One day, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque and saw a man hastily bowing and prostrating while praying, so he said to him, “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.”
The man said, “By the One Who has sent you with the Truth, I cannot do any better than this. Please, teach me.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“When you stand up for Salah, say Takbir (“Allahu Akbar”), and then recite whatever you can of the Qur’an (what you know by heart). Then bow until you become peacefully still in your bowing, then rise until you are standing up straight. Then prostrate until you are peacefully still in your prostration, then sit up until you are peacefully still in your sitting; and do that throughout your entire Salah.”
(Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
· Maintaining composure and stillness throughout Salah is an integral part of it, without which it becomes invalid. For this reason, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) invalidated this man’s prayer.
· The amount of composure and stillness required during each integral act of prayer (standing, bowing, prostrating, or sitting) is that which extends for a length sufficient to say the prescribed recitation or essential utterance of prayer in that act. Some scholars have said,
“It is staying still in every integral part of prayer for a length of time sufficient to allow every bone to return to its proper place.”
· What negates composure while praying is hasty movements, so the person praying does not straighten their spine in the bowing, prostrating, or sitting position. Such a hurried manner of praying renders the Salah null and void.
Perform your prayer slowly and tranquilly, giving each part its due attention. Do not move quickly to the next step; instead, keep your body steady and calm, allowing each joint and bone to return to its normal place before proceeding to the next action.
