Is it possible to say prayers (duas) in a different language during prostration (sajdah)?
- What is the criterion for dua in fard prayers?
Dear Brother / Sister,
According to Hanafis, it is sunnah to pray in the way that is reported from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) because it is more virtuous to read the prayers that exist in the Sunnah.
According to Hanafis, it is not permissible to say prayers using words that are similar to ordinary words of people while performing prayers. For instance, to say, "O Allah! Give me this or that." It is makruh tahrimi to ask things in prayer from Allah that are not possible to get from people like saying, "O Allah! Give me this or that woman."
Hanafis base their views about the issue on the following hadith:
"It is not permissible to say words like the words of the people in salah. Salah consists of glorification (tasbih), takbir and reading the Quran." (Musnad, 5/447-448; Nasai, Sahw, 20; see Muslim, Masajid, 35; Abu Dawud, Salat, 174)
Other madhhabs regard it permissible to say prayers by using words like the words of the people.
Hanafis say, "It is haram to say prayers in a language other than Arabic. However, according to Abu Hanifa, if dhikrs regarding prayer (salah) are uttered in a language other than Arabic, it is permissible though it is makruh tahrimi unlike the view of the two imams (Muhammad and Abu Yusuf).
According to Shafiis, those who do not know Arabic can translate the mandub (recommended) duas and dhikrs into their own languages due to their excuses. However, it is not permissible for those who can read because they have no excuse.
Hanafis read "subhana rabbiyal a'la" in prostration due to the following hadith reported from, Hz. Huzayfa:
"Hz. Prophet uttered 'subhana rabbiyal azim' while bowing down in prayer and 'subhana rabbiyal a'la' in prostration." (Abu Dawud, II, 30).
The hadith that is regarded as a criterion about how many times to say it is as follows: Abdullah b. Mas'ud narrates:
"When you bow down, say 'subhana rabbiyal azim' three times. Three times is the minimum amount. "When you prostrate, say 'subhana rabbiyal a'la' three times; it is the minimum amount." (Abu Dawud, II, 40).
However, it is known that the Prophet (pbuh) said different prayers in prostration. For instance:
"Sabbih isme rabbikal a'la";
"subhana rabbiyal a'la wa bihamdih";
"Subbuhun, quddusun, Rabbul malaikati wa'r-ruhi";
"Subhana dhil-jabarut wal-malakut, wal-kibriyai wal azamah";
"Allahumma Rabbana wa bihamdika, Allahummaghfirli";
" Allahummaghfirli dhanbi kullahu diqqahu wa jillahu wa awwalahu wa akhirahu alaniyatahu wa sirrahu";
"Audhubi ridaka min sahatika wa audhu bimuafatika min uqubatika wa audhu bika minka la ahsi thanaan alayka, anta kama athnayta ala nafsik."
The Prophet (pbuh) read the duas above in prostration. (Abu Dawud, II, 28-35).
According to Hanafis, it is not appropriate to utter the duas other than the ones mentioned in the hadith in prostration.
It is sunnah to say, "Subhana rabbiyal ala" in prostration. Therefore,a person who abandons it abandons the sunnah. His prayer is valid but he will be deprived of the reward of the sunnah.
You can say prayers as much as you can in prostration, especially in sunnah and supererogatory prayers. However, in fard prayers, delaying other fards will be in question and you will be responsible because of delaying wajibs and you will have to perform prostration of forgetfulness.
The best one is to utter the prayer mentioned above three times. You can say prayers as much as you can in the prostration ofsupererogatory prayers.
The criterion for dua in fard prayers:
Is it permissible to say other prayers than "at tahiyyatu, allahumma salli, allahumma barik, Rabbana Atina and Rabbenaghfirli" in tashahhud (while sitting at the end of prayers)?
They are appropriate prayers. Therefore, it is not appropriate to say prayers in salah like the words of people or to ask things that can always be asked from people like the following requests:
«O Allah! Marry me such and such a girl…»,
«Send water to my field and garden».
