Read the bilingual lesson for The Sunnah Acts of Prayer Part 2: Recitation and Movement Sunnahs and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. Recitation Preparations & Opening Posture
• Tasmiyah (Bismillah): Reciting "Bismillah..." silently at the start of every rak'ah before Surah al-Fatihah is Sunnah. • Amin: Saying "Amin" silently upon completing Surah al-Fatihah is Sunnah for both the Imam and the follower. • Tahmid: Saying the praise silently (e.g., "Rabbana laka-l-hamd") upon rising from bowing is Sunnah. • Straight Posture: Keeping the head completely straight, without drooping it forward (Ta'ata'ah) or tensing it backward during the Opening Takbir, is Sunnah.
2. Sunan of Aloud Transitions & Feet Spacing
وَجَهْرُ الإِمَامِ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ، وَتَفْرِيقُ الْقَدَمَيْنِ فِي الْقِيَامِ قَدْرَ أَرْبَعِ أَصَابِعَ • Aloud Transitions: For the Imam, pronouncing the transition Takbirs and the Tasmī' ("Sami'allahu liman hamidah") aloud is Sunnah. • Feet Spacing: Spacing both feet exactly four fingers apart (arba' asabi') during the standing posture (Qiyam) is Sunnah. • The Principle: This specific distance aligns with natural skeletal stability, and excessively spreading the legs wide apart without need is disliked.
3. Choosing Surahs: Residents vs. Travelers
أَنْ تَكُونَ السُّورَةُ مِنْ طَوَالِ الْمُفَصَّلِ... أَوْ أَوْسَاطِهِ... أَوْ قِصَارِهِ • Resident Rule (Muqim): For a resident, selecting the appended Surahs from specific portions of the Mufassal section is Sunnah: ◦ Tiwal al-Mufassal (Longer Surahs): Surah al-Hujurat to al-Buruj. Prescribed for Fajr and Zuhr. ◦ Awsat al-Mufassal (Medium Surahs): Surah al-Tariq to al-Bayyinah. Prescribed for Asr and Isha. ◦ Qisar al-Mufassal (Shorter Surahs): Surah al-Zilzal to al-Nas. Prescribed for Maghrib. • Traveler Rule (Musafir): A traveler is exempt from these divisions; they are legally permitted to recite any Surah based on their travel convenience.
4. Prolonging the First Fajr Unit
وَإِطَالَةُ الأُولَى فِي الْفَجْرِ فَقَطْ • Prolonging the Unit: Making the recitation in the first rak'ah of the Fajr prayer noticeably longer than the second unit is Sunnah. • The Purpose: Since the early morning is a period when people are waking up, prolonging the first unit enables latecomers to arrive and catch the first rak'ah in congregation. • This prolonging rule is designated strictly for the Fajr prayer; in the other four daily prayers, the first and second units should contain approximately equal lengths of recitation.
5. Sunnahs of Bowing: Back & Legs Leveling
وَأَخْذُ رُكْبَتَيْهِ بِيَدَيْهِ حَالِ الرُّكُوعِ، وَنَصْبُ سَاقَيْهِ، وَبَسْطُ ظَهْرِهِ • Grasping: Securely gripping both knees with the right and left hands during the bowing posture (Ruku') is Sunnah. • Straight Legs: Keeping the legs and shins (Saq) completely straight and upright, without bending the knees forward or locking them backward, is Sunnah. • Back Leveling (Bast al-Thahr): Spreading and leveling the back flat, parallel to the ground, is Sunnah. • Head Alignment: Aligning the head parallel to the buttocks (Taswiyat ra'sihi bi-'ajzihi), ensuring the head is neither raised up nor drooped down.
6. Bowing Sunnahs: Finger Spacing Distinctions
مُفَرَّجَتَيِ الأَصَابِعِ، وَالْمَرْأَةُ لَا تُفَرِّجُهَا • Sunnah for Men: While gripping his knees, the man is Sunnah to spread his fingers apart (mufarrajatayn) to secure a firm, wide grip over the joints. • Sunnah for Women: A woman placing her hands over her knees does NOT spread her fingers; she is Sunnah to keep them closed together. • For women, flattening the back completely during bowing is not Sunnah; she should only bow slightly to maintain maximum physical modesty and coverage.
