Conducting Salah - The Ruku > Manners of Performing Ruku
Summary of Evidences [ Al-Quran: 0, Hadith: 8 ]
  • Performing Ruku
  • Ending Ruku and Standing up
  • Standing after Ruku
  • Evidence List
  • Evidence Details
  • Related Actions


Abbas bin Sahl [bin Sa'd] narrated: "Abu Humaid, Abu Usaid, Sahl bin Sa'd, and Muhammad bin Maslamah were once together and they were mentioning the Salat of Allah's Messenger. Abu Humaid said: 'I am the most knowledgeable among you of the Salat of Allah's Messenger: Allah's Messenger would bow and place his hands on his knees as if he was grasping them, and he would draw his forearms to hold them away from his sides.'" [ Jami al-Tirmidhi ]

Correct Position for Ruku:

Correct Ruku

 

Incorrect Positions for Ruku:

Incorrect Ruku

  1. "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would place his palms on his knees"26, and "would order them to do likewise"27, as he ordered "the one who prayed badly" in the afore-mentioned hadeeth. 
  2. "He would put his hands firmly on his knees [as though he were grasping them]"28, and "would space his fingers out"29, ordering "the one who prayed badly" likewise, saying: When you make rukoo', place your palms on your knees, then space your fingers out, then remain (like that) until every limb takes its (proper) place.30 
  3. "He used to spread himself (i.e., not be in a compact position), and keep his elbows away from his sides."31 
  4. "When he made rukoo', he would spread his back and make it level"32, "such that if water were poured on it, it (the water) would stay there (i.e., not run off)."33 He also said to "the one who prayed badly", When you make rukoo', put your palms on your knees, spread your back (flat) and hold firm in your rukoo'.34 
  5. "He would neither let his head droop nor raise it (i.e. higher than his back)"35, but it would be in between.36
  • "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would straighten up his back out of rukoo', saying, سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَه - “Saami ‘Allahu Liman Hamedah meaning: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him .56 
  • He also ordered "the one who prayed badly" to do that, when he said to him: No person's prayer is complete until ... he has said takbeer ... then made rukoo' ... then has said "Allaah listens to the one who praises Him" until he is standing straight."57 When he raised his head, he would stand straight until every vertebra returned to its place.58 
  • Next, "he would say while standing: رَبَّنَـا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ - “Rabbana Lakal-Hamd” meaning: Our Lord, [and] to You be all Praise.59 
  • He has commanded all worshippers, whether behind an imaam or not, to do the above on rising from rukoo', by saying Pray as you have seen me praying.(60) 
  • He also used to say, The imaam is there to be followed ... when he has said 'Allaah listens to the one who praises Him' then say, '[O Allaah!] Our Lord, and to You be all Praise'; Allaah will listen to you, for indeed, Allaah, Blessed and Exalted, has said via the tongue of His Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam): Allaah listens to the one who praises Him.'61 
  • He also gave a reason for this command in another hadeeth, saying: for he whose saying coincides with that of the angels will have his past sins forgiven.62 
  • He used to raise his hands when straightening up, (63) in the ways described under the Opening Takbeer.

 


While standing, he would say, as previously-mentioned,

  • While standing: رَبَّنَـا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ - “Rabbana Lakal-Hamd” meaning: Our Lord, [and] to You be all Praise.59 ,64; or 
  • Our Lord, to You be all Praise.65 
  • Sometimes, he would add at the beginning of either of these: O Allaah! ...66 
  • He used to order others to do this, saying, "When the imaam says: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him, then say: O Allaah! Our Lord, to You be all Praise, for he whose saying coincides with that of the angels will have his past sins forgiven."67 
  • Lord of Glory & Majesty! None can withhold what You grant, and none can grant what You withhold; nor can the possessions of an owner benefit him in front of You.70 
  • Or, sometimes, the addition would be: Filling the heavens, filling the earth, and filling whatever else You wish (68, 69). Lord of Glory and Majesty! - The truest thing a slave has said, and we are all slaves to You. [O Allaah!] None can withhold what You grant, [and none can grant what You withhold,] nor can the possessions of an owner benefit him in front of You.70,71 
  • Sometimes, he would say the following during night prayer: 
  • To my Lord be all Praise, to my Lord be all Praise, repeating it until his standing was about as long as his rukoo', which had been nearly as long as his first standing, in which he had recited soorah al-Baqarah.72 
  • Our Lord, and to You be all Praise, so much pure praise, inherently blessed, [externally blessed, as our Lord loves and is pleased with].73 
  • A man praying behind him (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said this after he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) had raised his  head from rukoo' and said: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him. When the Messenger of Allaah had finished his prayer, he said, Who was the one speaking just now? The man said, "It was I, O Messenger of Allaah." So the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, I saw over thirty angels hurrying to be the first one to write it down.74
  • He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to make this standing about as long as his rukoo', as has been mentioned; in fact, "he would stand (for so long) sometimes that one would say, 'He has forgotten', [because of his standing for so long.]"75 
  • He used to instruct them to be at ease in it; hence, he said to "the one who prayed badly", ... Next, raise your head until you are standing straight [and every bone has taken its proper place] - in another narration, When you rise, make your spine upright and raise your head, until the bones return to their joints.76 
  • He also reminded him: that no-one's prayer is complete unless he does that, and used to say: Allaah, Mighty and Sublime, does not look at the prayer of the slave who does not make his backbone upright in between his bowings and prostrations.77
ID Action Evidence Book Evidence Source Rules
ID Evidences