Is it permissible to move one's hands during the prayer?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to move one's hands during the prayer?
The Shaykh : Moving the hands during the prayer, if it is an act of worship.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Such as raising them at the opening takbir, at the bowing, when rising from the bowing, and when standing for the first tashahhud, and moving the finger during the supplication in the tashahhud and in the sitting between the two prostrations; this is a prescribed movement.
As for if it is done for no reason, it is disliked. And if it becomes frequent and continuous, it becomes forbidden because it invalidates the prayer.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : On this occasion.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I would like to clarify that movement in the prayer is divided into categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The original ruling is that it is disliked, but it may become obligatory if the validity of the prayer depends on it. For example, a man who is praying in a direction other than the qiblah out of ignorance, and he is told that the qiblah is to his right, so he turns to the right. This movement is obligatory because if he did not turn, he would be praying in a direction other than the qiblah.
Likewise, if he sees while praying that there is ritual impurity in his turban or in his sandals while he is praying in his sandals, it is obligatory for him in this case to move to remove this impurity. As came in the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he was one day praying with his Companions when Jibril came to him and informed him: that there is filth in his sandals. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took off his sandals, and the Companions took off their sandals. He asked them, meaning why did they take off their sandals? They said: We saw you take off your sandals, so we took off ours. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is an obligatory movement.
The second category: the recommended movement, which is that which completes the perfection of the prayer, such as a person's movement when he wants to fill a gap in the row. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up to pray the night prayer, and Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) stood beside him on his left side. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took his head from behind and turned it to his right. This movement is prescribed and recommended because of the completion of the prayer it entails.
The third category: the forbidden movement, which is the frequent, continuous movement without dire necessity, for it is forbidden because it invalidates and nullifies the prayer.
The fourth category: the permissible movement, which is the slight movement for a need, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when he carried his daughter while he was leading the people in prayer. When he stood, he carried her, and when he prostrated, he put her down. This is a movement, but it is permissible because it is slight and for a need.
The fifth category: the disliked movement, which is everything else, and it is that which occurs for no reason, on the condition that it is not frequent and continuous. If it is frequent and continuous, it becomes forbidden and invalidates the prayer. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. This is a listener from Jeddah. Her Excellency the Shaykh, she symbolized her name with M A A, she says.
The Shaykh : Moving the hands during the prayer, if it is an act of worship.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Such as raising them at the opening takbir, at the bowing, when rising from the bowing, and when standing for the first tashahhud, and moving the finger during the supplication in the tashahhud and in the sitting between the two prostrations; this is a prescribed movement.
As for if it is done for no reason, it is disliked. And if it becomes frequent and continuous, it becomes forbidden because it invalidates the prayer.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : On this occasion.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I would like to clarify that movement in the prayer is divided into categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The original ruling is that it is disliked, but it may become obligatory if the validity of the prayer depends on it. For example, a man who is praying in a direction other than the qiblah out of ignorance, and he is told that the qiblah is to his right, so he turns to the right. This movement is obligatory because if he did not turn, he would be praying in a direction other than the qiblah.
Likewise, if he sees while praying that there is ritual impurity in his turban or in his sandals while he is praying in his sandals, it is obligatory for him in this case to move to remove this impurity. As came in the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he was one day praying with his Companions when Jibril came to him and informed him: that there is filth in his sandals. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took off his sandals, and the Companions took off their sandals. He asked them, meaning why did they take off their sandals? They said: We saw you take off your sandals, so we took off ours. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Jibril came to me and informed me that there is filth in them
إنه أتاني جبريل فأخبرني أن فيهما قذراًThe second category: the recommended movement, which is that which completes the perfection of the prayer, such as a person's movement when he wants to fill a gap in the row. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up to pray the night prayer, and Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) stood beside him on his left side. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took his head from behind and turned it to his right. This movement is prescribed and recommended because of the completion of the prayer it entails.
The third category: the forbidden movement, which is the frequent, continuous movement without dire necessity, for it is forbidden because it invalidates and nullifies the prayer.
The fourth category: the permissible movement, which is the slight movement for a need, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when he carried his daughter while he was leading the people in prayer. When he stood, he carried her, and when he prostrated, he put her down. This is a movement, but it is permissible because it is slight and for a need.
The fifth category: the disliked movement, which is everything else, and it is that which occurs for no reason, on the condition that it is not frequent and continuous. If it is frequent and continuous, it becomes forbidden and invalidates the prayer. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. This is a listener from Jeddah. Her Excellency the Shaykh, she symbolized her name with M A A, she says.