Salah Guide

Common Mistakes in Salah

A reference of errors and bidʿah practices that have become common, and what the Sunnah actually teaches.

Bidʿah additions (innovations to avoid)

These are practices added to salah that are not from the Sunnah and should be avoided.

  • Saying the niyyah aloud, the Prophet ﷺ never verbalized his intention. Niyyah is in the heart only.
  • Saying “Sayyidina” before “Muhammad” in the tashahhud, the authentic wording is “As-salamu ‘alayka ayyuha n-nabiyyu…” and “…anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh”, without “Sayyidina.”
  • Reciting the basmalah aloud before Fatiha in salah, the Sunnah is to recite it silently, even in jahr prayers.
  • Group loud dhikr after salah, the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions recited the post-salah adhkar individually and quietly.
  • Wiping the face with the hands after du’a in salah, there is no authentic hadith establishing this in salah; it is a bidʿah.
  • Specific made-up sequences (e.g., reciting Surat Yaseen in every Friday Maghrib for blessing, etc.), if not from the Sunnah, avoid.
  • Saying “Sadaqa Allahu al-Adheem” after Qur’an recitation, no basis in the Sunnah.

Rushing, losing tuma’ninah

The Prophet ﷺ once told a man who prayed quickly: “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.”, three times. The man’s mistake was rushing without tranquility ( tuma’ninah ). Tuma’ninah is obligatory, the prayer is invalid without it.

  • Going down to ruku too quickly without straightening from qiyam first
  • Coming up from ruku too quickly without standing fully
  • Going down to sujood without being settled
  • Skipping the brief sitting between the two sujoods
  • Rushing through tasleem so fast the two are slurred together

Rule: every position must be held long enough to be at rest before transitioning. At minimum, the time it takes to say “Subhana Rabbiya l-‘Azim” once.

Incorrect positions

  • Placing hands below the navel, hands rest above the navel, below the chest (for men) or on the chest (for women)
  • Spreading the fingers in sujood, fingers should be together, pointing toward the qibla
  • Elbows resting on the ground in sujood, elbows should be lifted off the ground, kept away from the sides of the body (for men). Women keep them closer to the body.
  • Feet flat in sujood instead of toes pressed under and pointing to the qibla
  • Spreading the feet apart in qiyam too widely, they should be close together but parallel
  • Looking around during prayer, eyes should be on the place of sujood. Looking up at the sky is severely forbidden per the hadith: “Let them stop, or their sight will be snatched away.” (Muslim)

Followers anticipating the imam

The single most common mistake in congregational prayer.

  • Going down to ruku before the imam reaches ruku
  • Going to sujood at the same time as the imam (or even before)
  • Standing up before the imam has finished rising
  • Saying takbir at the same time as the imam (you should say it AFTER hearing his)
  • Giving tasleem before the imam

See The Three Modes of Praying, the rule is: wait for the imam to reach the next position before you begin.

In recitation

  • Not saying “Aameen” aloud in jahr prayers, both the imam and the followers should say it aloud, simultaneously
  • Reciting a surah after Fatiha when following an imam, only the imam (or someone praying alone) recites the surah. Followers listen.
  • Reciting basmalah aloud before Fatiha, silently, always
  • Reciting a surah in rak’ah 3 or 4 of a 4-rak’ah prayer, only Fatiha is recited in rak’at 3 and 4

Clothing

  • Praying with sleeves rolled up after wudu, roll them back down before standing for salah. Praying with sleeves rolled up is discouraged in the Sunnah.
  • Praying in tight or sheer clothing that outlines the body or shows skin underneath, the awrah must be covered with a loose, opaque garment
  • Men praying with shoulders bare when garments are available, the Prophet ﷺ said: “None of you should pray in a single garment with nothing on his shoulders.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Finger position in tashahhud

  • Not pointing the index finger, the right index finger should be extended and pointing throughout the tashahhud
  • Pointing the wrong finger, it is the index finger, not any other
  • Excessive finger movement, the index finger points; some scholars considered the report of moving the finger weak (shadhdha), so the safer practice is steady pointing without prominent movement
  • Looking around instead of at the pointed finger, the eyes should rest on the index finger during the tashahhud

After the prayer

  • Standing up immediately after tasleem without reciting the post-salah adhkar, these adhkar are part of the Sunnah and should not be skipped
  • Group loud recitation of the post-salah dhikr, each person should recite quietly to themselves
  • Standing up to leave during another person’s prayer in front of them, should pass behind them or wait

Forgetting to do sujood al-sahw

When an unintentional error happens (missing the first tashahhud, doubt about the rak’ah count, adding a movement by mistake), the prayer is corrected by two extra prostrations, sujood al-sahw. Many people skip this; the prayer is then incomplete.

A dedicated /sujood-al-sahw page is planned.