rak‘ah in case of congregational prayer. A little pause was also generally observed by the Holy Prophet after qira‘āh before assuming the next posture (rukū’).

Dhikr in rukū and sajdah

The dhikr in the state of sajdah differs but slightly from that in rukū‘. Of the following, the first is the best-known dhikr for rukū‘, the second for sajdah, while the third is an alternative form for either:

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1. Subḥāna Rabbiy-al-‘Aẓīm (AD. 2:149).
Glory to my Lord, the Great.
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2. Subḥāna Rabbiy-al-‘A‘la (Ibid.).
Glory to my Lord, the most High.
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3. Subḥāna-k-Allāh-umma Rabba-nā wa bi-ḥamdika Allāh-ummagh-fir-lī (Ibid.)
Glory to Thee, O Allāh our Lord! and Thine is the praise; O Allāh, grant me protection!

This dhikr is repeated thrice, while to it may be added any other prayer. The sajdah, in particular, is the most fitting position for addressing any prayer in any language to the Almighty. There are reports showing that the Holy Prophet used to pray in the sajdah in both forms: in the form of glorifying and praising the Divine Being and in the form of petition or asking the Divine Being for His favours (ZM. I, p. 60). Numerous forms of these prayers are given in Ḥadīth, and all of them show an outpouring of the soul in a state of true submission, which is what, in fact, every worshipper needs, and therefore he is free to express the yearning of his soul before his great Maker in any way that he likes.