PROHIBITIONS IN PRAYERS

Is it permissible to walk across in front of someone who is praying Salaat?

It is not permissible to walk across in front of someone who is praying, and it is a great sin, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said

(approximate translation of meaning is):"If the one crossing in front of a praying person knew what sin is upon him, it would be better for him to wait forty than walk across." Abu Al-Nadhr (one of the narrators of the hadith) said: I don't know whether he said forth days, months, or years. (Bukhari)

Imam Al-Bukhari (R) has named the chapter in which he brings the hadith as follows: Chapter on the sin of walking across in front of a praying person.

When the praying person is the leader in the prayer or praying alone, and he has a sutrah( some object like a peice of wood) in front of him, then walking across in between him and his sutrah is not permitted. However, if he is praying without a sutrah, it is not permissible to walk across in between him and his place of prostration. For the followers (in a jamaa'ah prayer), the leader's sutrah is enough for them. Based on this, it is permissible to walk through in front of a row if need be.And Allah knows best

If we smile during prayer do we have to cotinue or start the prayer again ?

The Muslim should be solemn and submissive during his prayer and he should keep away from everything that may prevent him from being solemn and submissive, because focus is the heart of prayer. Allaah praised the believers when He said (interpretation of the meaning): “Successful indeed are the believers.Those who offer their Salaah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness”[al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2]

Undoubtedly one of the things that keep a person from being solemn and submissive is smiling during prayer. With regard to the ruling on smiling during prayer, it does not invalidate the prayer. See al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 27, p. 124.

Ibn Qudaamah said: Ibn al-Mundhir said: They were unanimously agreed that laughing invalidates prayer, and most of the scholars said that smiling does not invalidate prayer. Al-Mughni, part 1, p. 394

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: as for smiling, it does not invalidate prayer, but if one giggles in prayer then that invalidates it. Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, part 2, p. 227

Al-Nawawi said: our view is that smiling in prayer does not affect it. Al-Majmoo’, part 4, p. 22 Al-Bahooti said: It does not invalidate the prayer if one smiles whilst praying. This is the view of the majority narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir. Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’, part 1, p. 402 Since it does not invalidate the prayer, then you should complete the prayer and not stop praying. But you should avoid things that may make you do that. See the book 33 Means of Developing Khushoo’ in prayer, on this web site. And Allaah knows best.
The basic principle is that when the Muslim has started an obligatory prayer, he is obliged to complete it, and it is haraam for him to stop it, unless he has an excuse.

The fuqaha’ have listed some excuses which make it permissible to stop the prayer. These include:

- Fear of being harmed by an enemy or a wild animal.
- Fear for one's wealth or property, such as if a person is praying and someone comes who wants to take his property, or he fears that his mount will run away.
- Stopping the prayer in order to save someone from a fire or from drowning, or fear that a blind man may fall into a well.


If my pet cat walkes infront of me or sits infront of me while I'm praying what must I do carry on my prayers of or cut off and shoo it away?

Prayer is invalidated if one of three things mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) walks in front of the worshipper. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Prayer is invalidated by a woman, a donkey or a dog; that may be prevented by something equal in height to the back of a saddle [placed in front of the worshipper as a sutrah or screen].” (Narrated by Muslim, 511).

According to one report, “a black dog.” The narrator said: “I said, ‘O Abu Dharr, what is the difference between a black dog and a red or yellow dog?’ He said, ‘O son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the same question, and he said, “The black dog is a devil.”’” (Narrated by Muslim, 510).

This ruling applies if one of the things mentioned passes in front of the worshipper and he does not have a sutrah or object to serve as a screen in front of him. But if he has a screen in front of him and the person or animal passes beyond that sutrah, then his prayer is not affected, because of the hadeeth of Abu Juhayfah who said: “I heard my father narrating that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led them in prayer in al-Bat-ha’, and in front of them was an ‘anzah (a short spear, iron-tipped at its lower end). He prayed two rak’ahs for Zuhr followed by two rak’ahs for ‘Asr, and a woman and a donkey passed in front of him.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 495).

This ruling applies to the imaam and to one who is praying alone; with regard to the members of a congregation praying behind an imaam, the sutrah of the imaam is also a sutrah for them.

As for cats, they do not invalidate the prayer even if they pass in front of you, because the basic guideline is that the prayer is valid, and there is no evidence to suggest that cats can invalidate the prayer.

But the worshipper should try hard to ensure that nothing passes in front of him. ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb narrated from his father that his grandfather said: “We stopped with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Thaniyyat Adhaakhir and the time for prayer came, so he prayed facing a wall which lay in the direction of the qiblah, and we were behind him. A lamb came and tried to pass in front of him and he kept pushing it back until its belly was pushed up against the wall, then it passed behind him.” (narrated by Abu Dawood, 708; al-Albaani said in Saheeh Abi Dawood, it is hasan saheeh, 652).

Are cats taahir (pure) or naajis (impure)?

