Whether outdoors or at any place within a big or small mosque, if a woman or a man or a dog passes close by or far in front of a person who is performing namâz, his namâz never becomes nullified. He who passes between the worshipper’s feet and the place of sajda outdoors or in a big mosque, or between his feet and the wall of the qibla in a room or small mosque, becomes sinful. Any mosque between whose qibla wall and back wall is less than twenty metres is called a small mosque. He who passes in front of a person who is performing namâz on something higher than level, such as a bank or a sofa, becomes sinful if his head is above the worshipper’s feet.
When performing namâz at places where others may pass in front, it is sunnat for the imâm or for the individual worshipper to erect a stick longer than half a meter before himself in line with his left eyebrow. If he cannot set the stick upright he may lay it on the ground towards the qibla or just draw a line. It is permissible to prevent a person from passing in front of you by signalling or by raising your voice; yet, it is better not to.
It is written in Halabî-yi kebîr: “Swallowing blood oozing out from between the teeth does not nullify namâz unless it equals a mouthful.” One’s ablution is not broken even if one swallows mouthfully.
Existence of women among the jamâ’at is written in chapter 20. It is fard to perform again a fard namâz that was fâsid. It is wâjib to perform again any prayers in which tahrîmi mekrûhs took place and also those sunnats and supererogatory prayers that have become fâsid. Please see the twenty-third chapter.
"So you have reached that age;
what deeds have you done?
"Now you reproach yourself, for your life is gone?
"Fie upon you, after all that you have done!"
If Allah says so, how will you answer Him?
"I showed you two choices, and
gave you wisdom;
"To pick one of choices, I gave you freedom.
"Behind your nafs, you ignored Islam's dictum!"
If Allah says so, how will you answer Him?
"Hot as well as cold kept you from
ablution. .,
"To namâz you preferred mundane delusion.
"Lingering junub, you ignored ablution."
If Allah says so, how will you answer Him?
"Why didn't you make wudû and
perform prayer?
"What kept you from begging and praying Creator?
"Making ghusl was binding summer and winter!"
If Allah says so, how will yon answer Him?
18 – MEKRÛHS OF NAMÂZ
Most of the following information has been translated from Durr-ul-mukhtâr, and from its explanation Radd-ul-muhtâr.
The mekrûhs of namâz are of two kinds. When used alone, the word mekrûh meansTahrîmî mekrûh, which is a prohibition that has been determined by dalîl (proof) or deduction (zann). Something for whose prohibition there is no proof or witness but which it is good not to do is called Tanzîhî mekrûh. It is (Tahrîmî) mekrûh not to do the wâjibs [and the muakkad sunnats] and (tanzîhî) mekrûh not to do the [sunnats that are not muakkad] in namâz. Tanzîhî mekrûh is closer to halâl and Tahrîmî mekrûh is closer to harâm. Though the namâz performed with mekrûhs is sahîh, it will not be accepted (maqbûl), that is, one will not receive the blessings promised. Below are the forty-four mekrûhs of namâz:
1 - It is mekrûh to drape your coat over your shoulders instead of putting it on. It is not mekrûh to leave the front of your coat open or shut.
2 - When prostrating for the sajda, it is mekrûh to pull up your skirts or your trouser cuffs.
3 - It is mekrûh to begin namâz with your skirts or sleeves rolled up. If you made an ablution in a hurry in order to catch the imâm and as a result left them rolled up, you should unroll them slowly during namâz. Likewise, if a person’s headgear falls off as he performs namâz, he had better put it back on his head. [Therefore, it is mekrûh to begin namâz with short sleeves that only go down to the elbows, with a flannel, or with short trousers that are just below the knees. It is wrong to say: “It is mekrûh to perform namâz with a shirt with long sleeves that are rolled up, but it is not mekrûh with a short sleeved shirt.” Every fiqh book refers to: “rolled-up skirts and sleeves.” A skirt is not rolled up. But it is lifted up so as to uncover the legs. The book Ni’mat-i islâm says concerning the eleventh of the mekrûhs of namâz: “It is mekrûh for a man to begin namâz with bare arms.” Also, it is written on the two hundred and sixty-eighth page of the bookMa’rifatnâma that it is mekrûh to perform namâz with bare arms]. Sleeves that are above the elbows are even worse. If a person rolls up his trousers or sleeves during namâz, his namâz becomes nullified.
