SALAT AL-HAJAH: THE PRAYER OF NEED
Salāt al-Hājah: the prayer of need
by Mawlana Zameelur Rahman
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Salāt al-Hājah (“Salāh of Need”) refers to performing two or more rak‘ats of optional salāh with the purpose of fulfilling one’s needs, whether followed by a du‘ā’ or not. This basic notion of Salāt al-Hājah is established in the sources of Sharī‘ah.
Allāh Ta‘ālā says in the Qur’ān:
استعينوا بالصبر والصلوة
“Take help from patience and salāh.” (Qur’ān, 2:45)
It is reported from Hudayhfah رضي الله عنه:
كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا حزبه أمر صلى
“When a concern would overcome the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, he would offer salāh.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
Also, Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم said about the earlier Prophets عليهم السلام:
وكانوا يفزعون إذا فزعوا إلى الصلاة
“When they were concerned, they would take recourse to salāh.”
It is reported from Rasūlullāh صلى الله عليه وسلم that he said:
من توضأ فأسبغ الوضوء ثم صلى ركعتين يتمهما، أعطاه الله ما سأل معجلا أو مؤخرا
“Whoever performs wudū’, perfecting the wudū’, and then he offers two rak‘ats of salāh, making themcomplete, Allāh will give him what he asks, immediately or with delay.” (Musnad Ahmad)
Hence, if one were to offer two rak‘ats of optional salāh with the intention of fulfilling his needs, this is permissible and recommended based on the aforementioned verse and hadīths. He may follow these two rak‘ats with a du‘ā’, asking Allāh to fulfil his need/s.
However, there is a particular du‘ā’ that has become famous in the description of Salāt al-Hājah. After completing the two rak‘ats of salāh, one hadīth states that the person who wishes to have his needs fulfilled should make the following du‘ā’:
لا إله إلا الله الحليم الكريم، سبحان الله رب العرش العظيم، الحمد لله رب العالمين، أسئلك موجبات رحمتك وعزائم مغفرتك والغنيمة من كل بر والسلامة من كل إثم، لا تدع لي ذنبا إلا غفرته ولا هما إلا فرجته ولا حاجة هي لك رضا إلا قضيتها يا أرحم الراحمين
This particular procedure of Salāt al-Hājah is narrated only through an extremely weak chain found inJāmi‘ al-Tirmidhī, Sunan Ibn Mājah and Mustadrak al-Hākim. This narration comes only from the narrator, Fā’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Kūfī, from the Sahābī, ‘Abdullāh ibn Abī Awfā رضي الله عنه.
Abū Hātim al-Rāzī (195 – 277 H) said about Fā’id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmān: “His hadīths from Ibn Abī Awfā are falsities, you find almost no basis for them…If a man was to swear an oath that all his hadīths are lies, he would not have broken his oath.”
Al-Hākim said: “He narrates fabricated hadīths from Ibn Abī Awfā.”
Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalānī said: “Rejected, they charged him [with lying].”
Ibn al-Jawzī included this narration in his book on fabricated hadīths. Hence, this specific procedure may not be practised.
The particular du‘ā’ in question has been narrated in another hadīth (without mention of the two rak‘ats) from Anas رضي الله عنه by al-Tabrānī, but this too is extremely weak (da‘īf jiddan) because of the narrator ‘Abbād ibn ‘Abd al-Samad.
Hence, while one may offer salāh with the intention of attaining assistance from Allāh to fulfil his need/s, this should not be done with the belief that any particular procedure or description is proven from the Sharī‘ah. Instead, it should be left open and flexible.
And Allah Ta‘ālā Knows Best
(T/P3/R01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
Sources:
1. Ilmgate
2. http://muslimvillage.com/
