Salat Al-tasbih: in the Light of Fiqh and Hadith – 1

Salat al-Tasbih is a four-rakah supererogatory prayer performed in a somewhat distinctive manner, widely regarded in our society as a highly meritorious act. Because it involves frequent recitation of tasbihat, it is called Salat al-Tasbih (also Salat al-Tasabih). Reports ascribed to the Prophet (PBUH) from some primary hadith sources mention this prayer; hence it is known among scholars as well. Moreover, since it appears throughout the standard merits compilations used by our preachers and public speakers, this prayer has become practically popular among the general public. Even so, the attribution of this prayer to the Messenger of God (PBUH), its proof, and its legitimacy within the religion have been matters of dispute among our scholars, jurists, and hadith experts—so much so that dedicated treatises and articles have been written on it. There was, therefore, a need for a research essay that would comprehensively and impartially survey the issue on the basis of clear argument, acquaint readers with the positions of the jurists and scholars, explain the reasons for their disagreements, examine all transmitted reports about this prayer in the light of the principles of hadith criticism, and finally present the conclusions of the investigation. The present essay has been written for precisely this purpose.

Scholarly opinions and the reason for disagreement Among jurists and scholars there is disagreement over the institutional legitimacy of Salat al-Tasbih. Some scholars deem it a commendable nafl prayer and, as evidence, adduce certain transmitted (verbal) reports. This view is reported from Abdullah bin al-Mubarak; from some Shafis such as al-Baghawi, al-Ghazali, al-Muhamali, al-Subki, and al-Haytami; and from the Hanafis, Ibn Abidin.¹ Ibn Qudamah al-Hanbali states that even if the hadith about Salat al-Tasbih is weak, there is no harm in performing the prayer—i.e., it is permissible—because this pertains to the domain of merits, and in matters of fazail and nawafil, the strict authenticity of a report is not a stipulation.² By contrast, many jurists, hadith scholars, and researchers hold that Salat al-Tasbih is not legislated, on the grounds that no report from the Prophet (PBUH) about it is soundly established, and that the method of its performance differs from the general form of prayer known from the Sunnah; thus, such a distinctive, high-merit prayer would have to be transmitted through authentic, reliable reports before it could be accepted as part of the religion.³ This latter position is held by Imam Ahmad, Imam al-Tirmidhi, Imam Abu Jafar al-Uqayli, Qazi Abu Bakr Ibn al-ʿArabi, ʿAllamah Ibn al-Jawzi, Hanbali jurists, some Hanafi jurists, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn ʿAbd al-Hadi, Siraj al-Din al-Qazwini, Ibn Dihyah al-Kalbi, Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Allamah al-Shawkani, Muhammad al-Amir al-Maliki, Imam Ibn Baz, and Imam Ibn Uthaymin.⁴

The real cause of this disagreement is whether the reports about this prayer are established or not. Those who deem the reports acceptable affirm its legitimacy; those who allow weak reports in the domain of fazail and nawafil, while acknowledging the weakness of the relevant hadiths, still consider performing the prayer permissible. Those researchers who hold that no report about this prayer is established from the Prophet (PBUH) —and that such a prayer cannot be admitted even under merits—regard it as unsubstantiated and non-legislated.

Primary Source and Outline of Salat al-Tasbih What fundamentally serves as the basis of inference regarding this prayer are several verbal reports ascribed to the Prophet (PBUH) and transmitted, via certain Companions, in some hadith collections. A detailed analysis of all routes and corroborations of these reports—according to the principles of isnad and matn criticism—will be presented later in this essay. Leaving aside their isnad for the moment, we cite here, for a brief descriptive introduction, one version from Sunan Abi Dawud:

َعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰہ ِ صَلَّی اللّٰہ ُ عَلَيہِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِلْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ: ’’ي َا عَبَّاسُ، يَا عَمَّاهُ، أََّلَ أُعْطِيكَ، أََّل َأَمْنَحُكَ، أََّلَ أَحْبُوكَ، أََّلَ أَفْعَلُ بِكَ عَشْرَ خِصَالٍ، إِذَا أَنْتَ فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ غَفَرَ اللّٰہ ُ لَكَ ذَنْبَكَ أ ُوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ، قَدِيمَهُ وَحَدِيثَهُ، خَطَأَه ُوَعَمْدَهُ، صَغِيرَهُ وَكَبِيرَهُ، سِرَّهُ وَعََلَنِيَتَهُ، عَشْرَ خِصَالٍ: أَنْ تُصَل ِيَ أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ تَقْرَأُ فِي ك ُل ِ رَكْعَةٍ فَاتِحَةَ الْكِتَابِ وَس ،ًورَة

َفَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ مِنَ الْقِرَاءَةِ فِي أَوَّلِ رَكْعَةٍ وَأَنْتَ قَائِمٌ، قُلْتَ: سُبْحَانَ ّٰللاه ِ، وَالْحَمْدُ ّلِلِه ِ، وََّل َ إِلَهَ إَِّلَّ ّٰللاه ُ، وَّٰللاه ُ أَكْبَرُ، خَمْسَ عَشْرَةمَرَّةً، ثُمَّ تَرْكَعُ، فَتَقُولُهَا وَأَنْتَ رَاكِعٌ عَشْرًا، ثُمَّ تَرْفَعُ رَأْسَكَ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ، فَتَقُولُهَا عَشْرًا َ، ثُمَّ تَهْوِي سَاجِدًا، فَتَقُولُهَا وَأَنْت َسَاجِدٌ عَشْرًا، ثُمَّ تَرْفَعُ رَأْسَكَ مِنَ السُّجُودِ فَتَقُولُهَا عَشْرًا، ثُمَّ تَسْجُدُ، فَتَقُولُهَا عَشْرًا، ثُمَّ ت َرْفَعُ رَأْسَكَ، فَتَقُولُهَا عَشْرًا، فَذَلِك َخَمْسٌ وَسَبْعُونَ، فِي كُل ِ رَكْعَةٍ تَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ فِي أَرْبَعِ رَكَعَاتٍ، إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تُصَل ِيَهَا فِي كُل ِ ي ْوْمٍ مَرَّةً فَافْعَلْ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَل ً، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ، فَفِي عُمُرِكَ مَرَّة ًفَفِي كُل ِ جُمُعَةٍ مَرَّةً، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي كُل ِ شَهْرٍ مَرَّةً، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي كُل ِ سَنَةٍ مَرَّة‘‘.⁵ Abdullah bin Abbas (RA) reports that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to al-Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib: ‘O Abbas, O my uncle—shall I not grant you, bestow upon you, favor you, do for you ten things? If you do them, Allah will forgive your sins—first and last, old and new, committed by mistake and deliberately, small and great, secret and open. Ten things: you perform four rakahs, reciting al-Fatihah and a surah in each rakah. When you finish the recitation in the first rakah while still standing, you say: “Subhan Allah, wa-l-hamdu lillah, wa-la ilaha illa Allah, wa-Allahu Akbar” fifteen times. Then you bow (ruku) and say it ten times while bowing; then you raise your head from ruku and say it ten times; then you go down in prostration and say it ten times; then you raise your head from prostration and say it ten times; then you prostrate again and say it ten times; then you raise your head and say it ten times. That amounts to seventy-five in each rakah. You do this in all four rakahs. If you can perform it once every day, then do so; if not, then once every Friday; if not, then once every month; if not, then once every year; and if not, then at least once in your lifetime.’

According to the above report, the procedural detail is as follows: the prayer consists of four rakahs. In each rakah, after reciting Surat al-Fatihah and another portion of the Quran while standing, one recites the tasbih “سبحان ،هاللّٰ والحمد ،ّلِله وَّل إله إَّل ،هاللّٰ وّٰللاه أكبر” fifteen times. Then, in each of the positions—ruku, after rising from ruku (qawmah), each of the two prostrations, the sitting between them (jalsah), and the sitting after the second prostration (qadah)—one recites the same tasbih ten times. Thus, there are seventy-five tasbihat in each rakah and three hundred in the four rakahs, all performed in this manner. As for its merit, it is stated that the one who performs it will have all sins forgiven: earlier and later, old and new, inadvertent and deliberate, small and great, hidden and manifest.

Some Historical Facts Regarding Salat al-Tasbih

Before proceeding further with inquiry and analysis, it is appropriate to present several preliminary historical observations:

1. Throughout his life, the Messenger of God (PBUH) is not reported—whether in hadith, athar, or -history—to have ever performed this prayer. There is no mention of his practice of it, neither in any reliable report, nor even in a weak or forged one.

2. Including the Rightly Guided Caliphs, no Companion is authentically reported to have performed Salat al-Tasbih.

3. Among the Successors (tabiun), apart from Abu al-Jawza Aws bin Abdullah al-Rubaʿi, there is no evidence of this prayer being performed.

