He also says during the prayer that he sees some of the brothers who are praying making many movements, such as moving their watch, wrapping the head covering more than once, and moving
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The questioner : He says during the prayer that he also sees some of the brothers who are praying making many movements, such as moving their watch, wrapping the head covering more than once, and moving their hands together repeatedly, and some of it and some of it. Does this invalidate the prayer, or what? I ask for information. May Allah light your path to guidance and righteousness?
The Shaykh : These movements that many people do in their prayer are idle play, and they detract from the prayer and are contrary to humility, because humility, humility of the heart and humility of the limbs, is staying put and tranquility, such that the heart does not turn away from its prayer, and the limbs do not move with anything other than the actions of the prayer or what completes them.
So these movements that the asking brother sees are among the idle play that the one praying should not do; rather, it is disliked for him to do so. Then, if they become numerous such that they take the prayer out of its proper context and make it closer to play than to seriousness, they invalidate the prayer, unless necessity calls for it, such as a person who moves with many movements to save himself from an enemy who attacked him or something like that; in that case, there is no blame on him for that, because movements are permissible at that time.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We have previously mentioned in a past session that we explained that movements in prayer are divided into five categories: some are obligatory movements, some are recommended movements, some are permissible movements, some are disliked movements, and some are forbidden movements. As for the obligatory movements, they are those upon which the performance of an obligatory act in the prayer depends, such as if a person enters his prayer facing a direction other than the qiblah, thinking that it is the qiblah, and then someone comes to alert him in a place where it is permissible for him to exert his effort to face the qiblah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Such as if he is in the open and faces a direction other than the qiblah, and then a person comes to him and says to him, "The qiblah is to your right." It is obligatory for him to turn to his right, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did, who were in Quba praying toward the Sacred Mosque without knowing about the change of the qiblah. A messenger came to them while they were in the Fajr prayer and informed them that the qiblah had been changed to the Ka'bah, so they turned in their prayer toward the Ka'bah and completed it.
Likewise, if he remembers while praying that there is impurity in his head covering, or impurity in his shirt, or impurity in his trousers, and then he hastens to remove it while he is praying, then this movement is obligatory, because avoiding a prohibited thing in the prayer depends on it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed his sandals while he was praying when he was informed that there was harm in them.
And from the recommended category of movement in prayer is if a person moves to straighten the row, such as if he feels that he is ahead of or behind the row, so he moves forward or backward to be level with the row. Likewise, if the row is short and shrinks to his right or left, and he moves closer to it, then this is a recommended movement, because it completes the prayer. And the movement becomes disliked if it is slight without need, such as the idle play mentioned by the questioner, like the one who plays with his beard, or plays with his nose, or plays with his watch, or with his pen, or with his garment without need for it; then it is among the disliked.
And it is forbidden if the movement is numerous and continuous without necessity, such that it takes the prayer out of its proper context, and the prayer in this state is closer to play than to seriousness. This is forbidden and not permissible, and it invalidates the prayer, unless it is for an excuse, in which case it is permissible and does not invalidate the prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And as for the permissible category, it is the slight movement for a need, such as if a person gets an itch or is bitten by an ant or something similar, and he moves to scratch this itch to cool it, or to remove that ant or something similar, then there is nothing wrong with it, because it is a slight movement for a need.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when he was praying while carrying Amamah, the daughter of Zaynab, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). If he stood, he carried her, and if he prostrated, he put her on the ground. This is a movement, but it is slight for a need, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it.
Likewise, from the permissible category is the numerous movement if it is for necessity, such as if a beast or an enemy attacks him, or a stream of water catches up with him... or something similar, and he strives to get rid of this necessity, this harm, then that is a necessity and does not invalidate his prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : By the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:239] And it is known that men who walk on their legs will move with many movements to the extent that they get rid of this fear.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This message reached us regarding impurity. Its sender is a student in the intermediate school of Ibn Hisham in Riyadh, and he indicated his name with the letters Y, 'A, 'A, H.
The Shaykh : These movements that many people do in their prayer are idle play, and they detract from the prayer and are contrary to humility, because humility, humility of the heart and humility of the limbs, is staying put and tranquility, such that the heart does not turn away from its prayer, and the limbs do not move with anything other than the actions of the prayer or what completes them.
So these movements that the asking brother sees are among the idle play that the one praying should not do; rather, it is disliked for him to do so. Then, if they become numerous such that they take the prayer out of its proper context and make it closer to play than to seriousness, they invalidate the prayer, unless necessity calls for it, such as a person who moves with many movements to save himself from an enemy who attacked him or something like that; in that case, there is no blame on him for that, because movements are permissible at that time.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We have previously mentioned in a past session that we explained that movements in prayer are divided into five categories: some are obligatory movements, some are recommended movements, some are permissible movements, some are disliked movements, and some are forbidden movements. As for the obligatory movements, they are those upon which the performance of an obligatory act in the prayer depends, such as if a person enters his prayer facing a direction other than the qiblah, thinking that it is the qiblah, and then someone comes to alert him in a place where it is permissible for him to exert his effort to face the qiblah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Such as if he is in the open and faces a direction other than the qiblah, and then a person comes to him and says to him, "The qiblah is to your right." It is obligatory for him to turn to his right, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did, who were in Quba praying toward the Sacred Mosque without knowing about the change of the qiblah. A messenger came to them while they were in the Fajr prayer and informed them that the qiblah had been changed to the Ka'bah, so they turned in their prayer toward the Ka'bah and completed it.
Likewise, if he remembers while praying that there is impurity in his head covering, or impurity in his shirt, or impurity in his trousers, and then he hastens to remove it while he is praying, then this movement is obligatory, because avoiding a prohibited thing in the prayer depends on it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) removed his sandals while he was praying when he was informed that there was harm in them.
And from the recommended category of movement in prayer is if a person moves to straighten the row, such as if he feels that he is ahead of or behind the row, so he moves forward or backward to be level with the row. Likewise, if the row is short and shrinks to his right or left, and he moves closer to it, then this is a recommended movement, because it completes the prayer. And the movement becomes disliked if it is slight without need, such as the idle play mentioned by the questioner, like the one who plays with his beard, or plays with his nose, or plays with his watch, or with his pen, or with his garment without need for it; then it is among the disliked.
And it is forbidden if the movement is numerous and continuous without necessity, such that it takes the prayer out of its proper context, and the prayer in this state is closer to play than to seriousness. This is forbidden and not permissible, and it invalidates the prayer, unless it is for an excuse, in which case it is permissible and does not invalidate the prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And as for the permissible category, it is the slight movement for a need, such as if a person gets an itch or is bitten by an ant or something similar, and he moves to scratch this itch to cool it, or to remove that ant or something similar, then there is nothing wrong with it, because it is a slight movement for a need.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when he was praying while carrying Amamah, the daughter of Zaynab, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). If he stood, he carried her, and if he prostrated, he put her on the ground. This is a movement, but it is slight for a need, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it.
Likewise, from the permissible category is the numerous movement if it is for necessity, such as if a beast or an enemy attacks him, or a stream of water catches up with him... or something similar, and he strives to get rid of this necessity, this harm, then that is a necessity and does not invalidate his prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : By the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And if you fear [an enemy, then pray] on foot or riding
فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ فَرِجَالاً أَوْ رُكْبَاناًThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This message reached us regarding impurity. Its sender is a student in the intermediate school of Ibn Hisham in Riyadh, and he indicated his name with the letters Y, 'A, 'A, H.