Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … There is no doubt that every kind of excessive movement in prayer is prohibited, because it affects the humility and submissiveness (khushu‘ and khudu‘) of the prayer. In the chapter regarding tying the hair, playing with pebbles, and blowing during prayer, some such matters have already been mentioned. However, sometimes due to a severe necessity, it becomes necessary to perform some external act or movement during the prayer. First, we will mention such examples that are established in the Shari‘ah.

(1) The command of Allah, the Exalted, is: {فَاِنْ خِفْتُمْ فَرِجَالًا اَوْ رُکْبَانًا} That is: When you are in fear, then (pray) while walking or riding. (Surah al-Baqarah: 238) In this verse, the command is given to perform prayer while walking or riding in times of fear.

(2) Killing a snake or a scorpion. The mention of this and the next two matters is in this very chapter.

(3) Opening a door that is in the direction of the qiblah.

(4) Sayyiduna Abu Barzah radi Allahu anhu holding the reins of his mount and moving backward during prayer, and then deducing this action from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

(5) The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam carrying a child during prayer, placing her on the ground when bowing (ruku‘), and then picking her up again in the next rak‘ah. (This will be mentioned in the next chapter.)

(6) During the prayer of eclipse (salat al-kusuf), the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam moving forward to take a bunch of grapes from Paradise and moving backward upon seeing Hellfire. (Bukhari: 1212)

(7) Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu, who stood on the left side of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam placed his hand on his head, twisted his ear, and turned him to stand on the right side. (Bukhari: 183, 992, 1198; Muslim: 182)

(8) Sayyiduna Sahl ibn Sa‘d Sa‘idi radi Allahu anhu went to reconcile with Banu ‘Amr, and the time for prayer arrived in the Prophet’s Mosque. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu began to lead the prayer. Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam arrived and stood in the row. The people clapped to alert Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, but since he would not turn his attention here and there during prayer, the people began to clap more. Eventually, he looked back and saw that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was standing in the row. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam gestured to him to remain at his place and continue leading the prayer. But Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu raised his hands, so the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam praised Allah for his obedience to the command to continue the prayer, then stepped back, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam moved forward and took over the leadership of the prayer. (Bukhari: 684; Muslim: 103)

(9) To teach the Companions, the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam led the prayer on the pulpit (minbar), descended to perform prostration (sujud), and then ascended the pulpit again. (Bukhari, Muslim)

(10) In front of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, a Companion, due to intense heat, picked up some pebbles in his hand so that they would remain cool, and whenever he prostrated, he would spread them on the ground to protect himself from the heat of the earth. (Abu Dawud)

(11) Preventing someone from passing in front of the praying person, or even fighting with him if necessary. From these hadiths and other related narrations, it is understood that in times of necessity, there is no harm in such movements and actions. This is the perfect wisdom of the Islamic Shari‘ah: where it has commanded adopting humility, submissiveness, and avoidance of unnecessary movements during prayer, it has also, keeping human needs in view and to preserve the tranquility of prayer, allowed certain concessions.

For example, once all the members of our household were praying in congregation at home. During the prayer, a small girl raised her hand and moved toward a standing fan. It seemed that if she reached the fan in that manner, her fingers could be severely injured. Seeing this situation, one of the worshippers stepped forward, picked up the girl, returned to his place, and continued his prayer. This action of the worshipper is in complete accordance with the spirit of the Shari‘ah. Respected readers! If that person had not stepped forward to pick up the girl, how would the rest of the people have performed the remainder of the prayer, and what kind of worship would it be if a girl’s fingers were being cut and no one was allowed to save her?

The greatest calamity among us is that the more laziness and deficiency there is in people’s knowledge and study, the more haste and abundance there is in issuing fatwas. We only look at the outward aspect; what is the purpose of worship, what is its spirit, and what are the details of the concessions given in the Shari‘ah—these matters seem to have no connection with us. The practical view of our public is that if a person performs the prayer without understanding a single word and in a state of extreme heedlessness, there is no problem with his prayer. But if a person understands every sentence of the prayer, yet due to some necessity picks up a child during the prayer, then according to the fatwa-giving public and the ignorant, his prayer will be greatly affected or even invalidated.

It is necessary to emphasize that if the worshipper is reciting the words of the prayer with understanding, then such movements do not cause any disruption in the prayer. The greatest calamity among us is that people have memorized the words of prayer, dhikr, and Qur’an without any reflection or thought, and when even a minor interruption occurs, their prayer becomes confused, and after the salam, they lash out at others. Such people should know that if Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, has taught us to adopt humility, submissiveness, and humility in prayer, then he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself has granted these concessions. Whoever hesitates to accept these concessions, in other words, is making a blameworthy attempt to go beyond the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.