The meaning of Abu Bakr not turning in his prayer and the ruling on turning
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, how did Mu'awiyah ibn al-Hakam see the people following him with their eyes? And what is the meaning of your statement that Abu Bakr did not turn in his prayer? Does it mean that his spirit was turning, or before he entered the state of consecration?
The Shaykh:
Turning the head does not invalidate the prayer; it is merely disliked as a matter of disapproval (makruh tanzihi). However, turning the body is what invalidates the prayer if done without a valid excuse. Turning the entire body, or deviating from the qiblah, is permissible if there is a dire necessity, such as fighting in the path of Allah, or killing a snake, scorpion, or other harmful creature. If done without a valid excuse, it invalidates the prayer. As for turning the head only, this does not invalidate the prayer; at most, it is disliked. If there is a need for it, there is no harm, and the disapproval is removed. If there is a need for him to turn, there is no obstacle.
The questioner:
And from my prayer.
The Shaykh:
Meaning with the head only, yes.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, the book did not make it clear, as he said.
The Shaykh:
And we repeat the beginning of the question.
The questioner:
Nothing, absolutely not.
The Shaykh:
Yes, he did not see his family turning. The turning that does not invalidate the prayer, the turning that does not invalidate the prayer, yes.
Honorable Shaykh, how did Mu'awiyah ibn al-Hakam see the people following him with their eyes? And what is the meaning of your statement that Abu Bakr did not turn in his prayer? Does it mean that his spirit was turning, or before he entered the state of consecration?
The Shaykh:
Turning the head does not invalidate the prayer; it is merely disliked as a matter of disapproval (makruh tanzihi). However, turning the body is what invalidates the prayer if done without a valid excuse. Turning the entire body, or deviating from the qiblah, is permissible if there is a dire necessity, such as fighting in the path of Allah, or killing a snake, scorpion, or other harmful creature. If done without a valid excuse, it invalidates the prayer. As for turning the head only, this does not invalidate the prayer; at most, it is disliked. If there is a need for it, there is no harm, and the disapproval is removed. If there is a need for him to turn, there is no obstacle.
The questioner:
And from my prayer.
The Shaykh:
Meaning with the head only, yes.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, the book did not make it clear, as he said.
The Shaykh:
And we repeat the beginning of the question.
The questioner:
Nothing, absolutely not.
The Shaykh:
Yes, he did not see his family turning. The turning that does not invalidate the prayer, the turning that does not invalidate the prayer, yes.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، تتمة باب شروط الصلاة — islamhouse.com (1:08:51)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.