إِذِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ أَعْلَمَ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَا يَزَالُ فِي صَلَاةٍ مَا دَامَ فِي مُصَلَّاهُ يَنْتَظِرُهَا، وَإِنَّمَا أَرَادَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَزَالُ فِي صَلَاةٍ، أَيْ أَنَّ لَهُ أَجْرَ الْمُصَلِّي، لَا أَنَّهُ فِي صَلَاةٍ فِي جَمِيعِ أَحْكَامِهِ، إِذْ لَوْ كَانَ مُنْتَظِرُ الصَّلَاةِ فِي صَلَاةٍ فِي جَمِيعِ أَحْكَامِهِ، لَمَا جَازَ لِمُنْتَظِرِ الصَّلَاةِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِمَا يَقْطَعُ عَلَيْهِ صَلَاتَهُ لَوْ تَكَلَّمَ بِهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، وَلَمَا جَازَ أَنْ يُوَلِّيَ وَجْهَهُ عَنِ الْقِبْلَةِ أَوْ يَسْتَقْبِلَ غَيْرَ الْقِبْلَةِ، وَلَكَانَ مَنْهِيًّا عَنْ كُلِّ مَا نُهِيَ عَنْهُ الْمُصَلِّي.
Because the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has informed that as long as a servant waits for prayer while sitting in his prayer place, he remains in a state of prayer. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) means that he remains in a state of prayer in the sense that he continues to receive the reward of prayer. It does not mean that he remains engaged in all the rulings of prayer, because if the one waiting for prayer was considered to be in prayer in terms of all its rulings, then it would be forbidden for him to speak in that time in a manner which, if done during prayer, would invalidate the prayer. And it would not be permissible for him to turn his face away from the Qiblah or to face any direction other than the Qiblah. And every act that is forbidden to a person in prayer would also be forbidden to him.