Congregational Du`aa After Obligatory Prayers

[Shehzad Sattar]

Question: What is the Islamic ruling on the congregational du`aa [supplication] after obligatory prayers, as is practised in the Masaajid by the Imams and the common Muslims today?

Response: I, the insignificant and poor slave of Allah, Abu Abdul-Kabeer Muhammad Abdul-Jaleel Samrodi state:

You should know that the congregational du`aa that is practiced after obligatory prayers, audibly [or silently], by the Imams of the Masaajid along with the worshippers repeatedly responding with “Ameen! Ameen!” aloud has not been [Islamically] legislated in the Qur`an or Sunnah.

Unfortunately, if an Imam of a Masjid does not offer congregational du`aa in the described manner, then the common people become distrustful of him. Hence, this practice has become so common that it is now mistakenly believed to be a part of the obligatory prayer!

After the obligatory prayers, the common people wait to raise their hands and supplicate in congregation. It can be commonly observed that until the Imam raises his hands, not a single person from the congregation is able to raise his hands and supplicate to Allah; this is exactly what is defined in Islam as an innovation, or a Bidah.

With this, the intent is not that if an individual wishes to raise his hands [occasionally] and supplicate to Allah after the congregational prayer, [after reciting the prescribed supplications and remembrances narrated in the Sunnah]. Subsequently, this action of his would also be considered an innovation in Islam. Rather, I say definitely not! To raise one`s hands after the obligatory prayer individually and to supplicate to Allah has been narrated in the books of Sunnah. Refer to Amalul-Yawm wal-Lailah of Imam Abu Bakr As-Sunni and others.

Also at the end of volume two of Meezaanul-Itidaal of Imam Adh-Dhahabee you will find an answer [that is relevant] to a question that was addressed to Imam Sayid Nadir Husain Ad-Dehlawi , who gave a fatwa on the permissibility of raising your hands after the obligatory Salaah [individually, and occasionally] The intent of this fatwa was not to permit the masses to make congregational du`aa and raise their hands together all at once.

Another point to bear in mind in relation to the congregational du`aa is that those Imams who practice congregational du`aa mimic many supplications without knowing or contemplating their meanings, and just constantly repeat them! It has become a custom which is contrary to the Sunnah.

It is the right of every single Muslim that after the congregational prayer, if he wishes to raise his hands and supplicate to Allah, then he is permitted to do so. No one prevents him from doing that. At the same time, it has not been narrated from the early scholars of Hadeeth that the raising of the hands is an obligation and a necessity when he supplicates to Allah individually after the obligatory prayers.

And Allah knows best.

3rd of Rajab 1386 AH

Reference: ‘The Islamic ruling on the practice of congregational du`aa after the five obligatory prayers in the light of the Shariah`. The treatise is in Urdu and is authored by Sheikh Abdul-Huq Salafee, student of Allamah Abdul-Jaleel Samrodi. This extract can be found on page 22

Footnotes

[1] Translator`s note: He was the Imam of Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama`aah of Gujrat, (India), of his time, Abdul-Jaleel bin Allamah Abee Saa`daat Ali Ahmed Samrodi. He was born in the year 1308 A.H/1887 CE at the village of Samrod, eighteen kilometres from the main city known as Surat, in the state of Gujrat, India. In 1322 A.H. at the age of twelve, Allamah Abdul-Jaleel Samrodi left his village in search of knowledge and arrived in Delhi. He enrolled in the institute of Imam Sayid Nadhir Husain Dehlawi (d.1320 A.H/1902 CE) and after a short period of time Allamah Abdul-Jaleel continued his studies with Allamah Abu Muhammad Abdul-Wahaab Sadree, who was the sheikh`s main teacher, and from whom Sheikh Abdul-Jaleel learned many different sciences of Islam and got Ijaazah in Hadeeth and Aqeedah.

Sheikh Abdul-Jaleel authored more than fifty books in Arabic and seventy-five in Urdu and Gujarati. His famous book, ‘Itiqadul-Akaabir fee Ijraa-As-Sifaat alaa Dhawaahir` in Arabic, is on the creed of the pious predecessors. He had many students from all over the world, the most famous and senior student being ‘Allamah Ahmed Dehlawi (d.1375 AH), the rector of Darul-Hadeeth in Al-Madeenah, (Saudi Arabia), who studied under the Imam the books of Sunnah and in particular the books of the Salaf in Aqeedah like Kitabut-Tawheed of Imam Ibn Khuzaimah for over a decade at his village in Samrod before migrating to Madeenah. In the year 1393 A.H., corresponding to Saturday 16th of September 1972 at the age of eighty-five Sheikh Abdul-Jaleel died at his village, Samrod. Refer to the introduction of the Imam`s most famous book ‘Blossoming translucent flower of the Gardens of the Pious Believers` in Arabic, a refutation of the Deobandî and Barailwee sects based upon the Hanafî Fiqh, pages 11-13.

[2] Translator`s note: A book of supplications which contains remembrances and supplications from the Qur`an and the Sunnah compiled by Imam Abu Bakr As-Sunni (d.364 AH) refer to footnote three for his brief biography.

[3] Translator`s note: He is the Imam Al-Haafidh Ath-Thiqqah Abu Bakr Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Ishaaq bin Ibrahim bin Asbaat Al-Hashimee Al-Jafiree Ad-Dainoree, famously known as Ibnus-Sunni. He was born around 280 AH. He travelled to various lands to seek knowledge. From amongst his sheikhs were: 1.Abu Khalifah Al-Jamhee, who is considered to be from amongst his major teachers and sheikhs. 2. Abu Abdur-Rahmãn An-Nisa`ee, 3.Abul-Qasim Al-Baghawee, and many others. Ibnus-Sunni wrote many books including: Amalul-Yawm wal-Lailah which is a book of remembrances and supplications from the Qur`an and the Sunnah, Kitaabu-Fadaail-A`maal, As-Siratul-Al-Mustaqeem. The grandson of Imam Abu Bakr As-Sunni narrates on the authority of his uncle Ali bin Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Ishaaq that: “My grandfather was writing Ahadeeth, he then put his ink pen inside the pipe of the inkwell, raised his hands and supplicated to Allah and then passed away.” He died at the end of the year 364 AH. Refer to Siyar Aalaamun-An-Nubalaa (16/255) and also Tadhkiratul-Huffaadh (3/939), both by Imam Adh-Dhahabee.

[4] Translator`s note: The narration which Allamah Abdul-Jaleel Samrodi was referring to is as follows: Reported on the authority of Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah  said: There isn`t a single slave except that he spreads his two palms out of submission after the completion of every Salaah and then says:

O Allah! You are my God and the God of Ibrahim, Ishaaq, Yaaqub, and the God of Jibra`eel, Meekaa`il, Israafeel, may the peace of Allah be with them all, I ask You and seek from You acceptance of my supplication for indeed I am distressed, and safeguard me in my religion for indeed I am afflicted, and bestow upon me Your Mercy for indeed I have sinned, and to remove from me poverty for indeed in reality I am poor,` except for it to be a right of Allah [out of His beneficence and grace] the Most Glorified and Mighty that he [the slave] does not return with his two hands with disappointment i.e. his supplication unanswered.`

Refer to Ibnus-Sunni`s Amalul-Yawm wal-Lailah, Chapter 30: Regarding what to say after the completion of the Morning Prayer, narration number: 139, page 193, edited and checked by Sheikh Saleem Al-Hilaalee, known as: Ujaalautur-Ar-Raagib-Al-Mutamanee fee Takhreeji Kitaabi Amalul-Yawm wal-Lailah lee-Ibnnis-Sunni, Printed by Darul-Ibn Hazm, Beirut, Lebanon, First edition 1422 AH/2001. Sheikh Saleem Al-Hilaalee said the following: ‘The chain of this narration is extremely weak because of the following defects:

(i) The narrator Khaseef Al-Jazaree, he is Daeef (weak), and did not narrate from Anas bin Malik.
(ii) The narrator Abdul-Aziz bin Abdur-Rahman Al-Qurshi, is Matrook (abandoned), as Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal accused him of lying when narrating.
(iii) The narrator Ishaaq Al-Baalasee is Munkirul-Hadith (narrator of an Unfamiliar Hadith), as mentioned by Ibn Adee.

Definition of a al-Hadithul-al-Munkar (Unfamiliar Hadeeth): Imam Ibn al-Salah al-Shahrazuri (d.643 AH) states in ‘An Introduction to the Science of the Hadith` page 59, Category 14, Unfamiliar Hadith, on the authority of Abu Bakr Ahmad b. Harun al-Bardiji (d.301 AH): that an Unfamiliar Hadith: is one which a single man is alone in transmitting while its text is not known from any transmission but his, not from the line of transmission he gave nor from any other. Translated in to English by Dr Eerik Dickinson, Reviewed by Professor Muneer Fareed, Garnet Publishing, 2006, The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization. In conclusion this narration is weak and cannot be used as specific evidence for raising the hands after the congregational prayer.

