Fatwa ID: 08098

Answered by: Maulana Nuski Cassim

Question:

Salaam, so I recently came to learn that you shouldn’t be praying sunnah and fard prayers in the same spot, but if you’re unable to, then speak, as this will fill more spots for worship on the Day of Judgement, which is so cool. But I wanted to ask, I don’t have anyone to speak to, so is it permissible to speak by making a dua or saying Bismillah before having a drink in between prayer? Will this be okay, or are my prayers invalid, and am I sinning because I didn’t talk to someone else? I saw this stated on islamqa.info, and I didn’t know this; please can you advise me on this?
Jazak’allah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

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

Answer:

Wa’alaykum al-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

What you are referring to is based on the following narrations:

Abu Hurairah (ra) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Is anyone of you incapable, when he prays, of stepping forwards or backwards, or to his right or left?” – [Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith No: 1427]

Umar ibnAta’ ibn Abu Khuwar said that Nafiibn Jubair sent him to al- Sa’ib the son of Namir’s sister to ask him about what he had seen in the prayer of Muawiyah (ra). He said: “Yes, I observed the Jumuah prayer along with him in Maqsurah and when the Imam pronounced salutation I stood up at my place and observed (sunan rakaah). As he entered (the apartment) he sent for me and said: Do not repeat what you have done. Whenever you have observed the Jumu`ah prayer, do not observe (sunan prayer) till you have talked or gone out, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had ordered us to do this and not to combine two (types of) prayers without talking or going out.” – [Sahih Muslim, Hadith No: 883]

Thus, separating prayers (fardh and sunnah) can be done by either moving to another spot, by speaking, or by exiting the Masjid.

A few reasons for this separation include:

More places of prostration will testify for a person on the Day of Judgement.
Notifying latecomers to the congregation that the obligatory prayer is complete.
If you are unable to separate the prayers by speaking to someone, you may separate them by:

Moving away (forward or backward) from the spot you initially were praying in.
Leaving the initial prayer place and praying in another area.
Separating the prayers through du’a (supplication) as you have mentioned.
Therefore, making a du’a or saying Bismillah before having a drink in between prayers would be a sufficient form of speech to separate the fardh and sunnah prayers if you are unable to speak to another person or move your location.

Lastly, your prayers are valid, and you will not be sinful if you did not speak to someone prior to engaging in the sunnah prayer, especially if you have made an effort to separate them in another permissible way, such as making du’a or moving slightly.

بارك الله فيك

May Allah bless you.

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Nuski Cassim
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] وأما بيان ما يستحب للإمام أن يفعله عَقيب الفَراغ من الصلاة فنقول: إذا فرغ الإمام من الصلاة فلا يخلو إما ان كانت صلاة لا تصلي بعدها سنة، أو كانت صلاة تصلي بعدها سنه: فإن كانت صلاة لا تصلي بعدها سنة كالفجر والعصر فإن شاء الإمام قام وإن شاء قعد في مكانه يشتغل بالدعاء، لأنه لا تطوُّع بعد هاتين الصلاتين فلا بأس بالقعود، إلا أنه يكره المكث على هيئته مستقبل القبلة

وروي أن جلوس الإمام في مصلاه بعد الفراغ مستقبل القبلة بدعة، ولأن مكثه يوهِم الداخل أنه في الصلاة فيقتدى به فيفسد اقتداؤه، فكان المكث تعريضا لفساد اقتداء غيره به فلا يمكث، ولكنه يستقبل القوم بوجهه إن شاء، إن لم يكن بحِذائه أحد يصلي

[Badai’ as-Sanai’, Kitab as-Salah, Vol. 1, Page 59, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya]

[2] كانت صلاة بعدها سنة يكره له المكث قاعدا، وكراهة القعود مروية عن الصحابة روي عن أبي بكر وعمر أنهما كانا إذا فرغا من الصلاة قاما كأنهما على الرضف؛ ولأن المكث يوجب إشْتِباه الامرعلى الداخل فلا يمكث، ولكن يقوم ويتنحّى عن ذلك المكان ثم ينتقل

[Badai’ as-Sanai’, Kitab as-Salah, Vol. 1, Page 60, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya]

[3] دليل لما قاله أصحابنا أنّ النافلة الراتبة وغيرها يُستحب أن يُتحول لها عن موضع الفريضة إلى موضع آخر، وأفضله التحوّل إلى بيته، وإلا فموضع آخر من المسجد أو غيره، ليكثر مواضع سجوده، ولتنفصل صورة النافلة عن صورة الفريضة. وقوله: (حتى نتكلم) دليل على أن الفصل بينهما يحصُل بالكلام أيضا، ولكن بالانتقال أفضلُ، لما ذكرناه، والله أعلم.

[Sharh Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Jumu’ah, Vol. 2, Page 193, Dar al-Fayha’]