Bite Size Ramadan 1441 A.H. Day 23
A lot of Unnecessary Movement in the Prayer
Compiled & Translated
By
Abbas Abu Yahya
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The Prohibition of Moving around in the Prayer
Shaykh Al-Albaani quoted a hadeeth:
إذا صليتم فلا تلتفتوا؛ فإنَّ الله يَنْصِبُ وجهَهُ لوجه عبدِه في صلاته ما لم يلتَفِتْ.
‘When you pray do not move around, indeed Allaah places His Face towards the face of His slave whilst he is in the prayer as long as he does not turn away.’
[Collected by Tirmidhi, al-Hakim & in Saheeh Targheeb no. 552]
The Messenger also said about moving:
«اختلاس يختلسه الشيطان من صلاة العبد»
‘It is what the shaytaan steals from the prayer of the slave of Allaah.’
[Collected by Bukhari & Abu Dawood]
The Prophet -SallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam- said:
«لا يزال الله مقبلاً على العبد في صلاته؛ ما لم يلتفت، فإذا صرف وجهه؛ انصرف عنه».
‘Allaah continues to face His slave in his prayer; as long as he does not move around, so when the slave of Allaah moves his face then Allaah moves away from him.’
[Collected by Abu Dawood, Ibn Khuzaimah, Ibn Hibban & authenticated by Al-Albaani in Saheeh Targheeb]
[Asal Sifat as-Salah 1/235]
Moving around in the Prayer
Ibn Al-Qayyim -Rahimahullaah- said:
‘Regarding the hadeeth:
«وأمركم بالصلاة فإذا صليتم فلا تلتفتوا فإن الله ينصب وجهه لوجه عبده في صلاته ما لم يلتفت»
‘…. And you are commanded to pray. So when you pray do not move around, indeed Allaah places His Face towards the face of His slave whilst he is in the prayer as long as he does not turn away.’
Moving around, which has been prohibited in the prayer is of two types:
The First: Moving the heart away from Allaah Azza wa Jal- to other than Allaah.
The Second: looking away in the prayer, both are prohibited.
Allaah continues to Face towards His slave as long as the slave of Allaah is engaged in his prayer, if he turns away with his heart or sight, then Allaah Ta’ala turns away from him.
The Messenger of Allaah -SallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam- was asked about the turning away of a person in his prayer so the Messenger said:
«اختلاس يختلسه الشيطان من صلاة العبد»
‘It is what the shaytaan steals from the prayer of the slave of Allaah.’
The like of the one who moves away in his prayer with his sight or heart or the like of a man who the leader summons, and makes him stand in front of him, and the leader faces him and calls him and talks to him, whilst this person moves around to the right and the left and he has moved his heart away from the leader, he does not know what he is being addressed with, because his heart is not present, so what does this person think that the leader will do to him? At the very least the leader will be disgusted and turn away and will distance him, because he will have fallen in his eyes?
So this person praying is not equal to the one whose heart is present and facing towards Allaah Ta’ala in his prayer, in that, his heart feels the greatness of the One whom he is standing in front of. His heart fills with awe and humility for Him, and he lowers and tilts his neck down for Him. He would feel ashamed to turn away from his Lord -the Most High- and give his attention elsewhere.
Hasan bin Atteeyah clarified the difference between these two types of prayers:
‘Indeed there are two people who are in the same prayer and between them there is the difference of the heavens and the earth in virtue and excellence. One of them is turning and facing Allaah -Azza wa Jal- and the other is inattentive and negligent.
If a slave of Allaah turns and faces a creation like himself, and yet there is a veil between him and that creation, he will be unable to come close to them or face them, if that is the case with the creation then what about with the Creator Azza wa Jal?
So if a person turns to the Creator -Azza wa Jal- but there is a veil between him and Allaah, a veil of desires, whispers and the soul is infatuated with itself puffed up by these desires, then how can that person truly turn towards Allaah whilst these whisperings and matters have pushed him into confusion and madness, and taken him out of the realms of reality?
The Shaytaan attacks the slave of Allaah when he stands to pray, since he has stood in the greatest and closest station, and this enrages the Shaytaan and is severe upon him.
So the Shaytaan desires and strives to prevent a person from praying. In fact, the Shaytaan continues to make promises to him, arouses false desires,[1] causes him to forget[2] and attacks him with his cavalry and infantry[3] until he belittles the matter of the prayer, then he neglects it, then he leaves it.
When the Shaytaan becomes weak from assaulting him and the slave of Allaah disobeys the Shaytaan and stands in the place of prayer, the enemy of Allaah Ta’ala comes towards him until a person starts to contemplate to himself and he comes between himself and his heart. The Shaytaan reminds him of matters which he was not thinking about before he entered into the prayer, so much so that perhaps he had previously forgotten about that matter, or that need or was despondent from it, so the Shaytaan reminds him of those matters in the prayer to preoccupy his heart and take him away from Allaah -Azza wa Jal- so he stands in the prayer without his heart.
So he is unable to reach the station of Allaah Ta’ala turning to him and honouring him and attaining closeness to Allaah, unlike that person who has reached the level of turning to his Lord -Azza wa Jal- whilst his heart is present in his prayer.
So, the first person finishes and exits his prayer just as he entered it, with all his mistakes, sins and heaviness and they are not lightened due to his prayer. Indeed the prayer expiates evil deeds for the one who truly performs it, and completed its Khushoo and stood in front of Allaah Ta’ala with his heart and soul.