[5] Translator`s note: A book of biographies [asma` ul-rijal] of narrators of Hadeeth that deals with the branches of the science of Hadeeth known as [al-jarh wa al-ta`dil], expunction of probity and affirmation of probity.

Additional beneficial notes with regards to raising the hands after the congregational Salaah compiled by the Translator:

Last summer, I visited Samrod, the village of Allamah Abdul-Jaleel Samrodi, rahimahullah, and met with Sheikh Kaka, hafidhahullâh, aged 97, who as a teenager when accompanied Allamah Abdul-Jaleel Samrodi, rahimahullah, in many of his debates with the people of Bidah and his journeys to call to the Sunnah.

I asked him about the issue of raising the hands after the obligatory prayers and how Allamah Abdul-Jaleel Samrodi, rahimahullah, reacted if he saw somebody raising his hands instead of uttering the prescribed supplications and remembrances narrated in the Sunnah? He answered that the sheikh would get angry and would advise the person that it be postponed till after the prescribed supplications and remembrances. Sheikh Kaka said that Allamah Abdul-Jaleel, rahimahullah, corrected him once when he raised his hands and explained to him that it is from the Sunnah to recite the prescribed supplications and remembrances and then raise his hands and supplicate if he wishes to do so occasionally.

Alhamdulillah, this makes it clear that Allamah Abdul-Jaleel`s, rahimahullah, position was to give preference to the established Sunnah, and he put great emphasis on that, as it is known from his books. [Refer to Allamah Abdul-Jaleel`s Prophet`s Prayer Described, page 49-51. Printed by Madrasah Muhammadiyah, 49-A, First Floor, Memon Waarah Road, Bombay, India, First edition, December, 1990.]

The people of knowledge have said the following with regards to raising the hands individually after the obligatory prayers:

(i) One must not supplicate immediately after finishing the obligatory prayer; rather one must recite the prescribed supplications and remembrances narrated in the Sunnah, and then raise one`s hands and supplicate to Allah, the Most High if one wishes to do so.

(ii) One must not do it on a regular basis, evidence for this can be found in a narration reported by Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah pleased with him, in the narration of Saheeh Bukharee, Book of Adhaan, Chapter: 155, Hadeeth No: 842, in which he said: I would recognize the completion of the prayer of the Prophet by hearing the Takbir, and Muslim No: 120 as explained by Allamah Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan, rahimahullah, (1248 AH-1307 AH) in his Fatãwaa known as Daleelut-At-Taalib Alaa Arjaah Al-Mataalib, page 525.

(iii) The prescribed manner with regards to supplicating is to raise one`s hands, unless there is some text that can be found in the Sunnah that indicates that in such a case the messenger of Allah, may the praise of Allah and peace descend upon him, did not do so. For example: The raising of the hands is not established in the Sunnah when one supplicates to Allah before entering and exiting the toilet. Also, the supplications and remembrances that are uttered after the obligatory prayers are to be done without raising one`s hands, as this is the manner which has been narrated in the Sunnah. [TN]

The aforementioned points of benefits were dictated to me by my Sheikh Yusuf Al-Muhammadee, teacher of Principals of Islamic Jurisprudence at the institute of secondary Islamic Studies, Islamic University of Madeenah.1428 AH.

I conclude with the great and excellent principle which Allamah Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan, rahimahullah mentioned with regards to raising the hands when supplicating to Allah, the Most High:

و قال علامة نواب صدّيق حسن خان:
رفع اليدين في الدعاء ثابت بكل من قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلّم و فعله مطلقا، لا مقيدا بالفريضة لا نفيا ولا إ ثباتا، فعموم الأدلة ومطلقاتها تشمل الفريضة حتى يقوم دليل على تخصيصها. (دليل الطالب على أرجح المطالب، ص: 521)

Allamah Nawaab Siddiq Hasan Khan, rahimahullah, (1248 AH-1307 AH) states:

‘Regarding raising the hands, it is established unquestionably by both the statement and action of the Messenger of Allah, may the praise and peace of Allah descend upon him. It has not been limited to the obligatory prayers by negation or affirmation. Thus, the generality of proofs includes the obligatory prayers, unless there is firm and sound evidence which endorses specifying this generality.

Refer to: Daleelut-At-Taalib Alaa Arjaah Al-Mataalib, page 521, Fatãwaa of Allamah Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan, Printed by Markaz Al-Allamah Abdul-Aziz bin Baaz, for Islamic Studies, India, First edition 1422 AH.