English QNA
#160: Performing Prayer of Need (Hajat Prayer) Before the Rawatib Prayer
Question:
Assalamualaikum ustaz. What is the ruling of a person performing the Hajat prayer right after the obligatory prayer, before performing the Rawatib prayer? Or should he first perform the ba’diyah prayer before performing the hajat prayer?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and gratitude to Allah SWT for His countless blessings for us all. Praise and salutations to our beloved Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his family, companions, and all those who follow his footsteps until the Final day.
Basically, hajat (needs) lexically means a need or asking of something. In the book Lisan al-Arab (2/242) and al-Mu’jam al-Wasit (1/527), hajat means poverty and there isn’t any usage by the jurists for the word hajat apart from its literal meaning. According to usul scholars who presented a special definition regarding hajat such as al-Syatibi, he said: “Whatever is needed to ease or ease a harm that leads to masyaqqah and removal of maslahat.” [1]
Narrated from Abdullah bin AUfa RA, he said: The Messenger PBUH went out to us and said:
مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ حَاجَةٌ، أَوْ إِلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ وَلْيُحْسِنِ الْوُضُوءَ، ثُمَّ لِيُصَلِّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ لِيُثْنِ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَلْيُصَلِّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
“Whoever has a need from Allah, or from one of the sons of Adam, then let him perform Wudu’, performing it well, then pray two Rak`ah, then praise Allah and say Salat upon the Prophet (ﷺ). Then let him say:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ الحَلِيمُ الكَرِيمُ، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ العَرْشِ العَظِيمِ، الحَمْدُ لِلهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ، أَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ، وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ، وَالغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ، وَالسَّلَامَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ إِثْمٍ، لَا تَدَعْ لِي ذَنْبًا إِلَّا غَفَرْتَهُ، وَلَا هَمًّا إِلَّا فَرَّجْتَهُ، وَلَا حَاجَةً هِيَ لَكَ رِضًا إِلَّا قَضَيْتَهَا يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. Al-Halim (the Forbearing) Al-Karim (the Generous). Glorious is Allah, Lord of the Magnificent Throne. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. I ask You for that which warrants Your mercy, and that which will determine Your forgiveness, and the spoils (fruits) of every righteous deed, and safety from every sin; do not leave a sin for me without forgiving it, nor a worry without relieving it. Or a need that pleases you without granting it. O Most-Merciful of those who have mercy.’ [2]
Syeikh Dr Wahbah al-Zuhaili said: “Prayer of Need is sunnah according to this hadith, where it is present in Sunan al-Tirmizi and Imam al-Tirmizi ruled this hadith as Gharib.” [3]
Afterwards, he should ask for his needs in the affairs of this world or the hereafter as he wished and surely it will be heard.
The above hadith is strengthened with another hadith, where the Prophet PBUH said:
إِذَا طَلَبْتَ حَاجَةً فَأَحْبَبْتَ أَنْ تَنْجَحَ، فَقُلْ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ الْـحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ، بِسْمِ اللهِ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْـحَيُّ الْـحَلِيمُ، سُبْحَانَ اللهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، وَالْـحَمْدُ لِلهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ مَا يُوعَدُونَ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ بَلَاغٌ فَهَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ، كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَاهَا، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ، وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ، وَالْغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ، وَالسَّلَامَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَدَعْ لِي ذَنْبًا إِلَّا غَفَرْتَهُ، وَلَا هَمًّا إِلَّا فَرَّجْتَهُ، وَلَا دَيْنًا إِلَّا قَضَيْتَهُ، وَلَا حَاجَةً مِنْ حَوَائِجِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَضَيْتَهَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
