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1. Sticking the arms to the sides of the body, in rukoo' or
sujood, and sticking the belly to the thighs in sujood.
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "Let not one of you support
himself on his forearms (in sujood ) like the dog. Let him
rest on his palms and keep his elbows away from his body." (Sahih
Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used to keep his arms away from
his body during rukoo' and sujood that the whiteness of his
armpits could be seen (Sahih Muslim).
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2. Gazing upward during prayer. This may cause loss of
concentration. We are commanded to lower our gaze, and look at
the point at which the head rests during sujood.
The Prophet (SAW) warned: "Let those who raise their gaze up
during prayer stop doing so, or else their sights would not
return to them. [i.e. lose their eyesight]." (Muslim)
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3.Resting only the tip of the head on the floor during sujood.
The Prophet (SAW) 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." (Sahih Muslim)
Applying the above command necessitates resting the forehead
and the nose on the ground during sujood.
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4. Hasty performance of prayer which does not allow repose and
calmness in rukoo' or sujood.
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) saw a man who did not complete his
rukoo' [bowing], and made a very short sujood [prostration];
he (SAW) said: "If this man dies while praying in this manner,
he would die upholding a religion other than the religion of
Muhammad."
Abu Hurairah (RA) said: "My beloved friend, Muhammad (SAW)
forbade me to perform postures of prayer copying the picking
of a rooster; (signifying fast performance of prayer), moving
eyes around like a fox and the sitting like monkeys (i.e. to
sit on thighs)." (Imam Ahmad at-Tayalisi)
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5.The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "The worst thief is the
one who steals from his own prayer."
People asked, 'Messenger of Allah! How could one steal from his
own prayer?' He (SAW) said: "By not completing its rukoo' and
sujood." (At-Tabarani al-Hakim).
To complete rukoo' is to stay in that posture long enough to
recite 'subhana rabbiyal Adtheem' three times, SLOWLY, and 'subhana
rabbiyal-a'ala' three times, SLOWLY, in sujood. He (SAW) also
announced: "He who does not complete his rukoo' and sujood,
his prayer is void." (Abu Dawood others)
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6.Counting tasbeeh with the left hand
The Prophet (SAW) used to count tasbeeh on the fingers of his
right hand after salah. Abdullah bin Amr (RA) reported that
the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, "(There are) two good deeds,
any Muslim who does them shall enter Jannah but few are those
who do them: to say, 'subhanAllah' ten times, and 'alHamdulillah'
ten times, and 'AllahuAkbar' ten times. And I have seen the
Messenger of Allah (SAW) counting them on his hand."
lbn Qudamah (RA) said: "The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used his
right hand for tasbeeh." (Abu Dawud)
The above hadeeth indicates clearly that the Prophet (SAW) used
only one hand for counting tasbeeh. No Muslim with sound mind
would imagine that the Prophet (SAW) used his left hand for
counting tasbeeh.
Aa'ishah (RA) said that the Prophet (SAW) used his left hand
only for Istinjaa', or cleaning himself after respon.....
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7. Raising hands for dua' soon as prayer is over.
This was not the practice of the Messenger of Allah (SAW). The
Sunnah is to start with thikr soon after salah is over. The
best forms of du'a are those authentically related to the
Prophet, (SAW). For authentic du'as please visit Authentic
Supplications of the Prophet (SAW)
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8. Crossing in front of a praying person.
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) 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 better than to cross in
front of him." (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim).
The forty in the tradition may be days months or even years.
Allah knows best.
And our duty is only to proclaim the clear Message. Qur'an
36:17