Question Summary:
Tasbeehaat in rukū, sujūd etc

Question Detail:

Assalamu Alaikum,
There are a lot of Ahadith in which it is mentioned that the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam used to recite in rukū, sujūd and qawma certain tasbeehaat other than the usual subhaana rabbi al- a’alaa, subhaana rabbi al-azeem etc. My question is: If one wants to recite those other tasbeehaat in their fardh salah (or even in nafl prayers), are they allowed to do so? If yes, will these tasbeehaat be recited along with subhaana rabbi al-azeem or no? That is, is it permissible to recite them both (I mean the usual ones and the not-so-usual ones) simultaneously? Or should we recite only one at a time? That is, if we choose to say subhaana rabbi al-azeem, should we recite just that and not the other ones? Similarly, for jalsa istiraahat, is it permissible to say Allahummaghfirli when one rises from sajdahs?
Whatever the answers are, will they apply to women’s salaah too? 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
 
In principle, it is permissible to make dua in the rukū, sujūd and jalsa istiraahat (sitting between two sajdahs) of a nafl salah. These duas’ should be made along with the normal tasbeehaat of each rukn (pillar). The following things should be kept in mind:
 
1.      In fardh salah, a person should suffice on the tasbeehaat of the particular rukn (pillar). E.g. Subhaana rabbi al-azeem in rukū and subhaana rabbi al- a’alaa in sujūd; nothing more.[1]
 
2.      The medium of supplication should be in Arabic; it is not permissible to make dua in any other language whilst in Salah. [2]
 
3.      One should try and restrict oneself as far as possible to the duas’ contained in the Holy Quran or the Ahādīth[3] such as:
 
رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا …
(2:286)
 
4.      If one wants to supplicate in his own Arabic words, the prayers should be restricted to only those things which cannot be asked from a human being, such as[4]:

اللهم اغفرلي ولزوجتي ولأولادي


Translation: O Allah, forgive my sins and the sins of my wife and my children.
 
This Arabic supplication is permissible because forgiveness of sins can be asked from a human being cannot be asked in a prayer offered while performing salah, such as (O Allah, make me marry such and such women). If somebody prays for such mundane things which can be asked from a human being also, the salah will be rendered void, even if the medium of prayer is Arabic language. 
 
5.      It is permissible to make duas’ such as Allahummaghfirli between the two sajdahs.[5]
 The abovementioned rulings are applicable to both men and women.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mawlana Saanwal ibn Muhammad,
Student Darul Iftaa
UK   
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.