Prayer is the most important aspect of Islamic worship. Its Arabic name, salat, has several connotations, but one of these is the establishment of a link or a bond. Indeed Islamic prayer gives a worshipper a clear sense of a direct link and a strong bond between him and God. As a believer begins his prayer, he opens a door that admits him into God’s presence. Hence, he should always be mindful that he is directly seen and observed by God, who listens to all that he says. Moreover, the Prophet (peace be upon him) describes prayer as the central pillar of the Islamic faith. Therefore, whoever attends to it regularly, offering it on time and with devotion, is a good believer. It will reflect on his conduct in all situations. It is important, therefore, to learn how the Prophet performed his prayers and what he did after he finished a prayer.
Aishah, the Prophet’s wife, reports: “When the Prophet finished a prayer he did not sit down for any length of time except to say: ‘My Lord! You are peace, and peace comes from You. All glory be to You; for You are the Lord of majesty and benevolence.’” (Related by Muslim and Ahmad.) Another similarly related version but reported by Thawban adds that the Prophet began by three short prayers for forgiveness. Thus, the Prophet did not wish on such occasions to sit down and say any long supplication.
The Prophet was joined in congregation by many of his companions, men and women. Umm Salamah, his wife, reports: “During the Prophet’s lifetime, when prayer was finished, women would leave straightaway, while the Prophet and men worshippers would stay behind for whatever time they wished. When the Prophet stood up, all men left.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Ibn Majah and Al-Bayhaqi.)
This Hadith refers to a recognized order that allowed women to proceed first when the prayer was over. Thus, they could leave the mosque in peace to attend to their business at home. Men would stay behind a little, and the normal thing was for the Prophet to indicate that the discussion was over, when they would all leave.
There are other Hadiths that speak of what the Prophet used to say after finishing an obligatory or voluntary prayer. Al-Mugheerah ibn Shubah reports: “God’s Messenger used to say at the end of prayers: “There is no deity other than God, the One God who has no partners. To Him belongs all dominion and to Him is due all praise. He is able to do whatever He wishes. My Lord! No one can stop something You wish to give to anyone, and none can give something You wish to withhold. No one who exerts efforts can benefit by his efforts against Your will.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Al-Nassaie and others.)
Another report of what the Prophet used to say after prayer is given by Abdullah ibn Al-Zubayr: “When the Prophet finished his prayer, he would say in a loud voice: ‘There is no deity other than God who has no partners. To Him belongs all dominion and to Him is due all praise. He holds sway over all things. No might or power can operate except by His permission. We worship none other than Him. He bestows blessings and grace, and to Him all good praise is due. There is no deity other than God, and we worship Him with all devotion, even though the unbelievers dislike that.” (Related by Al-Shafie, Muslim, Al-Nassaie and others.)
These last two Hadiths quote some of the praises the Prophet used to say after he finished his prayers. These praises show a man whose devotion is incomparable with that of any other. He recognizes God’s position and extols His praise in humble submission to His will. This is the attitude every believer should adopt. Indeed, human history never knew anyone more devoted in his worship than Muhammad (peace be upon him). When he praised God, the entire universe echoed his praises in full submission. Thus, Islam was always the religion that stressed monotheism and Muslims have always remained consistent in upholding this basic tenet of their faith.
We mentioned one Hadith saying that the Prophet did not stay long in his position after finishing a prayer. Other Hadiths, however, mention that he stayed for sometime. Apparently, the Prophet did both these things, and each one was reported by one of the Prophet’s companions who witnessed that option more often. Jabir ibn Samurah reports: “When the Prophet completed his dawn prayers, he did not depart until the sun had risen well into the sky.” (Related by Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi and Al-Nassaie.)
This Hadith speaks particularly of the dawn prayer, when none in the community would have started his day yet. Therefore, the Prophet stayed after prayers to do his praises and glorifications, or to remind his followers of their religious duties and what belongs to God Almighty. It may be that the earlier Hadiths speaking of the Prophet leaving soon after he had finished a prayer were only speaking of midday or evening prayers. On both these occasions people would want to go back home as soon as possible to take rest. The Prophet was always sensitive to his companions’ needs. He would not inconvenience them except when there was some serious need.
It is well known that Muslims offer five obligatory prayers every day. However, the Prophet used to offer voluntary prayers that could include more rak’ahs than the obligatory prayers. Abdullah ibn Umar reports: “I prayed with the Prophet two rak’ahs before the obligatory Dhuhr prayer, and two after it, and two more rak’ahs after Maghrib and Isha, as well as two rak’ahs after Friday prayers. As for Maghrib and Isha prayers, he used to offer voluntary prayers after these obligatory ones in his own home. My sister, Hafsah, told me that he used to offer two short rak’ahs of voluntary prayers shortly after the dawn broke. I did not go near to the Prophet’s home at such a time.
Perhaps we should mention here that what the Prophet did in his own home was reported by his wives. Hafsah, Abdullah’s sister was married to the Prophet.