While providing guidance regarding a question asked by the head of the Arabic Desk concerning salat al-tasbih, Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, in his letter dated 19 July 2020, stated:
“Classical scholars have differing views on the ahadith concerning salat al-tasbih; some have declared these ahadith to be acceptable and some have questioned the asnaad of these ahadith and declared them as fabricated.
“Similarly, the four imams also differ on this point. Hazrat Imam Ahmadrh ibn Hanbal does not even give the status of mustahabb to this prayer, while other jurists call it mustahabb and are also convinced of its excellence.
“From the ahadith narrated about salat al-tasbih, it is absolutely evident that the Holy Prophetsa himself never performed this prayer and there is no evidence regarding the Rightly-Guided caliphs having performed this prayer. Similarly, we do not find any narration of this prayer from the Promised Messiahas, the ardent devotee of the Holy Prophetsa who was sent for the Revival of Islam.
“However, if a person wants to offer this prayer, then we should keep in mind the following instruction of Hazrat Alira which is also narrated by the Promised Messiahas: A person was praying at a time when it is not permissible to offer prayers. When Hazrat Alira received a complaint about this, he replied that he did not want to be the subject of these verses:
اَرَءَيۡتَ الَّذِيۡ يَنۡهٰی عَبۡدًا اِذَا صَلّٰی
“‘You see the one who forbids the servant to offer a prayer.’ [Surah al-Alaq, Ch.96: V.10-11]
“As far as the text of [the book] Fiqh-e-Ahmadiyya is concerned, several such things have been included in Fiqh-e-Ahmadiyya which need to be corrected. That is why Fiqh-e-Ahmadiyya is being revised. Once the revised edition of Fiqh-e-Ahmadiyya is published, this text will also be corrected, insha-Allah.”