Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

dear mr burhan & team

assalamo alaikum

thank you very much for your precious time solving our problems. may Allah reward you . jazakallah.

my questions are:

1. for e.g during fajar salah, after finishing 2 sunnah i recite allahhumma antas salamo wamin tas salamo........................

then again after finishing 2 fard i recite the above duaa. i had this habit to read this dua often after finishing every portion of the prayer. am i doing bidaa? should i stop reading it?

2. for taraweih prayers i would like to go to mosque and prayer. during salah should i only listen the imam or i should repeat after him all the entire prayers or part of it? pls. mention in detail.

 

3. some people say the fast of ramadan is the third pillar of islam some say 4th. which one is correct?

 

with best wishes and thanks

a sister

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Dua after prayer

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Question-1:  for e.g during fajar salah, after finishing 2 sunnah i recite allahhumma antas salamo wamin tas salamo........................then again after finishing 2 fard i recite the above duaa. i had this habit to read this dua often after finishing every portion of the prayer. am i doing bidaa? should i stop reading it?

Reported Thauban, "Whenever the Prophet (saws) would finish his prayer, he would seek Allah's forgiveness three times and then say, 'O Allah, You are The (Source of) Peace, and from You is Peace. You are filled with good, O Sublime and Honorable One."  The companion asked: 'How did the Prophet (saws) seek Allah's forgiveness?' He said, 'By saying, 'I seek Allah's forgiveness, I seek Allah's forgiveness, I seek Allah's forgiveness."

It is the established and recorded Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) that after every tasleem in every prayer, whether obligatory or voluntary, he (saws) would seek the forgiveness of Allah thrice by declaring ‘Astagfir-Allah’ three times, and then make the supplication: ‘Allah humma intas Salaam, wa minkas Salaam, tabarakta Yaa Zal-Jallale wal Ikram.’  (O Allah, You are the Source of Peace, and from You is Peace.  You are filled with good, O Sublime and Honorable One).

 

Thus sister, if you are doing what the Prophet (saws) did, then you are following the Sunnah of the Noble Messenger of Allah (saws); thus continue doing it with every prayer without fail and you will have your full reward with your Lord Merciful for your worship, Insha Allah.

 

Your Question-2:  for taraweih prayers i would like to go to mosque and prayer. during salah should i only listen the imam or i should repeat after him all the entire prayers or part of it? pls. mention in detail.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.146

Sunnah acts of prayer, Reciting Behind an Imam

One's prayer is not accepted unless al-Fatihah is recited in every rak'ah.  But, one who is praying behind an imam is to keep quiet while the imam is reciting aloud, as Allah says in the Qur'an, "When the Qur'an is recited, listen and remain silent that you may attain mercy." (Holy Quran Surah 7 Aaraaf verse 204). The Prophet (saws) said, "When the imam makes the takbir, (you too) make the takbir. When he recites, be silent." (Related by Muslim.)  The Messenger of Allah also said: "Whoever is praying behind an imam, the imam's recital is his recital. If the imam reads quietly, then all of the followers must also make their own recital.”

 

In light of the above guidance of the Quran and Sunnah, whenever the ‘imam’ leading the prayer is reciting the Quran aloud, the believers must remain absolutely silent and listen to the recitation of the Glorious Quran being recited; there is absolutely no need to recite or repeat everything the ‘imam’ recites aloud from the Glorious Quran.

 

Your Question-3: some people say the fast of ramadan is the third pillar of islam some say 4th. which one is correct?

Bukhari and Muslim relate that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said:  "Islam is built upon [the following] five pillars: testifying that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad (saws) is His Messenger, the establishment of the prayer, the giving of zakah, the fast of Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Makkah."

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.7  Narrated by Ibn Umar

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):

1.       To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad (saws) is Allah's Messenger.

2.       To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.

3.       To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity) .

4.       To perform Hajj (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca).

5.       To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.

 

Beloved Sister, there are several narrations whereby the Prophet of Allah (saws) mentioned the five pillars of Islam; in some he (saws) related Ramadan in the third position, while in others in the fourth, and in the above recording of Ibn Umar, he (saws) named the fasts of Ramadan in the fifth position.  What is absolutely certain is that the fasts of Ramadan have always been mentioned as one of the five pillars upon which Islam is built.  The majority of the scholars state that the strongest opinion is that Ramadan is more often than not mentioned in the fourth position amongst the five pillars of Islam; and Allah Alone Knows Best.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

Burhan