Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer

This article is about Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer. For other article named Tasbih, see Tasbih (disambiguation).

Jaʿfar al-Ṭayyār Prayer (Arabic: صَلاة جَعفَر الطَیّار) is an important and very rewarding mustahab prayer consisting of four rak'as, in which the phrase, "Subhan Allah wa l-hamd lillah wa la ilah-a illa Allah wa Allah akbar , is recited 300 times. This prayer is recommended for the forgiveness of one's sins and the divine response to one's needs and requests. The Prophet Muhammad (s) taught this prayer to Ja'far b. Abi Talib upon his return from Abyssinia as a reward for his 15 years of patience there.

The Prophet's (s) Gift to Ja'far al-Tayyar

The Prophet (s) received the news about the victory of the Muslims in the Battle of Khaybar simultaneously with the news about the return of Ja'far b. Abi Talib (who came to be known as Ja'far al-Tayyar after his martyrdom) from Abyssinia together with other Muslims who had immigrated there. He said: “I do not know whether I am happier with Ja'far's return or the victory in the Battle of Khaybar”.

The Prophet (s) welcomed Ja'far by taking 12 steps forwards. He hugged him and kissed his forehead and then said: “would you like me to give you a gift?” Ja'far said: “yes, O the Messenger of Allah!” Since Muslims had gained many booties in the Battle of Khaybar, everyone thought that the Prophet (s) was going to give gold and silver to Ja'far, but the Prophet (s) told Ja'far:

I give you something that if you do every day, it will be better for you than this world and whatever is in it. If you fled the battlefield and your sins were equal to the sands of the deserts and the seabed, God would forgive you.

He then taught him Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer.

How to Say the Prayer

Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer consists of two two-rak'a prayers each of which has its own tashahhud and salam, and so it is four rak'as on the whole.

1. One should first intend to perform Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer. In the first rak'a after reciting Sura al-Hamd, one should recite Sura al-Zilzal and in the second rak'a after reciting Sura al-Hamd, one should recite Sura al-'Adiyat.
2. In the third rak'a, that is the first rak'a of the second prayer after reciting Sura al-Hamd, one should recite Sura al-Nasr, and in the fourth rak'a after reciting Sura al-Hamd, one should recite Sura al-Tawhid.
3. In each rak'a after reciting Sura al-Hamd and the other Sura, one should recite the Four Tasbihs fifteen times, that is, “سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَ لا إِلَهَ إِلا اللَّهُ وَ اللَّهُ أَکبَرُ‌” (Glory to Allah, and praise to Allah, and there is no god except Allah, and Allah is the greatest). These four tasbihs should also be recited ten times in each ruku', ten times after rising from ruku', ten times in each sujud, and ten times after rising from each sajda.

Thus in each rak'a, the four tasbihs are recited 75 times, and in the whole prayer they are recited 300 times.

Ricitation of «سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَ لا إِلَهَ إِلا اللَّهُ وَ اللَّهُ أَکبَرُ» “Subhan Allah-i Wa l-Hamd-u li-Allah-i Wa la Ilah-a Illa Allah-u Wa Allah-u Akbar”	Number
After reciting Sura al-Hamd and the other Sura	15 times
In ruku'	10 times
After ruku' while standing	10 times
In the first sujud	10 times
After the first sujud	10 times
In the second sujud	10 times
After the second sujud	10 times

If one forgets to recite the four tasbihs while still in a state of performing it, then they should perform it, but if they are no more in such a state, then their prayer is valid, though they have to recite the number of tasbihs that they forgot to recite.

And if one does not have time to perform Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer in this lengthy way, then they can perform the four rak'as in the usual way, and then recite 300 tasbihs during the way.

• It is mustahab or recommended to recite the following in the last sajda of every prayer after reciting the tasbihs:

یا ذا المنّ و الفضل، یا ذالقدره و الکرم، اسئلک بمعاقد العزّ من عرشک و منتهی الرّحمه بکتابک و بأسمک الأعظم الأعلی و کلماتک التّامّات ان تصلّی علی محمّد و آل محمّد

(O He who is dressed with esteem and dignity! O He who is deigned and condescended with grandeur! O He who is worthy of glorification and no one else! O He whose knowledge has counted all things! O He who is the Lord of blessing and generosity! O He who is the Lord of bounty and grace! I beseech You in the name of the objects of dignity in Your Throne, and the utmost of mercy in Your Book, and in the name of Your Greatest Name, and Your Accomplished Words to send blessings to Muhammad and his Household.)

One should then make his request to God in whatever language they prefer.

For One's Requests from God

Some religious scholars recommended Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer to ask God for the facilitation of one's important tasks, such as marriage.

In the book, Zad al-ma'ad, a hadith is cited from Mufaddal b. 'Umar who quoted Imam al-Sadiq (a) as saying:

O Mufaddal! Whenever you have an urgent need, perform Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer, and then recite the following supplication and ask your needs from God; they will be met, God willing.

After performing the prayer, one should raise one's hands and address God as: “...یا رَبِّ یا رَبِّ یا رَبِّ” (O Lord, O Lord, O Lord, …) until one is out of breath. One should then say “...یا رَبّاهُ یا رَبّاهُ یا رَبّاهُ” (O my Lord, O my Lord, O my Lord, …) until one is out of breath. One should then say “...رَبِّ رَبِّ رَبِّ” (Lord, Lord, Lord, …) until one is out of breath. One should then say “...یا اَللّهُ یا اَللّهُ یا اَللّهُ” (O Allah, O Allah, O Allah, …) until one is out of breath. Then one should say “...یا حَیُّ یا حَیُّ یا حَیُّ” (O the Living, O the Living, O the Living, …) until one is out of breath. One should then say “...یا رَحیمُ یا رَحیمُ یا رَحیمُ” (O the Merciful, O the Merciful, O the Merciful, …) until one is out of breath. One should then recite “یا رَحمانُ” (O the Beneficent) 7 times, and “یا اَرحَمَ الرّاحِمینَ” (O the Most Merciful of the merciful) 7 times. One should recite the following:

تَخَلَّفَ سُکانُ أَرْضِک عَنْ طَاعَتِک فَکنْتَ عَلَیهِمْ عَطُوفاً بِجُودِک، جَوَاداً بِفَضْلِک عَوَّاداً بِکرَمِک، یا لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَ الْإِکرَامِ

(O Allah, I commence my wording with declaring praise to You, and I utter the words of tribute to You, and I glorify You although Your glory is limitless, and I compliment You although none can ever compliment You as much as You deserve and none can ever attain the extent of Your glory! And how can Your creatures ever recognize Your glory! And is there a moment for which You do not deserve praise due to Your favors, and in which You are not ascribed to glory, and in which You do not incessantly treat the sinful with Your forbearance? Although the inhabitants of Your earth have fallen behind in being obedient to You. You have been kind to them out of Your munificence; munificent out of Your favors, and liberal out of Your generosity. O He save Whom there is no god! O All-benevolent! O Lord of Glory and Honor!)

Performing on Behalf of Others

One can perform Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer on behalf of the deceased, or one can intend the rewards of the prayer for others. If one sends the rewards of the prayer to the souls of the deceased and martyrs, their spiritual degrees will be promoted by God and one's own rewards will also be increased. The more the place of the receiver, the more the rewards of the sender.

Merits

According to a hadith from the Prophet Muhammad (s), if one performs Ja'far al-Tayyar Prayer, one will forgive their sins even if they were equal to the sands of the deserts and the seabed.