4 - Useless movements, such as playing with your clothes, are mekrûh. But useful movements do not bring harm upon your namâz, e.g. wiping the sweat off your forehead with your hand. When your trousers or loose robe stick on your skin, it is not mekrûh to pull them away from your skin lest the shape of your awrat parts are seen. It is mekrûh to shake off dust. There is a hadîth prohibiting useless movements in namâz and laughing loudly in a cemetery. It is not useless to scratch yourself during namâz, but raising your hand three times within one rukn nullifies your namâz.
5 - It is mekruh to perform namâz by wearing clothes that you work in or that you could not wear if you were to see your superiors. Yet it is not mekrûh if you have no other clothes. [If you have enough money you should buy extra clothes.] It is not mekrûh to perform namâz by wearing pyjamas or any other clothing that you wear when going to bed.
6 - It is mekrûh to have something in your mouth that will prevent you from reciting the Qur’ân al-kerîm correctly. If it prevents you from pronouncing the Qur’ân correctly your namâz becomes nullified.
7 - To perform namâz bare-headed. If a person does not cover his head because he slights the importance of covering his head in namâz, it is mekrûh. But if he ignores it because he means to slight namâz itself, he becomes a disbeliever. Kasal (indolence) means not to do something because one does not want to do it. But inability means not to do something because one cannot do it though one wants to do it. If one’s headgear falls, it is recommendable to put it back on one’s head with a single action. There is no harm in performing namâz bare-headed in order to show your humbleness, yet you still had better cover your head. It is also mekrûh to uncover your head seeking comfort and relief from heat. [You can cover your head with a headgear of any colour when performing namâz. Books of dîn do not contain any statements concerning black headgear being worn by Jews in synagogues. It is sunnat to wear a black headgear. See chapter 8!]
[Rasûlullah and the Sahâba performed namâz with their blessed na’ls [pattens] on. Na’ls are shoes with leather soles. It is written in the book Terghîb-us-salât: “It has been said by savants that a person sitting in namâz barefooted, without socks on, should use his right hand to cover the sole of his foot. For it is bad manners to show your soles to other Believers at any time. İn namâz it is even more distasteful. According to some other savants, one must not cover one’s bare foot with one’s hand during namâz. For it is sunnat to put one’s hands on one’s thighs when sitting in namâz. And the person sitting behind you, in turn, should look down at his own lap in adherence to the sunnat. When both individuals sit in accordance with the sunnat no bad manners will occur.” As it can be seen, even according to those savants who say that one should not cover one’s foot with one’s hand when sitting, being barefooted is repugnant. Since it is mekrûh to take one’s hands away from one’s thighs while sitting, one should not commit a second mekrûh in order to make up for the mekrûh of being bare-footed. Savants have said that if the person behind you looks at his lap, in regards to him you will become secure against annoying the person sitting behind you. As written in Halabî kabîr, it is mekrûh not to keep the hands in the position of the sunnat when standing, in the rukû, in the sajdas, and when sitting. And it is for this reason that it is written: “It is makrûh to omit a wâjib or a sunnat. Therefore it is mekrûh for men to cover their bare feet with their hand while in the sajda,” in the beginning of the mekrûhs of namâz in the book Marâq-il-falâh and at the end of the mekrûhs in Halabî. The book Bahjat-ul-fatâwâ, which corroborates its every fatwâ with proofs from books of fiqh, has been unable to provide any proof for this wrong fatwâ and has left the space for a proof blank. Ibni Âbidîn says at the end of the mekrûhs of namâz: “It is better to perform namâz with na’ls or mests than to be bare-footed. Furthermore, you will have disagreed with Jews. A hadîth-i sherîf declares: ‘Perform namâz with na’ls on lest you be like Jews.’ Rasûlullah and the Sahâba would perform namâz with na’ls which they wore outdoors. Their na’ls were clean, and the floor of Masjid-i Nebî was covered with sand. They would not enter the Masjîd with dirty na’ls.” When your shoes are smeared with najâsat, you must not enter a mosque with them on. You can carry out the sunnat by wearing socks. And a person whose socks are najs or who does not have any socks to wear should perform namâz with a loose robe that hangs down to his heels. Also, it is written in the books Halabî, Berîqa and Hadîqa that there are numerous blessings in the namâz that is performed with covered feet.
