Is there a prohibition in the Sunnah against closing the eyes in prayer?

The Shaykh : Here is question number one. Is there a prohibition in the Sunnah against closing the eyes in prayer? As for an explicit prohibition, there is none in the Sunnah. However, the Sunnah indicates that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), when the prayer began, would keep his eyes open rather than closing them. This is sufficient for us, or it suffices in place of a hadith like the one you are asking about—a hadith that prohibits closing the eyes in prayer. Because when we study the biography of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), we find that he would see and look during prayer. And he told us: . This suffices in place of an explicit hadith prohibiting closing the eyes in prayer. In fact, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had a miracle in prayer that is like a rebuke to the intent of those who deliberately close their eyes in prayer. He said (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): . So, in prayer, he did not just see what was in front of him; he also saw what was behind him. Since the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with his eyes open, and he is our model, we should not invent a manner of prayer that differs from his manner. If we could see those behind us, that would be good, but this is not within our reach or our ability, because it is a special attribute by which Allah distinguished His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, deliberately closing the eyes in prayer is a religious innovation in prayer. Especially since this closing of the eyes not only causes the loss of the general Sunnah, as we explained earlier—he used to pray with his eyes open, so we must pray with our eyes open based on his saying: —but it also leads to the loss of specific Sunnahs. For example: قبل نزول قوله - تعالى - : قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ إلى آخر الآيات كان الرسول - عليه السلام - يقف في الصلاة ويلمح بدون أن يلتفت ببدنه ينظر هكذا بطرف عينه فلما أنزل الله هذه الآية : قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ رمى ببصره إلى موضع سجوده Before the revelation of His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): "Indeed, the successful are the believers who are humble in their prayers" to the end of the verses, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand in prayer and glance without turning his body, looking like this with the corner of his eye. So when Allah revealed this verse: "Indeed, the successful are the believers who are humble in their prayers," he cast his gaze to the place of his prostration.. So, if you want to pray with your eyes closed, it means you have lost the Sunnah of looking at the place of prostration while standing. That is one thing. There is another Sunnah: the one sitting in the tashahhud casts his gaze at his index finger, which he moves to strike the devil, and he moves his finger in defiance of the devil. Therefore, it came in a hadith that moving the finger is more severe for the devil than the sound of swords. In this case, when you are sitting in the tashahhud and moving your finger, it is from the Sunnah to cast your gaze at your finger. If you close your eyes, you also lose this Sunnah. Therefore, the truth is that the Messenger of Allah is the best guide, and the guidance of Muhammad is the best.

The questioner: If ... I mean, if the imam prayed over him ... .

The Shaykh : What is this? Let’s talk, let’s talk.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : We said: "The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), before the revelation of His saying: , would turn his gaze ... down to the end of it. So when this verse was revealed, he cast his gaze to the ground, meaning to the place of prostration."