Why this matters

Once you say the opening Allahu Akbar, you are in a special state. You are speaking privately with Allah¹. Some things end that state and break the prayer. Others do not break it, but they take away some of its reward and focus.

This chapter covers three groups:

• What breaks the prayer: you must start again.
• What does not break it: things people often worry about, but which are fine.
• What is makruh (disliked): the prayer still counts, but it is better to avoid these.

Mistakes made by forgetting, like adding or missing a rakah, have their own fix. See Mistakes in salah: sujud as-sahw.

What breaks the prayer

1. Missing a pillar or a condition

• Leaving out a pillar (like ruku or sujud) on purpose breaks the prayer. If you forget one, see sujud as-sahw.
• Losing a condition breaks it too: your wudu, facing the qiblah, or your body being covered. The conditions are in Before you pray.
• Adding an extra ruku or sujud on purpose also breaks it.

2. Talking

In the early days of Islam, people used to talk during prayer. Zaid ibn Arqam said that someone would even tell the person next to him what he needed. Then Allah revealed: stand before Allah in devotion², and they were told to stay silent³.

Ibn Mas'ud said they used to greet Nabi ﷺ while he prayed, and he would answer. After they came back from Abyssinia, he did not answer. Later he told them: in prayer, a person is busy⁴.

A young Companion, Mu'awiya ibn al-Hakam, spoke during prayer because he did not know the rule. Nabi ﷺ taught him: normal talk has no place in this prayer. It is only for glorifying Allah, saying Allahu Akbar, and reciting the Quran⁵.

The schools on talking:

• On purpose: it breaks the prayer. All scholars agree.
• By mistake, or not knowing the rule: Malikis and Shafi'is say a few words do not break it. Nabi ﷺ once spoke after praying only two rakat, thinking he had finished, then he completed the prayer⁷. Hanafis say any talking breaks it, even by mistake. The Hanbali school mostly agrees with the Hanafis here.
• A cough, sneeze or clearing the throat that you cannot help does not break it.

3. Eating or drinking

• Eating or drinking on purpose breaks the prayer, even a little. All scholars agree.
• A tiny bit of food left between your teeth that you swallow without chewing does not break it.
• Eating or drinking a little by forgetting: Shafi'is and Hanbalis say it does not break the prayer. Hanafis say it does.

4. Laughing out loud

• Laughing out loud breaks the prayer. All scholars agree.
• A smile, with no sound, does not break it.
• Hanafis add that loud laughter in a prayer with ruku and sujud also breaks your wudu. The other schools say only the prayer breaks.

5. A lot of movement that is not needed

A little movement is fine, as you will see below. But if you keep moving a lot, for no reason connected to the prayer, the prayer breaks. The schools describe "a lot" in different ways:

• Hanafi: so much that someone watching would think you are not praying.
• Maliki and Hanbali: what people would normally see as a lot, done one after another, without a need.
• Shafi'i: three big movements in a row, like three steps, or something very big like a jump.

6. Losing your wudu

Nabi ﷺ said: the prayer of someone who breaks their wudu is not accepted until they do wudu again⁸. So if you pass wind or anything else breaks your wudu, leave the prayer quietly, do wudu, and pray again.

• Only doubt does not count. Nabi ﷺ said: do not leave the prayer unless you hear a sound or smell something⁹.
• Hanafis allow someone whose wudu broke without choice to do wudu and continue from where they stopped, under strict conditions. But they also say starting again is better, and that is what most people do.

7. Turning away from the qiblah

• Turning your chest away from the qiblah without a valid reason breaks the prayer.
• Turning only your head does not break it, but it is disliked (see below).

8. Your body becoming uncovered

• If part of what must be covered shows, and you cover it straight away, the prayer is fine.
• If a lot shows for a long time, the prayer breaks. Hanafis give a measure: a quarter of a body part, showing for as long as it takes to say Subhanallah three times.

9. Najasa (impurity) landing on you

If something impure lands on your body or clothes and you remove it at once, the prayer is fine. If it stays on you, the prayer breaks. See Najasa.

What does NOT break the prayer

Many people worry too much about small things. Nabi ﷺ himself did all of these in prayer:

• Carrying a child. Nabi ﷺ prayed while carrying his granddaughter Umamah. When he went into sujud, he put her down. When he stood, he picked her up again¹⁰.
• Walking a few steps to open a door. Aisha knocked while Nabi ﷺ was praying. He walked to the door, opened it, and went back to his place. The door was in the direction of the qiblah¹¹.
• Answering with a sign. When people greeted Nabi ﷺ with salam while he prayed, he answered by raising his hand¹². He also used hand signs in prayer when needed¹³.
• Killing a scorpion or snake. Nabi ﷺ said: kill the two black things in prayer, the snake and the scorpion¹⁴.
• Crying from the fear of Allah. A Companion saw Nabi ﷺ praying, and a sound came from his chest like a boiling pot, because he was crying¹⁵. Hanafis add: crying out loud from pain or a worldly loss can break it if clear words come out.
• Holding an animal. The Companion Abu Barza prayed holding his horse's reins, and walked after it when it pulled, rather than lose it¹⁶.
• Stopping someone walking in front. You may hold out your hand to stop them¹⁷.
• Saying Subhanallah (men) or clapping lightly (women) to tell the imam he made a mistake¹⁸.
• Your mind wandering. Shaitan reminds people of all sorts of things during prayer¹⁹. It does not break your prayer. Just bring your focus back.
• Doubting your wudu. Unless you are sure, carry on²⁰.
• Smoothing the ground once before sujud, if you really need to²¹.

Nabi ﷺ also cut his prayer short when he heard a baby crying, so as not to make it hard for the mother²². The prayer is meant to be easy for people, not a burden.

What is disliked (makruh)

These do not break the prayer. But they take away from its focus and reward, so try to avoid them.

• Looking around. Aisha asked Nabi ﷺ about it. He said: it is something Shaitan snatches from a person's prayer²³.
• Looking up at the sky. Nabi ﷺ spoke strongly against it. He said people should stop, or their sight may be taken away²⁴.
• Praying when food is served, or when you need the toilet. Nabi ﷺ said: there is no prayer when food is served, or when you are holding back the toilet²⁵. If the meal is ready, eat first²⁶, as long as the prayer time will not run out. Go to the toilet first.
• Yawning. Hold it back as much as you can²⁷, and cover your mouth with your hand²⁸.
• Hands on the hips. This was forbidden in prayer²⁹.
• Tucking up your clothes or hair so they do not touch the ground in sujud³⁰.
• Laying your forearms flat on the ground in sujud, like a dog³¹, or sitting on your heels in the way Nabi ﷺ called "the sitting of Shaitan"³².
• Spitting in front of you or to your right. In prayer you are speaking privately with Allah³³.
• Playing with your clothes, beard, watch or phone, or cracking your fingers. Scholars dislike these because they show the heart is somewhere else.
• Praying in front of distractions, like pictures, a busy pattern, or a TV. Nabi ﷺ gave away a cloth whose patterns caught his eye in prayer³⁴. He also asked Aisha to take down a curtain with pictures, because they kept coming in front of him while he prayed³⁵.
• Closing your eyes. This was not the way of Nabi ﷺ, so many scholars dislike it. But if open eyes really distract you, for example in a busy place, many scholars say closing them is fine.

Phones

• Put your phone on silent before you pray, especially in the masjid. A ringing phone disturbs everyone's focus.
• If it rings during prayer, you may switch it off with a small, quick movement. This does not break the prayer.
• Do not read messages or look at the screen.

The sutrah, and passing in front of someone praying

A sutrah is something you put in front of you when you pray, to mark your space. It can be a wall, a pillar, a bag, or a chair. Nabi ﷺ said it can be as small as the back of a camel's saddle, about the height of your forearm. Then pray, and do not worry about who passes beyond it³⁶.

• Stand close to your sutrah. Nabi ﷺ said: when you pray facing a sutrah, keep close to it, so Shaitan cannot break into your prayer³⁷.
• Using a sutrah is sunnah, not a must. Most scholars say this.
• In a group prayer, the imam's sutrah covers everyone behind him. Ibn Abbas rode a donkey past part of a row while Nabi ﷺ was leading the prayer, and no one objected³⁸.

Do not walk in front of someone praying

Nabi ﷺ said: if the person who walks in front of someone praying knew how big a sin it is, he would rather wait forty than walk in front of him. The narrator was not sure if he said forty days, months or years³⁹.

• Walk behind the person, or beyond their sutrah.
• If they have no sutrah, keep well clear of the space where they put their head in sujud.
• If someone tries to pass in front of you, you may hold out your hand to stop them⁴⁰. Do it gently.
• In very crowded places, like the Haram in Makkah, many scholars excuse passing in front because there is no other way.

Does it break the prayer?

One hadith says that a woman, a donkey and a black dog passing in front of someone with no sutrah cut the prayer⁴¹. But Aisha objected strongly when she heard this. She said Nabi ﷺ prayed while she was lying right in front of him, between him and the qiblah⁴².

• Most scholars (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i): nothing that passes in front breaks the prayer. "Cut" means it cuts your focus and reward.
• Hanbali: only a black dog breaks it.

Children

Small children do not understand these rules. If a toddler walks in front of you, your prayer is fine. Do not get angry. Gently move them aside if you easily can, and teach them kindly when they are older.

Common questions

My phone rang during prayer. Is my prayer broken?

No. Switch it off with one quick movement and carry on. Next time, put it on silent before you start.

My toddler climbed on my back in sujud.

Your prayer is fine. Nabi ﷺ carried his granddaughter Umamah in prayer⁴³. Wait a moment, or gently move the child, and continue.

Someone said salam to me while I was praying.

Do not answer with words. You can raise your hand a little, as Nabi ﷺ did⁴⁴, or answer after the prayer.

I think I passed wind, but I am not sure.

Carry on. Only leave the prayer if you are sure, by hearing a sound or smelling something⁴⁵.

The doorbell rang and I am home alone. Can I stop?

For a voluntary prayer, you may stop. For a fard prayer, it is best to finish it first. Most scholars allow breaking a fard prayer only for a real need, like saving someone from harm or stopping a real loss of money or property. Then start the prayer again.

My mother called my name while I was praying a sunnah prayer.

Many scholars say: in a voluntary prayer, if she does not know you are praying and would be upset, you may stop and answer her, then pray again. In a fard prayer, finish it quickly and then go to her.

I laughed in prayer because my child did something funny.

If it was only a smile with no sound, the prayer is fine. If you laughed out loud, start it again. Hanafis say also renew your wudu.

I am a new Muslim and I said something during prayer without knowing it was wrong.

Do not worry. Many scholars say your prayer counts, because Nabi ﷺ did not ask Mu'awiya ibn al-Hakam to repeat his prayer⁴⁶. If you want to be extra careful, pray it again. Now that you know, keep silent in future prayers.