✿ Written by: Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbānī ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Question:
Is there any ḥadīth that prohibits adjusting clothes or arranging hair during prayer? Kindly clarify.
❖ Answer:
During Ṣalāh, one should stand with calmness and composure, focusing on the performance of its essential acts (arkān) with humility and attentiveness.
It is common among people to:
- Play with their head hair,
- Or adjust their beard during prayer.
Such actions should be avoided, as they contradict the spirit of khushūʿ (humble concentration) in prayer.
❖ Prophetic Instruction
It is narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما that the Prophet ﷺ said:
«أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَسْجُدَ عَلَى سَبْعَةٍ، لَا أَكُفُّ شَعَرًا وَلَا ثَوْبًا»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī – Kitāb al-Adhān, Bāb: Lā Yakuffu Thawbahu fī aṣ-Ṣalāh, ḥadīth no. 816)
“I have been commanded to prostrate on seven parts (of the body), and not to tuck up hair or garments (during prayer).”
❖ Ruling Derived
This ḥadīth clearly indicates that:
- Playing with or adjusting one’s clothes or hair during prayer is discouraged.
- Such behavior is contrary to the adab (etiquette) and focus required in Ṣalāh.
Therefore, one should avoid such actions in order to maintain the sanctity and humility of the prayer.
