowing], and made a very short sujood [prostration]; he said: If this man dies while praying in this manner, he would die upholding a religion other than the religion of Muhammad. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: My beloved friend, Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) forbade me to perform postures of prayer copying the picking of a rooster; (signifying fast performance of prayer), moving eyes around like a fox and the sitting like monkeys (i.e. to sit on thighs)29.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: The worst thief is the one who steals from his own prayer. People asked, 'Messenger of Allah! How could one steal from his own prayer?' He said: By not completing its rukoo' and sujood30.

To complete rukoo' is to stay in that posture long enough to recite 'subhana rabbiyal Adtheem' three times, slowly, and 'subhana rabbiyal-a'ala' three times, slowly, in sujood. He also announced: He who does not complete his rukoo' and sujood, his prayer is void31.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

22. Sitting in tawarruk position in the last rak'ah of Fajr and Jum'ah prayers. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC23

22) Sitting in tawarruk position in the last rak'ah of Fajr and Jum'ah prayers.

It is praiseworthy to take tawarruk position only in the last rak'ah of Dhtuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha' prayers. Tawarruk is described in Sahih al-Bukhari as resting the body, during sitting position, on the left thigh and putting the left foot under the right leg, while setting the right foot upright; and supporting the body by the left hand with which the left knee is grasped. See the accompanying diagram, which was hand-drawn (not copied) after looking at "The Reliance of the Traveler."

[KIWI MUSLIM]

23. Moving the two palms upon saying, 'assalamu aleikum warahmatul-lah' to end prayer. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC24

23) Moving the two palms upon saying, 'assalamu aleikum warahmatul-lah' to end prayer.
The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) saw some of his companions doing so. He objected: Why do I see you moving your hands like the tails of wild horses. They never did that again32.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

24. Counting tasbeeh with the left hand. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC25

24) Counting tasbeeh with the left hand.
The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used to count tasbeeh on the fingers of his right hand after salah. Abdullah bin Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said, (There are) two good deeds, any Muslim who does them shall enter Jannah but few are those who do them: to say, "subhanAllah" ten times, and "alHamdulillah" ten times, and "AllahuAkbar" ten times. And I have seen the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) counting them on his hand. lbn Qudamah said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used his right hand for tasbeeh33.
The above hadeeth indicates clearly that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used only one hand for counting tasbeeh. No Muslim with sound mind would imagine that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used his left hand for counting tasbeeh. Aa'ishah, with whom Allah is pleased, said that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) used his left hand only for Istinjaa', or cleaning himself after responding to the call of nature. He never used it for tasbeeh. Yasirah reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) commanded women to count tasbeeh on their fingers.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: They (the fingers) will be made to speak, and will be questioned (on the Day of Resurrection.)34

The above hadeeth indicates that it is preferable to count tasbeeh on the fingers of the right hand than to do so on masbahah (rosary).

[KIWI MUSLIM]

25. Shaking hands with other praying people right after fardh prayer is over, saying, 'taqabbala-llah', or 'haraman' http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC26

25) Shaking hands with other praying people right after fardh prayer is over, saying, 'taqabbala-llah', or 'haraman'
This is a bid'ah which was never practiced by the Prophet's companions or their followers, may Allah be pleased with them.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

26. Raising hands for dua' soon as prayer is over. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC27

26) Raising hands for dua' soon as prayer is over.
This was not the practice of the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam). The Sunnah is to start with dthikr soon after salah is over. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: When you recite, 'At-tahiyyat...', (just before tasleem), choose whichever du'a you like35.
The best forms of du'a are those authentically related to the Prophet, (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam).. Insha' Allah, we will publish the authentic du'a masnoon, soon.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

27. Walking away right after tasleem, at the end of prayer, and neglecting dthikr. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC28

27) Walking away right after tasleem, at the end of prayer, and neglecting dthikr.
Dthikr is reciting subhanal-Lah 33 times, alhamdu Lilah 33 times Allahu Akbar 33 times, reciting La ilaha illal-Laah 10 times reciting ayat al-Kursi [i.e. verse 255 of surah 2 al Baqarah], or other authentic dthikr.

[KIWI MUSLIM]

28. Crossing in front of a praying person. http://www.qss.org/articles/errors/errors.html#RTFToC29

28) Crossing in front of a praying person.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) warned: Were the one who crosses in front of a praying person to know the consequences of doing so, he would have waited for forty better than to cross in front of him36. The forty in the tradition may be days months or even years. Allah knows best.