Fatwa ID: 08790

 

 

Answered by Alimah Humairah Badshah

 

Question:

 

My question is regarding where you look during prayer. I follow the Hanafi school for praying, and the school says that I should look at my feet during rukoo and I should look at my lap during sitting position. I have noticed that looking at my lap during the quood position hurts my neck. Some scholars say we should be looking at the looking the place of prostration when bowing in rukoo and in the quood position. Does the Hanafi school allow me to do this?

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

 

Answer:

 

Looking at the back of the feet while in ruku’ and at the lap in the sitting position is an etiquette of salah which is an expression of humbleness and venerating Allah (عز و جل). An etiquette is a good act of a lower rank than a sunnah, and it is not a necessary component of salah. Therefore, if one is unable to look at the lap due to neck pain and instead looks at the place of prostration, one’s salah will still be valid and acceptable. The place of prostration is also a good second option due to it being mentioned in the texts and being the area one should direct one’s gaze while standing.

 

Keep in mind that to follow this etiquette, one merely ought to direct the gaze towards one’s lap. It is not necessary to angle the whole head to the direction of the lap. If one’s head is being forced at an awkward or painful angle, then for most uninjured people this would indicate that the head is being moved too much: the head should merely be lowered slightly in a natural way which allows a downcast gaze to fall on one’s lap. Also, one should note that the ‘lap’ here is not the groin but rather in the middle between one’s thighs at the place where an izar would usually fall.

 

 

References:

 

وَآدَابُهَا) نَظَرُهُ إلَى مَوْضِعِ سُجُودِهِ حَالَ الْقِيَامِ وَإِلَى ظَهْرِ قَدَمَيْهِ حَالَةَ الرُّكُوعِ

…

إِلَى حِجْرِهِ حَالَةَ الْقُعُودِ

Al-Fataawa Al-Hindiyyah (Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.72-73

 

فَالْأَصْلُ فِيهِ أَنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُصَلِّي أَنْ يَخْشَعَ فِي صَلَاتِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى مَدَحَ الْخَاشِعِينَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، وَيَكُونُ مُنْتَهَى بَصَرِهِ إلَى مَوْضِعِ سُجُودِهِ؛ لِمَا رُوِيَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ «كَانَ يُصَلِّي خَاشِعًا شَاخِصًا بَصَرَهُ إلَى السَّمَاءِ فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ قَوْله تَعَالَى ﴿قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ [المؤمنون: ١] ﴿الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ﴾ [المؤمنون: ٢] رَمَى بِبَصَرِهِ نَحْوَ مَسْجِدِهِ» أَيْ مَوْضِعِ سُجُودِهِ؛ وَلِأَنَّ هَذَا أَقْرَبُ إلَى التَّعْظِيمِ ثُمَّ أَطْلَقَ مُحَمَّدٌ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى – قَوْلَهُ وَيَكُونُ مُنْتَهَى بَصَرِهِ إلَى مَوْضِعِ سُجُودِهِ وَفَسَّرَهُ الطَّحَاوِيُّ فِي مُخْتَصَرِهِ فَقَالَ: يَرْمِي بِبَصَرِهِ إلَى مَوْضِعِ سُجُودِهِ فِي حَالَةِ الْقِيَامِ وَفِي حَالَةِ الرُّكُوعِ إلَى رُءُوسِ أَصَابِعِ رِجْلَيْهِ وَفِي حَالَةِ السُّجُودِ إلَى أَرْنَبَةِ أَنْفِهِ وَفِي حَالَةِ الْقَعْدَةِ إلَى حِجْرِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ هَذَا كُلَّهُ تَعْظِيمٌ وَخُشُوعٌ

Badaai’ Al-Sanaai’ (Daar Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyyah, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.215

 

وَإِلَى حِجْرِهِ حَالَ قُعُودِهِ

…

قَوْلُهُ وَإِلَى حِجْرِهِ) بِكَسْرِ الْحَاءِ وَالْجِيمِ وَالرَّاءِ الْمُهْمَلَةِ: مَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْك مِنْ ثَوْبِك قَامُوسٌ. وَقَالَ أَيْضًا: الْحِجْرُ مُثَلَّثَةٌ الْمَنْعُ، وَحِضْنُ الْإِنْسَانِ؛ وَالْمُنَاسِبُ هُنَا الْأَوَّلُ لِأَنَّهُ فَسَّرَ الْحِضْنَ بِمَا دُونَ الْإِبِطِ إلَى الْكَشْحِ أَوْ الصَّدْرِ وَالْعَضُدَانِ، وَفَسَّرَ الْكَشْحَ بِمَا بَيْنَ الْخَاصِرَةِ إلَى الضِّلَعِ الْجَنْبِ وَاسْتَظْهَرَ فِي الْعَزْمِيَّةِ ضَبْطَهُ بِضَمٍّ فَفَتْحٍ فَزَايٍ مُعْجَمَةٍ: جَمْعُ حُجْزَةٍ، وَهِيَ مَقْعَدُ الْإِزَارِ، وَلَا يَخْفَى بَعْدَهُ

Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.478

 

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham