Exercising Composure During Qaumah and Jalsa

Q: Salaah-253: After performing the Ruku, our Imaam proceeds into Sajdah without standing up straight for the Qaumah posture (the erect posture between the Ruku and the Sajdah). He says "AIIaahu Akbar" immediately after "Sami AIIaahu Liman Hamidah" without pausing a moment in between or even taking a breath. The same happens in the Jalsah posture between the two Sajdahs. There is no pause between even the Takbeer when rising from Sajdah and the Takbeer when proceeding into the next Sajdah. Seeing him, the followers have also started to do the same. Please furnish a detailed response.

Answer: Forming such a habit is wrong and renders the salaah Makrooh. The salaah needs to be repeated. The texts of several books of Fiqh make it clear that exercising composure during Qaumah and Jalsa is necessary. These texts tell us that one should stand up straight after the Ruku because the Qaumah is Sunnah. In fact, some have stated that it is Fardh (obligatory) and Waajib (compulsory). The Takbeer should then be called out and one should proceed into Sajdah slowly in a manner that the Takbeer starts when one starts to descend and ends when one's forehead is on the ground. One must then sit between the two Sajdahs with composure for at least the time it takes to recite "Subhaanallaah" .

Hadhrat Aa'isha RADI. says that when rising from Ruku, Rasulullaah SAW. would calmly stand up straight before proceeding into Sajdah. Similarly, he would sit up calmly from the Sajdah and sit up straight before proceeding into the next Sajdah.

Hadhrat Abu Humayd Saa'idi RADI. says that when Rasulullaah SAW. raised his head, he would stand in a manner that all his joints returned to their positions.
Our salaah needs to be like the salaah of Rasulullaah SAW. because Rasulullaah SAW. said, "Perform salaah as you see me performing salaah Performing salaah in a manner that conflicts with the way Rasulullaah SAW. Performed salaah will require that the salaah be repeated.
A Hadith states that Rasulullaah SAW. was once in the Masjid when a person (Hadhrat Khallaad bin Raafi RADI.) entered. He performed salaah and then greeted. Rasulullaah SAW. Rasulullaah SAW. replied to his greeting and then said to him:
"Go and repeat your salaah for you have not performed salaah."

He then repeated his salaah and when he returned to greet Rasulullaah SAW. for the second time, Rasulullaah SAW. repeated the instruction. When this occurred for the third time, he said to Rasulullaah SAW. "By the Being Who sent you with the truth! I cannot perform a salaah better than this. Please teach me." Thereupon Rasulullaah SAW. said, "When you stand up to perform salaah say 'Allaahu Akbar' and then recite whichever portion of the Qur'aan is easy for you. Then make Ruku and exercise composure while in Ruku. Rasulullaah SAW. continued, "Then raise your head (from Ruku) until you have straightened in the standing posture (Qaumah). Then perform Sajdah until you are composed in Sajdah. Then raise your head until you are composed in the sitting posture (Jalsa). Then perform Sajdah again until you are composed in Sajdah. Thereafter you should do the same throughout your salaah.
The books of Fiqh and Ahadeeth emphasise composure in salaah and if your Imaam proceeds into Sajdah without standing up straight for the Qaumah posture and says "Allaahu Akbar" immediately after "Sami AIIaahu Liman Hamidah" without pausing a moment in between or even taking a breath, he is certainly acting against the clear directives of Fiqh and Ahadeeth. This is disrespectful and Makrooh.

Hadhrat Mujaddid Alf Thaani RAH. reports that Rasulullaah SAW. said, "The worst of thieves is he who steals from his salaah." When the Sahabah RADI. asked how this was possible, Rasulullaah SAW. replied, "When he does not complete his Ruku and Sajdah."l He also mentioned that Allaah does not even look at the salaah of the person whose back is not straight when in Ruku and Sajdah. When Rasulullaah SAW. saw a person who did not perform his Ruku and Sajdah properly, Rasulullaah SAW. said to him, "Do you not fear that should you die in this condition, you would die on a Deen (religion) other than that of Muhammad SAW.
Rasulullaah SAW. also stated that salaah is no salaah unless a person stands up straight after Ruku and every joint returns to its position. Rasulullaah SAW. also mentioned that a person has not performed salaah if his back is not straight when he sits between the two Sajdahs. Another Hadith states that when Rasulullaah SAW . once passed by a person who was not carrying out the postures, Qaumah and Jalsah properly, Rasulullaah SAW. remarked, "lf you die in this state, you will not be raised with my Ummah on the Day of Qiyaamah."

Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah RADI. said, A person can be performing salaah for sixty years without any salaah being accepted. He is the one whose Ruku and Sajdah are not carried out properly."

When Hadhrat Zaid bin Wahab RAH. once passed by a person who was not carrying out the Ruku and Sajdahs properly, he called the person and asked how long had he been performing salaah. When the man. replied that he had been doing so for forty years, Hadhrat Zaid RAH. said, "Not a single salaah in all your forty years has been accepted and had you died in this state, you would not have died upon the manner of Rasulullaah SAW.
When a person performs his salaah properly with all the postures done well, his salaah is bright and shining as it is taken up by the angels. The salaah then prays for the person saying, "May Allaah care for you as you have cared for me." However, when a person does not perform his salaah properly with all the postures done improperly, his salaah is dark and black and is not taken up by the angels. The salaah then curses the person saying.May Allaah destroy you as you have destroyed me.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah vol.2