Salaatut Tasbeeh: merits and method
1. Great virtue has been mentioned for salaatut tasbeeh in the Hadith. One is rewarded abundantly on offering this salaat. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had taught this salaat to his uncle, Hadhrat Abbas radiallahu anhu, and said to him that by offering this salaat, all your future, past, minor and major sins will be forgiven. He also said to him that if it is possible, he should try to offer this salaat daily. If it cannot be offered daily, then once a week, if not, then once a month, if not, then once a year. And if even this is not possible, then at least once in a lifetime. The method of offering this salaat is as follows: intention should be made for four rakaats of salaat. After reciting the thanaa’, Surah Faatihah and another Surah, the person should recite the following dua fifteen times before going into ruku:
He should then go into ruku and after reading:
three times, he should again recite the above dua ten times.
He should then stand up from the ruku and after reading:
he should again recite the above dua ten times. He should then go into sajdah and after reading:three times, he should again recite the above dua ten times. After coming up from the first sajdah, he should again recite the above dua ten times. He should then go for the second sajdah and again recite it ten times. He should then get up from the second sajdah and sit and recite it ten times. After reciting it ten times, he should stand up for the second rakaat.
The second rakaat should be offered in the same manner. When he sits after the second rakaat for at-tahiyyaat, he should recite this dua ten times first, and then recite the at-tahiyyaat. In this manner, he should offer all four rakaats.
2. He can recite any Surah that he wishes in these four rakaats – there is no specific Surah to be recited.
3. If he forgets and recites less than the normal number of tasbeehs or completely forgets to recite them in any particular posture, then in the next posture he should also recite those tasbeehs that he forgot to recite, e.g. he forgot to recite the ten tasbeehs in ruku and remembered this while he was in sajdah. He should therefore recite the ten that he forgot as well as the ten tasbeehs of sajdah. In this case he will actually have to recite twenty tasbeehs in his sajdah. It should be remembered that 75 tasbeehs have to be read in one rakaat and 300 tasbeehs in four rakaats. If one recites 300 tasbeehs in four rakaats, he will Insha-Allah get the reward of salaatut tasbeeh. But if he did not complete this number in the four rakaats, this salaat will become a nafl salaat and will no longer be salaatut tasbeeh.
4. If sajdah-e-sahw becomes wajib for some reason or the other, the tasbeehs will not be recited in both the sajdahs of sahw nor in the qa’dah thereafter.
5. Sajdah-e-sahw does not become wajib for completely forgetting the tasbeehs or for reciting less than the stipulated number.
