What is the criterion for movement that invalidates the prayer?
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The questioner : Regarding the distance of walking for one who is praying, is it for a specific need or not?
The Shaykh : No, whether specific or not, the issue is like travel, which is defined by days and distance... A seated traveler, whether defined or not, whether defined materially in kilometers, or as your question is not defined by steps, but it is defined by custom. Custom is that if a person is seen praying while walking, the one who sees him does not think in his mind that this person is praying. This is what is not permissible to do in terms of steps. But if he takes a step, for example, and stops, as some jurists say, and although the specific definition is not mentioned, when we studied Hanafi jurisprudence, we learned that three movements invalidate the prayer! And each movement consists of three movements in one pillar, meaning if he is standing and does this, this is a rest, this is a movement, this is a rest, this is three, no, this does not invalidate the prayer. But this, these are three movements. This is the opinion of the later Hanafi scholars. The old opinion of the Imams, meaning Abu Hanifa and his students, said that the criterion is not the limited number of three movements, but custom. So if a person is seen doing an action, the observer says, "This person is not praying." And I clearly remember that some of them gave a wonderful example: they saw an old man sewing... for example, the one who sees him says, "This person is not praying." Ah, so a person walking with a military march, for example, in prayer, certainly the one who sees him says that he is not in prayer. But a person who takes a step and stops, why should he not let the ruling apply to him, which is that he is walking by custom, in which case his prayer is invalidated? He takes a second step, and so on. This actually reminds me of this opinion, and this may be the first time that my Lord inspires me to mention it. Do you know the hadith that says Who will say that this person is not praying? No one says that this person is not praying. And so, you are standing, but your walking with your standing does not make the observer think that you are not praying. This is the criterion and this is the restriction, clear.
Abu Layla : On the side, is that possible?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by on the side?
Abu Layla : At the door opening, I am on the side.
The Shaykh : Take the rule.
Abu Layla : It is not measured by it, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : I am telling you, take the rule. Is it said that he is walking and that he is not in prayer, or is it said that he is in prayer?
Abu Layla : Excuse me, our Shaykh, I understood your previous words, because we say, our Shaykh, when bowing, he crept walking in the bowing to enter the row. I, for example, do not want to rush.
The Shaykh : Yes, my answer is the same, it does not change.
Abu Layla : That is it.
The Shaykh : No, whether specific or not, the issue is like travel, which is defined by days and distance... A seated traveler, whether defined or not, whether defined materially in kilometers, or as your question is not defined by steps, but it is defined by custom. Custom is that if a person is seen praying while walking, the one who sees him does not think in his mind that this person is praying. This is what is not permissible to do in terms of steps. But if he takes a step, for example, and stops, as some jurists say, and although the specific definition is not mentioned, when we studied Hanafi jurisprudence, we learned that three movements invalidate the prayer! And each movement consists of three movements in one pillar, meaning if he is standing and does this, this is a rest, this is a movement, this is a rest, this is three, no, this does not invalidate the prayer. But this, these are three movements. This is the opinion of the later Hanafi scholars. The old opinion of the Imams, meaning Abu Hanifa and his students, said that the criterion is not the limited number of three movements, but custom. So if a person is seen doing an action, the observer says, "This person is not praying." And I clearly remember that some of them gave a wonderful example: they saw an old man sewing... for example, the one who sees him says, "This person is not praying." Ah, so a person walking with a military march, for example, in prayer, certainly the one who sees him says that he is not in prayer. But a person who takes a step and stops, why should he not let the ruling apply to him, which is that he is walking by custom, in which case his prayer is invalidated? He takes a second step, and so on. This actually reminds me of this opinion, and this may be the first time that my Lord inspires me to mention it. Do you know the hadith that says
It is from the Sunnah that if a man enters the mosque and sees the imam bowing, he bows where he is and creeps walking.
من السنة إذا دخل الرجل المسجد ورأى الإمام راكعا فيركع حيث هو ويدب ماشياAbu Layla : On the side, is that possible?
The Shaykh : What do you mean by on the side?
Abu Layla : At the door opening, I am on the side.
The Shaykh : Take the rule.
Abu Layla : It is not measured by it, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : I am telling you, take the rule. Is it said that he is walking and that he is not in prayer, or is it said that he is in prayer?
Abu Layla : Excuse me, our Shaykh, I understood your previous words, because we say, our Shaykh, when bowing, he crept walking in the bowing to enter the row. I, for example, do not want to rush.
The Shaykh : Yes, my answer is the same, it does not change.
Abu Layla : That is it.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.