Dought & clear, - [Sifat al-Salaah (description of the prayer)] - - What is meant by dhikr and du‘aa’ at the end of the prayer?.

What is meant by "at the end of every prayer"? Does it mean before the
salaam at the conclusion of the prayer or after it? Is it Sunnah to
raise the hands in du'aa' after the prayer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
"At the end of the prayer" may mean after it, following it, or in the
last part of it.
There are several hadeeths which encourage dhikr and du'aa' at the end
of the prayers, such as the following:
1.
The report narrated by al-Bukhaari (6330) and Muslim (594) from
al-Mugheerah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him), according to
which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) used to say at the end of every prayer after saying the
salaam:Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk wa
lahu'l-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadeer. Allaahumma laa maani'
lima a'tayta wa laa mu'ti lima mana'ta wa la yanfa' dhaa'l-jadd minka
al-jadd(There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or
associate, His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able
to do all things. O Allaah, none can withhold what You give and none
can give what You withhold, and no wealth or majesty can benefit
anyone for from You is all wealth and majesty).
2.
The report narrated by al-Bukhaari (6329) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah
be pleased with him): They said: O Messenger of Allah, the wealthy
have attained exclusively the high ranks and eternal blessing (in
Paradise). He said: How is that? They said: They pray as we pray, and
they strive in jihad as we strive, and they spend from the surplus of
their wealth, but we have no wealth. He said: "Shall I not tell you of
something by means of which you will catch up with those who have gone
before you and will go ahead of those who come after you, and no one
could achieve what you achieve except one who does what you do. At the
end of every prayer, glorify Allah (by sayingSubhaan Allah) ten times,
and praise Him (by sayingal-hamdu Lillah) ten times, and magnify Him
(by sayingAllahu akbar) ten times.
Al-Bukhaari (843) narrated: "Glorify Allah (by sayingSubhaan Allah),
praise Him (by sayingal-hamdu Lillah), and magnify Him (by
sayingAllahu akbar) thirty-three times after each prayer."
Muslim (595) narrated: "Glorify Allah (by sayingSubhaan Allah), praise
Him (by sayingal-hamdu Lillah), and magnify Him (by sayingAllahu
akbar) thirty-three times at the end of each prayer."
3.
Muslim (596) narrated from Ka'b ibn 'Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with
him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: "Dhikrs at the end of the prayer, the one who says them or
does them at the end of each obligatory prayer will not be
disappointed: thirty-three tasbeehahs, thirty-three tahmeedahs and
thirty-four takbeerahs."
What is meant by "at the end of the prayer" in these hadeeths is
immediately after the prayer, that is, after the salaam, as is stated
clearly in some reports. The same is mentioned in the reports which
speak of reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and the Mu'awwidhaat at the end of
the prayer. What is meant is after the salaam.
4.
Abu Dawood (1522) narrated from Mu'aadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be
pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) took him by the hand and said: "O Mu'aadh, by Allah
verily I love you, by Allah verily I love you." Then he said: "I urge
you, O Mu'aadh, never to stop saying at the end of every
prayer:Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni
'ibaadatika(O Allah, help me to remember You, give thank to You and
worship You properly)."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood
An-Nasaa'i (1303) narrated it as follows: "Do not neglect to say in
every prayer,Rabbiy a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni
'ibaadatika(My Lord, help me to remember You, give thank to You and
worship You properly).
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh an-Nasaa'i.
What is meant by "at the end of the prayer (dibr as-salaah)" here is
in the last part of the prayer before the salaam, becausedibr
ash-shay'(lit. the end of a thing) is part of it. This is confirmed by
the words in the report of an-Nasaa'i: "in every prayer".
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said inZaad
al-Ma'aad(1/294): "At the end of the prayer" may be understood as
meaning before the salaam or after it. Our shaykh [i.e., Ibn Taymiyah]
regarded it as more likely that it is before the salaam. I asked him
about that and he said: Dibr kulli shay' (the end of everything) is
part of it, like the dibr (rear end) of an animal. End quote.
5.
at-Tirmidhi (3499) narrated that Abu Umaamah (may Allah be pleased
with him) said: It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what du'aa'
(supplication) is most likely to be heard (and responded to)? He said:
"(That which is offered) in the last part of the night and at the end
of the prescribed prayers."
This hadeeth was classed as hasan by at-Tirmidhi and by al-Albaani
inSaheeh at-Tirmidhi.
What appears to be the case is that what is meant by "at the end of
the prayer" here means before the salaam.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What appears
to be the case is that what is meant by "at the end of the prescribed
prayers" in the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah – if it is saheeh –is: in the
last part of the prayer. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 13/268
The scholars noted concerning this that in the texts which mention the
end of the prayer, if it is dhikr (such as sayingSubhaan
Allah,al-hamdu Lillah, Allahu akbar, or reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and
the Mu'awwidhaat), then what is meant by the end of the prayer in this
case is after the prayer; if it is du'aa' (supplication), then what is
meant by at the end of the prayer is in the last part of it, i.e.,
before the salaam.
But if there is a report to indicate that a particular du'aa' should
be said after the salaam, such as when the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Ask for forgiveness (by
sayingAstaghfirullah) three times," this is a du'aa', but the Sunnah
indicates that it should be said after the salaam.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
What is meant by "at the end of the prayer" in the hadeeths which
encourage saying du'aa' or dhikr at the end of each prayer? Is it the
last part of the prayer or after the salaam?
He replied:
The phrase "the end of the prayer" may be applied to the last part of
it before the salaam, or it may be applied to what comes immediately
after the salaam. There are saheeh hadeeths that mention that, most of
which indicate that what is meant is the last part of the prayer
before the salaam if it has to do with du'aa', such as the hadeeth of
Ibn Mas'ood, in which the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) taught him the tashahhud, then he said: "Then let him choose
whatever du'aa' he likes and say it." And according to another version
he said, "Let him choose after asking whatever he wants." (saheeh –
agreed upon).
Another example is the hadeeth of Mu'aadh in which the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: "Do not
neglect to say at the end of every prayer:Allahumma a'inni 'ala
dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibaadatika(O Allah, help me to remember
You, give thank to You and worship You properly)."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasaa'i with a saheeh isnaad.
Another example is the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (may Allah have
mercy on him) from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with
him) who said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
used to say at the end of every prayer: "Allaahumma inni a'oodhu bika
min al-bukhl, wa a'oodhu bika min al-jubn, wa a'oodhu bika min an
uradda ila ardhal il-'umr, wa a'oodhu bika min fitnat ad-dunya wa min
'adhaab al-qabr(O Allah, I seek refuge in You from miserliness, and I
seek refuge in You from cowardice, and I seek refuge in You from
reaching feeble old age, and I seek refuge in You from the trials of
this world, and I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave.
With regard to the adhkaar that have been narrated, the saheeh
hadeeths indicate that they are to be recited at the end of the prayer
after the salaam. An example of that is to say after saying the
salaam: "Astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah. Allaahumma
anta al-salaam wa minka al-salaam tabaarakta ya dhaa'l-jalaali
wa'l-ikraam(I ask Allaah for forgiveness, I ask Allaah for
forgiveness, I ask Allaah for forgiveness. O Allaah, You are the One
Who is free from all defects and deficiencies and from You is all
peace, blessed are You, O Possessor of majesty and honour), whether he
was the imam or praying behind the imam or praying on his own. Then
after that the imam should turn to face the congregation, and the
imam, the one who prayed behind the imam and the one who prayed on his
own should say, after that dhikr and prayer for forgiveness:Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk wa lahu'l-hamd wa
huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadeer. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah
wa laa na'budu illaa iyyaah. Lahu'l-ni'mah wa lahu'l-fadl wa
lahu'l-thanaa' al-hasan. Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah mukhliseena
lahu'l-deena wa law kariha'l-kaafiroon. Allaahumma laa maani' lima
a'tayta wa laa mu'ti lima mana'ta wa la yanfa' dhaa'l-jadd minka
al-jadd(There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate
His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able to do all
things. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah, and we
worship none but Him. From Him (alone) come all blessings and
favours, and all good praise is due to Him. There is no god but Allaah
and we make our worship purely for Him (alone) however much the
disbelievers may hate that. O Allaah, none can withhold what You give
and none can give what You withhold, and no wealth or majesty can
benefit anyone for from You is all wealth and majesty).
It is mustahabb for the Muslim, male or female, to recite this dhikr
after each of the five daily prayers, then to glorify Allah (by
sayingSubhaan Allah), praise Him (by sayingal-hamdu Lillah), and
magnify Him (by sayingAllahu akbar) thirty-three times, then to
complete one hundred by saying: Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa
shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk wa lahu'l-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in
qadeer (There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate
His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able to do all
things).
All of that is proven in hadeeths from the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). After that it is mustahabb
to recite Aayat al-Kursiy once, quietly, and to reciteQul Huwa Allahu
Ahad(Soorat al-Ikhlaas) and al-Mu'awwidhatayn once, quietly, except in
the case of Maghrib and Fajr, when it is mustahabb to repeat the
recitation of the three soorahs mentioned, three times. It is also
mustahabb for the Muslim, male or female, to say after praying Maghrib
and Fajr:Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk
wa lahu'l-hamd yuhyi wa yumeet wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadeer(there
is no God but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, His is the
Dominion and to Him be praise, He gives life and gives death, and He
has power over all things) ten times in addition to what is mentioned
above, before reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and before reciting the three
soorahs mentioned above, in accordance with the saheeh hadeeths that
have been narrated concerning that. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/194
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If one ponders this matter it will become clear that what is connected
to the end of the prayer, if it is dhikr it comes after the prayer and
if it is du'aa' it comes in the last part of the prayer.
With regard to the former, Allah, may He be exalted, has made the time
after the prayer a time for dhikr, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning):"When you have finished As-Salat (the prayer -
congregational), remember Allah standing, sitting down, and lying down
on your sides" [an-Nisa' 4:103]. And the Sunnah explains what is
mentioned in general terms in this verse of dhikr, such as when the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "The one who
glorifies Allah (by sayingSubhaan Allah) at the end of every prayer
thirty-three times…" Each text that mentions dhikr at the end of the
prayer is to be understood as referring to after the prayer, in
accordance with this verse.
With regard to the latter, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) regarded the time after the final tashahhud as a time for
du'aa'. So every text that mentions du'aa' at the end of the prayer is
to be understood as referring to the last part of it, so that the
du'aa' will be at the point where the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) taught us to offer du'aa', unless interpreting the
text in this manner is impossible or unlikely, according to the
context, in which case it is to be understood as indicated by the
context. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 13/268
Secondly:
It is not prescribed to raise the hands when saying du'aa' after the
prayer, because that was not narrated from the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him). It says inFataawa al-Lajnah
ad-Daa'imah(7/103): When saying du'aa' after the obligatory prayer it
is not Sunnah to raise the hands, whether that is done by the imam on
his own or the one who prayed behind the imam on his own, or by both
of them. Rather that is an innovation, because it was not narrated
from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or from
his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). As for saying du'aa'
without doing that (raising the hands), there is nothing wrong with
it, because there are some hadeeths that mention that. And Allah knows
best.

