Ibn Qudamah on the Ritual Prayer, its Pillars and Actions according to the Hanbali School

Ibn Qudamah writes in his book Umdat al-Fiqh:

When the worshipper stands ready to perform the ritual prayer, he should say:

الله أكبر

Allahu Akbar, God is Greater.

The prayer leader must pronounce this, and every other takbeer (saying Allahu Akbar) in a loud voice, so
that it can be heard by those behind him.

When pronouncing the initial takbir, the worshipper should raise his hands to the level of his shoulders, or to the lobes of his ears. He should then place his hands above his navel, fix his gaze on the place of prostration, and say:

سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك وتبارك اسمك وتعالى جدك ولا إله غيرك

Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. Blessed is Your name, and exalted is Your Majesty. There is no God besides You.

Then he should say:

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

I seek refuge in Allah from the cursed Satan.

Then he should say:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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

He should not pronounce any of that in a loud voice, because of the saying of Anas:

صليت خلف النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبي بكر وعمر وعثمان فلم أسمع أحدا منهم يجهر ببسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I prayed behind the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, and I did not hear any of them pronounce the bismillah (saying “In the Name of Allah”) in a loud voice.

Next, he must recite the opening chapter of the Quran (surah al-fatihah). No ritual prayer is credited to someone who fails to recite it, with the exception of one who follows the leader, for the leader’s recitation is a recitation on his behalf. He is recommended to recite during the leader’s moment of silence, and when his voice is inaudible.

Next, he should recite another chapter. In the morning prayer, this should be chosen from among the long chapters in the final section of the Quran; in the sunset prayer, from among the short ones; and in other prayers, from among those of medium length. The leader should recite in a loud voice in the morning prayer, and in the first two cycles of the sunset and evening prayers, but his recitation should otherwise be inaudible.

Next he should pronounce takbir while raising his hands as he raised them the first time, then assume the ruku’ (bowing posture), by placing his hands on his knees, spreading his fingers, stretching his back and pointing his head to the front. While holding this posture, he should say three times:

سبحان ربي العظيم

Glory to my Lord, the Almighty.

He must then raise his head and his hands as before, while saying:

سمع الله لمن حمده

Allah hears and accept the praise of one who praises Him.

Then, while standing in an upright posture, he should say:

ربنا لك الحمد ملء السموات وملء الأرض وملء ما شئت من شيء

Our Lord, to You is the praise, enough to fill the heavens and the earth, and enough to fill anything beyond them, as You will.

The follower should restrict himself to the expression:

ربنا لك الحمد

Our Lord, to You is the praise.

Next, he must pronounce takbir without raising his hands, and sink to the ground in prostration. The first parts of him to touch the ground should be his knees, then the palms of his hands, then his forehead and his nose. He should keep his upper arms away from his sides, and his stomach away from his thighs. He should place his hands opposite his shoulders, and he should be on tiptoe. While holding this posture, he should say:

سبحان ربي الأعلى

Glory to my Lord, the Most High.

He must then raise his head, while pronouncing the takbir, and sit with his left foot spread horizontally, while placing his right leg so that the right foot is in a perpendicular position, with the heel raised, and so that his toes are pointing to the direction of prayer. While sitting in this position, he should say:

ربي اغفر لي

My Lord, forgive me.

Next, he must perform the act of prostration a second time, in the same manner as the first. Then he must raise his head from the ground, while pronouncing takbir, stand in an upright posture, and proceed to perform the second raka’a (cycle) of the prayer in the same manner as the first. As soon as he has completed both cycles, he must sit with his feet spread horizontally in order to perform the tashahhud (testimony). He should place his left hand on his left thigh, and his right hand on his right thigh, hold the little finger and the ring finger in the grip of his hand, join the thumb and the ring finger to form a circle, and point several times with the index finger, while saying:

التحيات لله والصلوات والطيبات السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين اشهد أن لا الله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله

Greetings, prayers, and good deeds are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His Blessings. Peace be upon us, and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

This is the most authentic version of the testimony reported on the authority of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Then, he must say:

اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وآل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد وبارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم وآل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد

O Allah, bestow grace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as you have bestowed grace upon Abraham and the family of Abraham. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as you have blessed Abraham and the family of Abraham. Surely, You deserve praise and exaltation.

It is also recommended for him to seek refuge from the torment of the grave and the torment of Hell, from the mischief of life and death, and from the mischief of Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal (the false Messiah). He must then pronounce the taslima (salutation of peace), first to his right and then to his left, saying:

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله

Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah.

If the ritual prayer consists of more than two cycles, he must stand up after the first testimony in the same manner as his standing up from prostration. He must then perform the remaining cycles without reciting anything in them after Surah Al-Fatihah.

When he sits for the final testimony, he should adopt the posture called tawarruk, by placing his right leg so that his right foot is in a perpendicular position, spreading his left foot horizontally and causing both feet to protrude from his right side. He should only adopt this posture in a prayer containing two testimonies, and only in the last of the two. As soon as he has pronounced the salutation of peace, he should seek forgiveness three times, and say:

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلاَمُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلاَمُ تَبَارَكْتَ ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ ‏

O Allah, You are peace, and from You comes peace Blessed are You, O Lord of Majesty and Honor.

[Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Number 1227]

In summary, the basic pillars of the prayer are twelve:

Standing in an upright position, provided one is capable.
The consecratory affirmation of Allah’s greatness (takbir).
The recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah.
The bowing (ruku’).
Rising from bowing.
The prostration (sujud).
Sitting back from prostration.
Calm composure in the performance of these pillars.
The final testimony (tashahhud).
Adopting the sitting posture during the testimony.
The salutation of peace (taslim).
Their performance in the order we have described above.
The ritual prayer is not complete without these essential pillars. Its necessary elements (wajibat) are seven:

The affirmation of Allah’s greatness (takbir).
The glorification of the Lord (tasbih) each time one adopts the postures of bowing and prostration.
Acknowledging that Allah hears (tasmi’) and deserves praise (tahmid).
Asking Allah for forgiveness between the two prostrations.
The first testimony (tashahhud).
Adopting the sitting posture during the first testimony.
The invocation of blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, during the final testimony.
If these necessary elements are omitted with deliberate intent, the worshipers’ ritual prayer is nullified. If he omits one of them due to having an absent mind, he must perform an act of prostration to make up for its omission. Other elements of the prayer are customary practices (sunan), so the ritual prayer is not nullified by their deliberate omission, and their omission due to having an absent mind does not necessitate a make-up prostration.

Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.

العمدة في الفقه باب صفة الصلاة