“When you are asking for anything and wanted it to be successful and granted, then recite:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ الْـحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ، بِسْمِ اللهِ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْـحَيُّ الْـحَلِيمُ، سُبْحَانَ اللهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، وَالْـحَمْدُ لِلهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ مَا يُوعَدُونَ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ بَلَاغٌ فَهَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ، كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَاهَا، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ، وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ، وَالْغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ، وَالسَّلَامَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَدَعْ لِي ذَنْبًا إِلَّا غَفَرْتَهُ، وَلَا هَمًّا إِلَّا فَرَّجْتَهُ، وَلَا دَيْنًا إِلَّا قَضَيْتَهُ، وَلَا حَاجَةً مِنْ حَوَائِجِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَضَيْتَهَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ [4]
From Uthman bin Hunaif RA, a blind man came to meet the Messenger PBUH and said: “O Rasullullah, pray for me so that my sight is cured or as such. Then the Prophet PBUH said:
فَانْطَلِقْ فَتَوَضَّأْ، ثُمَّ صَلِّ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ قُلِ: اللَّهمَّ إنِّي أسألُكَ وأتوجَّهُ إليكَ بنبيِّي محمَّدٍ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ نبيِّ الرَّحمةِ، يا محمَّدُ إنِّي أتوجَّهُ إلى ربِّي بك أن يكشِفَ لي عَن بصَري، اللَّهم شفِّعهُ فيَّ وشفِّعني في نَفسي فرجعَ وقد كَشفَ الله عن بصرِهِ
“Then, go and perform ablution then pray two rakaat and then say:
اللَّهمَّ إنِّي أسألُكَ وأتوجَّهُ إليكَ بنبيِّي محمَّدٍ صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ نبيِّ الرَّحمةِ، يا محمَّدُ إنِّي أتوجَّهُ إلى ربِّي بك أن يكشِفَ لي عَن بصَري، اللَّهم شفِّعهُ فيَّ وشفِّعني في نَفسي
Afterwards, he did that and Allah SWT returned his eyesight.” [5]
The Status of Hajat Prayer
Regarding this issue, we state that scholars have differing opinions about the ruling of hajat prayer. The reason is scholars differed as to the status of the evidence used as the argument in this issue. Some ruled the hadith dhaif (weak) and it cannot be made as an argument on the sanctioning of hajat prayer. While others are of the opinion that the hadith is strengthened by its syawahid and they also state that hajat prayer is included under fadhail al a’maal where dhaif hadith can be used if it is under a thabit origin.
The Definition and Status of Rawatib Prayer
In madhhab al-Syafie, Imam al-Khatib al-Syarbini defined rawatib prayer as a prayer that accompanies obligatory prayers. The wisdom of performing it is to complete or perfect the deficits or mistkaes from the obligatory prayers such as losing khusyuk (focus) and leaving tadabbur (reflection) of the recitation of al-Quran. [6]
According to the above definition, rawatib prayer is a prayer bound to obligatory prayers, whether it is performed before the obligatory prayer is named as qabliyyah prayer or after the obligatory prayer is known as the ba’diyah prayer.
In a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah RA, Rasullullah PBUH said:
أَفْضَلُ الصَّلاَةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ الصَّلاَةُ فِي جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ
“The most excellent prayer after that which is obligatory is one in the depth of the night.” [8]
Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali when commenting on the hadith state the following: The meaning of (the best of prayer) after the obligatory prayer and what accompanies it is from the sunnah rawatib prayers. Indeed, sunnah rawatib prayer before and after the obligatory prayer is prioritized over qiyamullail according to the jumhur of scholars for it is bound with the obligatory prayers. [8]
Conclusion
To close, we state that in terms of the ruling then it is permissible for a person to perform the hajat prayer right after the obligatory prayer and the ba’diyah prayer can be performed afterwards as long as it is in its designated time.
However, it is best to follow the order taught by Rasullullah PBUH which is to first perform the obligatory prayer followed by the rawatib sunnah prayer. Furthermore, the obligatory and rawatib prayers can be made as a wasilah for us in asking for our needs or wishes.
Wallahu a’lam.
[2] Narrated by al-Tirmizi (479), al-Nasaie and Ibn Majah (260)
[3] See al-Fiqh al-Islami wa Adillatuh, 2/232
[4] Narrated by al-Tabarani (3398) in al-Mu’jam al-Ausat
[5] Narrated by al-Nasaie (10496), al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, al-Albani stated this hadith is sahih
[8] See Lathaif al Maarif, 1/34
