بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
The brief standing position between ruku and sujood — known in fiqh terminology as i'tidal — is easy to rush through, yet the Sunnah preserves three distinct narrations for it: a call-and-response formula historically said between imam and follower, a moderate-length praise, and a considerably longer one the Prophet ﷺ singled out for special commendation.
1. "Allah Hears Whoever Praises Him"
Arabic: سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَه
Transliteration: Sami'allāhu liman ḥamidah
Translation: "Allah hears whoever praises Him."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 38; Sahih al-Bukhari 2/282.
This phrase functions structurally as a call: in congregational prayer, the imam says it upon rising, cueing those praying behind him to respond with the praise below. Someone praying alone says both parts together. It is worth noting this is not itself a request or glorification but a statement of fact about Allah's ﷻ attribute of hearing (as-Sami') — He hears and responds to praise, which the worshipper then offers.
2. "Our Lord, and Praise Is Yours"
Arabic: رَبَّنا وَلَكَ الحَمْدُ حَمْداً كَثيراً طَيِّباً مُبارَكاً فيه
Transliteration: Rabbanā wa lakal-ḥamd, ḥamdan kathīran ṭayyiban mubārakan fīh
Translation: "Our Lord, praise is Yours, abundant, good and blessed praise."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 39; Sahih al-Bukhari 2/284.
This narration carries a specific and well-known backstory: a man praying behind the Prophet ﷺ said this phrase upon rising from ruku, and after the prayer the Prophet ﷺ asked who had spoken, then remarked that he had seen more than thirty angels racing to be the first to record it. This account, found in Sahih al-Bukhari, is one of the clearer glimpses in the hadith corpus of angels' direct engagement with a worshipper's individual words during prayer.
3. A Praise That Fills the Heavens and the Earth
Arabic: مِلْءَ السَّمواتِ وَمِلْءَ الأَرْضِ وَما بَيْنَهُما وَمِلْءَ ما شِئْتَ مِنْ شَيءٍ بَعْد…
Transliteration: Mil'a-s-samāwāti wa mil'al-'arḍi wa mā baynahumā, wa mil'a mā shi'ta min shay'in ba'd. Allāhumma lā māni'a limā 'a'ṭayta, wa lā mu'ṭiya limā mana'ta, wa lā yanfa'u dhal-jaddi minkal-jadd
Translation: "A praise that fills the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, and whatever else You please. O Allah, there is none who can withhold what You give, and none may give what You have withheld. And the might of the mighty person cannot benefit him against You."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 40; Sahih Muslim 1/346.
This third narration extends the praise spatially — filling the heavens, the earth, and everything between and beyond them — before turning to a theological statement about Allah's ﷻ sole control over giving and withholding, closing with the reminder that no worldly status or strength (jadd) offers protection against His decree. Recorded in Sahih Muslim, this is the longest of the three, appropriate for individual prayer where extending the position is more practical than in a congregation being led by an imam.
A Position Worth Slowing Down For
Because i'tidal is brief and transitional, it is one of the positions most often rushed through without full presence of mind (khushu'). Deliberately choosing among these three narrations — rather than saying only the shortest by habit — is one concrete way of restoring attentiveness to a position the Sunnah clearly did not consider a mere pause.
Reflection: Standing upright after bowing, even for a moment, was treated by the Prophet ﷺ as an occasion worth filling with praise reaching, in the words of the third narration, beyond the heavens and the earth themselves.
References cited: Hisn al-Muslim 38, 39, 40; Sahih al-Bukhari 2/282, 2/284; Sahih Muslim 1/346.
Written by Fahmina Jawed (Aafiya).
📌 You might also like:
– Duas While Bowing in Ruku
– Duas in Prostration (Sujood)
– The Six Opening Duas of Prayer