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Number of Tasbeeh in prostration

Question

is there any restriction on the number of reciting :Subhana RabbiAl Aala: in the prostration and secondly is it necessary that the number of recitation should be in odd numbers like 3,5,7 and so on because counting as such leads to non concentration.JazakumAllah Kharan

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

It is not a condition for the mentioning of Allaah when bowing down or prostrating to be an odd number. However, according to the Hanbali school it is an obligation to say Tasbeeh ('Subhaana Rabiyy Al-A’laa or Subhaana Rabiyy Al-‘Atheem) at least once. On the other hand, the view of the majority of the scholars  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them is that saying Tasbeeh in the bowing position and in prostration is desirable and not an obligation. Moreover, many jurists  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them are of the view that it is desirable to utter Tasbeeh three times. Many weak narrations have been reported in this regard.

As regards conditioning the number of times one says this mention to be an odd number if it is said more than three times, then as far as we know there is no evidence substantiating this.

Ash-Shawkaani  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him said, “There is no evidence regarding the excellence of saying the mention a specified number of times, rather one should say 'Tasbeeh' as many times as possible according to the length of the prayer without any restriction to a specified number of times, and saying that it is desirable to say 'Tasbeeh' an odd number of times and not an even number of times if it is more than three times is something for which there is no evidence.”

Therefore, a praying person should say 'Tasbeeh' as many times as possible during prostration but if he says it only once, then that would be sufficient.

Allaah Knows best.

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