Full Lecture Transcript (Cleaned)
What is Salat al-Tasbih? — 0:00
Salat al-Tasbih is a specific prayer narrated in hadith reported in Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and other collections. In it, the Prophet ﷺ reportedly told his uncle al-Abbas: "Shall I not give you something that will benefit you? I will teach you ten things. If you do them, Allah shall forgive all your sins — the first and the last, the ancient and the new, the intentional and the unintentional, the large and the small, the secret and the hidden."
The prayer consists of four raka'at, each containing 75 repetitions of subhanallah, alhamdulillah, la ilaha illallah, Allahu akbar — 75 per raka'at, for a total of 300 in the entire prayer. The hadith says: if you can pray it once a day, do so; if not, once a week; if not, once a month; if not, once a year; if not, at least once in your lifetime.
The Spectrum of Scholarly Views — 1:30
This hadith is one of the most hotly contested in all of hadith literature. The scholarly opinions span the entire spectrum:
- Ibn al-Jawzi: fabricated
- Imam Ahmad and Ali al-Madini (the teacher of Imam al-Bukhari): weak/not authentic
- Many intermediate scholars: weak but the chains support each other to a level of hasan
- Al-Suyuti and students of Shaykh al-Albani: authentic
Yasir Qadhi notes that the early giants of hadith — Imam Ahmad and Ali al-Madini — found something off about the wording itself. When scholars who have spent their lives with hadith read it, the phrasing does not feel like the speech of the Prophet ﷺ. This is a difficult intuition to explain technically, but it is a real phenomenon in the science of hadith.
Yasir Qadhi's Personal Position — 3:30
Yasir Qadhi personally does not pray Salat al-Tasbih. He follows Imam Ahmad and the early hadith scholars in feeling that the chains are not reliable enough and the wording feels unusual. He does not consider this hadith to meet his threshold for action.
However, he is emphatic: this is not a bid'ah. Calling it a bid'ah is a blatant overstatement. Consider what this prayer actually involves: the person is standing facing the qiblah, praying four raka'at, reciting Fatiha, a surah, and then saying subhanallah, alhamdulillah, la ilaha illallah, and Allahu akbar. What exactly is the bid'ah in this? The person believes they are following a prophetic instruction. Even if the hadith is weak, it is the majority position of scholars that weak hadiths may be acted upon for voluntary worship, as long as the general action itself is permitted.
Ibn Qudama — the great Hanbali scholar — explicitly stated: even if the hadith is not authentic, so what? In the end, it is four raka'at of salah in which you are saying subhanallah and alhamdulillah. Do not make such a major issue over something like this.
The Right Attitude — 4:30
Yasir Qadhi closes with a broader point: too often, those who criticize a particular act of worship don't provide a substitute. A person was doing something they felt brought them closer to Allah — even if that specific practice is questionable, if you are going to discourage it, make sure you offer an alternative.
If you don't pray Salat al-Tasbih, pray other voluntary prayers. Pray tahajjud. Pray duha. Fill that spiritual space with something. Don't just be the one who destroys without building.
As for Salat al-Tasbih: whoever prays it has valid scholarly precedent. Whoever doesn't is also acting correctly. Both positions are legitimate, and Allah knows best.