Imam Hasan Askari's (as) words of wisdom and advice

Imam Hasan Askari (as) said: "To greet everyone you pass by and to sit
in a place other than the first class of a session are signs of
modesty".
Imam Hasan Askari (as) said: "Very much offering of prayers and
fasting is not the worship; the very worship is the very much
pondering over the affairs of Allah (SWT)".
Imam Hasan Askari (as) said: "Anger is the key to every evil".
Imam Hasan Askari (as) said: "The best of your brothers is the one who
forgets your sin and remembers and mentions your favours done to him".
Imam Hasan Askari (as) said: "Nothing is above two characters:
believing in Allah (SWT) and benefiting the friends".
Imam Hasan Askari (as) said: Generosity has a limit, when crossed
becomes extravagance; caution has a limit when crossed becomes
cowardice; thriftiness has a limit, when crossed becomes miserliness;
courage has a limit, when crossed becomes fool-hardiness.
Let this moral lesson suffice: Cease from doing anything which you
would disapprove of if done by someone else.

Imam Hasan Askari's (as) Generosity with his Enemies

It is narrated that Al-Mu'tamid, the Abbasid Caliph had kept a spy to
keep a watchful eye on our 11th Imam, Imam Hasan Askari's (as)
movements.
One day, a Shia (follower of Imam Hasan Askari (as)) sent some
pomegranates to him as a gift. The pomegranates were placed in front
of Imam Hasan Askari (as).
The spy, who happened to be present at that time, kept on staring at
the pomegranates longingly. When Imam Hasan Askari (as) noticed this
behaviour, despite his knowledge about him, Imam Hasan Askari (as)
picked up one pomegranate and gave it to the spy. The spy took it but
did not eat it.
Imam Hasan Askari (as) asked him: "Why aren't you eating the
pomegranate I gave you?" He said, "I have five children and I never
eat without them. I was just wondering how I will share this one
pomegranate with them"?
Imam Hasan Askari (as) felt pity for him and gave away all the
pomegranates to him. The man refused but Imam Hasan Askari (as)
insisted saying: "If your children eat these, it is better than I eat
them!"
Innumerable true stories of our Holy Imams are written in the books,
from which we can learn a lot. Studying the lives of our Holy
personalities is important to all of us and to pass it over to our
children. In conclusion we should raise our hands in supplication and
pray that may Allah (SWT) guide us all to the path of the Ahlul Bayt
(as) and give us Taufeeq to practice what they have taught us. Ameen

Imam Hasan al-Askari (as) and Knowledge of Noble Qur'an

Almighty Allah (SWT) says: "... Then the male shall have the like of
the portion of two females ..." (Noble Qur'an 4:176)
A person well known for his knowledge and virtues came to Imam Hasan
Askari (as) and asked, "Women are naturally weaker than men. Then why
is it that they are given one share in inheritance? And men, despite
their strength are given two shares? Justice demands that it should be
on the contrary".
Imam Hasan Askari (as) said, "You have seen apparent weakness of women
but have not reflected on the duties of men and women. The
difficulties of men are much more than those of women. Jihad is
incumbent on men and not on women; the responsibility of earning
livelihood rests on men and not on women; the maintenance of women is
on men. Then in such circumstances if the share of men is double, is
it against justice and equity?"
Once somebody asked Imam Hasan Askari (as), "Whom does the verse refer
to: 'Nay! These are clear communications in the breasts of those who
are granted knowledge; and none deny Our communications except the
unjust.' ( Noble Qur'an29:49)?" Imam Hasan Askari (as) replied, "It
refers to us - the Ahlul Bayt".