Some more fataawa....
With regard to du’aa’ after the salaam, what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do is to say, after finishing the prayer: Astghfir Allaah, astaghfir Allaah astaghfir Allaah (I seek the forgiveness of Allaah, I seek the forgiveness of Allaah, I seek the forgiveness of Allaah). Then he would say all the dhikrs that are narrated at this time. See question no.
7646.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
There is no saheeh report to say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to raise his hands following an obligatory prayer, or that his companions (may Allaah have mercy on them) did that, as far as we know. What some people do, raising their hands after the prayer, is a bid’aah (innovation) for which there is no basis.
Al-Fataawa, 1/74.
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Question: I have heard that after the obligatory prayer, one should offer a supplication, because that is the time that supplications are accepted the most. Is this True? Is it particularly recommended to offer supplications after offering our formal prayers?
Answered by Sheikh Muhammad b. Sâlih al-`Uthaymîn
It is not prescribed for a person upon completing prayer to raise his hands in supplication. If the person wishes to offer supplications, he should know that offering the supplication while in prayer is better than offering it after completing the prayer.
This is what our Prophet (peace be upon him) guided us to. In a hadîth narrated by Ibn Mas`ûd, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned completing the tashahhud, he said: “Then he should offer any supplication that he wishes.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
What we see some people doing is that every time they offer a prayer, as soon as they say the taslîm they invariably raise their hands. Sometimes they do so for such a brief moment that is scarcely enough time to actually supplicate – but is more like a formality of raising the hands – and then some of them wipe their faces. They offer up this practice after each prayer to preserve what they think is a prescribed act of supplication.
However, no such act is prescribed. Making such an unwavering habit of doing so actually becomes an innovation.
And Allah knows best.
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By Sheikh `Abd al-Rahmân al-`Ajlân, lecturer at the Grand Mosque in Mecca
With respect to the five obligatory prayers, the scholars have determined that it is not best to supplicate immediately thereafter. This is because there is something else which is strongly encouraged for us to engage in at that time – the prescribed remembrances. It is not recommended for the worshipper to busy himself with something else – even something that is good in and of itself – at the expense of a prescribed Sunnah.
With respect to the time after completing a voluntary prayer, there is nothing specifically mentioned in the Sunnah to recommend it as a time to single out for supplications. Therefore, we should not treat it as a special time to set aside for our supplications.
However, the time after one makes the taslîm form a voluntary prayer is just like any other time. A person is free to supplicate at this time as the inclination takes him. Supplication is a generally encouraged form of worship.
And Allah knows best.
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