It is not permissible to perform namâz with bare head and feet, to make the sajda on a higher place, or to force those who are under your command to perform namâz in this manner by saying, “Non-Muslims pray with bare head and feet in churches. As they do, we must pray in a civilized manner.” It is mekrûh to be like disbelievers during worships. And he who disapproves of the manners ordered by Islam becomes a disbeliever.]
8 - It is mekrûh to begin namâz when you need to urinate, defecate, or when you need to break wind. If the need happens during namâz, you must break the namâz. If you do not, you will become sinful. It is better to break the namâz even if it will cause you to miss the jamâ’at. Rather than performing namâz in a manner that is mekrûh, it is better to miss the jamâ’at, which is sunnat. But it is not mekrûh (not to break the namâz) lest the prayer time will expire or lest you will miss the namâz of janâza.
9 - It is mekrûh for men to begin namâz with their hair tied in a knot on the back of their neck, wound round their head, or gathered on the top of their head and fastened with thread. If a man does so during namâz, his namâz becomes nullified. Namâz is performed bareheaded when you are in the ihrâm in Mekka[140].
10 - During namâz, it is mekrûh to sweep stones or soil away from the place of sajda. If such things are giving you trouble making the sajda, it is permissible to get rid of them with one movement. However, you should clean them away before namâz.
11 - When joining a line of worshippers in order to perform namâz in a mosque, when beginning namâz, or during namâz, it is mekrûh to crack your fingers by bending them or to insert the fingers of both hands between each other. If it is necessary, it is not mekrûh to crack your fingers before getting ready for namâz.
12 - It is mekrûh to put your hand on your flank during namâz.
13 - It is mekrûh to turn your head (face) around and tanzîhî mekrûh to look around by turning your eyes. If you turn your chest away from the qibla, your namâz becomes nullified.
14 - In the tashahhuds (sitting and reciting certain prayers during namâz), to sit like a dog, that is, to sit on your buttocks with erected thighs while bringing your knees in touch with your chest and putting your hands on the floor, is mekrûh.
15 - In the sajda it is mekrûh for men to lay their forearms on the floor. But women must lay their forearms on the floor.
16 - It is mekrûh to perform namâz toward a person’s face. It is mekrûh even if the person is far away from you. It is not mekrûh if there is someone in between whose back is turned towards you.
17 - It is mekrûh to acknowledge someone’s greeting with your hand or head. It is not mekrûh to answer someone’s question with your hand or head. An example of this is when someone asks you how many rak’ats you have performed, to answer using your fingers. But if you change your place or move to the line in front immediately upon someone’s demand, your namâz becomes nullified. [See the eleventh of the mufsîds of namâz!]
18 - It is stated in Terghîb-us-salât that it is mekrûh to yawn outside of namâz as well as during namâz. The lower lip must be squeezed between the teeth. If you cannot help it, you should cover your mouth with the outer part of your right hand when standing in namâz and with your left hand in the other rukns or when not performing namâz. Unnecessary yawning is caused by Satan. Prophets (alaihimussalâm) did not yawn.
19 - It is tanzîhî mekrûh to close your eyes during namâz. It is not mekrûh if you do it lest your mind will be distracted.
20 - It is mekrûh for the imâm to stand in the mihrâb. The hollowed out part in the wall of the qibla is called the mihrâb. When his feet are outside of the mihrâb, it is not mekrûh for him to make the sajda in the mihrâb. A person is considered to be located in the place where his feet are. The reason for this is because priests conduct public worships by staying alone in an isolated room. In a mosque, if the imâm of the first jamâ’at does not conduct the namâz by standing on the mihrâb, it is mekrûh.
