The Ruling on Turning One’s Head and Laughing in Prayer
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The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. What is the ruling on turning one’s head in prayer, and what is the ruling on laughing in prayer?
The Shaykh:
Turning one’s head in prayer is not permissible. However, if the turning involves the body without an excuse, it invalidates the prayer, just as if one turns one’s back to the qiblah or deviates from it significantly so that it is to one’s side without a valid legal excuse, then his prayer is invalid. This is because facing the qiblah is a condition for the validity of the prayer. As for a slight turning of the neck only, this is disliked. It is among the disliked acts in prayer and does not invalidate it. As for the voluntary prayer of a traveler, he may pray in whatever direction he faces during his journey.
The presenter:
What Allah willed.
The Shaykh:
He prays the voluntary prayer in whatever direction he faces, and he is excused from facing the qiblah. This is to allow him the opportunity to worship and draw near to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray at night during his travels, in whatever direction his mount faced, peace and blessings be upon him.
The questioner:
Laughing. May Allah preserve you. The question is about the ruling on laughing.
The Shaykh:
If the sound of loud laughter or the like becomes apparent, the prayer is invalid.
The presenter:
Ah.
The Shaykh:
Because it is a type of speech in prayer. As for if it is merely a smile, then it is also not permissible; it is disliked, because it indicates heedlessness regarding the prayer and thinking about matters outside the prayer. So one should avoid laughing in both its forms: the smile and the loud laughter.
May Allah reward you with good. What is the ruling on turning one’s head in prayer, and what is the ruling on laughing in prayer?
The Shaykh:
Turning one’s head in prayer is not permissible. However, if the turning involves the body without an excuse, it invalidates the prayer, just as if one turns one’s back to the qiblah or deviates from it significantly so that it is to one’s side without a valid legal excuse, then his prayer is invalid. This is because facing the qiblah is a condition for the validity of the prayer. As for a slight turning of the neck only, this is disliked. It is among the disliked acts in prayer and does not invalidate it. As for the voluntary prayer of a traveler, he may pray in whatever direction he faces during his journey.
The presenter:
What Allah willed.
The Shaykh:
He prays the voluntary prayer in whatever direction he faces, and he is excused from facing the qiblah. This is to allow him the opportunity to worship and draw near to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray at night during his travels, in whatever direction his mount faced, peace and blessings be upon him.
The questioner:
Laughing. May Allah preserve you. The question is about the ruling on laughing.
The Shaykh:
If the sound of loud laughter or the like becomes apparent, the prayer is invalid.
The presenter:
Ah.
The Shaykh:
Because it is a type of speech in prayer. As for if it is merely a smile, then it is also not permissible; it is disliked, because it indicates heedlessness regarding the prayer and thinking about matters outside the prayer. So one should avoid laughing in both its forms: the smile and the loud laughter.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم الالتفات في الصلاة، وما حكم الضحك في الصلاة؟ الشيخ صالح بن فوزان الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.