Jalsah al-Istiraahah (Sitting for a brief rest during prayer)

Praise be to Allaah. 

It is mustahabb to have the
habit of sitting for a brief rest during prayer, i.e., after the two
prostrations of each rak’ah in which one does not recite the Tashahhud
immediately after the prostrations. A hadeeth to this effect was reported
in Saheeh al-Bukhaari.
It was also reported in Sunan Abi
Dawood and Sunan al-Tirmidhi
via different isnaads that are also saheeh. This is the correct view
according to scholarly consensus in the madhhab of al-Shaafa’i. Jalsah
al-istiraahah is not mustahaab after sajdat al-tilaawah (prostration
during recitation of Qur’aan) during prayer. (Words of Imaam al-Nawawi).

Jalsah al-istiraahah is a
brief pause, sitting for a short while after the second prostration
and before standing up. It is Sunnah according to al-Shaafa’i, Ishaaq
and Ahmad. It was reported that Abu Qulaabah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: “Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith showed us how the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) prayed, and when he raised his head from the
second prostration in the first rak’ah, he sat and then stood up.” (Reported
by all five major scholars of hadeeth apart from Muslim). The wording
according to al-Bukhaari was: “When he raised his head from the second
prostration, he sat and settled on the ground, then he stood up.”

I say: one of the features
of the prayer is jalsah al-istiraahah which should be done after every
prostration from which one stands up.

It is not Sunnah to do Jalsah
al-Istiraahah after Sajdat al-Tilaawah, or when one is praying sitting
down, or in the fourth or second rak’ah of Zuhr, for example, if a person
wants to recite Tashahhud. If he does not want to recite it, then it
is Sunnah to do Jalsah al-istiraahah.

It is a separation between the two rak’ahs,
according to the soundest opinion, it is not a part of either the first
rak’ah or the second.

The best is not to make it
last longer than a few seconds, because according to the Sunnah, the
shorter it is the better, like when one keeps quiet in prayer.