Explanation of the Disliked Acts in Prayer
Prayer is a great act of worship, and during its performance, it is necessary to maintain complete humility, reverence, and etiquette. There are certain matters which, although they do not invalidate the prayer, their presence is against the dignity of the prayer and it is necessary to avoid them. These matters are called “Disliked Acts of Prayer.” Below is a detailed explanation of some such disliked acts:
➊ Placing the hands on the waist while praying
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ forbade placing the hands on the waist during prayer.
➋ Yawning
The Noble Prophet ﷺ said:
“When someone yawns in prayer, he should try to restrain it as much as possible because at that time Satan enters the mouth.”
He further said:
“(At the time of yawning) do not say ‘ha ha’ because Satan is pleased by that.”
➌ Not speaking between the obligatory and Sunnah parts
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, led the Asr prayer. A companion immediately stood up and started praying after the obligatory prayer. Sayyiduna Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“Sit down, the People of the Book were destroyed because there was no interval between their prayers.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
“Ibn Khattab has spoken correctly.”
Sayyiduna Saib bin Yazid prayed the Friday prayer with Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, in a mosque. After the salam, Saib, may Allah be pleased with him, immediately started praying, so Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, forbade him and said:
“Do not do this in the future, because the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ‘Do not join one prayer with another. Speak or change place between them (the obligatory and the Sunnah).’ ”
Sayyiduna Mughirah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said that the imam should not pray in a place where he has already prayed; rather, he should move from that place (i.e., change the place).
➍ Talking during Prayer
Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam, may Allah be pleased with him, says:
“We used to talk during prayer, then
﴿حَافِظُوْا عَلٰی الصَّلَوٰتِ﴾
was revealed, and we were commanded to remain silent and talking was prohibited.”
◈ In case of ignorance of the ruling:
Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Hakim Salmi, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates:
“Once I was praying with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, when a man sneezed, so I said during the prayer, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ People looked at me sternly. I said, ‘Oh my mother, I am lost; why are you looking at me (angrily)?’ Then they struck their thighs with their hands. I felt that they wanted me to be silent. So I remained silent.”
After the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ finished the prayer, he said:
“Indeed, talking during prayer is not permissible. In prayer, there should only be the glorification of Allah, Takbeer, and the recitation of the Quran.”
The narrator says:
“May my parents be sacrificed for you, I have never seen a teacher like you, neither before you nor after you, who is better at teaching than you. By Allah! You neither scolded me, nor hit me, nor were harsh.”
If prayer became invalid due to speaking out of ignorance, the Prophet ﷺ would have ordered the companion to repeat the prayer, but he did not say so.
