Raising the Voice in Takbir after Prayer

Question: What is the ruling on raising the voice in takbir after the prayer, as reported in the hadith of Ibn Abbas?

Summary:

The Sunnah is to remember Allah after prayer without raising the voice, as the Prophet ﷺ did not continue doing so and only did it initially to teach others.

Answer:

In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Scholars differed regarding the permissibility of raising the voice in dhikr after prayer. Some viewed it as a Sunnah, while others considered it disliked (makruh) and said that the Prophet ﷺ did not continue this practice, but rather did it for teaching purposes and later discontinued it.

From the Sunnah:

  • The reason for this disagreement stems from the narration in Sahih al-Bukhari (805) and Muslim (583)from Abu Ma‘bad, the freed slave of Ibn Abbas, who reported that Ibn Abbas said that
    raising the voice in dhikr after the obligatory prayers used to happen in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, and he said: “I used to know when they finished the prayer by hearing it.”
  • In another narration (Bukhari 806, Muslim 583),Ibn Abbas said:
    We used to know that the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had ended by hearing the takbir

    The scholars then differed: • Does this indicate that the Prophet ﷺ did this regularly?

From the Qur'an:

  • Al-A’raf 7:205
    “And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and fear, and without being loud in words…”

    Among those who considered raising the voice in dhikr permissible were: Al-Tabari, Ibn Hazm, and Ibn Taymiyyah. Those who said it was only for educational purposes included: Imam Al-Shafi‘i and the majority of scholars. The stronger opinion is that of the majority: The Prophet ﷺ only did it in the beginning to teach, then left it. Thus, the Sunnah is to make dhikr silently (not loudly) after prayer.

And Allah knows best.

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