Al Bazzar explains why Ibn Taymiyyah do adhkar and recite Fatiha after fajr, to combine, by reciting it then, between what has come in the hadiths and what the scholars have mentioned: Whether it is recommended to begin with the adhkar that have been reported or with the recitation of the Quran.
He saw, that in reciting al-Fatiha and repeating it at that time there was a combination between the two views, achieving both merits. This is from the strength of his perception and the sharpness of his insight.
- One view recommends starting adhkar reported after Fajr.
- Another view recommends the recitation of the Qur’an after Fajr.
Both views will be shown below
First View
Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī said in Kitāb Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (1/333): When he finishes fajr prayer, he should remain seated in the masjid until the sun rises, remembering Allah, exalted is He, in the order we have set. For the Prophet ﷺ said: “For me to sit in my place remembering Allah, exalted is He, from the morning prayer until the sun rises is more beloved to me than freeing four slaves.”
It is narrated that when the Prophet ﷺ prayed the morning prayer, he would remain in his place of prayer until the sun rose, and in some narrations, then he would pray two rakʿahs — meaning after the sun had risen. The virtue of this has been reported in countless narrations.
Al-Hasan Al Basri (d.110AH) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in what he related of the mercy of his Lord, said that He said: “O son of Adam, remember Me for an hour after the Fajr prayer and an hour after the ʿAsr prayer, and I will suffice you for what is between them.”
When the virtue of this is clear, let him sit and not speak until the sun rises. Rather, his routine until sunrise should consist of four types: supplications, adhkar which he repeats on his prayer beads, recitation of the Quran, and reflection.
Al-Saffārīnī said in Ghidhāʾ al-Albāb fī Sharḥ Manẓūmat al-Ādāb (2/369):
Allah, the Exalted, said: “And glorify the praise of your Lord in the evening and in the morning” ({وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ}) — al-ibkār is the beginning of the day, and al-ʿashī is its end. And He said: “And glorify the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting” ({وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوبِ}).
This explains what has come in the hadiths: Whoever says such and such when he enters the morning and when he enters the evening, that what is meant by it is before sunrise and before sunset, and that the place for these adhkar is after the Fajr prayer and after the ʿAsr prayer.
This was stated by Imam Ibn al-Qayyim in al-Kalim al-Tayyib wa al-ʿAmal al-Ṣāliḥ.
Among this is what Muslim narrated in his Ṣaḥīḥ from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: “Whoever says when he enters the morning and when he enters the evening: subḥān Allāh wa bi-ḥamdih (سبحان الله وبحمده — ‘Glory be to Allah and with His praise’) one hundred times, no one will come on the Day of Resurrection with anything better than what he brought, except a man who said the same as he said or more than it.”
Second View
An Nawawi said in al-Tibyān fī Ādāb Ḥamalat al-Qurʾān (1/156): As for recitation outside of prayer, the best of it is the recitation at night, and the last half of the night is better than the first half, and recitation between Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ is beloved.
As for recitation in the day, the best of it is after the Ṣubḥ (Fajr) prayer.
There is no dislike for recitation at any time due to any inherent reason in that time.
Translation: As for his worship, may Allah be pleased with him, hardly anything like it was ever heard of, because he had devoted most of his time and life to it, to the extent that he did not make for himself any occupation to distract him from Allah, exalted is He, whether from family or wealth. In his nights, he would be apart from all people, alone with his Lord, mighty and majestic, humble, constant in the recitation of the Great Quran, repeating various forms of night and day acts of worship.
When the night ended and he came to be among the people, he would begin with the Fajr prayer, performing its sunnah before coming to them. When he made the opening takbir (takbīrat al-iḥrām — “Allah is the Greatest” said at the start of prayer) in prayer, it was almost as if hearts would be torn out from awe. When he entered into prayer, his limbs would tremble until he swayed to the right and left. When he recited, he would lengthen his recitation, just as has been authentically reported in the recitation of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
His bowing, prostration, and rising from them were among the most complete forms reported for the obligatory prayer. He would make his sitting for the first tashahhud very brief, and he would raise his voice in the first salām so that everyone present would hear. When he finished the prayer, he and those present would praise Allah, exalted is He, with the wording that has been reported: Allāhumma anta al-salām wa minka al-salām (اللهم أنت السلام ومنك السلام — “O Allah, You are Peace and from You is peace”), then he would face the congregation, then recite the tahlīlāt (words of “Lā ilāha illā Allāh”) that are reported at that time.
Then he would say subḥān Allāh (سبحان الله — “Glory be to Allah”), al-ḥamdu lillāh (الحمد لله — “All praise is for Allah”), and Allāhu akbar (الله أكبر — “Allah is the Greatest”) thirty-three times each, and he would complete the hundred with lā ilāha illā Allāh (لا إله إلا الله — “There is no deity except Allah”) as has been reported, and the congregation would do likewise. Then he would supplicate to Allah, exalted is He, for himself, for them, and for the Muslims with various supplications that have been transmitted.
Most of his supplication was:
اللهم انصرنا ولا تنصر علينا، وأمكر لنا ولا تمكر علينا، وأهدنا ويسر الهدى لنا. اللهم اجعلنا لك شاكرين، لك ذاكرين، اليك راغبين، لك مخبتين، اليك راهبين، لك مطاويع. ربنا تقبل توباتنا، وأغسل حوباتنا، وثبت حججنا، وأهد قلوبنا، واسكل سخيمة صدورنا.
Translation:
O Allah, grant us victory and do not grant victory over us, and plan for us and do not plan against us, and guide us and make guidance easy for us. O Allah, make us among those who are thankful to You, remembering You, turning eagerly to You, humbled before You, fearing You, and obedient to You. Our Lord, accept our repentance, wash away our sins, make our proofs firm, guide our hearts, and remove ill feeling from our chests.
Then he would begin the adhkar. It was known from his habit that no one would speak to him without necessity after the Fajr prayer. He would remain in dhikr, audible to himself, and sometimes his dhikr would be heard from the spiritual beings, while during that time he would often lift his gaze toward the sky. This was his practice until the sun rose and passed the time of prohibition for prayer.
During my stay in Damascus, I would keep his company for most of the day and much of the night, and he would draw me close to him until I sat by his side. I would hear what he recited and remembered at that time. I saw him recite al-Fatiha and repeat it, occupying that entire time from Fajr until the sun rose, with repeating its recitation. I reflected on why he confined himself to this surah and not others.
It became clear to me, and Allah knows best, that his intent in this was to combine, by reciting it then, between what has come in the hadiths and what the scholars have mentioned: whether it is recommended to begin with the adhkar that have been reported or with the recitation of the Quran.
He saw, that in reciting al-Fatiha and repeating it at that time there was a combination between the two views, achieving both merits. This is from the strength of his perception and the sharpness of his insight.
Then he would bow in prayer, and if he wished to hear hadith in another place, he would hasten there immediately with those who accompanied him. Rarely would anyone of understanding see him except that they would grasp his hands and kiss them. When those with trades saw him, they would rush from their shops to greet him and seek blessing from him, and he would in turn give each one a generous share of his greeting and more.
If he saw a wrong in his path, he would remove it; if he heard of a funeral, he would hasten to pray over it or be grieved at missing it, and sometimes he would go to the grave of its owner after finishing hearing hadith, pray over him there, and then return to his masjid. He would then either be giving fatwas to people or fulfilling their needs until he prayed Dhuhr in congregation, and likewise for the rest of his day.
Kitāb al-Aʿlām al-ʿAliyyah fī Manāqib Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (The Book of the Lofty Deeds in the Merits of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah) By al-Bazzār Pg 37-39