It is not appropriate to say prayers like that. There are even scholars who say it is not permissible to say prayers like that, which is the right view. (al-Ayni Sharhul-Hidaya - Fatawa al-Hindiyya)
According to those who take this criterion into consideration, the prayer is invalidated if a dua like the following is uttered: «O Allah! Give me too many riches."» but it is not invalidated if a dua like the following is uttered: «O Allah! Give me knowledge and hajj.» For, the former is like the words of people.
Therefore, it is more appropriate to memorize and read the duas that are in compliance with the sunnah. It will prevent the tongue from stumbling. (al-Wawalijiyya / Abdurrashid - Tatarhaniyya)
However, it is necessary not to forget the general rule about the issue:
After tashahhud, that is, after reading «at-Tahiyyat» or sitting long enough to read at-Tahiyyat, duas with words like the words of people do not invalidate, but the prayer of the person who does so ends. Since the last tashahhud, which is the last fard of the prayer, is completed, the prayer is not invalidated. If a person says prayers like the ones mentioned above before sitting long enough to read at-Tahiyyat, his prayer is invalidated. (at-Tabyin / Zaylai - Fatawa al-Hindiyya)
One of the duas that are definite through hadith is the one reported from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq:
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) taught me the following prayer to read while performing prayers:
«Allahumma, inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kasiran wa innahu la yaghfiru'z-zunuba illa anta, faghfir li maghfiratan min indika warhamni innaka anta'l-ghafuru'r-rahim.»
Its Translation:
«O Allah, I have been very unjust to myself and no one grants pardon against sin but You; therefore, forgive me with Your forgiveness and have mercy on me. Surely, You are the forgiver, the Merciful.»
Ibn Mas'ud (R.A.), the great Companion, recommended the following dua:
«Allahumma inni asaluka mina'l-khayri kullihi, ma alimtu minhu wama la a'lamu wa audhu bika mina'sh-sharri kullihi ma alimtu minhu wama la a'lamu.»
Its Translation:
«O Allah! I ask You for all the good which is in the present or in the future, which I know and which I do not know. I take refuge in you from all of the evil and bad deeds which I know and which I do not know.»
It is mustahab (recommended) to read the following dua after at-Tahiyyat and some duas:
«Rabbi'j'alni muqima's-salati wa min zurriyyati Rabbana wa taqabbal duai. Rabbana, ighfir li wali walidayya wa lil mu'minina yawma yaqumu'l-hisab.»
Its Translation:
«O my Lord! Make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also (raise such) among my offspring O our Lord! And accept Thou my Prayer. O our Lord! cover (us) with Thy Forgiveness― me, my parents, and (all) Believers, on the Day that the Reckoning will be established.»
(Celal Yıldırım, Kaynaklarıyla İslam Fıkhı, Uysal Kitabevi: 1/263-265. İslam Fıkhı Ansiklopedisi, Prof. Dr. Vehbe Zuhayli)
Questions on Islam
- What is the criterion for dua (supplication) in prostration? Is it permissible to pray for something worldly in prostration or to say something other than "subhana rabbiyal a'la"? Is prayer invalidated if something else is said?
- Does sajda as-sahw (prostration of forgetfulness) become necessary if we change the places of the invocations that we recite in ruku and sajdah?
- What are the meanings of the deeds done in prayer, supplications (dua) and glorifications (tasbihat) in and outside prayer? Is it permissible to say / read them more or fewer times?
- Are the duas (supplications) said in ruku’ (bowing down) and sajdah (prostration) of prayer fard?
- What is the criterion for the length of the ruku and sajdah in prayers? How many times can invocations be recited at ruku (bowing down in prayer) and sajdah (prostration) at most?
- What is the length of sajdah (prostration) in prayer? They say it is necessary to remain in prostration long enough to say, "Lailahaillallah"; I sometimes think I do not remain long enough.
- Is it permissible to recite the invocations of ruku and sajdah one time which we normally recite three times?
- How is tasbih prayer performed?
- I am trying to understand the Prophet’s (pbuh) performing his prayers long. He can lengthen qira’ah after al-Fatiha but how can a prostration be lengthened? Saying "Subhana Rabbiyal ala" three times does not take very long; is it possible to say it more?
- How is Prayer (salah) performed?
