There are many common actions many of us Muslims do everyday which are not part of the Sunnah i.e. there is no mention of the Prophet (pbuh) ever doing. We’ll go through a few of them here.
Just remember this is not a discussion on whether these things are haram/not haram or innovations, we are simply going to distinguish between what the Prophet (pbuh) did and did not do. He is the perfect role model and following his exact teachings is the only way to come closer to Allah.
Lifting hands to make dua after salah
So this is an extremely common action done on a daily basis amongst the Muslim community and many of us will be surprised to know that the Prophet (pbuh) never did this. There is no hadith mentioning that he ever brought his hands up to make dua after completing a prayer whether for himself or dua as a group.
In fact there are a few other times during and around the prayer that the Prophet (pbuh) made dua, here are 3:
- Between Athan and Iqamah: Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Du’a is not rejected between the adhan and iqamah, so engage in du’a (supplication).” [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 212; Abu Dawud, 437; Ahmad, 12174. Classed as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawud, 489]
- In sujood: Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “The servant is closest to his Lord during prostration, so increase your dua therein.” [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 482]
- After tashahud before making salam: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “When any one of you recites the tashahud, let him seek refuge with Allah from four things – from the punishment of Hell, the punishment of the grave, the trials of life and death, and the evils of the Dajjal, then let him pray for himself for whatever he wants.” [Narrated by al-Nasai, 1293].
Let us follow these times to make dua instead of making them after the prayer has concluded.
Wiping the face or kissing the hands after concluding a dua
Sheikh ibn Uthaymeen explains:
Wiping the face with the hands after making du’aa’ is more likely to be not prescribed in Islam, because the ahaadeeth that have been narrated concerning that are da’eef (weak). Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: They cannot be used as evidence. If we are not certain or we think it most likely that this is not prescribed, then it is better not to do it, because Islamic rulings cannot be proven on the basis of mere conjecture, unless we believe it to be mostly likely to be the case.
What I think about wiping the face with the hands after du’aa’ is that it is not Sunnah. As is well known, the Prophet (pbuh) prayed for rain during his Friday khutbah and raised his hands, but it is not narrated that he wiped his face with them. Similarly in a number of ahaadeeth it says that the Prophet raised his hands, but there is no proof that he wiped his face.
Saying “sadaqa allah hadeem” after concluding recitation of qur’an
This is another extremely common practice many Muslims do every day. It will be another surprise to realise that this is also not part of the Sunnah – there is no mention of the Prophet (pbuh) ever saying these words after concluding a recitation nor was it a practice of his companions.
Raising finger only when saying Shahada in tashahud
So this is another very common action performed most likely out of attempting to analyse prayer actions using common sense i.e. it makes sense to raise the finger when saying the Shahada.
However, there is no mention of the Prophet (pbuh) raising his finger only for Shahada. In fact, he would keep his finger pointed throughout the entire tashahud.
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Zubayr said: “When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sat during the prayer, he would place his left foot between his thigh and calf, and tuck his right foot underneath him, and place his left hand on his left knee, and place his right hand on his right thigh, and point with his finger.” [Sahih Muslim, 579].
There are differences of opinions amongst the schools of thought and scholars as to the details on whether the finger should be moving etc. However, there is no evidence mentioning that it should be raised only for the Shahada part of the Tashahud then retracted.
Leaving gaps between feet and shoulders when praying in the masjid or group
Many imams mention this to people praying in the mosques; that they should close the gaps between the feet and shoulders when lining up for Salat but many of us seem to ignore it. The importance of this is highlighted in the following ahadith:
It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Make your rows straight, stand shoulder to shoulder and close the gaps, and do not resist your brothers’ hands. Do not leave any gaps for the Shaytaan. Whoever complete a row, Allah will reward him, and whoever breaks a row, Allah will forsake him.” Abu Dawood said: What is meant by “Do not resist your brothers’ hands” is that a man should be easy-going if his brother moves him forwards or backwards to make the row straight. (‘Awn al-Ma’bood). [Narrated by Abu Dawood, 666; al-Nasaa’i, 819. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 620].
It was narrated that al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer said: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) turned to face the people and said, ‘Straighten your rows,’ three times, ‘for by Allah either you straighten your rows or Allah will create division among your hearts.’ And I saw men standing shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, ankle to ankle.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood, 662; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 616].