7. Descending and Rising Sequences
وَوَضْعُ رُكْبَتَيْهِ ثُمَّ يَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ وَجْهِهِ لِلسُّجُودِ، وَعَكْسُهُ لِلنُّهُوضِ • Descending Sequence: While descending into prostration, placing the limbs on the ground in the following Sunnah order is prescribed: ◦ Place both knees first. ◦ Place both hands second. ◦ Place the face last (nose followed by the forehead). • Rising Sequence: While rising to stand up, the exact reverse sequence of limbs is Sunnah to be maintained: ◦ Lift the face first. ◦ Lift both hands second. ◦ Lift both knees last and stand up.
8. Physical Postures in Sujud: Men vs. Women
وَمُجَافَاةُ الرَّجُلِ بَطْنَهُ عَنْ فَخِذَيْهِ، وَمِرْفَقَيْهِ عَنْ جَنْبَيْهِ • Posture for Men: During prostration, a man is Sunnah to keep his limbs expanded and separate: ◦ Keep his stomach away from his thighs (Mujafat batnihi 'an fakhidhayhi). ◦ Keep his elbows away from his sides and torso. ◦ Keep his forearms raised completely off the ground. • Posture for Women: A woman is Sunnah to compress her limbs and keep them closely contained: ◦ Press her stomach tightly against her thighs. ◦ Keep her elbows tucked close against her sides, flat on the ground.
9. Sitting Postures: Iftirash vs. Tawarruk
وَافْتِرَاشُ رِجْلِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَنَصْبُ الْيُمْنَى، وَتَوَرُّكُ الْمَرْأَةِ • Sunnah for Men (Iftirash): During sittings, a man is Sunnah to lay his left foot flat on the ground to sit over it, while keeping his right foot upright, resting on the pads of its toes. • Sunnah for Women (Tawarruk): A woman is Sunnah to rest her left buttock directly on the ground, while sliding both of her feet out beneath her right thigh to exit on her right side. • Index Finger Pointing: While reciting the Tashahhud, raising the index finger (al-Musabbihah) at the negation "La" (of La ilaha) and lowering it at the affirmation "illa" (of illa Allah) is Sunnah.
Practice questions
Question 1
How far apart should a worshipper space both of their feet during the standing posture (Qiyam) according to the Sunnah?
- They is Sunnah to touch each other completely.
- A distance of four fingers.
- Exactly one cubit (half a meter).
- No spacing is defined.
Question 2
A traveler (Musafir) is legally required to strictly select Surahs from the Tiwal, Awsat, or Qisar al-Mufassal divisions for their daily prayers.
Question 3
Which portion of the Mufassal section of the Quran is Sunnah for a resident (Muqim) to recite in the Maghrib prayer?
- Tiwal al-Mufassal (Longer Surahs).
- Awsat al-Mufassal (Medium Surahs).
- Qisar al-Mufassal (Shorter Surahs from Zilzal to Nas).
- Any portion from Surah al-Baqarah.
Question 4
Prolonging the first rak'ah compared to the second is a Sunnah established exclusively for the Fajr prayer.
Question 5
What is the correct Sunnah sequence of limbs to be placed on the ground when descending into prostration (Sujud)?
- Hands first, then knees, then face.
- Knees first, then hands, then face.
- Face first, then hands, then knees.
- All limbs is Sunnah to be placed simultaneously.
Question 6
During bowing (Ruku'), a woman is Sunnah to keep her legs completely straight and flatten her back parallel to the ground just like a man.
Question 7
What is the prescribed Sunnah sitting posture for a woman in both sittings of prayer?
- Iftirash (sitting on her laid left foot).
- Tawarruk (sitting on her left buttock and exiting both feet to her right).
- Sitting cross-legged.
- Kneeling upright without touching the ground.
Question 8
Match the physical postures during prostration (Sujud) with their correct descriptions for men and women:
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