Cats are taahir, and based on that, if a cat drinks from a vessel of water, the vessel does not become impure, because of the hadeeth of Kabshah bint Ka’b ibn Maalik, who was in the house of Abu Qutaadah: “Abu Qutaadah came in and I poured water for him to do wudoo’. A cat came and drank some of the water so he tilted the vessel to let it drink. He saw me looking at him and said, ‘Do you find it strange, O daughter of my brother?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that they are not naajis, rather they are among those who go around amongst you.’” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 92; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi..

What is the ruling on having gum in the roof of one’s mouth when praying? Does this invalidate prayer?

Every Muslim must fear Allaah and show respect towards Him. When he stands in prayer before Allaah, he must stand in a manner of humility and submission to Allaah, keeping far away from everything that may corrupt or invalidate his prayer, distract his mind, or keep him from focusing on the prayer. He must avoid anything that goes against respect and good manners.

For a worshipper to have chewing gum in his mouth is undoubtedly incompatible with fear and respect of Allaah, and with humility before Him. It causes a lot of movement in the mouth.

With regard to the ruling on having chewing gum in one’s mouth when praying:Ibn Qudaamah said: If he has anything in his mouth that can dissolve, such as sugar, and any part of it dissolves, and he swallows it, then his prayer is invalidated, because he has eaten.(al-Mughni, part 1, p. 400)

According to the Hanafis, Maaliks and Hanbalis, it is also makrooh to put anything in his mouth even if that does not prevent him from reciting, because that distracts his mind. The Hanafis stated that if this thing does not dissolve then it is makrooh; if it does dissolve, such as sugar in his mouth, then this invalidates his prayer if he swallows it after it has dissolved.(al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 27, p. 117)

And they stated that if he has sugar in his mouth, and it dissolves and he swallows it deliberately, knowing that that is forbidden, or because he did not make any effort to learn, then his prayer is invalid. They also stated that his prayer becomes invalid if he chews it, if it is a lot, even if nothing reaches his stomach.

Al-Majd said: if he brings out something substantial that is between his teeth and swallows it, then his prayer becomes invalid in our view. They stated that swallowing something that has dissolved, such as sugar, is like eating.Al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 27, p. 125

Sometimes I need to defecate before I pray, but I pray then I do not feel that urge whilst I am praying. Is my prayer acceptable? And sometimes the opposite happens – is my prayer acceptable in that case?

It is not permissible for a person to start praying when he is resisting the urge to urinate or defecate, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You should not pray when food is ready or when resisting the urge to urinate or defecate.” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh). The reason for that – and Allaah knows best – is that this prevents a person from having the necessary presence of mind and humility in the prayer. However, if a person prays in this state, his prayer is valid although it is somewhat lacking and is imperfect because of the hadeeth quoted; he does not have to repeat it. But if you start to pray when you are not resisting the urge to urinate or defecate, then you start to feel that need during the prayer, then the prayer is valid and there is nothing makrooh in it, so long as that need does not prevent you from completing the prayer.
Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Iftaa’, 7/28

If you are in a hurry to go somewhere or something, but have to attend the sullah first, is it okay if you perform the sullat a little faster than usual?

If the prayer is done properly, with all the obligatory actions included and with proper composure throughout, then there is nothing wrong with making your prayer shorter than usual. And Allaah is the Source of help
If a person has something happen to him (i.e., someone speaks to him or approaches him) while praying what should he do?

If it is a man, he should pronounce tasbeeh (glorifying Allah by saying "subhan Allah"), and if it’s a woman, she should clap. The evidence is Sahl Bin Saad’s narration that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "If something bothers you in your salaat, men should make tasbeeh and women should clap."1

From the book What Should You Do in the Following Situations... ?

1 Sunan Abu Dawood 941, Sahih al-Bukhari (Bugha print) 1145, and Sahih Muslim 106
If a praying person is in doubt whether he has passed wind or not, or if he feels movement or gasses in his abdomen, should he stop prayer or continue?
If he knows without doubt that wind has passed, then he should leave the prayer. However, if he is in doubt but is not certain, then he should not leave unless he becomes certain--by hearing the wind pass or smelling it. If he finds that he has passed wind, he should leave; otherwise he should pay no attention to it. The evidence: Abu Huriara, (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'If one is in prayer and feels movement in his behind, (and is in question whether) he has passed wind or not, and he is in doubt, then he should not leave unless he hears the sound or detects the smell".1 And this is one of the significant Islamic prescriptions for curing waswasa (insinuations from the whispering of shaitan [Satan]).From the book What Should You Do in the Following Situations... ?
1 Abu Dawood 177, and Sahih al-Jaami 750.

What should a person do if prayer starts and a person is still on his way to the masjid?

If prayer starts and a person is still on his way to the masjid, then he should not hurry in his walk; instead, he should walk with calmness and respect as indicated in the hadith of Abi Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), in which he said: [The Prophet] (peace be upon him) said: "If salaat is started, do not approach it running, but approach it walking, with calmness. Whatever you catch up with, pray, and what you miss, complete it."1

From the book What Should You Do in the Following Situations... ?
1 Narrated by Al-Bukhari Fath 2/390.
From the book What Should You Do in the Following Situations... ?

