Fatwa ID: 02642

Answered by: Javed ibn Nazir Kachhalia

Question

Assalamu Alaikum.

can an individual keep eyes close during salaah if he feels he could concentrate more? Please clarify, regarding eyesight during salaah.

jazakallah khair.

Answer

In regards to your query;

It has been mentioned in the books of Fiqh:

“To perform salaah/namaz with the eyes open is more preferable (Afdhal). However, if someone for concentration wants to close their eyes, then the method should be that not to keep them close or shut all the time but rather to close them for few seconds and open them again and close them for few seconds and open them again and so forth. As keeping them close throughout the namaz or salaah is disliked (Makrooh) (Aapke Masa’ail aur unke Haal, Vol 3, Pg, 317, Maktabah Ludhyanwi)

The same text and ruling can be found in ‘Al Bahrur Rahiq Vol 2, Pg 42’, “to keep the eyes close through-out Salaah is disliked (Makrooh).

The reason to this being disliked is that when a person is in Salaah, for each posture or position there is a Sunnah in which a person's eye should be fixed, therefore, by keeping the eyes close through-out Salaah is neglecting the Sunnah.

Only Allah knows best.

Javed ibn Nazir Kachhalia

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham