After the weekly lesson of the Qur’an and Hadith, Javed Ahmed Ghamidi was asked whether the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) performed the prayer in different ways during his lifetime. If not, why do practical differences regarding the prayer exist among Muslims? The summary of his response to this question is as follows.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) taught the Muslims a prayer that consists of two types of matters:
The first are those aspects that he established as part of the Sunnah. These are the essential components of prayer and cannot be altered. Examples include the number of prayers, their designated times, the words of the call to prayer (Adhan), the number of units (Rak‘at) in each prayer, the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and portions of the Qur’an in the standing position (Qiyam), the method of bowing (Rukoo), the method of prostration (Sajdah), and raising the hands during the start of the prayer (Takbeer-e-Tahreema).
The other matters are those which he did not establish as part of the Sunnah, but rather gave some fundamental guidelines and left them to people’s discretion. Examples include Sana, the supplications recited in the sitting posture, sending blessings upon the Prophet (Durood), folding hands while standing, saying “Ameen“ aloud or silently after the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha, and raising hands while pronouncing certain Takbeers.
In matters of the first nature, there has always been consensus within the Muslim community, and these are the issues on which we should insist. As for matters of the second nature, we can choose according to our own preference. These are the issues where scholars have held different opinions. These differences do not affect the fundamental form of prayer. Since the Prophet (PBUH) himself left these matters to people’s discretion, we should not insist on any particular practice in these cases.
The issues which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not establish as sunnah or for which people have been given discretion can be understood through a few examples:
Once the Prophet observed that a companion, during the supplication in the position of sitting (Qa‘dah), was uttering words such as As-Salamu ‘ala Allah meaning ‘Peace be upon Allah’. The Prophet explained to him that Allah Almighty is absolute peace. It is disrespectful for humans to pray for peace for that entity. Then he taught the words of Al-Tahiyyat. It implies that initially, the Prophet did not teach Al-Tahiyyat while teaching how to pray, but rather, he corrected a mistake by explaining the proper way to present greetings to Allah Almighty.
The matter of reciting the Sana before Surah Al-Fatiha is similar. People noticed that when the Prophet (PBUH) led the prayer, he would stand silently for a moment before the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha. They inquired about the reason for this pause. The Prophet explained that at the beginning of the prayer, he would present some words of praise and glorification before the Lord. When the people expressed their desire to learn these words, he taught them Subhanak Allahumma wa bihamdika (Glory is to You, O Allah, and praise is to You)along with some other similar expressions.
The prayer for the Prophet (PBUH), that is, the Durood, was also learned by people in this manner.
From these examples, it becomes clear that the Prophet did not establish certain parts of the prayer as Sunnah. Therefore, their status is optional. In these optional matters, every Muslim will naturally wish to seek the selections preferred by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). If one cannot ascertain them, they will inevitably resort to independent reasoning (ijtihad). In such a case, differences are a natural occurrence.