Is it permissible to pray with a heater in front of you?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. Some people have a heater in front of them while they are praying?
The Shaykh : The heater.
The questioner : The heater.
The Shaykh : There is no problem with this; it is permissible to pray with a heater in front of you, meaning a heater, and there is no blame on you. As for what some scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) disliked, namely facing the fire, there is no authentic hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this. However, they reasoned that this resembles the Zoroastrians who worship fire. The Zoroastrians who worship fire do not worship something like this; rather, they worship a fire that they kindle, which has a flame and is held in high esteem. Just as we are praying now, and there are electric light bulbs on the qiblah wall, and electric light bulbs are closer to the fire that the Zoroastrians worship, because the yellow, round electric light bulbs resemble a kindled fire, yet they were not a cause for concern. Furthermore, these heaters are not in front of the imam, but rather in front of the ma'mum (those praying behind him). There is a distinction between what is in front of the imam and what is in front of the ma'mum. For this reason, if a woman passes in front of the praying people, it does not invalidate their prayer, but if she passes in front of the imam, it invalidates the imam's prayer and the prayer of those behind him.
The questioner : What does it mean that it invalidates his prayer?
The Shaykh : It makes it invalid.
The Shaykh : The heater.
The questioner : The heater.
The Shaykh : There is no problem with this; it is permissible to pray with a heater in front of you, meaning a heater, and there is no blame on you. As for what some scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) disliked, namely facing the fire, there is no authentic hadith from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding this. However, they reasoned that this resembles the Zoroastrians who worship fire. The Zoroastrians who worship fire do not worship something like this; rather, they worship a fire that they kindle, which has a flame and is held in high esteem. Just as we are praying now, and there are electric light bulbs on the qiblah wall, and electric light bulbs are closer to the fire that the Zoroastrians worship, because the yellow, round electric light bulbs resemble a kindled fire, yet they were not a cause for concern. Furthermore, these heaters are not in front of the imam, but rather in front of the ma'mum (those praying behind him). There is a distinction between what is in front of the imam and what is in front of the ma'mum. For this reason, if a woman passes in front of the praying people, it does not invalidate their prayer, but if she passes in front of the imam, it invalidates the imam's prayer and the prayer of those behind him.
The questioner : What does it mean that it invalidates his prayer?
The Shaykh : It makes it invalid.