❖ Raising One’s Gaze Toward the Sky During Salah ❖
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
There is scholarly consensus (ijmā‘) on the prohibition of this act during Salah.
[Sharḥ Muslim by al-Nawawī: 4/152; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 2/234]
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لينتهين أقوام يرفعون أبصارهم إلى السماء فى الصلاة أو لتخطفن أبصارهم
“Let those who lift their gaze towards the sky during prayer desist, or their eyesight will surely be snatched away.”
[Aḥmad: 2/333; Muslim: 429, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh: Bāb al-Nahy ʿan Rafʿ al-Baṣar ilā al-Samā’ fī al-Ṣalāh; Nasā’ī: 3/39]
❖ This hadith conveys a stern warning from the Prophet ﷺ against raising the eyes to the sky during Salah, emphasizing that:
✔ Such behavior reflects heedlessness and lack of humility, which contradicts the reverence and khushūʿ (humble submission) required in prayer.
✔ The warning — “or their eyesight will be taken away” — indicates a serious consequence, either literal or metaphorical, showing the severity of the act.
✔ Scholars agree that keeping the gaze focused on the place of prostration is from the sunnah of prayer, reinforcing concentration and devotion.
✔ Raising the eyes toward the sky during Salah is strictly prohibited, based on authentic ahādīth and scholarly consensus.
✔ Worshippers should fix their gaze at the place of sujūd (prostration) throughout the prayer to ensure proper khushūʿ and avoid actions that may render the prayer spiritually deficient or invalid.
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
✦ Prohibition of Lifting the Gaze Toward the Sky in Prayer
There is scholarly consensus (ijmā‘) on the prohibition of this act during Salah.
[Sharḥ Muslim by al-Nawawī: 4/152; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 2/234]✦ Hadith on the Matter
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لينتهين أقوام يرفعون أبصارهم إلى السماء فى الصلاة أو لتخطفن أبصارهم
“Let those who lift their gaze towards the sky during prayer desist, or their eyesight will surely be snatched away.”
[Aḥmad: 2/333; Muslim: 429, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh: Bāb al-Nahy ʿan Rafʿ al-Baṣar ilā al-Samā’ fī al-Ṣalāh; Nasā’ī: 3/39]✦ Explanation
❖ This hadith conveys a stern warning from the Prophet ﷺ against raising the eyes to the sky during Salah, emphasizing that:
✔ Such behavior reflects heedlessness and lack of humility, which contradicts the reverence and khushūʿ (humble submission) required in prayer.
✔ The warning — “or their eyesight will be taken away” — indicates a serious consequence, either literal or metaphorical, showing the severity of the act.
✔ Scholars agree that keeping the gaze focused on the place of prostration is from the sunnah of prayer, reinforcing concentration and devotion.
✦ Conclusion
✔ Raising the eyes toward the sky during Salah is strictly prohibited, based on authentic ahādīth and scholarly consensus.
✔ Worshippers should fix their gaze at the place of sujūd (prostration) throughout the prayer to ensure proper khushūʿ and avoid actions that may render the prayer spiritually deficient or invalid.
