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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Your Questions Answered (volume 6) Q70: Reciting Surah Without Bismillah in Sunnah Prayers In sunnah prayers, can we recite the sura without Bismillah? For example, whenwe recite Surah Qul Huwallah seven times in the prayer of the Night of Destiny? A: No. Bismillah is a part of every Sura (except Surah 9). If you drop it, you have not recited Qul Huwallah completely.

Q71: DROPPING BISMILLAH IN QUR'AN KHWANI: Can we drop Bismillah in Qur'an Khwani, especially when time is short? A: It is a must in the beginning of the Surahs (except the 9th Surah) as mentioned above. For other parts it is not necessary, although highly emphasized. If time is short, you may recite it, even in whisper, just before your turn to recite Qur'an comes. Q. 72: FOLDING ARMS IN PRAYERS? By whom and in which period of Islamic history was the folding of arms in prayers introduced?

A: It appears from some reports that when Iranian prisoners were brought before 'Umar, they stood before him with folded hands. On being asked the reason, they said that it was their custom to stand before the elders with folded hands. 'Umar said: Then we too should do the same when we stand before Allah in prayers. That was the beginning.

But as I will explain later, the idea was not accepted in Medina there are some pointers which show that it had caught up in the early days of Mu'awiyah's governorship in Damascus. When Anas ibn Malik, a companion of the Prophet (S. A. W), went to Syria, he wept and said: "I do not see here anything which I used to see in the days of the Prophet (S.A.W), except this prayer, and that too is disfigured." (Sahih al-Bukhari). Then there are these four Imams of the Sunnis.

Look at their fatwas concerning this matter; and you will see the truth yourself. Imam Malik ibn Anas (died 179) lived in Medina.He orders his followers (the Malikiyah) to keep their hands open, saying that it is the way the people of Medina pray, and they must have learnt it from the Prophet (S.A.W). Imam Abu Hanifah (died 150 A.H) and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (died 241 A.H.) lived in Iraq and they ordered their followers to keep the hands folded.

Imam Shafi'i (died 204 A.H.) was born in Mecca, studied in Medina and then shifted to Iraq and finally to Egypt. He gives his followers choice of folding the hands or keeping them open. Have you noted the connection between their places of residence and their fatwas?