Kesalahan-Kesalahan dalam Shalat yang Harus Dihindari - Ust. Ardiansyah Ashri Husein, Lc., M.A.

Summary

The session teaches how to review and improve one’s prayer rather than relying only on habits learned in childhood. The speaker emphasizes that prayer is a central act of worship and, according to the hadiths he cites, the first deed assessed on the Day of Judgment. He urges listeners to learn the Prophet’s guidance, correct mistakes gradually, and distinguish between matters that invalidate prayer and those that are merely discouraged or reduce its quality.

Common Mistakes and Guidance

Before Prayer

• Pray within the prescribed time and make sure the body, clothing, and prayer place are free of impurity.
• Ensure purification is complete: perform wudu or, when appropriate, ghusl or tayammum.
• Avoid rushing through wudu. Wash the face, arms through the elbows, and feet thoroughly; wipe the head rather than washing it. The speaker warns particularly against leaving the heels dry.
• The intention need not be spoken aloud. The speaker says that reciting it is optional, not a requirement.

Beginning Prayer and Reciting

• Pronounce the opening takbir, Allahu Akbar, correctly; the speaker warns that changing the vowel length may change the meaning.
• Raise the hands to around shoulder or earlobe level, as described in the lecture.
• Treat the opening takbir as a deliberate transition from worldly activity to worship, and try to focus before beginning.
• Recite Al-Fatihah accurately, with attention to pronunciation and tajwid. Read calmly and clearly rather than prioritizing melody or speed.

Posture and Stillness

• Maintain tuma’ninah—calm stillness—in the prayer’s postures. The speaker’s practical measure is to settle in each posture long enough to recite at least one tasbih.
• In bowing, keep the back straight and the head aligned with it. Complete the movement before beginning the bowing remembrance.
• In i‘tidal (standing after bowing), stand fully upright and pause before moving on.
• In prostration, place the forehead, palms, knees, and toes on the ground. The speaker notes that the nose is also included in the cited hadith, while describing its legal status as a matter discussed differently by scholars. Do not rest the elbows on the floor like an animal.
• Sit calmly between the two prostrations rather than treating the sitting as a quick transition.
• Turn for the closing greeting clearly and completely. Do not begin talking before finishing it.

Maintaining Concentration

The speaker identifies several barriers to khushu‘ (reverent focus):

• Letting the mind wander, especially when the meanings of recitations are unfamiliar.
• Fidgeting with clothing, watches, head coverings, or other objects without need.
• Looking around or turning the head unnecessarily.
• Treating prayer as a mechanical routine rather than attending to its words and movements.
• Forgetting that prayer is an act of worship and, as the speaker puts it, a form of address to Allah.

He recommends learning the meanings of prayer recitations over time to support concentration.

Congregational Prayer

• Keep rows orderly and reasonably close, and fill an existing row before starting a new one. The speaker describes forming rows outward from behind the imam.
• Do not move ahead of the imam or in unison with him; follow his movements after he begins them. At the same time, avoid falling so far behind that multiple pillars are missed.
• Avoid actions that distract other worshippers. The speaker specifically cautions against spreading the arms widely during prostration when praying in a crowded congregation.
• Lengthy bowing, prostration, or prayer should take the congregation into account; the speaker distinguishes this from praying alone.
• If a latecomer finds the imam already in a particular posture, the speaker advises joining promptly after making the intention and saying the opening takbir, rather than waiting for the imam to begin another unit.
• If a congregant has not finished Al-Fatihah when the imam moves on, the lecture says to follow the imam. Approaches to reciting Al-Fatihah behind an imam differ among schools of law.

How to Respond to Mistakes

The speaker distinguishes between different consequences:

• Omitting a required pillar may invalidate the prayer and require it to be repeated.
• Some omissions can be addressed with sujud sahwi (prostration of forgetfulness).
• Other actions may be disliked or may reduce the prayer’s quality or reward without invalidating it.

His suggested improvement method is to:

1. Correct mistakes gradually. Focus on one part of prayer at a time rather than trying to change everything at once.
2. Learn the meanings of the recitations progressively. Start with Al-Fatihah and commonly used remembrances.
3. Seek guidance from qualified, trusted scholars. The speaker warns against treating search engines or AI as authorities for religious rulings, giving an example of an AI answer he says was wrong. He recommends asking knowledgeable people and approaching others’ mistakes tactfully rather than humiliating them.
4. Prepare mentally before prayer. Set aside a moment to turn attention away from worldly concerns.

Questions Addressed in the Session

• Supplications during wudu or prayer: The speaker distinguishes supplications specifically taught in hadith from those used as general prayers. He says the latter may be used but should not be attributed to the Prophet or treated as obligatory.
• Supplicating in prostration: He says additional supplications are permitted. According to his explanation, supplications in a language other than Arabic during prayer should be made silently rather than spoken aloud; Arabic supplications are permitted.
• Clothing or head coverings during prostration: He advises not to prostrate on something that moves with the worshipper, such as a worn turban or the part of a mukena being worn.
• Women’s prayer postures and covering the hands: He describes differing scholarly views. He says most scholars do not consider the back of the hand part of a woman’s awrah, and that scholars differ on whether women’s prostration should be the same as men’s or more compact.
• Hands or knees first when going into prostration: The speaker says both are permissible according to reports he cites.
• Hand position after i‘tidal: He describes a difference of opinion: most scholars, in his account, let the arms hang, while some schools fold them again.
• Reciting an additional surah in the third or fourth rak‘ah: He says it is not the usual Sunnah practice. Doing so does not invalidate prayer, though he says it may be disliked or distract from prayer.
• Ablution that repeatedly breaks: He advises not to hold in bodily needs. For a persistent condition that cannot be controlled, he describes a concession allowing a person to pray after performing ablution despite recurring involuntary discharge.
• Illness and old age: He says prayer obligations depend on a person’s capacity and mental awareness, and cautions families against forcing prayer on someone who is no longer mentally capable. He also notes differing scholarly views about whether relatives can make up missed prayers for someone who has died.
• Errors by an imam: He distinguishes serious pronunciation errors that change meaning from less consequential mistakes, and recommends offering correction respectfully.

The session closes with a reminder that improving prayer is a gradual effort to strengthen one’s relationship with Allah.

Speakers and Sources Featured

Speakers

• Ustadz Ardiansyah Ashri Husein, Lc., M.A. — Main lecturer and respondent to questions.
• Teh Ade — Host and moderator.
• Audience members contributed questions, which were read by the moderator. The subtitles name Verta Natalia, Henny, and Lina among them; other participants are not clearly identified.

Religious Sources and Authorities Mentioned

• The Qur’an, including passages on prayer times, wudu, concentration in prayer, listening to Qur’an recitation, and asking knowledgeable people.
• Hadiths attributed to Prophet Muhammad, including the instruction to pray as he prayed, reports about prayer being assessed, and guidance on wudu and prayer postures.
• Hadith collections named in the lecture: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa’i, Sunan Ibn Majah, al-Daraqutni, al-Darimi, and al-Tayalisi.
• The legal schools of Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, and Hanbali, whose views are described as differing on several details.
• Imam al-Ghazali and Sheikh al-Alusi, both mentioned in connection with prayer and devotional teachings.