reciting du'aa in Fard Salah

17. Question: I was told that in the fard (compulsory) salaah it is only permissible to say ‘Subhaana rabbi al-a'alaa’ three times and not to read other du’aas. Can we read whatever du’aas we want during sujood in the fard salaah?

Answer: In the sujood we say ‘Subhaana rabbi al-a'alaa’ (سبحان ربي الأعلى – How perfect my Lord is, The Most High.). We have to say it once and if we say it three times it is Sunnah, but if we say it ten times it is better. It is also different if you are praying as an Imaam where you should take care of the people following you – you shouldn’t make it too long for them; and if you are praying alone then you can say more of ‘Subhaana rabbi al-a'alaa’. And saying this ‘Subhaana rabbi al-a'alaa’ is waajib (obligatory), or ‘Subhaana rabbi al-a'alaa wa bihamdihi’. It is waajib and you have to say this in sujood; if you don’t say it in sujood then you make the sujood as-sahu (prostration of forgetfulness) for not saying it.

Some of the scholars say that you are permitted to say only this in the fard (salaah), but many others, who are correct, say it is allowed to say other things because it has been narrated that the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم said in his ruku’ and sujood:

سُبْحَانَكَ اَللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَ بِحَمْدِكَ اَللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
Subhaanaka Allaahumma Rabbanaa wa bihamdika Allaahummaghfirlee
‘How perfect You are O Allaah, our Lord, and praised. O Allaah, forgive me.’ [31]

And, he صلى الله عليه و سلم said to Muadh رضي الله عنه “when you put your face in sujood say Allaahumma ainni ala shukrika wa husni ibaadatik.”[32] And the Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم also said “in the sujood try to make as much du’aa as you can.”[33] It is a place that Allaah سبحانه و تعالى will accept it from you, so make du’aa in it.[34] So in the fard salaah you can make du’aa, but it is better to make the du’aa that are narrated like Subhaanaka Allaahumma Rabbanaa wa bihamdika Allaahummaghfirlee[31], “Allaahumma ainni ala shukrika wa dhikrika wa husni ibaadatik”[32] or any other du’aa that are narrated, and also any other du’aa that you want to say. But don’t make your du’aa in the fard prayer for things in this dunyaa; but in the non-fard prayer you can. For example, in the fard prayer it is better not to say “give me money”, “give me a good wife”, “give me a house”, “give me this…” but it is better to ask for things in the hereafter. Wallaahu A’lam.

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