Prayer

Mu‘awiyah ibn al-Hakam reported: While I was praying with the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), a man in the group sneezed, and I said, ‘May God have mercy on you.’ The people stared at me. I said, ‘May my mother be bereaved of me! What is the matter with you, looking at me?’ They began striking their hands on their thighs. When I saw that they were silencing me, I fell silent. When the Messenger of God had finished praying—may my father and mother be his ransom—I had never seen, before or after him, a teacher who taught better than he. By God, he neither scolded, struck, nor insulted me. He said: ‘Nothing of people’s speech is appropriate in this prayer; it consists only of glorification, magnification, and recitation of the Qur’an’—or as the Messenger of God said. I said: ‘O Messenger of God, I have only recently left the Age of Ignorance, and God has brought Islam. Among us are men who go to soothsayers.’ He replied: ‘Do not go to them.’ I said: ‘Among us are men who take omens.’ He replied: ‘That is something they find within themselves; let it not turn them away.’ I said: ‘Among us are men who draw lines.’ He replied: ‘A prophet among the prophets used to draw lines; whoever’s lines agree with his, that is it.’ Muslim transmitted it. The source notes: ‘But I fell silent’ is found in this form in Sahih Muslim and al-Humaydi’s book. In Jami‘ al-Usul, it was corrected with a wording that has “thus” above the word “but I.”

‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud said: We used to greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) while he was praying, and he would return our greeting. When we returned from the Negus, we greeted him but he did not return our greeting. We said: ‘O Messenger of God, we used to greet you during prayer and you would return our greeting.’ He replied: ‘Prayer is an occupation that keeps one busy.’

Mu‘ayqib reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about a man leveling the ground where he prostrates. He said: ‘If you must do it, then once.’

Abu Hurayrah reported: ‘The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) forbade placing the hands on the waist during prayer.’

‘A’ishah (may God be pleased with her) reported: I asked the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) about looking sideways during prayer. He said: ‘It is something Satan snatches from a servant’s prayer.’

Abu Hurayrah (may God be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘People must stop raising their eyes toward the sky while supplicating in prayer, or their sight will surely be snatched away.’ Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Qatadah reported: I saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) leading the people in prayer with Umamah, daughter of Abu al-‘As, on his shoulder. When he bowed, he set her down; when he rose from prostration, he picked her up again.

Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘When one of you yawns, let him restrain it as much as he can, for Satan enters.’ Muslim transmitted it. In a version narrated by Abu Hurayrah in al-Bukhari, he said: ‘When one of you yawns during prayer, let him restrain it as much as he can and not say “Ha,” for that is from Satan, who laughs at him.’

Abu Hurayrah (may God be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘Last night an ifrit among the jinn broke free to interrupt my prayer. God gave me power over him, and I seized him. I intended to tie him to one of the mosque’s pillars so that all of you could see him, but I remembered the supplication of my brother Solomon: “My Lord, grant me a kingdom that will not belong to anyone after me.” So I sent him away in disgrace.’

Sahl ibn Sa‘d reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘If something happens to someone during prayer, let him glorify God, for clapping is for women.’ In another version he said: ‘Glorification is for men, and clapping is for women.’

‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud reported: Before we went to the land of Abyssinia, we used to greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) while he was praying, and he would return our greeting. When we returned from Abyssinia, I came to him and found him praying. I greeted him, but he did not reply until he had finished his prayer. Then he said: ‘God brings about whatever commands He wills, and among the things He has newly ordained is that you are not to speak during prayer.’ He returned my greeting and said: ‘Prayer is for reciting the Qur’an and remembering God. When you are engaged in it, let that occupy you.’ Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar reported: I asked Bilal, ‘How did the Prophet (peace be upon him) respond to people when they greeted him while he was praying?’ He said: ‘He would gesture with his hand.’ Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it. Nasa’i’s version is similar, but names Suhayb instead of Bilal.

Rifa‘ah ibn Rafi‘ reported: I prayed behind the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), and when I sneezed I said: ‘All praise belongs to God, abundant, good, blessed praise—blessed in it and upon it—as our Lord loves and is pleased with.’ When the Messenger of God had finished praying and turned away, he asked: ‘Who spoke during the prayer?’ No one answered. He asked a second time, and no one answered; then a third time. Rifa‘ah said: ‘It was I, O Messenger of God.’ The Prophet said: ‘By the One in whose hand is my soul, more than thirty angels hastened to it, each seeking to be the one who would raise it up.’ Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘Yawning during prayer is from Satan. When one of you yawns, let him restrain it as much as he can.’ Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it. In another version transmitted by him and Ibn Majah, it says: ‘Let him place his hand over his mouth.’

Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘When one of you performs ablution well, then deliberately sets out for the mosque, let him not interlace his fingers, for he is in prayer.’ Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, and al-Darimi transmitted it.

Abu Dharr reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘God, Mighty and Majestic, continues to attend favorably to a servant while he is praying, so long as he does not look aside. When he does, He turns away from him.’ Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, and al-Darimi transmitted it.

Anas reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Anas, keep your gaze where you prostrate.’ Al-Bayhaqi transmitted it in his al-Sunan al-Kabir through al-Hasan, from Anas, tracing it back to the Prophet.

He reported that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: ‘My dear son, beware of turning sideways during prayer, for turning sideways during prayer is ruinous. If there is no alternative, do it during a voluntary prayer, not an obligatory one.’ Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas (may God be pleased with them both) said: ‘The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) used to glance to his right and left during prayer, without turning his neck to look behind him.’ Al-Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmitted it.

‘Adi ibn Thabit reported from his father, from his grandfather, tracing it back to the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: ‘Sneezing, drowsiness, and yawning during prayer, as well as menstruation, vomiting, and nosebleeding, are from Satan.’ Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it.