Recommended and Permissible Acts in Salah Explained by Hadith

Fiqh Rulings and Issues of Ṣalāh in the Light of the Qur’an and Ḥadīth
Rulings and Issues of Prayer – Volume 01, Page 127

Question​

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The Recommended (Mustaḥabb) and Permissible (Mubāḥ) Acts in Prayer

Answer (With the Help of al-Wahhāb, Provided the Question Is Sound)​

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته!
All praise is for Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:

① Preventing Someone from Passing in Front During Prayer​

While performing prayer, it is recommended (masnūn) for the praying person to prevent someone who tries to pass close in front of him, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِذَا كَانَ أَحَدُكُمْ يُصَلِّي فَلَا يَدَعْ أَحَدًا يَمُرُّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلْيَدْرَأْهُ مَا اسْتَطَاعَ، فَإِنْ أَبَى فَلْيُقَاتِلْهُ فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْطَانٌ

“When one of you is praying, he should not let anyone pass in front of him. He should repel him as much as he can, and if he refuses, then fight him, for indeed he is a devil.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Manʿ al-Mārr bayna Yaday al-Muṣallī, ḥadīth: 506

If there is a sutrah in front of the praying person, then there is no harm in passing behind the sutrah.

Likewise, if space is extremely limited and the passerby is in genuine need, the praying person should not prevent him, because in such a case the passerby is considered excused.

If someone is praying in the Ḥaram, he should not stop people from passing in front of him, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray in Makkah, and people would pass in front of him while there was no sutrah before him.

ref Sunan Abī Dāwūd, al-Manāsik, Bāb fī Makkah, ḥadīth: 2016[/ref]

Reference: Sunan al-Nasāʾī, al-Qiblah, Bāb al-Rukhsah fī Dhālik, ḥadīth: 759

Reference: Sunan Ibn Mājah, al-Manāsik, Bāb al-Rakʿatayn Baʿd al-Ṭawāf, ḥadīth: 2958

Reference: Musnad Aḥmad 6/399

② Ruling and Legitimacy of the Sutrah​

When a person prays alone or as an imām, it is recommended for him to place a sutrah, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِذَا صَلَّى أَحَدُكُمْ، فَلْيُصَلِّ إِلَى سُتْرَةٍ وَلْيَدْنُ مِنْهَا

“When one of you prays, he should pray facing a sutrah and remain close to it.”

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Mā Yuʾmar al-Muṣallī an Yadrāʾ, ḥadīth: 698

It should be noted that for the follower (muqtadī), the sutrah of his imām is sufficient.

Placing a sutrah is not obligatory, because it is narrated from Sayyidunā Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:

صلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في فضاء وليس بين يديه شيء

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed in an open area and there was nothing in front of him.”

Reference: Musnad Aḥmad 1/224, 327

The sutrah may be thin or thick, wide or narrow, but it should be placed upright. Its height should be approximately equal to the rear part of a saddle, i.e., about one and a half feet.

The wisdom behind the sutrah is that it prevents people from passing in front of the praying person and helps maintain focus and humility.

If a person prays in an open desert, he may take any visible object as a sutrah, such as:
◈ A tree
◈ A stone
◈ A stick

If it is not possible to fix a stick into the ground, he may place it lengthwise in front of him.

③ Correcting the Imām’s Recitation​

If the imām makes an omission or mistake in a word or verse during recitation, it is permissible for the follower to correct him by giving luqmah (prompting).

④ Permissible Actions During Prayer​

The following actions are permissible during prayer:
✔ Wearing or removing clothing
✔ Picking up or placing down an object
✔ Opening a door

Likewise, killing a snake or a scorpion during prayer is permissible, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

أَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِقَتْلِ الْأَسْوَدَيْنِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ … الْحَيَّةِ وَالْعَقْرَبِ

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded the killing of the two black creatures during prayer: the snake and the scorpion.”

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb al-ʿAmal fī al-Ṣalāh, ḥadīth: 921

Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī Qatl al-Aswad fī al-Ṣalāh, ḥadīth: 390

However, performing permissible actions frequently and continuously without necessity is not allowed, because such behavior invalidates the prayer as it contradicts prayer and removes humility.

⑤ Method of Alerting During Prayer​

If an important matter arises during prayer, such as:
◈ Someone seeking permission to enter
◈ The imām forgetting
◈ Fear of someone’s destruction or harm

Then the praying person may alert others in the following way:
✔ A man should say “Subḥānallāh”
✔ A woman should clap by striking the back of one hand against the palm of the other

Because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

يا أيها الناس ما لكم حين نابكم شىء في الصلاة أخذتم بالتصفيح إنما التصفيح للنساء، من نابه شىء في صلاته فليقل سبحان الله

“O people! Why is it that when something happens to you during prayer, you resort to clapping? Clapping is only for women. Whoever encounters something during prayer should say: Subḥānallāh.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, al-ʿAmal fī al-Ṣalāh, ḥadīth: 1218

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, al-Ṣalāh, ḥadīth: 422

⑥ Responding to Salām During Prayer​

If someone offers salām while a person is praying, the praying person should respond with a gesture, not verbally by saying “Wa ʿalaykum al-salām”, because verbal response invalidates the prayer.
After completing the prayer, he should then respond verbally.

⑦ Reciting Multiple Sūrahs in One Rakʿah​

A praying person may recite multiple sūrahs in one rakʿah, as mentioned in the ḥadīth:

أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قرأ البقرة والنساء وآل عمران في ركعة

“The Prophet ﷺ recited Sūrah al-Baqarah, Sūrah al-Nisāʾ, and Sūrah Āl ʿImrān in a single rakʿah.”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ṣalāt al-Musāfirīn, ḥadīth: 772

Reference: Sunan al-Nasāʾī, al-Iftitāḥ, ḥadīth: 1010

Likewise, it is permissible to:
◈ Repeat the same sūrah in two rakʿahs
◈ Divide a sūrah between two rakʿahs
◈ Begin recitation from the middle or end of a sūrah

It is narrated from ʿAbdullāh bin ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما that the Prophet ﷺ would sometimes recite in the first rakʿah of the Sunnah of Fajr:

﴿قولوا ءامَنّا بِاللَّهِ وَما أُنزِلَ إِلَينا …﴾

Reference: al-Baqarah: 136

And in the second rakʿah:

﴿قُل يـٰأَهلَ الكِتـٰبِ تَعالَوا إِلىٰ كَلِمَةٍ سَواءٍ بَينَنا وَبَينَكُم …﴾

Reference: Āl ʿImrān: 64

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ṣalāt al-Musāfirīn, ḥadīth: 727

Allah Almighty says:

فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ

“So recite from the Qur’an whatever is easy for you.”

Reference: al-Muzzammil 73:20

This verse indicates that recitation may be done from any part of the Qur’an in prayer.

⑧ Supplication and Sending Blessings During Recitation​

During recitation:
◈ If a verse of punishment is mentioned, one should seek refuge with Allah
◈ If a verse of mercy is mentioned, one should ask Allah for it
◈ If the name of the Prophet ﷺ is mentioned, one should send blessings upon him

As strong encouragement has been reported regarding this.These are some of the matters that are recommended and permissible during prayer. They have been mentioned so that you may benefit from them when needed and gain insight into these rulings.

Prayer is a great act of worship, and only those actions are valid in it which are established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Therefore, it is necessary to observe these Sharʿī limits so that the prayer may be performed correctly and completely.

ھذا ما عندی والله أعلم بالصواب