He finds himself active, comforted and refreshed so much so that he wishes that he does not have to exit from the prayer, because it is the coolness of his eyes and delight of his soul, the paradise of his heart, and his relaxation in the Duniya. He feels that he is in a prison and constrained until he enters into the prayer and finds relief in it and not from it.’
[al-Waabil as-Sayib min al-Kalima at-Tayyib]
الالتفات في الصلاة
قال الإلباني :
ولا يلتفت يمينا، ولا يسارا، فإن الالتفات اختلاس يختلسه الشيطان من صلاة العبد.
وقال في أصل الصفة:
وفي حديث آخر: «فإذا صليتم؛ فلا تلتفتوا؛ فإن الله ينصب وجهه لوجه عبده في صلاته؛ ما لم يلتفت».
وقال أيضاً عن التلفت: «اختلاس يختلسه الشيطان من صلاة العبد».
وقال – صلى الله عليه وسلم -: «لا يزال الله مقبلاً على العبد في صلاته؛ ما لم يلتفت، فإذا صرف وجهه؛ انصرف عنه».
في تلخيص الصفة فقرة 43:
قال ابن قيم الجوزية – رحمة الله عليه:
وقوله في الحديث «وأمركم بالصلاة فإذا صليتم فلا تلتفتوا فإن الله ينصب وجهه لوجه عبده في صلاته ما لم يلتفت» الالتفات المنهي عنه في الصلاة قسمان.
(احدهما) التفات القلب عن الله عز وجل إلى غير الله تعالى (الثاني) التفات البصر وكلاهما منهي عنه.
ولا يزال الله مقبلاً على عبده ما دام العبد مقبلاً على صلاته، فإذا التفت بقلبه أو بصره أعرض الله تعالى عنه.
وقد سئل رسول الله صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عن التفات الرجل في صلاته فقال «
اختلاس يختلسه الشيطان من صلاة العبد» ومثل من يلتفت في صلاته ببصره أو بقلبه أو مثل رجل قد استدعاه السلطان فأوقفه بين يديه وأقبل يناديه ويخاطبه، وهو في خلال ذلك يلتفت عن السلطان يميناً وشمالاً وقد انصرف قلبه عن السلطان فلا يفهم ما يخاطبه به، لأن قلبه ليس حاضراً معه، فما ظن هذا الرجل أن يفعل به السلطان؟ أفليس أقل المراتب في حقه أن ينصرف من بين يديه ممقوتاً مبعداً قد سقط من عينيه؟
فهذا المصلي لا يستوي والحاضر القلب المقبل على الله تعالى في صلاته الذي قد أشعر قلبه عظمة من هو واقف بين يديه فامتلأ قلبه من هيبته، وذلت عنقه له، واستحى من ربه تعالى أن يقبل على غيره أو يلتفت عنه.
وبين صلاتيهما كما قال حسان عطية: إن الرجلين ليكونان في الصلاة الواحدة وأن ما بينهما في الفضل كما بين السماء والأرض، وذلك أن أحدهما مقبل على الله عز وجل والآخر ساه غافل.
فإذا أقبل العبد على مخلوق مثله وبينه حجاب لم يكن إقبالاً ولا تقريباً، فما الظن بالخالق عز وجل؟
وإذا أقبل على الخالق عز وجل وبينه وبينه حجاب الشهوات والوساوس والنفس مشغوفة بها ملأى منها فكيف يكون ذلك إقبالاً وقد ألهته الوساوس والأفكار وذهبت به كل مذهب؟
والعبد إذا قام في الصلاة غار الشيطان منه، فإنه قد قام في أعظم مقام وأقربه وأغيظه للشيطان وأشده عليه، فهو يحرص ويجتهد أن لا يقيمه فيه، بل لا يزال به يعده ويمنيه وينسيه ويجلب عليه بخيله ورجله حتى يهون عليه شأن الصلاة فيتهاون بها فيتركها.
فإن عجز عن ذلك منه وعصاه العبد وقام في ذلك المقام أقبل عدو الله تعالى حتى يخطر بينه وبين نفسه، ويحول بينه وبين قلبه، فيذكره في الصلاة ما لم يذكر قبل دخوله فيها، حتى ربما كان قد نسي شئ والحاجة وأيس منها فيذكره إياها في الصلاة ليشغل قلبه بها ويأخذه عن الله عز وجل، فيقوم فيها بلا قلب، فلا ينال من إقبال الله تعالى وكرامته وقربه ما يناله المقبل على ربه عز وجل الحاضر بقلبه في صلاته، فينصرف من صلاته مثل ما دخل فيها بخطاياه وذنوبه وأثقاله لم تخف عنه بالصلاة، فإن الصلاة إنما تكفر سيئات من أدى حقها، وأكمل خشوعها، ووقف بين يدي الله تعالى بقلبه وقابله.
فهذا إذا انصرف منها وجد خفة من نفسه، وأحس بأثقال قد وضعت عنه.
فوجد نشاطاً وراحة وروحاً، حتى يتمنى أنه لم يكن خرج منها، لأنها قرة عينيه ونعيم روحه وجنة قلبه ومستراحه في الدنيا، فلا يزال كأنه في سجن وضيق حتى يدخل فيها فيستريح بها لا منها.
الكتاب: الوابل الصيب من الكلم الطيب
المؤلف: محمد بن أبي بكر بن أيوب بن سعد شمس الدين ابن قيم الجوزية (المتوفى: 751هـ)
[1] Nisa: 120
[2] An’am: 68
[3] 17: 64