Question:
Assalamualaikum ustaz. I would like to ask. Is it permissible to perform sunnah tasbih prayer after completing Maghrib prayer? Is there any specific time to perform sunnah tasbih prayer? I once asked an imam, he said it is prohibited to perform sunnah tasbih prayer after completing the Maghrib prayer. Hope for an explanation and enlightenment from Ustaz. Thank you.
Brief Answer:
Sunnah tasbih prayer may be performed at any time other than the prohibited ones. It is categorised under the Mutlaq sunnah prayer which is not attached with any specific reason or cause. Hence, it is permissible to be done after completing the Maghrib prayer. May Allah SWT give us strength to make more sunnah prayers so they may become the light for us when we enter the grave later.
Explanation:
Tasbih prayer is among sunnah prayers that are highly encouraged to be performed even once in a lifetime. This is based on a hadith narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas RA where the Prophet PBUH said:
يَا عَبَّاسُ يَا عَمَّاهُ أَلاَ أُعْطِيكَ أَلاَ أَمْنَحُكَ أَلاَ أَحْبُوكَ أَلاَ أَفْعَلُ بِكَ عَشْرَ خِصَالٍ إِذَا أَنْتَ فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ ذَنْبَكَ أَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ قَدِيمَهُ وَحَدِيثَهُ خَطَأَهُ وَعَمْدَهُ صَغِيرَهُ وَكَبِيرَهُ سِرَّهُ وَعَلاَنِيَتَهُ عَشْرَ خِصَالٍ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ تَقْرَأُ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ فَاتِحَةَ الْكِتَابِ وَسُورَةً فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ مِنَ الْقِرَاءَةِ فِي أَوَّلِ رَكْعَةٍ وَأَنْتَ قَائِمٌ قُلْتَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ مَرَّةً ثُمَّ تَرْكَعُ فَتَقُولُهَا وَأَنْتَ رَاكِعٌ عَشْرًا ثُمَّ تَرْفَعُ رَأْسَكَ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ فَتَقُولُهَا عَشْرًا ثُمَّ تَهْوِي سَاجِدًا فَتَقُولُهَا وَأَنْتَ سَاجِدٌ عَشْرًا ثُمَّ تَرْفَعُ رَأْسَكَ مِنَ السُّجُودِ فَتَقُولُهَا عَشْرًا ثُمَّ تَسْجُدُ فَتَقُولُهَا عَشْرًا ثُمَّ تَرْفَعُ رَأْسَكَ فَتَقُولُهَا عَشْرًا فَذَلِكَ خَمْسٌ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ تَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ فِي أَرْبَعِ رَكَعَاتٍ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَهَا فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مَرَّةً فَافْعَلْ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ مَرَّةً فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ مَرَّةً فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي كُلِّ سَنَةٍ مَرَّةً فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي عُمُرِكَ مَرَّةً
Abbas, my uncle, shall I not give you, shall I not present to you, shall I not donate to you, shall I not produce for you ten things? If you act upon them, Allah will forgive you your sins, first and last, old and new, involuntary and voluntary, small and great, secret and open.
These are the ten things: you should pray four rak'ahs, reciting in each one Fatihat al-Kitab and a surah. When you finish the recitation of the first rak'ah you should say fifteen times while standing: "Glory be to Allah", "Praise be to Allah", "There is no god but Allah", "Allah is most great". Then you should bow and say it ten times while bowing. Then you should raise your head after bowing and say it ten times. Then you should kneel down in prostration and say it ten times while prostrating yourself. Then you should raise your head after prostration and say it ten times. Then you should prostrate yourself and say it ten times. Then you should raise your head after prostrating and say it ten times in every rak'ah. You should do that in four rak'ahs.
If you can observe it once daily, do so; if not, then once weekly; if not, then once a month; if not, then once a year; if not, then once in your lifetime.
Sunan Abu Dawud (1105), Sunan Ibn Majah (1377) and Sunan al-Tirmizi (479)
Briefly, the scholars explained that tasbih prayer is among sunnah prayers which are highly encouraged to be done. (Refer Mughni Al-Muhtaj ila Ma’rifah Alfaz Al-Minhaj 1/458; Radd Al-Muhtar ‘ala Al-Dur Al-Mukhtar, 2/27 and Bulghah Al-Salik li Aqrab Al-Masalik, 4/788.) A detailed explanation on the ruling of tasbih prayer has been written in Al-Kafi li al-Fatawi #723: The Ruling of Tasbih Prayer through the link: https://muftiwp.gov.my/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/2356-al-kafi-723-hukum-solat-tasbih
Coming back to the presented question, tasbih prayer is considered a sunnah prayer that is not attached to any specific cause and reason. In other words, it is categorised under the Mutlaq sunnah prayer. Hence, it may be done at any time including after completing the Maghrib prayer unless it is the prohibited time. Ibn Hajar al-Haitami was once asked on the tasbih prayer whether it is among the Mutlaq sunnah prayers or prayers which are attached with specific cause or reason? He answered:
الذي يظهر من كلامهم أنها من النفل المطلق، فتحرم في وقت الكراهة ووجه كونها من المطلق أنه الذي لا يتقيد بوقت ولا سبب، وهذه كذلك، لندبها كل وقت من ليل أو نهار كما صرحوا به ما عدا وقت الكراهة لحرمتها فيه.
“What is clear from the scholars’ statement, tasbih prayer is among the Mutlaq sunnah prayer. It is prohibited to be done during the prohibited times. Among the reasons they are grouped under the Mutlaq sunnah is because it is not attached with any specific cause and reason. It is sunnah to be done at all times day or night other than those prohibited times”
(Refer ‘Ianah Al-Talibin ‘ala Hilli Alfaz Fath Al-Mu’in, 1/301)
Imam Syamsuddin al-Ramli also stated that it may be done in four rakaats with one salam. This method is better to be done during the day. It may also be done in four rakaats with two salams. While this method is better to be done during the night. (Refer Nihayah Al-Muhtaj ila Syarh Al-Minhaj, 2/123).
In conclusion, sunnah tasbih prayer may be done at all times other than those prohibited times. It is categorised as Mutlaq sunnah prayer which is not attached with any specific cause or reason. Hence, it is permissible to be done after Maghrib prayer.
Wallahu a’lam.
End Notes:
[1] Al-Khatib Al-Syarbini, Muhammad Bin Ahmad, Mughni Al-Muhtaj ila Ma’rifah Alfaz Al-Minhaj(1994),Dar Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyah, 1/458 ; Ibn ‘Abidin, Muhammad Amin Bin Umar, Radd Al-Muhtar ‘ala Al-Dur Al-Mukhtar(1966), Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, 2/27 ; Al-Sowi Al-Maliki, Ahmad Bin Muhammad, Bulghah Al-Salik li Aqrab Al-Masalik, Dar Al-Ma’arif, 4/788.
[2] Al-Bakri Al-Dimyati, Abu Bakar Uthman Bin Muhammad Syata, ‘Ianah Al-Talibin ‘ala Hilli Alfaz Fath Al-Mu’in(1997), Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, 1/301
[3] Syamsuddin Al-Ramli, Muhammad Bin Abu Al-Abbas Ahmad, Nihayah Al-Muhtaj ila Syarh Al-Minhaj (1984), Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, 2/123.