Volume 2, Page 81a: The following acts
are permissible during the prayer
Crying, moaning, or groaning, regardless of whether it is
due to a fear of Allah or to any other reason (e.g., a moan
due to some pain or injury that one cannot contain), is
permissible. This is based on the Qur'anic verse: "When
the revelations of the Merciful were recited unto them, they
fell prostrating and adoring." This verse is general and
includes one who is praying.
'Abdullah ibn ash-Schikhir relates: "I saw the
Messenger of Allah praying and his chest was 'buzzing', like
the buzzing of a cooking pot, due to crying." This is
related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, and at-Tirmizhi. The
latter classifies it as sahih.
'Ali reports: "There was no horseman among us at the
battle of Badr save al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad. I saw that not one
of us was standing save the Messenger of Allah who was praying
under a tree and crying until the dawn." This is related
by Ibn Hibban.
'Aishah relates the incident that occurred during the fatal
illness of the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam. The
Messenger of Allah said: "Order Abu Bakr to lead the
people in prayer." 'Aishah responded: "O Messenger
of Allah, Abu Bakr is a very soft-hearted man and he cannot
control his tears, and if he recites the Qur'an, he
cries." 'Aishah later admitted: "I said that only
because I hated that the people should blame Abu Bakr for
being the first to take the place of the Messenger of
Allah." The Messenger of Allah said: "Order Abu Bakr
to lead the people in salah. You women are like the companions
of Yusuf." This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn
Hibban, and at-Tirmizhi who calls it sahih. The fact that the
Prophet insisted that Abu Bakr lead the salah after he was
inforrned that he would be overcome by weeping proves that it
is permissible to cry while praying.
'Umar prayed fajr and recited Surah Yusuf, and when he
reached the verse "I expose my distress and anguish only
unto Allah," he raised his voice in crying. This is
related by al-Bukhari, Sa'id ibn Mansur, and ibn al-Munzhir.
In 'Umar's raising his voice in crying is a refutation of
those who say that crying invalidates the salah if it causes a
sound from the mouth, regardless of whether it is due to the
fear of Allah or not. They argue that sound from the mouth due
to crying is like speaking, but this is not acceptable as
crying and speaking are two different things.
Ibn Abbas relates: "The Messenger of Allah would turn
to his right and left he would not turn his head to see behind
him." This is related by Ahmad.
Abu Dawud records that when the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam prayed, "he looked toward a valley because he
had sent some horsemen to guard the valley."
Anas ibn Sireen says: "I saw Anas ibn Malik lift his
eyes to something while he was praying." This is related
by Ahmad.
Turning to look at something without any genuine need is
disliked, for it is against the etiqettes of humility while
facing Allah in Prayer.
'Aishah says: "I asked the Messenger of Allah about
turning in salah and he said: 'It is the portion that the
Satan steals from the slave's prayer.'" This is related
by Ahmad, al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i, and Abu Dawud.
Abu ad-Darda' narrates from the Prophet: "O people, be
careful about turning for there is no salah for the one who
turns. If you must do it, do it in the voluntary prayers and
not in the obligatory prayers." This is related by Ahmad.
Anas relates that the Messenger of Allah said to him:
"Be careful about turning during the salah as turning in
the salah is disastrous. If you must do it, then do it in the
voluntary prayers but not in the obligatory prayers."
This is related by at-Tirmizhi who calls it sahih.
In the hadith of al-Harith al-Ash'ari, the Prophet
sallallahu alehi wasallam said: "Allah gave Yahya, son of
Zakariyah, five commands that he was to abide by and was to
order the tribe of Isra'el to abide by..." One of them
was, "Verily, Allah orders you to pray, and when you
pray, do not tum for Allah looks to the face of His slave in
salah as long as he does not turn." This is related by
Ahmad and an-Nasa'i.
Abu Zharr reported that the Prophet said: "Allah faces
the slave while he is in the salah and keeps facing him as
long as he does not turn. If [the slave] turns, [Allah] turns
away from him." This is related by Ahmad and by Abu Dawud
who said its chain of narrators (isnad) is sahih. The
preceding hadith is concerned with turning the face during the
salah. If one turns the whole (upper) body away from the
qiblah, then the salah is invalidated, for not fulfilling the
requirment of facing the qiblah. On this point, there is no
difference of opinion.
If killing these would only require a small action on the
part of the person in salah, then there is no harm in doing
it. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam said: "Kill the snake and the scorpion during
the salah." This is related by Ahmad, at-Tirmizhi, Abu
Dawud, an-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah. The hadith is hasan sahih.
'Aishah said: "The Messenger of Allah was offering
salah in the house and the door was locked. I came and knocked
on the door and he walked over to open it for me and then he
returned to his place of prayer. The door was in the direction
of the qiblah." This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i,
and atTirmizhi. The latter calls it hasan. It may be observed
that in this hadith, he did not turn away from the qiblah
either in opening the door, or in returning to his place. This
is supported by what has been related that the Prophet would
pray and if anyone knocked on the door, he would open the door
provided the door was in the direction of the qiblah or on his
right or on his left, but he would not turn his back to the
qiblah. This is related by ad-Daraqutni.
Al-Azraq ibn Qais relates: "Abu Barzah Al-Aslami was
at al-Ahwas, at the bank of a river, and he prayed while
holding the reins of his horse. The horse started going back,
and he (i.e.Abu Barzah) followed the horse. A man from the
Khawarij said: 'O Allah, be rough on this man, see how he is
doing his prayer.' When Abu Barzah finished his prayer, he
said: 'I heard your statement. Certainly, I participated in
six or seven or eight battles with the Prophet, and I am
certainly aware of his leniency. Certainly, I would rather
restrain my animal than let him run off loose as that would
have caused me a great deal of trouble.' It was 'Asr prayer
that Abu Barzah offered, and he prayed two rak'at." This
is related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari, and al-Baihaqi.
Concerning taking a lot of steps, Ibn Hajr says in Fath al-Bari:
"The jurists are agreed that taking many steps
invalidates an obligatory prayer. They interpret the hadith of
Abu Barzah as referring to taking just a few steps."
Abu Qatadah reports that the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam was offering salah and Umamah bint Zainab was on his
neck [shoulder]. When he performed ruku', he put her down, and
when he got up from his sajdah, he would place her back on his
neck. 'Amr inquired during which salah this happened. Ibn
Juraij said that it is related from Zaid ibn Abu 'Atab from 'Amr
ibn Salim that this happened in the morning prayer. This is
related by Ahmad, anNasa'i, and others. Al-Fakihani comments:
"The purpose behind the action of the Prophet of carrying
Umamah in the salah was to set an example before the Arabs who
considered having daughters and carrying them around as
something bad or shameful. The Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam acted differently from them, and carried a girl on
his neck in the prayer, and making something clear by example
is much more effective than a mere precept."
'Abdullah ibn Shidad relates that his father said:
"The Messenger of Allah came to us either during the noon
or afternoon prayers and he was carrying Hassan or Hussain.
The Prophet proceeded to the front and put him down and made
the takbir for the salah. During the salah, he made a long
sajdah. I raised my head and saw the child on the back of the
Messenger of Allah while he was in sajdah. I returned to my
sajdah. When the Messenger of Allah finished the salah, the
people said to him: 'O Messenger of Allah, you prostrated
during your salah so long that we suspected you were thinking
about some matter or you were receiving some revelation.' He
said: 'None of that happened but my son was resting and I
hated to rush him until he had finished what he
desired."' This is related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i, and al-Hakim.
An-Nawawi observes that this, according to the opinion of
ash-Shaf'i and those who agree with him, points to the
permissibility of carrying or holding a young child, male or
female, or any pure animal during an obligatory prayer, and
that it is permissible for both the imam and the followers.
The companions of Malik say that the permissibility is only
for voluntary prayers and not for obligatory prayers. This
interpretation is incorrect as it is clear that the Prophet
was leading one of the obligatory prayers, and as stated
earlier it was the fajr prayer. Some followers of Malik claim
that its permissibility has been abograted, while others say
it was only permissible for the Prophet, and yet others hold
that it was due to some necessity. All of this is wrong and to
be rejected as there is no proof for any of it or any
necessity. The authentic hadith clearly states that it is
permissible and there is nothing in that ruling which
contradicts any basic principle of the shari'ah as a human
being is pure and what is in his/her abdomen is not relevant
in this regard, as it remains within the stomach, its natural
receptacle. Also, the clothing of a child is considered pure
and the shari'ah is quite explicit on this point. Actions
during the salah do not invalidate it if they are minor or few
or dispersed. The fact that the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam did this is an exposition of its permissibility, and
this argument is built upon the principle which we have
mentioned before. This refutes what Abu Sulaiman al-Khattabi
says, namely, that the Prophet did not carry the child
intentionally but the child was holding onto the Prophet, and
when he stood the child remained with him. He said: "Do
not think that he held him again intentionally as that would
be too much action and would distract the heart. If a curtain
distracted him, how could [the child] not distract him?"
This statement by al-Khattabi, may Allah have mercy on him, is
incorrect and to be rejected. Among the things that refute it
are the statements in Sahih Muslim, "when he stood, he
carried him." And, "when he got up from his sajdah,
he would return [the child to his place]." Further
refutations are derived from a version other than Sahih
Muslim, "He came to us while carrying Umamah and
prayed..." Concerning the ruling about the curtain, it
distracts the heart without there being any benefit to it.
