4/11. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 397b — Complete Wudu, Face Qibla, Say Takbir
It Is Obligatory To Recite Al-Fatihah In Every Rak'ah; If A Person Cannot Recite Al-Fatihah Or Cannot Learn It, Then He Should Recite Whatever Else He Can Manage
How to Start Salah: Complete Wudu, Face Qibla, and Say Takbir
Sahih Muslim : 397b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 397b
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالاَ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ فَصَلَّى وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي نَاحِيَةٍ وَسَاقَا الْحَدِيثَ بِمِثْلِ هَذِهِ الْقِصَّةِ وَزَادَا فِيهِ " إِذَا قُمْتَ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ فَأَسْبِغِ الْوُضُوءَ ثُمَّ اسْتَقْبِلِ الْقِبْلَةَ فَكَبِّرْ " .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
A person entered the mosque and said prayer while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting in a nook (of the mosque), and the rest of the hadith is the same as mentioned above, but with this addition:" When you get up to pray, perform the ablution completely, and then turn towards the Qibla and recite takbir (Allah o Akbar =Allah is the Most Great)."
Reference : Sahih Muslim 397bIn-book reference : Book 4, Hadith 48USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 782
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 397b
This Hadith is another version of the man who prayed in the mosque while the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was sitting in a side area. The main story is the same as the previous report, but this narration adds an important opening instruction: when you get up to pray, perform ablution completely, then face the Qibla, then say takbir. After that, the same prayer teaching continues. The core topic is correct prayer with calmness, but this version also places complete wudu and facing the Qibla before the opening takbir. For someone searching “how to start salah hadith,” this narration gives a simple order from the text: complete wudu, face the Qibla, say Allahu Akbar, then pray with the taught movements and calmness.
What we learn from this hadith
- Complete ablution is mentioned before starting prayer.
- The worshipper is told to face the Qibla before takbir.
- The prayer teaching includes the same correction given to the man.
- Calm and ordered prayer is the focus of this narration.
