Common Mistakes Regarding Prayer By Shaykh Mashhur Hassan Salman

Salah is the pillar of the religion — the first act a Muslim will be accountable for on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The first thing the slave will be held accountable for on the Day of Resurrection is the prayer. If it is correct, all his other deeds will be correct. And if it is deficient, all his other deeds will be deficient." (Sunan at-Tirmidhi 413, graded sahih by Shaykh al-Albani) Despite this weight, many Muslims pray their entire lives with errors they are unaware of — in posture, in recitation, in concentration, or in the conditions and obligations of the prayer itself.

Common Mistakes Regarding Prayer by Shaykh Mashhur Hasan Salman is a practical and evidenced guide to identifying and correcting the most frequent errors that occur in salah — drawn from the authentic Sunnah and grounded in the example of how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself prayed.

What This Book Covers

Mistakes Before the Prayer

Errors do not begin when the Muslim stands for salah — they often begin before it. This section covers mistakes in purification (wudu and ghusl), in determining the direction of the qiblah, in the adhan and iqamah, and in the intention and preparation that precede the prayer.

Mistakes During the Prayer

The bulk of the book addresses errors that occur in the prayer itself: in the opening takbeer, in the recitation of Surah al-Fatihah and other surahs, in the bowing (ruku'), the prostration (sujood), the sitting between prostrations, the tashahhud, and the final tasleem. Each error is identified, its correction is explained, and the relevant hadith evidence is provided.

Mistakes Specific to Congregational Prayer

Praying in congregation introduces additional obligations and sunnahs, and additional opportunities for error. This section covers the common mistakes of the imam and those following him — including rushing, poor alignment of rows, and not completing positions before the imam moves on.

Evidenced and Practical

The book's approach throughout is sunnah-based: each ruling is supported with authentic hadith, and the guidance reflects the prayer as it was actually performed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and transmitted through the Companions.

About the Author

Shaykh Mashhur Hasan Salman is a Jordanian scholar of hadith and fiqh, known for his work in authenticating and applying the Sunnah. He is a student of the methodology of Imam al-Albani and has authored numerous works on Islamic practice. Published by International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH).

Who This Book Is For

Every Muslim who prays — which is to say, every Muslim. Whether you are new to Islam and learning the prayer for the first time, or have been praying for decades and want to ensure your salah aligns with the Prophet's example, this book will identify things you did not know you were doing wrong and provide the evidence to correct them.

Continue Reading

This book identifies the errors; al-Albani's A Textbook on the Prayer establishes the correct description from the authenticated Sunnah, and Prayer According to the Qur'an and Sunnah is the fuller reference. On the ruling for abandoning it entirely, see The Ruling On The One Who Leaves Off The Prayer.