Worship - Praying
· It is permitted for the person who is praying to drive away those passing in front of him, straighten the row, audibly remind the Imam if he forgets, move his palm to reply a greeting, clear the throat, yawn, scratch, reform his dress but not to do these acts excessively, and kill a scorpion or a snake if one appears.
·
It is offensive in prayers to turn
one’s head or eyes around, or raise the sight upward, make vain gestures or
movements with garments, hair or anything else, put one’s hand in one’s
waist (Takhassur), try to resist urine or feces, pray in the presence of food,
sit on one’s heels and spread the two arms, or recite the Qur’an while
bowing or prostrating.[8]
· Prayer is nullified by the
following:
a)
Leaving out any of its obligatory elements
b)
Speaking unless for correction
c) Eating or drinking
d) Laughing aloud
e) Excessive movement.
Some Schools of Jurisprudence
added:
f) Remembering that one
forgot the performance of a previous obligatory prayer
e) The great Sahw
(forgetting) by excessive increase in the number of Rak`ahs[9]
·
If one forgets during prayers, by
increasing or leaving out any of the confirmed Sunnahs, he should prostrate
twice before greeting; the one who greets before finishing his prayer should
immediately finish it and prostrate after greeting.[10]
Evidence from Qur'an and Sunnah
Things permitted for the person in prayer:
Reminding the Imam
loudly if he forgets:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“If
something happens during prayer, you should say Subhan Allah
(Glory be to Allah).”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari
and Muslim)
Driving
away persons who pass in front of those who perform prayers:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“If anybody amongst
you is praying behind something as a Sutrah (i.e., some things that prevents
people from passing before him) and somebody tries to pass in front of him,
then he should repulse him and if he refuses, he should use force against
him for he is a Shaytan (a devil).’”
Straightening
the row:
At-Tirmidhi reported
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) moved his palm to reply the greetings
of others while performing prayers.
Killing
insects and the like if the person who performs prayers is exposed to them:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“Kill
the two black things during prayer, the snake and scorpion.”
(Reported by At-Tirmidhi)
Offensive acts in prayers:
Turning
around:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“It
(turning around) is something which the devil snatches from the prayer of a
servant.”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari)
The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) said:
“How
is it that the people raise their eyes towards the sky during prayer? He
stressed and added, ‘People must refrain from raising up their looks
towards heaven during prayer. Otherwise their sights will certainly be
snatched.”
Putting
one’s hand in one’s waist (Takhassur):
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah
be pleased with him) narrated:
“It was forbidden
to pray with the hands over one's waist.”
Vain
gestures:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“Be
calm in prayer.” (Reported by Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“I have been commanded to prostrate on seven
(bones),
and not to fold back the hair or the clothing.”
(Reported
by Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“When
one of you gets up to pray, he must not remove pebbles, for mercy is facing
him.” (Reported by Abu Dawud
and At-Tirmidhi)
The
resistance of urine and feces, and the presence of food:
The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said:
“No
prayer should be performed while the food is being served, or while a person
is in need of relieving himself.”
`A’ishah (may Allah
be pleased with her) narrated:
“He (the Prophet)
prohibited the devil’s way of sitting on the heels, and he forbade people
to spread out their arms like a wild beast.”
(Reported by Muslim)
Reciting
Qur’an while bowing and prostrating:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“And
see that I have been forbidden to recite the Qur'an in the state of bowing
and prostration.”
(Reported by Al-Bukhari
and Muslim)
Nullifiers of prayers:
Leaving out one or
more of its obligatory elements:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said to a man:
“Go
back and repeat your Salah because you have not performed the Salah
(properly).” (Reported by Muslim)
Speaking
except for correction: Allah says:
This
means: “And stand before Allah with obedience.” (2, Al-Baqarah: 238)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“Talking to persons is not
fitting during the prayer.”
Eating
and drinking:
The
Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“In the prayer, one
is occupied (with a more serious matter).”
Laughing
loudly:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“Smile
does not interrupt prayer, but it is interrupted by guffaw.”
Prostration due to forgetfulness:
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“When one of you is
in doubt about his prayer, and does not know how much he has prayed, three
or four Rak`ahs, he should pray one (additional) Rak`ah and make two
prostrations while sitting before giving the salutation. If the (additional)
Rak`ah which he prayed is the fifth one, he will make it an even number by
these two prostrations. If it is the fourth one, the two prostrations will
be a disgrace for the devil.”
(Reported by Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
“Anyone
who is in doubt in his prayer should make two prostrations after giving the
salutation.”
(Reported by An-Nasa’i
and Abu Dawud)
|