Part 14

“Then he may choose whichever issue he wishes.

As for the practice of some of the common people whenever they perform a voluntary prayer, or raising their hands so that with regard to some of them one would almost say that he has not supplicated. Because when the (obligatory) prayer begins and they are in the Tashahhud of the voluntary prayer, one observes them when they make the Taslim raising their hands and it is as if, and Allah knows better, they are simply raising them (without supplicating) and then they wipe their faces. All of this is to maintain a practice of supplication which they believe is legislated, but maintaining it to this degree is considered a form of innovation.

Q. 263. In some countries, after the obligatory prayers, they recite Surat Al-Fatihah and some statements of remembrance, and Ayat Al-Kursi in congregation; what is * the ruling in this practice?

"| Tahlil: Saying La Taha Illallah. '2] Reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of the adhan, in the Chapter: What Supplication May be Chosen After the Tashahhud (800).

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A. The recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah, Ayat Al-Kursi and statements of remembrance after prayer in a loud voice in congregation is a form of innovation. Because what is well known from the Prophet #% and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, is that after the prayer, they would mention Allah in loud voices, but every one of them would mention Allah, the Most High alone, without joining together. Raising the voice in remembrance after the obligatory prayers is a Sunnah, as confirmed in Sahih Al-Bukhari, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, who said: “At the time of the Prophet ##, the people used to raise their voices when they had completed the obligatory prayers.”!")

As for the recitation of Surat Al-Fatihah after the prayers whether it be quietly or out loud I know of no Hadith from the Prophet #% in this regard; it has only been reported in the Hadith that one should recite Ayat Al-Kursi, Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad (i.e. Surat Al-Ikhlas) and Al-Mu‘awithatan (i.e. Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas).

Q. 264. If a person feared that if he answered the call of nature, he would miss the congregational prayer, should he pray while he is holding it in, in order to catch the congregational prayer, or should he answer the cal] of nature, even if he misses the congregational prayer?

A. He should answer the call of nature and then make ablution, even if he missed the congregational prayer, because this is an excuse and the Prophet 3 said:

") Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim: It was reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of the adhan, in the Chapter: The Remembrance After the Prayer (841); and by Muslim in the Book of Masjids, in the Chapter: The Remembrance After the Prayer (583).

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“There is no prayer when food is served, nor when he is suppressing the two filths.’""}

Q. 265. What is the ruling on closing the eyes in prayer?

A. Closing the eyes in prayer is disliked, because it contradicts the practice of the Prophet #%, unless there is a reason for it, such as if there were geometric patterns on the wall in front of him, or on the carpet, or if there was a strong light in front of him which hurt his eyes. The important thing is that if the closing of the eyes was for a reason, then there is no objection to it, but otherwise, it is disliked. And whoever wished to study more about it should refer to the book Zadul-Ma‘ad by Ibn Qayyim may Allah, the Most High have mercy on him.

Q. 266. Does cracking the knuckles in prayer forgetfully invalidate the prayer?

A. Cracking the knuckles does not invalidate the prayer, but it is a vain deed, and if it is in the congregational prayers, it must cause annoyance to those who hear it, and so the harm of it is greater than if there were no one around him.

And I would like to take this opportunity to say that movements in prayer fall into five categories:

(i) Obligatory Movements, (ii) movements which are a Sunnah, (iii) movements which are disliked, (iv) forbidden movements, and (v) permissible movements.

As for the obligatory movements, they are based on obligatory actions in the prayer, such as when a person stands in prayer, then he remembers that there is something impure on his _ headdress; in that case, it is incumbent upon him to remove this headdress, so this movement is obligatory. The evidence for that is when Jibril, peace be upon him, came to the Prophet

") Reported by Muslim in the Book of the Masjids, in the Chapter: The Dislike of Praying When Food is Served 1:393, Hadith 67 (560).

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and informed him that there was some filth on his shoes and he # removed them during the prayer and continued with his prayer."'! So, this movement is obligatory, and the rule governing it is that doing it involves an obligatory action in * the prayer or the abandonment of something forbidden.

