Fatwa ID: 08791

 

 

Answered by Alimah Humairah Badshah

 

Question:

 

I have a question about prayer. I heard in the Hanafi school, we don’t need to straighten our back during rukoo which means if my back is slightly bent, my prayer would still be valid but this Hadith verse says this: “A prayer in which a person does not straighten his spine in his rukoo’ and sujood does not count.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2/52). I am a little confused because many Islamic websites say my prayer is still valid but this Hadith verse seems like it’s saying otherwise unless I am misinterpreting it.

 

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

 

Answer:

 

The hadith you mentioned appears to be the hadith of Jami` at-Tirmidhi [265] which is narrated as follows:

 

“لاَ تُجْزِئُ صَلاَةٌ لاَ يُقِيمُ الرَّجُلُ فِيهَا صُلْبَهُ فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ”

 

This hadith has been translated in the English language as you have described, with the word ‘straighten’. However, an equally valid translation is “The Salat is not acceptable if a man is not at rest – meaning his back – while bowing and prostrating.”

 

This difference in translation is due to the Arabic verb which one is being commanded to fulfil in ruku’ and sujud: “يُقِيمُ”. This verb is a common and expansive word with both literal and metaphorical meanings. For example, in Surah Al-Baqarah [2:43] it is said:

 

{وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱرْكَعُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلرَّٰكِعِينَ}

 

This verse has been translated as “And establish prayer and give zakāh and bow with those who bow”, with the verb {أَقِيمُوا۟} being translated as “establish”. Other translations of this verse instead translate {أَقِيمُوا۟} as “be steadfast”. Additionally, a conjugation of this verb is used as the term for the standing position in salah: the word “Qiyaam (قِيَام)” is used to mean “standing”, as this verb often means “to stand”.

 

Another indication that this hadith is not necessitating that the back be perfectly straight at a right-angle to the legs is the fact that “يُقِيمُ” is mentioned for both ruko’ and sujud in a way which equivalates the two in this quality. While it is possible to achieve the aforementioned straightness in ruku’, it does not appear normally possible to achieve this sort of ‘straightness’ in prostration, or in fact to achieve any position of the back in sujud which, when replicated in ruku’, would be considered ‘straight’ in the aforementioned way.

 

Therefore, the word “يُقِيمُ” in this hadith can be thought of to mean “to come to a standstill”, “to settle”, or “to bring to rest”. This hadith can be interpreted as commanding that one should make sure one’s back comes to a stop and stays in the position of ruku’ and sujud to the extent that their back becomes calm and settled. This is called ‘Ta’deel-e-Arkaan’, and it is considered wajib.

 

Keep in mind that keeping the back straight in ruku’ is indeed a Sunnah which one should follow. All that is being clarified here is that it is not an act where missing it would render the salah null and void. Nevertheless, men should still strive to straighten the back during ruku’.

 

 

 

References:

 

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مَعْمَرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ الْبَدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ لا تُجْزِئُ صَلاَةٌ لاَ يُقِيمُ فِيهَا الرَّجُلُ يَعْنِي صُلْبَهُ فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ وَأَنَسٍ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَرِفَاعَةَ الزُّرَقِيِّ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَنْ بَعْدَهُمْ يَرَوْنَ أَنْ يُقِيمَ الرَّجُلُ صُلْبَهُ فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ وَأَحْمَدُ وَإِسْحَاقُ مَنْ لَمْ يُقِمْ صُلْبَهُ فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ فَصَلاَتُهُ فَاسِدَةٌ لِحَدِيثِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ لاَ تُجْزِئُ صَلاَةٌ لاَ يُقِيمُ الرَّجُلُ فِيهَا صُلْبَهُ فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ وَأَبُو مَعْمَرٍ اسْمُهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَخْبَرَةَ ‏.‏ وَأَبُو مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيُّ الْبَدْرِيُّ اسْمُهُ عُقْبَةُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو ‏.‏

Jami` at-Tirmidhi (https://sunnah.com) b.2, no.117 (265)

 

وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱرْكَعُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلرَّٰكِعِينَ

Surah Al-Baqarah [2:43]

 

وَيَبْسُطَ ظَهْرَهُ) وَيُسَوِّيَ ظَهْرَهُ بِعَجُزِهِ

…

وَكَانَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَذْكُرَ لَفْظَ يُسَنُّ عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ وَيَضَعُ يَدَيْهِ لِيُعْلَمَ أَنَّ الْوَضْعَ وَالِاعْتِمَادَ وَالتَّفْرِيجَ وَالْإِلْصَاقَ وَالنَّصْبَ وَالْبَسْطَ وَالتَّسْوِيَةَ كُلَّهَا سُنَنٌ كَمَا فِي الْقُهُسْتَانِيِّ

Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.494

 

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham