❖ Actions Proven from Sunnah During Salah That Are Not Considered Excessive Movements (ʿAmal Kathīr) ❖
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Many actions performed during Salah are proven from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions, yet they are not considered ‘ʿamal kathīr’ (excessive movement) that would invalidate the prayer. Below is a list of such authentic actions:
✦ Examples of Permissible Movements During Salah:
➊ Carrying a Child During Prayer
The Prophet ﷺ would carry his granddaughter Umāmah (رضي الله عنها) during Salah. He would put her down for rukūʿ and sajdah, and pick her up again during standing.
📚 [Bukhārī: 516; Muslim: 543; Abū Dāwūd: 917; Nasā’ī: 1204; Muwaṭṭa: 1/170; Aḥmad: 5/295]
➋ Descending from the Minbar for Sujūd
The Prophet ﷺ once prayed on the minbar, and when he reached the point of sajdah, he descended to the ground and prostrated.
📚 [Bukhārī: 377; Muslim: 544]
➌ Weeping During Prayer
Narrated by Abdullah ibn al-Shikhkhīr (رضي الله عنه):
“I saw the Prophet ﷺ praying, and the sound of his weeping in his chest was like a boiling pot.”
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 799; Aḥmad: 4/25; Nasā’ī: 3/13; Ibn Khuzaymah: 900]
➍ Coughing or Clearing the Throat (Tanahnuḥ)
The Prophet ﷺ would sometimes cough lightly to signal someone while praying.
📚 [Ḍaʿīf Ibn Mājah: 810; Ibn Mājah: 3708; Aḥmad: 1/80]
✔ Considered non-invalidating by Imam Shāfiʿī and Imam Abū Yūsuf, though Imam Abū Ḥanīfah and Imam Muḥammad considered it invalidating.
📚 [Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/163]
➎ Blowing (Nafkh) During Salah
The Prophet ﷺ was reported to have blown during the eclipse prayer.
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 1055; Aḥmad: 2/159; Nasā’ī: 3/137; Bayhaqī: 3/324]
➏ Saying “Subḥānallāh” During Prayer
Men should say “Subḥānallāh” to alert the Imam when needed; women should clap.
📚 [Bukhārī: 1203; Muslim: 422; Abū Dāwūd: 939; Tirmidhī: 367; Nasā’ī: 3/11; Ibn Mājah: 1034; Aḥmad: 2/261]
➐ Replying to Salām with a Gesture
The Prophet ﷺ would respond to greetings during prayer by gesturing with his hand.
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 820; Aḥmad: 1236; Abū Dāwūd: 927; Tirmidhī: 366]
➑ Killing a Snake or Scorpion During Salah
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Kill the two black ones (snake and scorpion) even during prayer.”
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 814; Abū Dāwūd: 921; Tirmidhī: 390; Nasā’ī: 1202; Ibn Mājah: 1245; Ibn Ḥibbān: 2346]
➒ Spitting Into One’s Garment
The Prophet ﷺ once spat into his garment and rubbed part of it together.
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 374; Abū Dāwūd: 389]
➓ Wiping Spittle with Footwear
Narrated from Abdullah ibn al-Shikhkhīr (رضي الله عنه):
“The Prophet ﷺ spat and rubbed it with his sandal.”
📚 [Muslim: 554]
⓫ Walking a Few Steps During Prayer
Narrated by ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
If the door was locked while the Prophet ﷺ was praying, she would knock, and he would walk to open it and return to prayer.
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 815; Tirmidhī: 601; Nasā’ī: 1206]
⓬ Touching Someone to Inform Them
The Prophet ﷺ would tap ʿĀ’ishah’s leg when she was lying in his direction, so she would move to make space for sujūd.
📚 [Bukhārī: 382; Muslim: 512; Muwaṭṭa: 1/117; Abū Dāwūd: 713]
⓭ Letting a Child Climb on One’s Back
The Prophet ﷺ allowed al-Ḥasan (رضي الله عنه) to climb on his back during sujūd, and he prolonged the prostration accordingly.
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ Nasā’ī: 1093, 1142; Aḥmad: 3/494; Ḥākim: 3/166]
⓮ Removing Shoes During Salah
The Prophet ﷺ removed his shoes during prayer upon realizing impurity on them.
📚 [Ḥākim: 13931; Majmaʿ al-Zawā’id: 2/56]
⓯ Suppressing a Yawn
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Yawning is from Shayṭān; so if one of you feels like yawning, he should suppress it as much as possible.”
In Tirmidhī, it is mentioned specifically: “في الصلاة” (in prayer).
📚 [Muslim: 2994; Tirmidhī: 370; Ṣaḥīḥ Tirmidhī by Albānī: 304]
⓰ Walking Behind a Tugging Animal While in Prayer
A companion would pray while holding the reins of his animal, and as it pulled, he would follow behind during Salah.
📚 [Bukhārī: 91211]
✦ Conclusion
✔ All these actions are proven from authentic Sunnah and are not considered invalidating movements, as they are either minimal or done for valid reasons.
✔ This shows the flexibility and practical nature of Salah as taught by the Prophet ﷺ.