21 - It is tahzîhî mekrûh for the imâm to begin namâz alone at a place half a metre higher than the floor where the jamâ’at are. This prohibition is intended to eliminate the possibility of an imâm resembling priests.
22 - Also it is mekrûh for an imâm to begin namâz alone at a lower place.
23 - It is mekrûh to perform namâz in the back line while there is room in the front line or to perform it alone in the back line because there is no room in the front line. When there is no room in the front line, you wait for a probable newcomer until the rukû’ instead of performing it alone. If no one comes you make your way gently into the front line. If you cannot go into the front line you get someone you trust in the front line to move back to the rear line with you. If there is no one you can trust, then perform it alone.
24 - It is tahrîmî mekrûh to perform namâz with clothes that have a picture or pictures of living things on them, such as humans or animals. It is not mekrûh if there are pictures of lifeless things on them. Whether for reverence or for execration, whether small or big, it is harâm to draw or paint pictures or make statues of living things. See the sixtieth and eighty-fifth letters in the book Mekâtîb-i sherîfa![141] Translation of the eighty-fifth letter exists in our book.
[It is explained detailedly within the subject concerning the afflictions incurred by hands in the book Hadîqa: “It is always mekrûh to wear any clothes with a picture of a living creature on them, even though you take them off when you are to perform namâz. Having any pictures on you is permissible if covered.” It is understood from this information as well as from the two hundred and thirty-eighth page of the fifth volume of Ibni Âbidîn that it is permissible to have your picture taken for identity papers, documents, essential deeds, and other necessities provided you will keep them covered. A hadîth on the twenty-sixth page of Zawâjir declares: “When you find pictures tear them, destroy them!” However, if doing so causes fitna or hostility, you should not do it. None of the Prophets, the Sahâba, or the great men of dîn had a photograph. Those abominable, ugly pictures that are shown in newspapers and in the movies in an effort to portray them are all false. They are made in order to earn money and to deceive Muslims. Along with the fact that it is harâm also to hang such blessed pictures high on walls, it is hâram to put them at low places. Since it is harâm to draw pictures of living things anywhere, whether with bare awrat parts or with covered awrat parts, whether small or big, likewise, the money charged for them is also harâm. This has been established as a harâm in order to prevent idolatry. It is written in the explanatory book Imdât by Tahtâwî that when you are not performing namâz also it is mekrûh to wear clothes with pictures of living things on them.
Sayyid Abdulhakîm-i Arwâsî (quddîsa sirruh) says in one of his letters: “It is permissible to use things such as handkerchiefs and coins that have pictures of living things drawn on them. For such things are despicable, contemptible; they are not esteemed.” This fact is written also in the third volume of Al-fiqh-u-alal-Madhâhib-il-erba’â. Hadrat Ibni Hajar-i Haytamî Mekkî (rahmatullâhi ’alaih) says in his fatwâ:
“Existence of pictures of living things on such articles as handkerchiefs and coins is not harmful. For it is not permissible to use pictures of living things on respected articles, but it is permissible to use them on disrespected things.” Then, it is permissible to have them on the floor, on things laid on the floor, on cushions, mats, handkerchiefs, bills, stamps, in closed places, such as pockets, bags, closets, on those parts of one’s clothes that are below one’s navel, but it is harâm to keep them or to hang them above the navel. It is harâm to use pictures of women or pictures with exposed awrat parts even without lust at any place or to look at them lustfully.
It is written on the six hundred and thirty-third page of the second volume of Hadîqa: “It is tahrîmî mekrûh to put or lay on the floor any piece of paper or cloth or prayer rug that has some writing or even one letter on it. For it is insulting to use them for any purpose whatsoever or to lay them on the floor. And it is disbelief to lay or use them in order to insult them. It has been said that it is permissible to write them on walls or to hang pieces of writing on walls.” Hence, it is understood that it is not permissible to lay prayer rugs with pieces of writings or pictures of the Ka’ba or mosques on them on the floor in order to pray on them. Nonetheless, it is permissible to hang them on walls for decoration.
As it is seen, Islam has prohibited pictures and statues of human beings that serve as instruments to ridicule human beings, that are used for worshipping living things, and which drift youngsters towards fornication and cause seduction of married people. However, Islam permits pictures of the anatomical parts of living things, of plants, and all kinds of pictures pertaining to physics, chemistry, astronomy and engineering. It has commanded drawing and utilization of pictures that are necessary for knowledge and science. Islam, as always, has classified pictures into two groups: useful and harmful and has commanded use of the useful ones while prohibiting the harmful ones. Then, it is a blind claim and a slander for the enemies of the religion to say, “Muslims say that pictures are prohibited, which is retrogression.”]
25 - If the picture of a living thing is drawn on the wall or on pieces of cloth or paper hanging or put on a wall just above the head, in front, or just to the right or left of a person who is performing namâz, it is mekrûh. Even if not in a living form, a picture of the cross is like the picture of a living thing. For it means to be like Christians. It is mekrûh to imitate their evil practices, even if not in order to be like them, or to imitate their unharmful habits with the intention of resembling them. [In fact, it is written in the booksTerghîb-us-salât and Nisâb-ul-ahbâr that it is mekrûh to perform namâz at such places as well as places where people are drinking alcohol, gambling or playing musical instruments, and prayers said at these places will not be accepted. Apparatuses through which musical instruments are heard and pictures that are harâm to look at are watched are like musical instruments.] If the picture of a living or lifeless thing is on something upon which a person is standing, sitting or leaning, his namâz does not become mekrûh. If the picture is on the walls behind the person performing namâz or on the ceiling it is khafîf(light) mekrûh.
It is not mekrûh to perform namâz on prayer rugs or mats possessing pictures of living things on the parts other than where prostration is made, since laying them on the floor means belittling them (Durer). [Accordingly, it is not permissible to lay the carpets with pictures of the Kâ’ba, mosques or pieces of holy writing on the ground.]
If the picture is under the foot of the person performing namâz, on the place where he is sitting, on his body or in his hand, it is mekrûh. [Hence it is understood that pictures in one’s pocket do not make one’s namâz mekrûh.] But a picture hanging on one’s wrist is mekrûh. For it prevents one from placing one’s hands as prescribed by the sunnat.
If the picture on a coin or ring or on any part of a person is extremely small, that is, if when it is put on the floor, the person standing cannot make out its limbs, his namâz does not become mekrûh. When covered, it is not mekrûh if it is big, either. If the head of the living thing has been cut off, or if its face, chest or belly has been erased or covered with something, the namâz does not become mekrûh.
With pictures of lifeless things, such as trees or sceneries, no matter where they are, namâz does not become mekrûh. For small or headless pictures or pictures of lifeless things have never been worshipped. There were people who worshipped the sun, the moon, the stars, green trees, but they worshipped those things themselves. They did not worship their pictures. It is also mekrûh to perform namâz towards these things.
Angels of compassion do not enter a house where there is a big picture of a living thing placed at a respected place, a dog, or a person who is junub. But the angles of Haphaza leave a person only during sexual intercourse and when he goes into the restroom. The two angels called Kirâman kâtibîn, who are on a person’s shoulders and who write down his good and bad deeds, and those angels who protect a person against genies are called Angels of Haphaza. Allahu ta’âlâ informs the angels of what a person does in the restroom, and the angels write down his actions when he comes out of the restroom. The angels do not write on anything or in letters. As we gather inormation in our mind and memory, so they gather a person’s actions at some place. Today there are various ways of writing, such as the recording of voices on an apparatus that we call a tape recorder or on sound films. In the heavens there are angels writing with pens (tools) that are unknown to us. For disbelievers, only their evil deeds are written down. There are genies who pester everyone while angels protect us against them.
It is permissible according to Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf to buy dolls for children to play with.
26 - It is tenzîhî mekrûh to count âyats, or tasbîhs with the hand during namâz. It is permissible to count them through the heart or by moving the fingers. Outside of namâz it is permissible to count them with fingers or to use beads. Once Rasûlullah saw a woman counting the tasbîhs with seeds and did not forbid her. It is mekrûh to use beads for ostentation.
It does not nullify namâz, nor is it mekrûh, to kill a serpent or a scorpion that is approaching you and may sting you.
It is mustahab to kill it with your left shoe. A white snake that crawls straight without curling is a genie. You must not kill him if he does not harm you. But it is permissible to kill him, too. For genies promised Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) that they would not enter Muslims’ homes. Entering a home, they have gone back on their word. First you should warn him by saying “Irji’ bi-iznillâh.” Then, if he will not go away, you should kill him. But you cannot warn him if you are performing namâz. Not killing a genie disguised as a snake immediately is not intended to respect them but, to prevent their harm.
27 - It is not mekrûh to perform namâz against the backs of sitting or standing people, even if they are talking. It is mekrûh to perform it against a person’s face or against the backs of people who are talking loudly.
28 - It is not mekrûh to perform namâz against the Qur’ân, a sword, a candle, a candle-lamp, any lamp, flames, against instruments of war such as pistols, or against a person who is lying asleep. For those have never been worshipped. Magians worship fire, not flames. But it is mekrûh to perform it against a fire with flames, too.
29 - It is tahrîmî mekrûh to perform namâz by wrapping yourself in a towel from head to foot.
30 - It is tahrîmî mekrûh to perform namâz with the top of your head bare by winding a turban round your head.
31 - It is tahrîmî mekrûh to perform namâz by covering your mouth and nose. Magians worship in that manner. [You must not perform namâz with a mask, gloves, or spectacles that prevent your forehead from touching the floor. Unless there is a darûrat you must not perform namâz with anything that prevents your forehead, nose or hands from touching the floor, that is, from doing any fard or sunnat. There is no necessity for wearing such things during namâz, even for women].
32 - It is mekrûh to throw phlegm from the throat without a strong necessity. If blood formed in the mouth is not a mouthful, neither its formation nor swallowing it nullifies your ablution or namâz. So is the case with vomitting. [Halabî-i kebîr and Hindîyya].
33 - Amal-i qalîl, that is, moving one hand once or twice, is mekrûh. [See the fifteenth of things that nullify namâz!] It is permissible to kill a louse or flea with amal-i qalîl, but it is mekrûh to catch or kill it if it is not biting you. It is harâm to leave such insects in the mosque whether they are alive or dead.
34 - It is mekrûh to omit one of the sunnats of namâz.
There are two groups of sunnat. The first group is Sunan-i hudâ. They are the muakkad [strong] sunnats. The second group is Sunan-i zawâid. They are the sunnats that are not muakkad. The mustahabs and the mandûbs are in this category, according to the savants.
It is tahrîmî mekrûh to omit a muakkad sunnat in namâz. It is tanzîhî mekrûh to omit a sunnat that is not muakkad. It is not mekrûh but khilâf-i awlâ to omit a mustahab. That is, it is a blessing to do the mustahabs, and no sin is incurred for not doing them, but in that case you will be deprived of their blessings.
35 - Without a darûrat, it is mekrûh to begin namâz with your child in your arms. It is not mekrûh if there is a darûrat to do so, provided the child’s clothes are clean.
36 - It is mekrûh to perform namâz against things that distract your heart and prevent your khushû’ such as ornamented things, plays, musical instruments, or any food that you desire. It is mekrûh to perform namâz by leaving your shoes behind you. This last mekrûh is written on the one hundred and eighty-sixth page within the subject of Hajj in the book Durr-ul-mukhtâr, at the end of Halabî-yi kabîr, and in Bezzâziyya. It is also written in detail within the subject of suspicion in tahârat at the end of the books Berîqa and Hadîqa.
37 - It is mekrûh to lean on a wall or mast when performing the fard namâz if there is no strong necessity to do so. It is not mekrûh to do so while performing the supererogatory namâz.
38 - It is mekrûh to lift your hands up to your ears when bowing for the rukû’ or when straightening up from the rukû’.
39 - It is mekrûh to complete the qirâat after bowing for the rukû’.
40 - In the sajdas or in the rukû’, it is mekrûh to put your head down or to raise your head before the imâm does so.
41 - It is mekrûh to perform namâz at places that may be najs, such as in a cemetery, in a bath or church; but it is not mekrûh to perform it after cleaning or washing such places, or in the dressing room of a bath or in a mo