by the mass-transmitted Sunnah and the agreement of the Muslims. Indeed, some early and later scholars held that supplication at the end of the prayer is obligatory. They considered obligatory the supplication that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded at the end of the prayer when he said:

“When any of you has recited the tashahhud (testimony of faith), let him seek refuge in Allah from four things: the punishment of Hell, the punishment of the grave, the trials of life and death, and the trial of the False Messiah.”

Reported by Muslim and others. Tāwūs would instruct anyone who had not offered this supplication to repeat the prayer. This is also the view of some of Ahmad’s followers. Likewise, the hadith of Ibn Masʿūd states:

“Then let him choose whichever supplication he likes best.”

The hadith of ʿĀʾishah and others also relates that he used to supplicate at this point. There are many hadiths concerning this.

The rationale for this is clear: the worshipper is conversing intimately with his Lord. As long as he remains in prayer and has not concluded it, he is conversing intimately with his Lord, so supplication is appropriate to his state. Once he turns back to people after conversing intimately with Allah, however, this is no longer the occasion for intimate converse with Him and supplication. Rather, it is an occasion for remembering and praising Him. Intimate converse and supplication belong to the time when one is turning towards Him and directing oneself to Him in prayer. Once one has finished, praise and remembrance are more appropriate.

Just as some scholars have recommended forms of supplication after prayer for which there is no precedent in the Sunnah, another group takes the opposite approach: they do not regard the prescribed sitting after prayer as recommended, nor do they practise the transmitted remembrances. Indeed, they may even dislike this and forbid