If one fnds a hole in their prayer garment, and realizes that he/she has been praying in such a condition (the 'awra could be seen through the hole) for some time, are all of his/her prayers in need of being repeated? If so, and the person does not know for how long this occurred, how can they be sure they made up enough prayers?

The scholars, may Allaah have mercy on them, agreed that covering the ‘awrah is a condition of the validity of one’s prayer. The evidence for this is the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes) while praying…” [al-A’raaf 7:31]The conditions for clothes to cover the ‘awrah properly are as follows:


*
They should not show the shape or contours of the body; if they do so, this is no good because it does not cover properly.
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They should be clean (taahir). If the clothes are unclean or impure (naajis), then it is not correct to pray in them, because it is haraam to have any impurity (najaasah) on one’s body or clothes when praying. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And your garments purify!” [al-Muddaththir 74:4]. It was reported that a baby boy who was not yet eating solid food was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he sat the infant in his lap. The child urinated in his lap, and he called for water and poured it over the urine. The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) hastened to wash the child’s urine from his clothes indicates that it is obligatory to clean one’s clothes of any impurity that may get on them.
*
They should be permissible, not haraam, whether they are haraam in and of themselves, such as silk garments, or because of the way in which they are made, such as garments that come below the ankles, or because of the way in which they were acquired, such as garments seized by force or stolen.
*
With regard to the matter of the ‘awrah becoming uncovered during prayer, al-Shaafa'i, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “It is good enough for both men and women to pray with their ‘awrah covered. The man’s ‘awrah is what I have already described (i.e., from the navel to the knee), and all of a woman is ‘awrah, apart from her face and hands. The top of her feet is also ‘awrah. If during prayer any part of the area between a man’s navel and knees becomes uncovered, or any part of a woman’s hair, whether it is a lot or a little, or any part of her body apart from her face and hands and wrist – and no more than that – becomes uncovered, whether they realize it or not, then both (man and woman) must repeat the prayer – unless it was uncovered by the wind, or it slipped and was immediately replaced without delay (no longer than it takes to pick up the garment and place it back immediately.) (Al-Shaafa'i, Kitaab al-Umm, Baab Kayfiyyat Libs al-Thiyaab fi’l-Salaah).

* Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Mughni: “Section: if a little bit of the ‘awrah becomes uncovered, this does not invalidate the prayer. This is the opinion of Ahmad and Abu Haneefah. Al-Shaafa'i said: ‘It invalidates the prayer because it is a ruling that has to do with the ‘awrah, and it is the same whether it is a little or a lot, as is the case with looking (at the ‘awrah).’ We have what was reported by Abu Dawood, with his isnaad from Ayyoob, from ‘Amr ibn Salamah al-Jarmi, who said: ‘My father went with a group from his people to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he taught them how to pray. He said, “The one who reads Qur’aan best among you should lead you in prayer.” I was the best at reading Qur’aan, so they appointed me. I used to lead them in prayer wearing a small yellow burdah (cloak or garment), and when I prostrated, my ‘awrah became uncovered. One of the women said, ‘Cover the ‘awrah of your reciter for us!’ so they bought me an Omani shirt, and I never rejoiced over anything – apart from Islam – as much as I rejoiced over that.’ Reported by Abu Dawood. Al-Nasaa'i also reported from ‘Aasim al-Ahwal, from ‘Amr ibn Salamah, who said: “I used to lead them in prayer wearing a burdah made of two attached parts in which there was a gap. When I prostrated in it, my backside showed.’ This was common and was not denounced, and we have not heard that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any of his Companions denounced it, because if prayer is still valid despite a severe problem where there is an excuse, then we should differentiate between whether the problem is severe or not where there is no excuse; it is like the case of walking during the prayer. Avoiding little matters may be too difficult, so a little is excused, as is the case with blood. Once this is clear, the definition of a lot is that which is offensive to look at, and in this case there is no differentiation between the private parts and other parts of the ‘awrah. A little is that which is not offensive, and the point of reference is that which is customary, except that the two private parts are more offensive than anything else, so that is considered to be an obstacle to prayer… This is a matter in which Islam did not define what is offensive, so the point of reference is what is customary, as also applies in the case of excessive movement during the prayer…”
*
.If these holes show what is customarily regarded to be too much of the ‘awrah, and it shows it for a while, or it is not possible to cover them because the garment is too small, for example, then the prayer is not valid, because covering the ‘awrah is one of the conditions of prayer, and if one of the conditions is not met without a valid excuse such as inability to meet it, then the prayer is not valid. You have to repeat the prayers which you did wearing this garment. If you do not know how many they were, you should take what you are certain of. For example, if you think that they may have been four or three or five, but definitely not more than five, then what you can be certain of in this case is five, and so on. And Allaah knows best.

And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.