The Ruling on Praying Facing a Heater
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Your Eminence! Some people are scrupulous about praying in front of a heater. Is this correct?
The correct view is that there is nothing wrong with it, and we have not known of any scholar who disliked it. Rather, some scholars disliked facing a fire that is glowing and has flames, and they explained their dislike by saying that standing before the fire resembles the standing of the Zoroastrians who worship fire. As for these heaters, they are not like the fire of the Zoroastrians. If we were to say this, we would have to say that we do not place heaters in the walls and remove them from the mosque if they are in the qiblah, because they are fire. We continue to mention that our scholars used to bring incense burners and place them in front of the people, between the rows. Moreover, this heater is only in front of the ma'mum (those praying behind the imam), not in front of the imam. What matters is what is in front of the imam.If we said: It is disliked; because the ma'mum are followers of their imam. For this reason, it is not prescribed for them to take a sutrah (prayer barrier); because the imam's sutrah is the sutrah for those behind him. The important point is that there is no concern about it, and there is nothing wrong with it.
The correct view is that there is nothing wrong with it, and we have not known of any scholar who disliked it. Rather, some scholars disliked facing a fire that is glowing and has flames, and they explained their dislike by saying that standing before the fire resembles the standing of the Zoroastrians who worship fire. As for these heaters, they are not like the fire of the Zoroastrians. If we were to say this, we would have to say that we do not place heaters in the walls and remove them from the mosque if they are in the qiblah, because they are fire. We continue to mention that our scholars used to bring incense burners and place them in front of the people, between the rows. Moreover, this heater is only in front of the ma'mum (those praying behind the imam), not in front of the imam. What matters is what is in front of the imam.If we said: It is disliked; because the ma'mum are followers of their imam. For this reason, it is not prescribed for them to take a sutrah (prayer barrier); because the imam's sutrah is the sutrah for those behind him. The important point is that there is no concern about it, and there is nothing wrong with it.