Tashahhud in Prayer
Question:
Salam,
Once I heard from Javaid Ghamidi Sb that on Namaz in Tash had, there are no fix rules, on that time dua can be made even in our own words from beginning to end. Is this true?
Answer:
Salam,
According to my understanding the only parts of the prayer where specific words need to be said are the parts where the Qur’an needs to be recited. For the other parts of the prayer we do not have any reliable evidences suggesting that the Prophet (pbuh) instructed people or practically taught them to say certain words as obligatory part of the prayer. The Hadiths that narrate supplications and statements from the Prophet (pbuh) are all in a suggestive mode rather than definite instructive mode. For example only when the Prophet (pbuh) hears that people send Salam to God in their Tashahhud he corrects them by saying that God Himself is Salam and that instead they may say so and so (Bukhari 800).
However we do know that the companions used to say certain words and statements in other parts of the prayer (i.e. other than the Qur’an part) which they had learned from the Prophet (pbuh) or have been approved by his silence. We should say words that have the same effects as these and it makes perfect sense to say those exact words that are reached us through the Established Sunnah. Talking specifically about Tashahhud, the supplications and the Salams and statements of bearing witness that the Prophet taught people to say in this part of the prayer tell us that Tashahhud is that part of the prayer where we say something like a short oration, beginning with salutation, sending greetings to the best servants of God, then we bear witness to the principles of our faith as Muslims, we may then request things with regard to our worldly affairs and hereafter from the Almighty and then we end it with saying Salam.
I personally prefer to use the exact words that are reported for Tashahhud, I will also add any other supplications that I feel fits. However if someone likes to use other words to the same effect I do not see any problems with it as far as the Shari’ah concerns.
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August 2013
Salam,
Once I heard from Javaid Ghamidi Sb that on Namaz in Tash had, there are no fix rules, on that time dua can be made even in our own words from beginning to end. Is this true?
Answer:
Salam,
According to my understanding the only parts of the prayer where specific words need to be said are the parts where the Qur’an needs to be recited. For the other parts of the prayer we do not have any reliable evidences suggesting that the Prophet (pbuh) instructed people or practically taught them to say certain words as obligatory part of the prayer. The Hadiths that narrate supplications and statements from the Prophet (pbuh) are all in a suggestive mode rather than definite instructive mode. For example only when the Prophet (pbuh) hears that people send Salam to God in their Tashahhud he corrects them by saying that God Himself is Salam and that instead they may say so and so (Bukhari 800).
However we do know that the companions used to say certain words and statements in other parts of the prayer (i.e. other than the Qur’an part) which they had learned from the Prophet (pbuh) or have been approved by his silence. We should say words that have the same effects as these and it makes perfect sense to say those exact words that are reached us through the Established Sunnah. Talking specifically about Tashahhud, the supplications and the Salams and statements of bearing witness that the Prophet taught people to say in this part of the prayer tell us that Tashahhud is that part of the prayer where we say something like a short oration, beginning with salutation, sending greetings to the best servants of God, then we bear witness to the principles of our faith as Muslims, we may then request things with regard to our worldly affairs and hereafter from the Almighty and then we end it with saying Salam.
I personally prefer to use the exact words that are reported for Tashahhud, I will also add any other supplications that I feel fits. However if someone likes to use other words to the same effect I do not see any problems with it as far as the Shari’ah concerns.
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August 2013
