Sharh Sifat al-Salah li Ibn al-Qayyim
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Sharh Sifat al-Salah li Ibn al-Qayyim (Commentary on the Description of the Prayer by Ibn al-Qayyim) is a contemporary jurisprudence commentary by Khalid al-Mushayqih on the concluding section of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya's (691–751 AH / 1292–1350 CE) treatise Kitab al-Salah wa-Hukm Tarikiha (The Book of Prayer and the Ruling on Its Abandoner), which details the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ manner of prayer from the opening takbir to the final taslim.
Origin and Publication
The work originated from a series of lectures delivered by Khalid al-Mushayqih in the governorate of al-Rass in Safar 1443 AH. The transcribed text was compiled and prepared for publication by Shaykh Suhayl ibn Ibrahim al-Tasan, after which al-Mushayqih reviewed the transcription and made necessary revisions. The lessons were organized, transcribed, printed, and distributed under the auspices of the Cooperative Society for Call, Guidance, and Expatriate Awareness in al-Rass.
Content and Method
The source text commented upon forms the concluding chapter of Ibn al-Qayyim's Kitab al-Salah, a work framed around answering ten legal questions concerning the rulings on prayer, the status of those who abandon it, congregational prayer, and related issues. Ibn al-Qayyim appended to that work a concise sequential summary describing the Prophet's ﷺ prayer as if witnessed directly.
In his commentary, al-Mushayqih explains each clause of Ibn al-Qayyim's text, examining the legal rulings, conditions, integral pillars, and recommended acts of prayer. His methodology entails citing Quranic verses and canonical hadith proofs, discussing isnads and textual variants, and outlining the positions of the early generations and the major legal schools. Among the issues treated in the work are:
- The positions and timings of raising the hands during the opening takbir, bowing, and standing.
- The various authenticated opening supplications (istiftah) and seeking refuge from Satan.
- The ruling on reciting Surah al-Fatiha for the follower behind an imam in audible and silent prayers.
- The debate over reciting or vocalizing the basmalah before the Fatiha.
When addressing legitimate variations recorded in authentic narrations for different acts of worship, al-Mushayqih endorses the approach championed by Ibn Taymiyyah—combining and alternately practicing all authentic forms (maslak al-jam') rather than adopting one to the exclusion of others (maslak al-tarjih). He notes that alternating between authenticated forms fulfills the complete Sunnah, preserves scholarly knowledge, and fosters presence of heart during worship.
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