Fatwa ID: 08609
Written by Maulana Abdurrahman Mohammad
Question:
What is the maximum speed when praying Salah? I often get stressed that maybe I am praying too quickly. Is there some guideline you can offer so I know what is too fast or not?
If the imam leading the prayer invalidated his Salah, what about the people behind him? e.g. If I am being led by this imam, how am I supposed to know whether he read his prayers rapidly or not (which would violate one of the pillars of Salah.) When sitting down, he recited quite a bit quicker than I do so It caused me stress on whether I should repeat my prayer.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The Necessity of Ta’deel Al-Arkān– In Salāt, it is necessary to maintain tranquility and serenity and properly execute each posture. The concept of Ta’deel Al-Arkān, which means ensuring your limbs are still during each position, is a necessary (Wājib) requirement. Without this, the prayer is incomplete and would need to be repeated. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) emphasized the importance of calmness in prayer.
Once the Prophet (ﷺ) entered the mosque, a man came in, offered the prayer and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet returned his greeting and said to him, “Go back and pray again for you have not prayed.” The man offered the prayer again, came back and greeted the Prophet. He said to him thrice, “Go back and pray again for you have not prayed.” The man said, “By Him Who has sent you with the truth! I do not know a better way of praying. Kindly teach Me how to pray.” He said, “When you stand for the prayer, say Takbir and then recite from the Qur’an what you know and then bow with calmness till you feel at ease, then rise from bowing till you stand straight. Afterwards prostrate calmly till you feel at ease and then raise (your head) and sit with Calmness till you feel at ease and then prostrate with calmness till you feel at ease in prostration and do the same in the whole of your prayer.”
The Minimum Amount of Ta’deel Al-Arkān- A key point here is the need to hold each position long enough for your limbs to settle. In practical terms, this means staying in each position for the time it takes to say SubhanAllah once. This applies to the bowing (Rukoo’), standing after bowing (Qawmah), prostration (Sujood), and the sittings between prostrations. (And Ta’deel Al-Arkaan) meaning stilling the limbs for the amount of time required to say one Tasbihah (i.e. SubhanAllah) during bowing and prostration, and likewise during rising from both of them
When Praying Behind an Imām- The congregation must repeat their prayer whenever the Imam invalidates his Salāt. The speed of recitation can vary from person to person, so if the Imām is reciting at a faster pace, it doesn’t necessarily mean the prayer is invalid. As long as he fulfills the requirement of stilling his limbs in each posture, the prayer remains valid. If the Imām is praying too quickly and not fulfilling the required calmness where all his limbs freeze for a moment, the congregation (Muqtadis) should inform him and ask for the prayer to be repeated. If you feel unsure about the Imam’s speed, remember the principle “certainty is not removed by doubt”. Unless you have certain evidence that the Imam’s prayer is invalid, there is no need to worry.
Waswasah in Salāt- It’s also possible that you are experiencing a level of anxiety and Waswasah, which can sometimes cause concerns about whether the prayer is performed correctly. If you find yourself frequently overthinking, it may help to seek guidance on managing these doubts as they can sometimes stem from religious OCD.
References:
[1] حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدٌ الْمَقْبُرِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ فَدَخَلَ رَجُلٌ فَصَلَّى ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَرَدَّ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمَ فَقَالَ ” ارْجِعْ فَصَلِّ فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تُصَلِّ ” فَصَلَّى، ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ” ارْجِعْ فَصَلِّ فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تُصَلِّ ”. ثَلاَثًا. فَقَالَ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَمَا أُحْسِنُ غَيْرَهُ فَعَلِّمْنِي. قَالَ ” إِذَا قُمْتَ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ فَكَبِّرْ، ثُمَّ اقْرَأْ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مَعَكَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، ثُمَّ ارْكَعْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ رَاكِعًا، ثُمَّ ارْفَعْ حَتَّى تَعْتَدِلَ قَائِمًا، ثُمَّ اسْجُدْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ سَاجِدًا، ثُمَّ ارْفَعْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ جَالِسًا، ثُمَّ اسْجُدْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ سَاجِدًا، ثُمَّ افْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فِي صَلاَتِكَ كُلِّهَا ”.
(Sahih Al-Bukhari 793, Book 10, Hadith 188)
[2] (وَتَعْدِيلُ الْأَرْكَانِ) أَيْ تَسْكِينُ الْجَوَارِحِ قَدْرَ تَسْبِيحَةٍ فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ، وَكَذَا فِي الرَّفْعِ مِنْهُمَا عَلَى مَا اخْتَارَهُ الْكَمَالُ،
(Radd Al-Muhtār, vol. 1, pg. 464, Darul Fikr Beirut)
Only Allah (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) knows best.
Written by Maulana Abdurrahman Mohammad
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