As for the movements which are a Sunnah, they are those upon whose performance the perfection of the prayer depends. Such as moving up in the row when a space opens up. A person moves closer to his neighbor in order to close this space; this is a Sunnah and so this action is sanctioned by the Islamic Law.

As for disliked movement, it is unnecessary movement which has no relation to the perfection of the prayer.

As for forbidden movement, it is frequent and repeated movement, such as when a person does vain things while he is standing, while he is bowing, while he is prostrating and while he is sitting, so that the prayer deviates from its prescribed form. This movement is forbidden, because it invalidates the prayer.

As for permissible movements, they are anything not included in the above, such as when a person feels an itch and so he scratches it, or his headdress falls over his eye, so he raises it; these are among the permissible actions, or someone asks his permission and so he raises his hand in order to give his permission. These are among the permitted movements.

Q. 267. What is the ruling on the Sutrah? And what is the limit of it?

A. The Sutrah in prayer is an emphisized Sunnah, except for the one who is led in prayer, because it is not legislated for the one

'] Reported by Abu Dawud in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: Praying in Shoes, Hadith (650); and declared authentic by Ibn Khuzaimah 1:384 (786); and it was reported by Ibn Hibban 5:560 (2185).

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being led in prayer to take a Sutrah; the Sutrah of the Imam is sufficient for him.

As for the limit of it, the Prophet #% was asked about it and he said:

(Pole Bo “Such as the back of the saddle of his riding mount.”""!

But this is the highest that it may be, and anything less than it will suffice, for it has been reported in a Hadith: “If one of you is in prayer, let him put a Sutrah in front of him, even if it is an arrow'?!

It has been reported in another Hadith reported by Abu Dawud with a Hasan chain of narrators:

“Whoever does not find anything, he should draw a line (in the dust).”"?)

Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Bulugh Al-Maram: Those who claim that it is Mudtarib'*! are not correct, for there is no weakness in the

‘4 Reported by Muslim in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: The Sutrah of the Worshipper 1:358, Hadith 241 (499).

(21 Reported by Ibn Khuzaimah in the Chapters on the Sutrah of the Worshipper 2:12 (811) and it was reported by Ahmad 3:404 (and Ar-

') Reported by Ibn Khuzaimah in the aforementioned location, Hadith (811); and it was reported by Abu Dawud in the Book of Prayer, in the Chapter: What the Worshipper May Use as a Sutrah; and it was reported by Ibn Majah in the Book of the Jgamah of the Prayer, in the Chapter: The Sutrah of the Worshipper (943); and refer to Sahih Ibn

'4) Mudtarib: A Hadith which is narrated in a number of contradictory forms, in such a manner that it is impossible to reconcile them and the

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Hadith which would necessitate its rejection, so we say that the minimum for it is a line and the maximum is the back of a riding beast’s saddle.

Q. 268. What is the ruling on passing directly in front of a worshipper in prayer in the Sacred Masjid (in Makkah), whether the worshipper is performing an obligatory prayer or a supererogatory one, and whether he is being led in prayer or praying alone?

A. As for passing in front of a person who is being led in prayer, there is no objection to it in the Sacred Masjid, nor in any other Masjid, because Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, came to the Prophet #% when he was in Mina and he was leading the people in prayer without a wall in front of him, and he passed in front of the row while he was riding on his donkey, and no one censured him.!?!

But if the worshipper was the Imam or a person praying alone, then it is not permissible for anyone to pass directly in front of him, neither in the sacred Masjid nor in any other Masjid, due to the general nature of the evidences, and there is no evidence to single out Makkah or the Sacred Masjid and to prove that passing directly in front of a worshipper in prayer there does not harm, and that the one who does so is not guilty of sin.

Q. 269. What is the ruling on placing an electric heater in front of the worshippers during the performance of their prayers? And has any legal prohibition been reported

chains of narrators of all of them are of equal strength, so that it is not possible to say which of them is more correct.

") Reported by Al-Bukhari in the Book of Knowledge, in Chapter 19: When it is Correct to Accept a Child’s Report (76); and in other locations, and it was reported by Muslim in the Book of Prayer in Chapter 47: The Sutrah of the Worshipper in Prayer 1:361, Hadith 354

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