سنن ابي داود
Abu Dawud
أبواب تفريع استفتاح الصلاةPrayer (Tafarah Abwab Estaftah Assalah)
باب الاِلْتِفَاتِ فِي الصَّلاَةِChapter: Turning Around In The Prayer.
Hadith 909
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ ، قَالَ : أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ ، عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْأَحْوَصِ يُحَدِّثُنَا فِي مَجْلِسِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ ، قَالَ : قَالَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " لَا يَزَالُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مُقْبِلًا عَلَى الْعَبْدِ وَهُوَ فِي صَلَاتِهِ مَا لَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ ، فَإِذَا الْتَفَتَ انْصَرَفَ عَنْهُ " .
Narrated Abu Dharr: The Prophet ﷺ said: Allah, the Most High, continues to turn favourably towards a servant while he is engaged in prayer as long as he does not look to the side (by turning the neck), but if he does so, He turns away from him.
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
1196. Commentary:
➊ Looking around during prayer is strictly prohibited.
➋ From this blessed hadith, the virtue and importance of prayer also become clear: prayer is a means for Allah, the Exalted, to turn His attention to His servant, and this is the perfection of Allah’s grace and kindness upon His servant.
➌ Looking around during prayer is to turn away from Allah, the Exalted. When the servant himself turns away from Allah’s mercy, then Allah, the Exalted, also turns away from him. Therefore, one cannot look around in any direction during prayer. However, if there is some necessity that compels one to look around during prayer, that is a different matter—for example: the imam, due to some need, glancing towards the followers, or the followers, due to necessity, glancing towards the imam. Even in such cases, one should only use the corner of the eye, not turn the entire face away from the qiblah, as will be mentioned in the hadith of the next chapter.
➊ Looking around during prayer is strictly prohibited.
➋ From this blessed hadith, the virtue and importance of prayer also become clear: prayer is a means for Allah, the Exalted, to turn His attention to His servant, and this is the perfection of Allah’s grace and kindness upon His servant.
➌ Looking around during prayer is to turn away from Allah, the Exalted. When the servant himself turns away from Allah’s mercy, then Allah, the Exalted, also turns away from him. Therefore, one cannot look around in any direction during prayer. However, if there is some necessity that compels one to look around during prayer, that is a different matter—for example: the imam, due to some need, glancing towards the followers, or the followers, due to necessity, glancing towards the imam. Even in such cases, one should only use the corner of the eye, not turn the entire face away from the qiblah, as will be mentioned in the hadith of the next chapter.
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 1196
