The Position of the Gaze During Qiyām, Rukūʿ, Sujūd, and Tashahhud in Salah
Source: Aḥkām wa Masā’il – Discussion on Ṣalāh, Volume 1, Page 126
❖ Question
Where should a worshipper fix his gaze during standing (qiyām), bowing (rukūʿ), prostration (sujūd), and tashahhud in Salah?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
The best and most virtuous practice is that throughout the prayer, the worshipper’s gaze should remain fixed on the place of prostration.
- If, due to necessity or accident, the gaze shifts away, the prayer is still valid.
- However, turning the eyes here and there (iltifāt) during Salah is forbidden.
◈ Evidence from Ḥadīth
From Anas (RA):
«عَنْ أَنَسٍ رضی اللہ عنہ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ: یَا أَنَسُ اجْعَلْ بَصَرَكَ حَیْثُ تَسْجُدُ»
Narrated by al-Bayhaqī
(Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Mā Lā Yajūz min al-ʿAmal fī al-Ṣalāh wa-Mā Yubāḥ minhu, Section 2)
"O Anas, keep your gaze at the place of your prostration."
◈ Clarification by Scholars
Shaykh Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī (رحمه الله) said:
"There are other aḥādīth in this chapter which further support the Sharʿī ruling of keeping the gaze fixed on the place of sujūd. For more detail, see Ṣifat Ṣalāt al-Nabī ﷺ, pp. 43–44."
◈ Summary
✿ During Salah, the gaze should remain at the place of sujūd.
✿ If the gaze shifts unintentionally, the prayer is still valid.
✿ One must avoid looking here and there (iltifāt) during Salah.
"ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب"
