Cracking one's fingers during prayer out of forgetfulness: does it invalidate the prayer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : He has a final question, Your Eminence, asking: Does cracking one's fingers during prayer out of forgetfulness invalidate the prayer?
The Shaykh : It does not invalidate the prayer to crack one's fingers in it. However, cracking one's fingers is a form of fidgeting and a movement that is not required. If this happens during congregational prayer, it causes disturbance to those who hear the cracking, making it more harmful than if no one were around.
On this occasion, I would like to say that movement in prayer is divided into five categories: obligatory movement, recommended movement, disliked movement, forbidden movement, and permissible movement. As for obligatory movement, it is that which is necessary for the performance of an obligatory act in prayer. For example, if a person is praying and then remembers that there is impurity on his head covering, he must remove that head covering. This is a movement, but it is an obligatory movement. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying when Jibril came to him and informed him that there was impurity in his sandals, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed them during the prayer and continued his prayer.
Similarly, if a person is praying facing a direction other than the qiblah while exerting his effort in determining the direction, but his determination is incorrect, and another man who is more knowledgeable than him comes and tells him that the qiblah is to his right, then he must turn to face the qiblah. This is an obligatory movement. The evidence for this is that the people were praying in Quba, that is, in the Mosque of Quba in Madinah, the Fajr prayer, when a man came to them and said, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has been revealed to tonight with the Qur'an, and he has been commanded to face the Ka'bah." So they turned to face the direction of the Ka'bah while they were praying. This is an obligatory movement, and its criterion is that an obligatory act in prayer depends on it, or the avoidance of a forbidden act depends on it.
The second is recommended, or sunnah, movement. This is movement upon which the perfection of the prayer depends, such as closing a gap in the row. If a gap opens up and a person moves closer to his neighbor to close that gap, then this is a sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So this act is recommended.
As for disliked movement, it is movement that is not needed and does not relate to perfecting the prayer.
As for forbidden movement, it is excessive, continuous movement, such as a person fidgeting while standing, fidgeting while bowing, fidgeting while prostrating, and fidgeting while sitting, until the prayer loses its proper form. This movement is forbidden because it invalidates the prayer.
As for permissible movement, it is everything else, such as if a person is bothered by an itch and scratches it, or if his head covering falls over his eye and he lifts it, or similar things. These are permissible matters. Or if a person asks for his permission and he raises his hand to grant it, this is among the permissible matters. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It does not invalidate the prayer to crack one's fingers in it. However, cracking one's fingers is a form of fidgeting and a movement that is not required. If this happens during congregational prayer, it causes disturbance to those who hear the cracking, making it more harmful than if no one were around.
On this occasion, I would like to say that movement in prayer is divided into five categories: obligatory movement, recommended movement, disliked movement, forbidden movement, and permissible movement. As for obligatory movement, it is that which is necessary for the performance of an obligatory act in prayer. For example, if a person is praying and then remembers that there is impurity on his head covering, he must remove that head covering. This is a movement, but it is an obligatory movement. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying when Jibril came to him and informed him that there was impurity in his sandals, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed them during the prayer and continued his prayer.
Similarly, if a person is praying facing a direction other than the qiblah while exerting his effort in determining the direction, but his determination is incorrect, and another man who is more knowledgeable than him comes and tells him that the qiblah is to his right, then he must turn to face the qiblah. This is an obligatory movement. The evidence for this is that the people were praying in Quba, that is, in the Mosque of Quba in Madinah, the Fajr prayer, when a man came to them and said, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has been revealed to tonight with the Qur'an, and he has been commanded to face the Ka'bah." So they turned to face the direction of the Ka'bah while they were praying. This is an obligatory movement, and its criterion is that an obligatory act in prayer depends on it, or the avoidance of a forbidden act depends on it.
The second is recommended, or sunnah, movement. This is movement upon which the perfection of the prayer depends, such as closing a gap in the row. If a gap opens up and a person moves closer to his neighbor to close that gap, then this is a sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So this act is recommended.
As for disliked movement, it is movement that is not needed and does not relate to perfecting the prayer.
As for forbidden movement, it is excessive, continuous movement, such as a person fidgeting while standing, fidgeting while bowing, fidgeting while prostrating, and fidgeting while sitting, until the prayer loses its proper form. This movement is forbidden because it invalidates the prayer.
As for permissible movement, it is everything else, such as if a person is bothered by an itch and scratches it, or if his head covering falls over his eye and he lifts it, or similar things. These are permissible matters. Or if a person asks for his permission and he raises his hand to grant it, this is among the permissible matters. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.