Step 7 of 14
Bowing (Ruku')
When the recitation is finished, say "Allahu akbar" and bow: bend at the waist, place your hands on your knees and keep your back straight and level. Allah says, ﴿يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱرْكَعُوا۟ وَٱسْجُدُوا۟﴾ (“O you who believe, bow and prostrate.”)
Abu Humayd described the Prophet ﷺ placing his hands on his knees and bending his back straight. 'A'ishah said that he neither raised his head nor let it drop, but kept it level between the two.
In the bowing say "Subhana rabbiyal-'azim", Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great, as Hudhayfah heard the Prophet ﷺ say. The Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools recommend saying it at least three times; the Maliki school recommends glorifying Allah here without fixing a number. Stay in the bowing until you are still, as the Prophet ﷺ taught: "bow until you are at ease."
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْعَظِيمِ
Subhana rabbiyal-'azim
Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
Are the hands raised when bowing and when rising from it?
The schools are split two and two.
Show each school
- Only at the opening takbirHanafi · Maliki
- SunnahShafi'i · Hanbali
- Hanafi
- The hands are raised only at the opening takbir and not when bowing or rising, following reports from Ibn Mas'ud and others.
- Maliki
- In the well-known view the hands are raised only at the opening takbir; another narration from Malik has them raised when bowing and rising as well.
- Shafi'i
- Raising the hands when bowing and when rising from it is sunnah, following the hadith of Ibn 'Umar.
- Hanbali
- Raising the hands when bowing and when rising from it is sunnah, following the hadith of Ibn 'Umar.
Is saying "Subhana rabbiyal-'azim" in the bowing (and "Subhana rabbiyal-a'la" in prostration) obligatory?
2 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Maliki, Hanbali.
Show each school
- SunnahHanafi · Shafi'i
- Recommended (mandub)Maliki
- Obligatory (wajib), not a pillarHanbali
- Hanafi
- The glorification is sunnah, and saying it three times is the least of its complete form.
- Maliki
- Glorifying Allah in bowing and prostration is recommended, with no fixed wording or number required.
- Shafi'i
- The glorification is sunnah, and saying it three times is the least of its complete form.
- Hanbali
- Saying it once is wajib: forgetting it is made up with the prostration of forgetfulness, and three times is the least of its complete form.
- Qur'an 22:77
- Sahih al-Bukhari 828 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 498Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 772Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6251 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 735 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
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