Islamic Manual

The disliked (makruh) acts in prayer

The two grades of disliked act in prayer (makruh tahrimi, close to forbidden, and makruh tanzihi, merely better avoided), and what falls under each.

Makruh means "disliked", not something that breaks your prayer, but something you really shouldn't do. There are two levels: makruh tahrimi, which is close to being outright forbidden, and makruh tanzihi, which is more like "better not to, but not a big deal."

Makruh tahrimi, close to forbidden, during prayer

  1. Wearing clothes oddly, like a shirt with your arms not properly through the sleeves, or a scarf just draped over your head with the ends hanging loose.
  2. Bunching up or lifting your clothes to keep them clean of dust.
  3. Praying with your sleeves or the bottom of your clothes rolled up.
  4. Fidgeting or playing with your body or your clothes.
  5. Cracking your fingers, or locking the fingers of one hand into the other.
  6. Putting your hands on your waist.
  7. Turning your face to look around.
  8. Sitting like a dog: on both bottoms with both knees up.
  9. Praying directly facing someone else's face.
  10. Yawning on purpose instead of trying to stop it.
  11. Covering your nose and mouth with a cloth or mask.
  12. Prostrating on the middle of a wound-up turban (unless you can still feel the ground through it).
  13. Putting only your forehead down, not your nose.
  14. A man resting his elbows on the ground in Sujood.
  15. Bowing before you've finished reciting, or finishing your recitation once you're already bowing.
  16. Praying when you really need the toilet.
  17. Wearing clothes with pictures of people or animals on them, or praying somewhere with such pictures right in front, above, or beside you.
  18. Wearing clothes with more than a small, allowed amount of dirt (najasa) on them.
  19. A follower bowing, prostrating, or lifting their head before the imam does.
  20. The imam standing inside the little arched space (mihrab) at the front; standing just outside it is fine, even if he prostrates inside it.
  21. Only the imam, or only the followers, standing up on a raised platform about a hand's height.

The lighter kind, makruh tanzihi, includes things like these:

Makruh tanzihi, better avoided, during prayer

  1. Praying in dirty or scruffy clothes, or clothes you wouldn't normally wear around other people.
  2. A man tying his hair into a knot while praying.
  3. Clearing pebbles or dirt from where you'll put your forehead: doing it once, just to make sujood possible, is fine.
  4. Sitting cross-legged for no good reason.
  5. Not covering your mouth when you yawn.
  6. Closing your eyes, unless it genuinely helps you focus, in which case it's fine.
  7. Counting verses or "SubhanAllah" on your fingers or on prayer beads during prayer.
  8. Praying with your head uncovered, unless you're doing it out of humility, in which case it's fine.
  9. Shifting your weight from one foot to the other for no reason.
  10. Answering someone's greeting with just a hand or head signal.
  11. Small fidgety movements that don't need to happen.
  12. Putting your hands down before your knees when going into sujood, or lifting your knees before your hands when getting up (unless you really need to).
  13. Holding a coin or a stone in your mouth during prayer, as long as it doesn't get in the way of your recitation.
  14. Spitting without a real need.
  15. Glancing sideways with just your eyes, without turning your head.
  16. Standing alone in a row by yourself when there's space in the row ahead of you.

Makruh (disliked) acts in prayer are of two kinds: makruh tahreemi, which is close to being haram, and makruh tanzihi, which is closer to being permitted outright.

The following are makruh tahreemi in prayer:

Makruh tahreemi acts in prayer

  1. Wearing clothes in an unusual manner, such as a shirt worn without the hands in the sleeves, or a scarf or shawl draped over the head or shoulders with the ends left hanging loose.
  2. Gathering or lifting the clothes to protect them from dust or dirt.
  3. Praying with the sleeves or the hem of the garment rolled up.
  4. Engaging in unnecessary movement, or playing with the body or clothes.
  5. Cracking the fingers, or interlocking the fingers of one hand with the other.
  6. Placing the hands on the waist.
  7. Turning the face to look around.
  8. Sitting like a dog: on both buttocks with both knees raised.
  9. Praying while directly facing another person's face.
  10. Deliberately yawning, rather than resisting it.
  11. Covering the face with a cloth or mask that covers the nose and mouth.
  12. Prostrating on the middle of a turban, unless the ground can be felt through it, in which case it does not invalidate the prayer.
  13. Placing only the forehead on the ground in prostration, without the nose.
  14. A man laying his elbows on the ground during prostration.
  15. Bowing for Ruku before completing the recitation, and finishing the recitation while already in the bowing position.
  16. Praying while needing to relieve oneself.
  17. Wearing clothes with images of living beings, or praying where such images are visible in front, above, or to the sides.
  18. Wearing clothes carrying an amount of impurity (najasa) equal to or greater than the minimum that would otherwise be excused.
  19. A follower bowing or prostrating before the imam, or raising the head before the imam does.
  20. The imam standing inside the mihrab (the prayer niche); it is acceptable for him to stand outside it and prostrate inside it.
  21. Only the imam, or only the followers, standing on a platform raised about a hand's height above the rest.

