Leaving gaps in lines of congregational prayer: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) commanded:
"Straighten your lines, level your shoulders and block the gaps. Shay tan passes through (line) gaps".
Reciting Surat al-Fatiha fast without pausing after each verse: The Prophet (PBUH) used to pause after each verse of this surah.
Fidgeting during prayer, or looking at a watch or fiddling with one's fingers, clothes or moving feet or other parts of the body restlessly: All of this diminish the reward for prayer. Submissiveness is a condition of acceptance of prayer. Allah's command signifies:
"and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind)." (Q2:238)
Racing with the imam, or moving with or before him in congregational prayer: The Messenger- of Allah (PBUH) said:
"Does not the one who raises his head before the imam fear that Allah would transform his head into a donkey's head." (Bukhari)
Lowering the head excessively, or pushing it up, and arching the back during rukoo': The head must be in normal position, while the back must be straight during rukoo' to form a right angle with legs. Praying while part of the back is exposed: This happens to those who wear tight and short shirts or tight pant; when they bow or prostrate, part of their backs are exposed. Such part of the body is awrah, or the part which must be covered always. Exposing part of the back during salaat, renders salaat null and void.
Neglecting the a'meen (to say 'Aameen) loudly when the imam recites the concluding verse of Surah al-Faiiha, "waladh-dhaleen": The Prophet (PBUH) commanded:
"When the imam says, 'waladhdhaleen "say 'Aameen', because the angels also say, 'Aameen', and the imam says, 'Aameen '. He whose Aameen coincides with the aameen of the angels, Allah forgives his past sins". (Bukhari)
Resting only the tip of the head on the floor during sujood: The Prophet (PBUH) said:
"I am commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead and the nose, the two hands (palms), the two knees, and the two feet." (Bukhari)
Applying the above command necessitates resting the forehead and the nose on the ground during sujood.
Hasty performance of prayer which does not allow repose and calmness in rukoo' or sujood. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saw a man who did not complete his rukoo ' [bowing], and made a very short sujood [prostration]: he said:
"If this man dies while praying in this manner; he would die upholding a religion other than the religion of Muhammad". (Baihaqi)
He also announced:
"He who does not complete his rukoo ' and sujood, his prayer is void".(Ibn Majah).
Sitting in tawarruk position in the last rak'ah of Fajr and Jum'ah prayers: It is praiseworthy to take tawarruk as described in Sahih al-Bukhari as resting the body, during sitting position, on the left thigh and putting the left foot under the right leg, while setting the right foot upright and supporting the body by the left hand with which the left knee is grasped.
Moving the two palms upon saying, 'assalamu alaikum warahmatullah ' to end prayer: The Prophet (PBUH) saw some of his companion doing so, He objected:
"Why do I see you moving your hands like the tails of wild horses". (Muslim).
They never did that again. Walking away right after tasleem, at the end of prayer, and neglecting dhikr: Dhikr is reciting subhanal-Lah 33 times, Al-Hamdulilah 33 times, Allahu Akbar 33 times., reciting La ilaha illa-Laah .10 times reciting ayat al-Kursiy [i.e. verse 255 of surah 2 al Baqarah], or other authentic dhikr.
Crossing in front of a praying person: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) warned:
"Were the one who crosses in front of a praying person to know the consequences of doing so, he would have waited for forty ... than to cross in front of him. " (Bukhari)
The forty in the tradition may be days months or even years .. Allah knows best!
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited