It is reported in a hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would glance to the right and left during prayer. How do we reconcile this with what is reported from him (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding looking at the place of prostration?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I mentioned, O Shaykh... a sound hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would glance to the right and left during prayer without... How do we reconcile this hadith with the fact that the gaze should be... in front of the worshipper, at his place of prostration? Is this hadith... attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or to his action (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh : There is no doubt that glancing to the right and left by him (peace be upon him) is not a matter of frivolity, but rather a matter of considering the public interest. In Sunan Abu Dawud, there is a hadith with a sound chain from Sa'd ibn al-Hanatiliyyah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was on a journey, so he sent a horseman as a scout. He stood to lead his companions in prayer, and he would turn his gaze to look at the valley from which the horseman was expected to come. This glancing is most similar to what al-Bukhari reported in his Sahih as a hanging narration that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say, "I prepare my army while I am praying." Without a doubt, he was thinking in prayer about something that is not the core of the prayer, but it is part of the religion that brought the prayer. This specific point should give us a new jurisprudence that the negligent have overlooked. This jurisprudence is that prayer is not required to always be an expression of dhikr, recitation of the Qur'an, humility, and contemplation. Rather, it does not contradict all these things that are prescribed. In fact, prayer is usually established upon them. This does not contradict at all that something else may occur from the worshipper that is not in the manner of what was mentioned before, but is also not on the path of the frivolity that is prohibited in prayer. This is an example of 'Umar's saying: "I prepare my army in prayer". That is because preparing the army in prayer is part of Islam. So when he occupied his mind and intellect with organizing the army he was preparing to face the enemy, we are not occupied with trivial matters, but with what Islam encourages and commands, especially since he is the supreme commander as the Caliph of the Muslims.
Of this nature is also what was asked about, that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would glance to the right and left for the sake of interest. And I have brought you the corroborating hadith of Sa'd ibn al-Hanatiliyyah; he was monitoring when this vanguard he sent to scout the enemies and their positions and locations, etc., would arrive. And of this nature are many examples. And what I will mention is, in my opinion, known to you: that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) entered prayer one day with Ummamah, the daughter of Zaynab, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), on his shoulders. So he would lead the people in prayer and recite for them while standing. When they bowed, he took her and placed her on the ground gently, and he bowed and prostrated. Then when he stood up from the second rak'ah, he returned her to her place. This also is not an action directly related to the prayer, but it is an action that Islam encourages, and it is in the category of gentleness with small children and caring for them. And of this nature is also that great hadith in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prostrated one day in the middle of the 'Asr prayer in a prostration he lengthened, contrary to his custom (peace be upon him), until one of the worshippers thought the Messenger had died, because this extreme lengthening was not his custom. He was, without a doubt (peace be upon him), in a prostration close to his standing, and it was his Sunnah to equalize between the pillars, as is known. But that prostration was much longer than what was customary, which led some of the worshippers to check on the noble Prophet. He raised his head from prostration to look at the Messenger (peace be upon him) to reassure himself, and he saw an amazing matter: he saw the Messenger prostrating in the prostration of the strong, as you know, with the separation of the fingers and relying on the hands rather than the forearms. This indicates that this prostrator is awake and completely strong. But at the same time, he saw al-Hasan or al-Husayn riding on his back (peace be upon him). At that time, he discovered the secret and his heart was reassured, and he returned to his prostration as it was. When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) finished his prayer, they said to him, "O Messenger of Allah, you prostrated in the middle of your prayer a prostration you lengthened." He said (peace be upon him), "This is from my manners and humility:Mishkat al-Masabih 3378, 'Arthahani' in formal Arabic means he took me as a mount, meaning a camel. So he rode me as a rider rides his mount, i.e., his camel. Oh Allah, get down; it is not the time now, as people usually do. He (peace be upon him) left him riding on his back (peace and blessings be upon him) until he was the one who got tired. And this reminds us of the hadith of 'A'ishah when the Abyssinians played with spears in the mosque. She stood and watched them, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was covering her, and he had placed his chin on her shoulder, and he (peace be upon him) was saying to her, "Have you had enough?" She would say, "No." Every time he said to her, "Have you had enough?" she would say, "No." She was saying about herself that every time he said to her, "Have you had enough?" she would say, "No." She said, "Until I was the one who got tired." Similarly, al-Hasan and al-Husayn: the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), in his care for educating children and raising them and considering their childhood, did not take them off his back even in prayer until they were the ones who got tired. And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head from prostration. So all these matters are not a habit of the prayer, but when their occasion arises, their ruling is the ruling of the prayer in that they are matters prescribed in Islam. So if we read a hadith that the Messenger was glancing and looking to the right and left, it must immediately come to our minds that this was not from frivolity, may he be protected from that, but rather from the category of public interest. This public interest may have a direct relation to the prayer or a relation to Islam in general. Knowing that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was given a prophetic miracle by which he was distinguished, not only from the general people, but from all the prophets and messengers, which is that he could see from behind him as he sees from in front of him. And so it was from his saying (peace be upon him): . So what is the wisdom of the Messenger being given this miracle to see the man from behind him to rectify his affairs? Here, who is going to precede? Here, who is going to raise his head before him? In short, after this explanation and lengthening, his (peace be upon him) turning to the right and left in prayer sometimes is for a benefit that returns to the Muslims themselves...
The Shaykh : There is no doubt that glancing to the right and left by him (peace be upon him) is not a matter of frivolity, but rather a matter of considering the public interest. In Sunan Abu Dawud, there is a hadith with a sound chain from Sa'd ibn al-Hanatiliyyah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was on a journey, so he sent a horseman as a scout. He stood to lead his companions in prayer, and he would turn his gaze to look at the valley from which the horseman was expected to come. This glancing is most similar to what al-Bukhari reported in his Sahih as a hanging narration that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say, "I prepare my army while I am praying." Without a doubt, he was thinking in prayer about something that is not the core of the prayer, but it is part of the religion that brought the prayer. This specific point should give us a new jurisprudence that the negligent have overlooked. This jurisprudence is that prayer is not required to always be an expression of dhikr, recitation of the Qur'an, humility, and contemplation. Rather, it does not contradict all these things that are prescribed. In fact, prayer is usually established upon them. This does not contradict at all that something else may occur from the worshipper that is not in the manner of what was mentioned before, but is also not on the path of the frivolity that is prohibited in prayer. This is an example of 'Umar's saying: "I prepare my army in prayer". That is because preparing the army in prayer is part of Islam. So when he occupied his mind and intellect with organizing the army he was preparing to face the enemy, we are not occupied with trivial matters, but with what Islam encourages and commands, especially since he is the supreme commander as the Caliph of the Muslims.
Of this nature is also what was asked about, that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would glance to the right and left for the sake of interest. And I have brought you the corroborating hadith of Sa'd ibn al-Hanatiliyyah; he was monitoring when this vanguard he sent to scout the enemies and their positions and locations, etc., would arrive. And of this nature are many examples. And what I will mention is, in my opinion, known to you: that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) entered prayer one day with Ummamah, the daughter of Zaynab, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), on his shoulders. So he would lead the people in prayer and recite for them while standing. When they bowed, he took her and placed her on the ground gently, and he bowed and prostrated. Then when he stood up from the second rak'ah, he returned her to her place. This also is not an action directly related to the prayer, but it is an action that Islam encourages, and it is in the category of gentleness with small children and caring for them. And of this nature is also that great hadith in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prostrated one day in the middle of the 'Asr prayer in a prostration he lengthened, contrary to his custom (peace be upon him), until one of the worshippers thought the Messenger had died, because this extreme lengthening was not his custom. He was, without a doubt (peace be upon him), in a prostration close to his standing, and it was his Sunnah to equalize between the pillars, as is known. But that prostration was much longer than what was customary, which led some of the worshippers to check on the noble Prophet. He raised his head from prostration to look at the Messenger (peace be upon him) to reassure himself, and he saw an amazing matter: he saw the Messenger prostrating in the prostration of the strong, as you know, with the separation of the fingers and relying on the hands rather than the forearms. This indicates that this prostrator is awake and completely strong. But at the same time, he saw al-Hasan or al-Husayn riding on his back (peace be upon him). At that time, he discovered the secret and his heart was reassured, and he returned to his prostration as it was. When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) finished his prayer, they said to him, "O Messenger of Allah, you prostrated in the middle of your prayer a prostration you lengthened." He said (peace be upon him), "This is from my manners and humility: