Moving pebbles

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Do not move the pebbles in prayer.

Muslim bin Abi Maryam said: Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) saw a man moving the pebbles about in prayer, and he said: "Do not move the pebbles about in prayer, for this is from Satan."

Talhah said: Moving the pebbles about in prayer causes harm to the angels.

Ali bin al-Aqmar said: I prayed beside Masruq, and I moved the pebbles during the prayer, so he struck my hand.

Ziyad bin Fayyad said: I prayed beside Abu Iyad, and I moved the pebbles during the prayer, so he struck my hand. When he had completed his prayer, he said: "A very severe statement used to be said about this."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: During prayer, do not touch the pebbles needlessly.

A freed slave of Atiyyah said: I prayed beside Qays bin Ubad. During the prayer I took hold of a stick and put it to my mouth, so he struck my chin. When he had completed the prayer, I said to him: "Why did you do something that astonished me?" He said: "It used to be said that whoever does something idle in his prayer, his prayer is reduced by that much."

Al-Hasan disliked that a man should do anything idle in his prayer.

Ma'mar bin Abd al-Rahman said: I prayed beside a man from among the students of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), and during the prayer I touched the pebbles. After completing the prayer, he said: Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "None of you should ask his Lord for any good while there is a stone in his hand."

Ibrahim disliked doing anything idle in prayer.