And if we feel this and know with absolute certainty that Allah the Exalted knows what is in our hearts and what we say to ourselves, is it fitting for us, while Allah Glorified and Exalted is He is saving us, to divert our hearts to other things?
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The Shaykh : And if we feel this and know with absolute certainty that Allah the Exalted knows what is in our hearts and what we say to ourselves, is it fitting for us, while Allah Glorified and Exalted is He is saving us, to divert our hearts to other things? Answer? No, by Allah, it is not fitting. But Satan moves through us like blood and tries to stand between us and our Lord by opening up to us whispers and thoughts of the soul when we enter prayer, such that we do not know what we prayed.
So try, my Muslim brother, to drive these whispers and thoughts away from you by every means. The closest means to that is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to when this matter was complained to him: that a person should spit to his left three times and seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. He spits to his left and says, "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan." If he does that, Allah will remove it from him. It is not a condition that Allah removes it immediately; it may not leave you until after a period of time. But try to seek healing with this medicine that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified for the one who complained to him that he finds this in his prayer, meaning the whispers. And it is amazing that a person in his prayer has whispers about useless matters that never benefit him, and these whispers leave him as soon as he exits his prayer, as soon as he exits his prayer.
So if someone asks: Is it permissible for a person to think to himself in prayer about a religious matter, such as researching a scholarly issue? And when he entered his prayer, he opened the book—not physically, but his heart opened the book—and he started thinking in order to clarify the issue he wants to research. Is this permissible? Yes.
Meaning, is this part of khushu' (humility) in prayer or not? Yes, my brothers, a scholarly issue, a scholarly issue. Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, it is not part of khushu' in prayer, because this issue can be reviewed and thought about after he finishes his prayer.
But some of you may bring up to me what came from the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), when he said: preparing the army. There is no doubt that this is thinking about it. He says, "And I was in prayer." And 'Umar ibn al-Khattab is among the most worshipful of Allah's servants. So what is the answer?
The answer to that is: Thinking about what relates to the army in jihad is permissible, because in prayer during jihad, what is not permissible in other states is permissible, in other than this state. Are we not in jihad praying the prayer of fear, which has no counterpart in the prayers of safety, or not?
Yes, we pray in fear a prayer that has no counterpart in the prayer of safety, and we take one form of it. If the enemy is not in the direction of the qiblah, the imam divides the army into two groups: one group prays with him, and the other faces the enemy. So when he prays one rak'ah with those with him and stands for the second, they complete the remaining rak'ah for themselves, say the taslim, and leave.
And this differs from the prayer of safety, because in the prayer of safety, it is not permissible for the ma'mum to separate from the imam except for a Sharia' excuse.
Then the other group, which was facing the enemy, comes and enters with the imam in which rak'ah? In the second rak'ah, and they follow him. So when he sits for the tashahhud, they stand and complete for themselves before the imam says the taslim. It is known that this is not permissible in a state of safety, but in a state of fear it is permissible. Then they say the taslim with the imam. And there is no doubt that if a person did this in a state of safety, the prayer would be invalid, but in a state of fear, a person needs things that protect him from the enemy.
So the answer to what came from 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) is: What was his thinking for? It was for the sake of jihad, and in a state of jihad, what is not permissible in a state of safety is permissible.
So try, my Muslim brother, to drive these whispers and thoughts away from you by every means. The closest means to that is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to when this matter was complained to him: that a person should spit to his left three times and seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. He spits to his left and says, "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan." If he does that, Allah will remove it from him. It is not a condition that Allah removes it immediately; it may not leave you until after a period of time. But try to seek healing with this medicine that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified for the one who complained to him that he finds this in his prayer, meaning the whispers. And it is amazing that a person in his prayer has whispers about useless matters that never benefit him, and these whispers leave him as soon as he exits his prayer, as soon as he exits his prayer.
So if someone asks: Is it permissible for a person to think to himself in prayer about a religious matter, such as researching a scholarly issue? And when he entered his prayer, he opened the book—not physically, but his heart opened the book—and he started thinking in order to clarify the issue he wants to research. Is this permissible? Yes.
Meaning, is this part of khushu' (humility) in prayer or not? Yes, my brothers, a scholarly issue, a scholarly issue. Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, it is not part of khushu' in prayer, because this issue can be reviewed and thought about after he finishes his prayer.
But some of you may bring up to me what came from the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), when he said:
I am preparing my army while I am in prayer
إني لأجهز جيشي وأنا في الصلاةThe answer to that is: Thinking about what relates to the army in jihad is permissible, because in prayer during jihad, what is not permissible in other states is permissible, in other than this state. Are we not in jihad praying the prayer of fear, which has no counterpart in the prayers of safety, or not?
Yes, we pray in fear a prayer that has no counterpart in the prayer of safety, and we take one form of it. If the enemy is not in the direction of the qiblah, the imam divides the army into two groups: one group prays with him, and the other faces the enemy. So when he prays one rak'ah with those with him and stands for the second, they complete the remaining rak'ah for themselves, say the taslim, and leave.
And this differs from the prayer of safety, because in the prayer of safety, it is not permissible for the ma'mum to separate from the imam except for a Sharia' excuse.
Then the other group, which was facing the enemy, comes and enters with the imam in which rak'ah? In the second rak'ah, and they follow him. So when he sits for the tashahhud, they stand and complete for themselves before the imam says the taslim. It is known that this is not permissible in a state of safety, but in a state of fear it is permissible. Then they say the taslim with the imam. And there is no doubt that if a person did this in a state of safety, the prayer would be invalid, but in a state of fear, a person needs things that protect him from the enemy.
So the answer to what came from 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) is: What was his thinking for? It was for the sake of jihad, and in a state of jihad, what is not permissible in a state of safety is permissible.