Thinking, or the wandering of the mind, sometimes during prayer away from it?
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The questioner : Also, he says: Thinking, or the wandering of the mind, sometimes during prayer away from it?
The Shaykh : This is among the whispers that Satan casts into the heart of the one praying, for Satan is our enemy, as Allah Mighty and Majestic said:[Fatir 35:6] It is well known that your enemy, who has been set over the children of Adam, except for the sincere servants of Allah, will strive with utmost effort to mislead you and cause you to miss opportunities to the extent of his ability. He comes to a person in his prayer and opens upon him the doors of whispers from every side, making him think about things that benefit him neither in his religion nor his worldly life. And when he says the closing salam and turns away from his prayer, these whispers fly away from him and vanish as if they had never been. This is sufficient as a warning to a person and an explanation that this is from his enemy. But Allah has not sent down a disease without sending down a cure for it, praise be to Allah. This matter was complained of to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he ordered that a person should spit to his left three times and say, "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan," until Allah Glorified and Exalted is He removes it.
Spitting to the left is possible if a person is the imam or praying alone, but if he is a ma'mum and people are to his left, spitting may be difficult. In that case, turning one's head is sufficient. We may also say that there is no need to turn one's head, but rather one should seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan without turning, because it appears that turning was for the sake of spitting, which occurs when seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. This is because it is not permissible to spit in front of oneself while praying, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that. Yes.
The Shaykh : This is among the whispers that Satan casts into the heart of the one praying, for Satan is our enemy, as Allah Mighty and Majestic said:
Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.
إن الشيطان لكم عدو فاتخذوه عدوا إنما يدعو حزبه ليكونوا من أصحاب السعيرSpitting to the left is possible if a person is the imam or praying alone, but if he is a ma'mum and people are to his left, spitting may be difficult. In that case, turning one's head is sufficient. We may also say that there is no need to turn one's head, but rather one should seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan without turning, because it appears that turning was for the sake of spitting, which occurs when seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. This is because it is not permissible to spit in front of oneself while praying, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that. Yes.