Is it permissible to imitate or act out prayer without the intention of praying for no reason, and is it mockery?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, if someone imitates prayer, for example, the funeral prayer or the prayer for rain, or!
The Shaykh : He imitated it?
The questioner : He imitated it! He imitated the prayer, meaning they were sitting in a gathering and one person said the takbir, for example, he was performing the funeral prayer and recited al-Fatihah?
The Shaykh : For teaching purposes or what?
The questioner : No, just for no reason. Is this considered mockery of the prayer?
The Shaykh : No, it is not mockery unless the intention is mockery. I mean, his purpose might be teaching. If the purpose of teaching is absent, we remain to say: Is it mockery or not?
We say: The original state is that there is no mockery. However, with that, it is prohibited with the strongest prohibition. For this reason, we prohibit what some people do in theatrical performances, such as standing up, and another person comes and talks to him while he is praying, and the like. We prohibit this with a strong prohibition.
The questioner : But does it not take one out of the religion?
The Shaykh : No, no. Taking someone out of the religion is a difficult matter.
The Shaykh : He imitated it?
The questioner : He imitated it! He imitated the prayer, meaning they were sitting in a gathering and one person said the takbir, for example, he was performing the funeral prayer and recited al-Fatihah?
The Shaykh : For teaching purposes or what?
The questioner : No, just for no reason. Is this considered mockery of the prayer?
The Shaykh : No, it is not mockery unless the intention is mockery. I mean, his purpose might be teaching. If the purpose of teaching is absent, we remain to say: Is it mockery or not?
We say: The original state is that there is no mockery. However, with that, it is prohibited with the strongest prohibition. For this reason, we prohibit what some people do in theatrical performances, such as standing up, and another person comes and talks to him while he is praying, and the like. We prohibit this with a strong prohibition.
The questioner : But does it not take one out of the religion?
The Shaykh : No, no. Taking someone out of the religion is a difficult matter.