Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles

Sabrah ibn Ma‘bad al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When anyone of you prays, let him do so behind a barrier, even if an arrow."

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When one of you stands up to pray, he should put a screen in front of him as tall as the height of the back of a saddle. If he does not have something the height of the back of a saddle in front of him, his prayer would be invalidated if a donkey, a woman, or a black dog passed in front of him." I asked: “O Abu Dharr, what is the difference between a black dog and a red or a yellow dog?” He said: “O nephew, I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the same question and he answered: "A black dog is a devil.” According to a narration by Ibn ‘Abbās: "Prayer is invalidated by [the passing of] a menstruating woman and a dog."

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If anyone of you is praying behind something that conceals him from people and somebody tries to pass in front of him, he should push him away; if he refuses, the praying person should use force against him for he is a devil." Another narration reads: "If anyone of you is praying, he should not let anyone pass in front of him; if he refuses then use force, for he has a (devil) companion with him."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying with one's hands on one's waist.

It was reported that ‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to hate that one keeps his hands on his flanks (while praying). She said that the Jew used to do so.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If the supper is served, then start eating it before praying the Maghrib prayer, and do not be hasty in finishing it."

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When anyone of you stands in prayer, indeed mercy is facing him. So, let him not smooth the pebbles." Mu‘ayqīb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said about the man who levels the earth where he prostrates: "If you must do so, then do it only once."

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about looking around during prayer. He replied: "It is a way of stealing by which the devil steals a portion of a slave's prayer."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: ‘Ā'ishah had a (patterned) curtain with which she screened the side of her home. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "Take this curtain of yours away, for its images come to my mind while I'm praying."

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prayed wearing a striped garment and glanced at the stripes. When he had finished, he said: "Take this garment of mine to Abu Jahm and bring me his plain garment, because this one has distracted me from my prayer." In another narration: "I was looking at the stripes while I was praying, so I fear that it will distract me."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What is the matter with some people who raise their eyes towards the sky during their prayer?" He went on, using strict words, until he said, "They must stop that, or their eyesight will be snatched away."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yawning inside the prayer is from the devil, so if anyone of you yawns, let him suppress it as much as he can."

‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to build mosques in different localities and that they should be kept clean and perfumed.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent some cavalry towards Najd. They captured a man from the tribe of Banu Hanīfah called Thumāmah ibn Uthāl, and tied him to one of the pillars of the mosque. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went to him and said: "What do you think, Thumāmah?" He replied, "I have a good thought, O Muhammad! If you kill, you will kill someone with blood; if you do a favor, you will do a favor to a grateful person; and if you want money, then ask and you will be given whatever you wish." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) left him until the next day, and then said to him: "What do you think, Thumāmah? He said: "As I told you before: if you do a favor, you will do a favor to a grateful person; if you kill, you will kill a person with blood; and if you want money, then ask and you will be given whatever you wish." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) left him again until the following day and then said to him: "What do you think, Thumāmah?" He said: "I think what I have told you before: if you do a favor , you will do a favor to a grateful person; if you kill, you will kill a person with blood; and if you want money, then ask and you will be given whatever you wish." Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Release Thumāmah." Thereupon, he went to a place of water near the mosque, took a bath, and then entered the mosque and said: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. O Muhammad, by Allah! There was no face on the surface of the earth more hateful to me than yours; but now your face has become the most beloved of all faces to me. By Allah, there was no religion more hateful to me than yours; but now it is the most beloved religion to me. By Allah, there was no city more hateful to me than yours; but now it is the most beloved city to me. Your cavalry arrested me when I was intending to perform ‘Umrah. And now what do you think?" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave him glad tidings and ordered him to go and perform ‘Umrah. So, when he went to Mecca, someone said to him: "Have you apostatized?" Thumāmah replied: "No, by Allah! I have embraced Islam along with the Messenger of Allah. Behold, by Allah, no single grain of wheat will come to you from Yamāmah unless the Messenger of Allah gives his permission for it."

Abu Hurayrah reported that ‘Umar happened to pass by Hassān (may Allah be pleased with him) as he was reciting verses of poetry in the mosque. He (‘Umar) looked at him (meaningfully). Upon which, Hassān said: "I used to recite poetry (in the presence) of one better than you (the Prophet). He then looked at Abu Hurayrah and said to him: "I implore you by Allah (to tell me) if you heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saying: '(Hassān) answer on my behalf. O Allah, aid him with the Holy Spirit (Jibrīl).’” He (Abu Hurayrah) said: “By Allah, yes (I did).”

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever hears a man inquiring in the mosque about something he has lost should say: 'May Allah not restore it to you,' for indeed mosques are not built for this."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you see someone buying or selling in the mosque, say to him: 'May Allah not make your sale profitable!' And when you see someone announcing a lost item in the mosque, then say: 'May Allah not return it to you!'"

Hakīm ibn Hizām (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prescribed corporal punishments are not to be carried out in mosques; nor should retribution be carried out in them."

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: Sa‘d was injured on the Day of the Trench by the arrow of man from Quraysh called Hibbān ibn al-‘Arqah (Hibbān ibn Qays) from the tribe of Banu Mu‘ayyis ibn ‘Āmir ibn Lu'ai who shot him in the median vein of the arm. So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) set up a tent for him in the mosque in order to visit him from nearby. When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) returned from the trench he placed his weapon down and washed up. Jibrīl (may peace be upon him) came to him while he was shaking the dust from his head and said: "Have you laid down weapons? By Allah! I have not laid it down! Go out to them!" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Where?" So he pointed to Banu Qurayzhah. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went to them and they surrendered. He turned the judgment over to Sa‘d, and Sa‘d said: "I rule that their warriors be killed, their women and offspring be taken as captives, and that their wealth be divided." Hishām said: "My father informed me that ‘Ā’ishah reported that Sa‘d said: 'O Allah, Indeed, You know that there is no one that I love to battle in Your cause than a people who belied and drove out Your Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). O Allah, I think that You have ended the war between us and them, so if there remains any war against the Quraysh, then keep me alive so that I may battle them in Your cause; and if You have indeed ended the war, then let the blood flow and make my death therein." So his wound erupted from his throat. There was a tent in the mosque belonging to Banu Ghifār, and they were scared at the sight of blood flowing towards them. They said: "O people of this tent, what is it that is coming to us from your side?" And Sa‘d's wound continued to bleed, and he died from it (may Allah be pleased with him). [Al-Bukhāri]

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that during the days of Mina, Abu Bakr came to her while there where two girls with her; they were beating drums, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was covering himself with his garment (while he was lying down). Abu Bakr rebuked the two girls, but the Prophet uncovered his face and said: "O Abu Bakr, leave them, for these are the days of Eid." Those were the days of Mina, ‘Ā’ishah added: "I was being screened by the Prophet while I was watching the Ethiopians playing in the Mosque." ‘Umar rebuked them, but the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave them, O Banu Arfida, play; it is safe."