Fiqh

(Jurisprudence)

Noor-ul-Idha wa Najatul Arwaah

(The light of clarification and the Salvation of Souls)


The Sunan Elements Of Prayer


The Sunan Of Prayer Are Fifty-One

To raise for the opening Allahu akbar to the level of the ears for a man and slave. A free woman is to raise her hands to the level of her shoulders.

To stretch the fingers at the opening Allahu akbar.

It is Sunna for the followers to say his opening Takbir together with his Imam.


It is Sunna for a male to place his right hand over his left hand under the naval. The technique of this placement is to place the inside of the right hand over the top part of the left hand, forming a circle with the little finger and thumb around the wrist.

It is Sunna for a female to place her hands on her chest without the formation of a circle with her hands.

The opening glorification (thana') is Sunna

To seek protection in Allah from the accursed Satan for the recitation of Quran is Sunna.


To say the Tasmiyya at the beginning of every Rak'ah before the Fatiha is Sunna.

It is Sunna to say, 'Ameen' after the Fatiha.

When raising from the bowing, posture, it is Sunna to praise Allah by saying, "Rabbana walakal hamd".

It is Sunna to recite all these utterances silently.

To stand upright at the time of the opening Allahu akbar without hanging the head.


It is Sunna for the Imam to say the opening Allahu akbar aloud as well as the Tasmi'.

Spreading the feet the distance equal to four fingers when standing.

For the Fajr and Zuhr prayer, the Surah that follows the Fatiha is to be from the lengthy part of the mufassal section. For the 'Asr and 'Isha prayer, the Surah is to be from its medium part and fro the Maghrib prayer it is Sunna to recite from its smallest part, and this is provided one is a resident.


If one is a traveller, then he may recite any Surah he wishes.

To lengthen only the first Rak'ah of the dawn prayer is Sunna.

It is Sunna to utter the Takbir of Ruku' and to glorify three times therein "Subhana rabbiyal 'adhim".

When bowing, it is Sunna to grab the knees with the hands and to spread the fingers out. The female is not to extend her fingers. it is also Sunna in the bowing posture, to keep the legs vertical while the back straight and to make the head even with the buttocks.


To rise from the bow and then stand for a moment in serenity.

When offering the prostration, it is Sunna to place the knees upon the ground, followed by the hands, and thereafter the face. Additionally, it is Sunna to do the opposite when rising from prostration.

To say Takbir (Allahu akbar) when declining for prostration and rising from it.

To prostrate between the palms.

Uttering the Tasbih thrice in the prostration.


It is Sunna for a man distance his abdomen from his thighs, his elbows from his sides and his arms off the ground.

It is Sunna for the woman to reduce the distance between her limbs by connecting her abdomen with her thighs.

It is Sunna to completely rise from the prostration assuming sitting position to its full. Additionally, it is Sunna to briefly adopt the sitting position between the two prostrations.

During the brief sitting between the two prostrations, it is Sunna to place the hands on the thighs, just as one does in the sitting of Tashahhud.


During the sitting it is Sunna for a man to lay down his left foot and sit on it while the right foot is allowed to stand upright with the heel in the air so that the toes are facing the direction of Qibla. This is known as Iftirash.

The female is to adopt the Tawarruk style of sitting, which is ones posterior on the ground and the left foot on its side, emerging from under the right which is vertical.

To gesture with the index finger when reading the Tashahhud. The method of indicating with the fingers is to raise it at the time of rejecting the notion of partnership to Allah and is lowered when affirming that it is only Allah.


The recitation of the Fatiha after the first two Rakahs is Sunna according to the correct view.

The recitation of Ibrahimiyya in the last sitting of the prayer is Sunna.

To supplicate with words that resemble the Quran and Sunna, not the general talk of the people.

Turning to the right and then the left in the two finishing Salams of prayer is Sunna.

In the two finishing Salams of the Imam, it is Sunna for the Imam to intend in the both his Salams; the people praying with him, the guardian angels, and the pious jinns. This is the most correct view.


It is Sunna for the follower (Muqtadi) to intend the Imam in the side the Imam is on. If however, the followers is next to the Imam, he is to intend the Imam in both the Salams, including the people, the guardian angels and the pious jinns.

It is Sunna for the one praying alone to intend only the angels in his finishing Salams.

The tone of the second finishing Salam should be made lower than that of the first Salam.


It is Sunna for the follower (Muqtadi) to say his finishing Salams together with the Salams of his Imam.

To begin the finishing Salam from the right side is Sunna.

It is Sunna for the latecomer (Masbooq) to the group prayer to wait until the Imam has given both the finishing Salams.