Concerning carrying Umamah, we are not convinced that it
distracts the heart, and even if it does, it is allowed due to
its benefit and the principles that we have mentioned. The
source of that preoccupation is that benefit, which differs
from the incident concerning the curtain. Thus, the correct
position is that the hadith is a clear exposition that it is
permissible to carry a child in salah and this will continue
to be part of the Islamic law until the Day of Judgment. And
Allah knows best.
The one in salah who is greeted or spoken to may reply to
the one who greets or speaks to him by making some motion.
Jabir said: "The Messenger of Allah sent me somewhere
while he was going to the tribe of Mustaliq. I came to him and
he was praying while on the back of his camel. [When] I spoke
to him, he and Zubair motioned with their hands. I heard him
reciting and saw him gesturing with his head. When he
finished, he said: 'What have you done about the thing I sent
you for? Nothing kept me from talking to you save that I was
in salah.'" This is related by Ahmad and Muslim.
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar narrates that Suhaib said: "I
passed by the Messenger of Allah while he was offering salah.
I greeted him and he responded to me by only signaling."
'Abdullah said: "The only thing that I know is that he
said he signaled to him with his finger." This is related
by Ahmad and by at-Tirmizhi. The latter calls it sahih.
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar says: "I asked Suhaib: 'How did
the Messenger of Allah respond to the people when they greeted
him while he was praying?' He said: 'He would signal to them
with his hand.'" This is related by Ahmad, at-Tirmizhi,
Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah.
Anas says that the Prophet would signal while offering
salah. This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Khuzaimah
and its isnad is sahih.
The same applies to signaling with one's finger or hand or
by nodding the head. All of these actions have been related
from the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam.
It is allowed for men to say subhanallah and for women to
clap if there is some need to do so (such as alerting the imam
to a mistake or informing someone that he or she may enter the
room or to warn a blind person, and so on). Sahl ibn Sa'd
asSa'di relates that the Prophet said: "If someone is
faced with something during the salah, he should say 'subhanallah.'
Clapping is for the women and saying subhanallah is for the
men." This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and an-Nasa'i.
If the imam forgets a verse, it is permissible for a
follower to remind him of it, regardless of whether the
recitation is a part of the obligatory recitation or not. Ibn
'Umar reports that the Messenger of Allah prayed and had some
confusion in his recitation. When he finished, he said to 'Umar:
"Were you present with us [during the prayer]?" He
replied: "Yes." So, the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam asked him: "What prevented you from correcting
me?" This is related by Abu Dawud and others and its
narrators are trustworthy.
Rifa'ah ibn Rafi' relates: "I prayed behind the
Messenger of Allah, and I sneezed and said, 'Praise be to
Allah, a great deal of praise, beautiful and blessed, as our
Lord loves and is pleased with.' [Afterward,] the Messenger of
Allah asked: 'Who spoke during the salah?' No one said
anything. He asked again, and no one said anything. He asked
again, and I said: 'It was I, O Messenger of Allah!' He then
said: 'By the One in whose hand is Muhammad's soul, thirty
some odd angels raced to get that phrase to raise it [to the
Lord].'" This is related by an-Nasa'i and at-Tirmizhi,
and by al-Bukhari with a different wording.
Ibn 'Abbas reports that the Messenger of Allah prayed in
one garment and covered his face with a portion of it to avoid
the heat or coldness of the ground. This is related by Ahmad
with a sahih isnad (chain). It is disliked if it is done
without any genuine reason.
Ibn al-Qayyim has summarized some of the acts which are
permissible during the salah and which the Prophet sallallahu
alehi wasallam used to perform at times. He writes:
The Prophet would pray and 'Aishah would be lying between
him and the qiblah. When he performed sajdah, he would signal
to her with his hand and she would pull back her leg and when
he would stand she would stretch out her leg again. The
Prophet was praying and the Satan came to him to disturb his
salah and the Prophet choked until his saliva came upon his
hand. And the Prophet would pray upon the pulpit, making ruku'
there, but when the time came to perform sajdah, he would
descend, moving backward, and prostrate upon the ground, and
then return to the pulpit. He once prayed toward a wall and an
animal tried to pass between him and the wall. The Prophet
prevented the animal from passing to the extent that its
stomach was against the wall. Once while he was praying, two
girls from the tribe of 'Abd al-Muttalib were fighting behind
him and he separated them with his arms while he was praying.
Ahmad's version says that they grabbed unto his knees and he
separated them without leaving the salah. On another occasion,
when he was praying, a boy came to him and he motioned to him
to move back, and he moved back. Then a girl tried to pass in
front of him, he beckoned her to move back, but the girl
passed, and when he finished, he said: "They are more
determined." Ahmad recorded it and it is also in the
Sunan. He would also puff out air while praying. The hadith
which states: " Puffing out is speech" cannot be
traced to the Messenger of Allah, but Sa'id related it in his
Sunan from Ibn 'Abbas as one of Ibn 'Abbas' statements - if it
is authentic. The Prophet would cry during his salah and would
also clear his throat while praying. 'Ali ibn Abi Talib said:
"I had a certain time at which I would visit the
Messenger of Allah. When I came to him, he would permit me to
enter. If I found him praying, he would clear his throat and I
would enter. If he was free, he would give me permission to
enter." This is recorded by an-Nasa'i and Ahmad. Ahmad's
version says: "I could enter upon the Prophet during the
day or night. If I came to him while he was praying, he would
clear his throat [as a sign that I may enter]. This was
related by Ahmad who used to act by it and he was not of the
opinion that clearing one's throat invalidated the salah.
Sometimes the Prophet would pray barefoot and sometimes while
wearing shoes. This is what 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said and he
ordered people to pray with shoes on in order to differ from
the Jews. Sometimes he would pray in one garment and sometimes
in two garments and [this latter] was the majority of the
cases.
Zhakwan, the protege of 'Aishah, would lead her in prayer
during Ramadan while reciting from a copy of the Qur'an. This
is related by Malik. Ash-Shaf'i's opinion is that it is
allowable. An-Nawawi holds: "If one sometimes turns pages
during a salah, it does not invalidate it. If he looks at
something that is written which is not the Qur'an and he reads
it to himself, it does not invalidate the salah, even if it is
done for a long period of time, nevertheless, it is a hated
act." Ash-Shaf'i has made a statement about it in
al-Imla'.
Abu Hurairah repons that the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam said: "When the call to prayer is made, the
Satan takes to his heels... and when it is finished, he
returns. He flees again when the iqamah is made and when it is
finished, he returns until he comes between the man and his
thoughts, saying: 'Remember this and remember that,' which he
had not recalled, until the person does not know how much he
has prayed, [i.e.,] three or four rak'at. Then, he makes two
prostrations while sitting." This is reported by
al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Al-Bukhari also records that 'Umar said: "I arrange
the troops [in my mind] during the salah." Although it is
true that such a salah is valid and sufficient, it is a must
for the person in prayer to keep his mind and heart attuned to
the salah and his Lord and to keep his thoughts on the meaning
of the Qur'anic verses and the significance of the different
acts of the salah since a person has for him only that portion
of the salah which he is fully aware of [while performing it].
Au Dawud, an-Nasa'i, and Ibn Hibban record from 'Ammar ibn
Yasir that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: "A man
may complete the salah and only have recorded for himself
one-tenth or one-ninth or one-eighth or one-seventh or
one-fifth or one-fourth or one third or one-half."
Al-Bazzar records from Ibn 'Abbas that the Messenger of
Allah said: "Allah, the Glorious, said: 'I accept the
salah of one who humbles himself during it to My Greatness;
and who does not perform the salah just for show; and who does
not spend the night in disobedience to Me; and who spends the
day remembering Me; and who is merciful to the poor, the
wayfarer and the widows; and who is merciful to one who is
suffering from an infliction. He has a light like the light of
the sun. I protect him by My Glory and the angels guard over
him. I give him light in darkness and sobriety in the presence
of ignorance. And his similitude in My creation is like
al-Firdaus in Paradise."'
Abu Dawud records from Zaid ibn Khalid that the Messenger
of Allah said: "Whoever makes ablution and perfects it
and then prays two rak'at, without being unheedful during
them, forgiven for him will be his previous sins." Muslim
records that 'Uthman ibn Abi al-'Aas said: "O Messenger
of Allah, the Satan comes between me and my prayers and my
recitation, confusing me therein!" The Prophet said:
"That Satan is called Khanzab. If he affects you seek
refuge in Allah from him and 'spit out' on your left side
three times."
Muslim records from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of
Allah said: "Allah, the Glorious, said: 'I have divided
the salah [i.e., al-Fatihah] into two halves, between Me and
My slave, and my slave shall receive what he asks for.' When
the slave says 'All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds,' Allah, the Exalted, says 'My slave has praised Me.'
When he says 'The Compassionate, the Merciful,' Allah, the
Exalted, says 'My slave has lauded Me.' When he says 'Master
of the Day of Judgment.' Allah, the Exalted says 'My servant
has glorified Me and entrusted his affairs to Me.' And when he
says 'It is Thee we worship and from Thee that we seek aid,'
Allah, the Exalted, says 'This is between Me and My slave. And
for My slave is what he asks.' And when he says 'Guide us to
the straight path, the path of those whom you have blessed and
not of those with whom you are angry nor of those who have
gone astray.' Allah says 'That is for My slave and My slave
shall get what he asks for.'"
It is disliked for anyone to leave any of the sunnah acts
described earlier
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