because the Prophet ﷺ saw a man fidgeting in his prayer and said: “If this man’s heart were humble and submissive, his limbs would be humble and submissive as well.” (1) This hadith is weak and cannot be used as evidence.

It was also narrated from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib (2), but the harmful effects we have mentioned are clear and make it unnecessary.

And praying with one’s hands on one’s hips, …

His statement, “And praying with one’s hands on one’s hips,” means placing one’s hand on one’s hip. The hip is the narrow part of the abdomen above the pelvic bone—that is, the middle of a person’s body. This is disliked because the Prophet ﷺ forbade a man to pray (3) with his hands on his hips, meaning with his hands placed on his hips. It is explained in the hadith of Aishah that this is an act of the Jews (4): the Jews used to do this in their prayer. Moreover, it generally occurs when a person is distressed or tense, as though he is thinking about something.

And fanning oneself, …

His statement, “And fanning oneself,” means fanning oneself with a hand fan, derived from the word for wind. A fan is made from palm fronds, woven together and fitted with a handle; a person then fans himself with it, moving it right and left so that air reaches him. This is disliked because it is a form of fidgeting and movement, and it distracts a person from his prayer. But if there is a need for it—for example, if he is overcome by distress and intense heat, and fans himself in order to lessen the severity of the distress and heat during the prayer—then there is no