The following are makruh tanzihi in prayer:

Makruh tanzihi acts in prayer

  1. Praying in dirty or shabby clothes, or clothes one would not normally wear in front of others.
  2. Men tying their hair in a knot while praying.
  3. Removing pebbles or dirt from the place of prostration: doing this once, to make prostration possible, is not disliked.
  4. Sitting cross-legged without a valid reason.
  5. Not covering the mouth when yawning.
  6. Closing the eyes, unless done to enhance focus, in which case it is not disliked.
  7. Counting verses or "SubhanAllah" on the fingers or with a rosary during prayer.
  8. Praying bareheaded, if done out of humility or reverence, it is not disliked.
  9. Shifting weight from one foot to the other without a reason.
  10. Responding to someone's greeting by signalling with the hands or head instead of speaking.
  11. Performing small, unnecessary movements.
  12. Placing the hands on the ground before the knees when going into prostration, or lifting the knees before the hands when rising, unless necessary.
  13. Holding a piece of gold, silver, or a small stone in the mouth during prayer, provided it does not interfere with recitation.
  14. Spitting without necessity.
  15. Glancing sideways without turning the head.
  16. Standing alone in a row when there is space available in the row in front.

Karāhah in prayer is of two grades: makrūh taḥrīmī, which approaches ḥarām, and makrūh tanzīhī, which approaches the permitted (mubāḥ).

The following are makrūh taḥrīmī in prayer:

Makrūh taḥrīmī acts in prayer

  1. Wearing a garment in an irregular fashion: a shirt worn without the arms through the sleeves, or a scarf/shawl draped over the head or shoulders with the ends left hanging loose (sadl).
  2. Gathering or lifting the clothing to protect it from dust.
  3. Praying with the sleeves or hem rolled up (kaff ath-thawb).
  4. ʿAbath: fidgeting or toying with the body or garment.
  5. Cracking the finger joints (faqʿaqat al-aṣābiʿ), or interlacing the fingers of one hand with the other (tashbīk).
  6. Placing the hands on the waist (khaṣr).
  7. Turning the face to look about (iltifāt).
  8. Sitting iqʿāʾ-style: on both buttocks with both knees raised, dog-like.
  9. Praying directly facing another person's face.
  10. Yawning deliberately rather than suppressing it.
  11. Covering the face with a cloth or mask over the nose and mouth.
  12. Prostrating on the wound coil of a turban, unless the ground is perceptible through it, in which case the prayer is not invalidated.
  13. Placing the forehead alone on the ground in sujūd, without the nose.
  14. A man resting his forearms on the ground in sujūd (iftirāsh, contrary to the sunnah of raising the forearms).
  15. Entering rukūʿ before completing the recitation, or completing the recitation only after already bowing.
  16. Praying while needing to relieve oneself (mudāfaʿat al-akhbathayn).
  17. Wearing a garment bearing images of living beings, or praying where such images are visible ahead, above, or to the sides.
  18. Wearing a garment carrying najāsah at or above the threshold otherwise excused.
  19. A muqtadī anticipating the imam into rukūʿ or sujūd, or raising his head before the imam does.
  20. The imam standing within the miḥrāb proper; standing outside it while prostrating within it is unobjectionable.
  21. Only the imam, or only the muqtadīn, standing upon a platform raised roughly a hand's height above the rest.

The following are makrūh tanzīhī in prayer:

Makrūh tanzīhī acts in prayer

  1. Praying in soiled or shabby clothing, or clothing one would not ordinarily wear before others.
  2. A man knotting his hair while praying.
  3. Clearing pebbles or dirt from the place of sujūd: a single such clearing, made to render sujūd possible, is not disliked.
  4. Sitting cross-legged (iḥtibāʾ) without a valid reason.
  5. Failing to cover the mouth when yawning.
  6. Closing the eyes, unless done to aid khushūʿ, in which case it is not disliked.
  7. Counting āyāt or tasbīḥāt on the fingers or a rosary during the prayer.
  8. Praying bareheaded, where done from humility, it is not disliked.
  9. Shifting weight from one foot to the other without cause.
  10. Returning a greeting by gesture of the hand or head rather than remaining silent.
  11. Minor, unnecessary movements.
  12. Placing the hands on the ground before the knees on descending to sujūd, or raising the knees before the hands on rising, absent necessity.
  13. Holding a coin or small stone in the mouth during prayer, provided it does not impede the recitation.
  14. Spitting without necessity.
  15. A sideways glance of the eyes alone, without turning the head.
  16. Standing alone in a row while space remains in the row ahead.

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