4. None of the four imams of the schools is recorded in the legal compendia as having declared this prayer recommended.

5. Of the four Imams, Imam Ahmad explicitly denied that this prayer is established.⁶

6. The principal references of Maliki and Hanafi fiqh are, as a rule, silent regarding the legitimacy and recommendation of Salat al-Tasbih.⁷

7. Most leading hadith scholars did not include any single report about Salat al-Tasbih in their hadith works. Among the primary sources of hadith and athar—listed chronologically—are the following:

1. Jami of Mamar bin Rashid (153 AH) 2. Al-Muwatta of Malik (179 AH) 3. Ahadith of Ismail bin Jafar al-Madani (180 AH) 4. Al-Athar, Qazi Abu Yusuf (182 AH) 5. Al-Athar, Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Shaybani (189 AH) 6. Jamiʿ of Ibn Wahb (197 AH) 7. Musnad of al-Tayalisi (204 AH) 8. Musnad of al-Shafiʿi (204 AH) 9. Musnad of al-Humaydi (219 AH) 10. Sunan of Saʿid bin Mansur (227 AH) 11. Musnad of Ibn Jaʿd (230 AH) 12. Al-Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah (235 AH) 13. Musnad of Ishaq (238 AH) 14. Musnad of Ahmad (241 AH) 15. Al-Zuhd of Hanad bin al-Sarri (243 AH) 16. Musnad of ʿAbd bin Humayd (249 AH) 17. Sunan of al-Darimi (255 AH) 18. Sahih Bukhari (256 AH) 19. Sahih Muslim (261 AH) 20. Musnad of al-Harith (282 AH) 21. Al-Sunnah of Ibn Abi ʿAsim (287 AH)

22. Al-Ahad wa-l-Mathani of Ibn Abi ʿAsim (287 AH) 23. Al-Sunnah of Abdullah bin Ahmad (290 AH) 24. Musnad of al-Bazzar (292 AH) 25. Al-Sunan al-Sughra of al-Nasaʾi (303 AH) 26. Al-Sunan al-Kubra of al-Nasaʾi (303 AH) 27. Musnad of Abi Yaʿla (307 AH) 28. Al-Muntaqa of Ibn al-Jarud (307 AH) 29. Musnad of al-Sarraj (313 AH) 30. Mustakhraj of Abi ʿAwanah (316 AH) 31. Sharh Maʿani al-Athar, al-Tahawi (321 AH) 32. Sharh Mushkil al-Athar, al-Tahawi (321 AH) 33. Musnad of al-Shashi (335 AH) 34. Mujam of Ibn Arabi (340 AH) 35. Mujam al-Sahabah of Ibn Qani (351 AH) 36. Sahih Ibn Hibban (354 AH) 37. Sunan of al-Daraqutni (385 AH) 38. Fawaid of Tammam (414 AH) 39. Mustakhraj of Abi Nuaym (430 AH) 40. Marifat al-Sahabah of Abi Nuaym (430 AH) 41. Musnad al-Shihab (454 AH)

It should therefore be kept in mind that from the second to the fifth Islamic centuries, the foregoing primary sources of hadith and athar are entirely silent regarding “Salat al-Tasbih.” This list includes such renowned and widely-accepted works as the Muwattaʾ of Malik; the Athar of Abu Yusuf and of Muhammad bin al-Hasan; the Musnads of al-Tayalisi, al-Shafi, al-Humaydi, Ishaq, and Ahmad; the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah; Sunan al-Darimi; the Sahihayn; Musnad al-Bazzar; the two Sunans of al-Nasai; Musnad Abi Yala; al-Tahawi’s two works; Sahih Ibn Hibban; and Sunan al-Daraqutni. A most significant scholarly question thus arises: why did the majority of these eminent hadith scholars omit any mention of this prayer and refrain from extracting any report in support of it?

Evidently the reason can only be one of two: either these hadith authorities did not find any report on this matter from their teachers and therefore had nothing to include; or they were aware of such reports but, by the rules of the hadith discipline, did not judge them to reach the level of authenticity, and thus deemed them unworthy of consideration. Otherwise, it is inconceivable that a nafl prayer—distinctive in its performance, and claimed to carry exceptional merit—would be ignored by the leading hadith masters if it were in fact soundly transmitted.

From this it is established that, in the judgment of the aforementioned hadith scholars, no hadith about Salat al-Tasbih was sahih or reliable; on this basis they did not accept the inclusion of any such report in their compilations.

[To be continued]