Humility during Salah (prayer) and the Contemptibility of Playfulness during Prayer

قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع‌ إِذَا قُمْتَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَعَلَيْكَ بِالْإِقْبَالِ عَلَى صَلَاتِكَ فَإِنَّمَا يُحْسَبُ لَكَ مِنْهَا مَا أَقْبَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ وَ لَا تَعْبَثْ فِيهَا بِيَدِكَ وَ لَا بِرَأْسِكَ وَ لَا بِلِحْيَتِكَ وَ لَا تُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَكَ وَ لَا تَتَثَاءَبْ وَ لَا تَتَمَطَّ وَ لَا تُكَفِّرْ[3] فَإِنَّمَا يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ الْمَجُوسُ وَ لَا تَلَثَّمْ وَ لَا تَحْتَفِزْ وَ لَا تَفَرَّجْ كَمَا يَتَفَرَّجُ الْبَعِير

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘When you stand up for Salah (prayer) you should be prepared (attentive) for prayer; what will be counted in your favor of prayer will be only that in which you were attentive. You should not play during Salah (prayer) with your hands, head and beard, and do not speak in your soul. You sho

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَرِهَ لَكُمْ أَيَّتُهَا الْأُمَّةُ أَرْبَعاً وَ عِشْرِينَ خَصْلَةً وَ نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهَا كَرِهَ لَكُمُ الْعَبَثَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Allah has made twenty-four things contemptible for you to do and has forbidden you to do them. Allah dislikes that you act as playful during Salah (prayer).’”

إِذَا كُنْتَ دَخَلْتَ فِي صَلَاتِكَ فَعَلَيْكَ بِالتَّخَشُّعِ وَ الْإِقْبَالِ عَلَى صَلَاتِكَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَقُولُ- الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلاتِهِمْ خاشِعُونَ‌[2].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when you are in your Salah (prayer), you must be humble and attentive in it; Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has said, ‘Those who are humble during their Salah (prayer) (are of the true believers)’ (23:3).”

كَانَ أَبِي ع يَقُولُ‌ كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ص إِذَا قَامَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ كَأَنَّهُ سَاقُ شَجَرَةٍ لَا يَتَحَرَّكُ مِنْهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ إِلَّا مَا حَرَّكَهُ الرِّيحُ مِنْهُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that his (Imam’s) father has said that when Ali ibn al- Husayn (a.s.), would stand up for Salah (prayer), he seemed like the trunk of a tree. Not anything of his body would move except what the wind would move.’”

كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ص إِذَا قَامَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ تَغَيَّرَ لَوْنُهُ فَإِذَا سَجَدَ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ رَأْسَهُ حَتَّى يَرْفَضَّ عَرَقاً.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.), would stand up for Salah (prayer), the color of his face change and in sajdah he remained so long until (his face) became drenched with perspiration (and tears).”

إِذَا اسْتَقْبَلْتَ الْقِبْلَةَ بِوَجْهِكَ فَلَا تُقَلِّبْ وَجْهَكَ عَنِ الْقِبْلَةِ فَتَفْسُدَ صَلَاتُكَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ قَالَ لِنَبِيِّهِ ص فِي الْفَرِيضَةِ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرامِ وَ حَيْثُ ما كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ‌[4] وَ اخْشَعْ بِبَصَرِكَ وَ لَا تَرْفَعْهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ[5] وَ لْيَكُنْ حِذَاءَ وَجْهِكَ‌[1] فِي مَوْضِعِ سُجُودِكَ.

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that when you face the direction of al-Qiblah (al-Ka’bah) you must not turn your face away from it; it destroys your Salah (prayer). Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has said to His Holy prophet, O Allah grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your caus

فِي الرَّجُلِ يَتَثَاءَبُ وَ يَتَمَطَّى فِي الصَّلَاةِ قَالَ هُوَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَ لَا يَمْلِكُهُ‌[2].

“About a man’s yawning and stretching during Salah (prayer) the Imam (a.s.), has said, ’It comes from Satan over which he has no control (but one should control things that cause it to happen).”’

كُنْتُ جَالِساً عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَسَأَلَهُ نَاجِيَةُ أَبُو حَبِيبٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ جَعَلَنِي اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّ لِي رَحًى أَطْحَنُ فِيهَا فَرُبَّمَا قُمْتُ فِي سَاعَةٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَأَعْرِفُ مِنَ الرَّحَى أَنَّ الْغُلَامَ قَدْ نَامَ فَأَضْرِبُ الْحَائِطَ لِأُوقِظَهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ أَنْتَ فِي طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ تَطْلُبُ رِزْقَهُ.

“I was sitting in the presence of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), when Najiyyah abu Habib asked the Imam saying, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, I have a flour-mill. During the night I wake up (for Salah (prayer)) and notice from the mill that the servant is gone to sleep. (Can) I then knock at the wall to wa

إِذَا قُمْتَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَلَا تَعْبَثْ بِلِحْيَتِكَ وَ لَا بِرَأْسِكَ وَ لَا تَعْبَثْ بِالْحَصَى وَ أَنْتَ تُصَلِّي إِلَّا أَنْ تُسَوِّيَ حَيْثُ تَسْجُدُ فَإِنَّهُ لَا بَأْسَ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when you stand up for Salah (prayer), you must not play with your beard, your head or with pebbles while you pray, except when you prepare (pebbles) as you are about to do sajdah in which case it is not an offense.”