harm in that, because the juristic principle is that what is disliked becomes permissible in cases of need.

As for shifting one’s weight between the feet—leaning on one leg at times and on the other at other times—there is nothing wrong with it, especially when one has been standing for a long time. However, one should not place one foot ahead of the other; rather, the feet should remain level, and this should not be done excessively.

“And cracking one’s fingers and interlacing them, …”

His statement, “And cracking one’s fingers,” means that it is disliked to crack one’s fingers by pressing them until they crack and make a sound. This is a form of idle movement, and, if one is praying in congregation, it also distracts those around him.

His statement, “And interlacing them,” means that it is disliked to interlace one’s fingers during the prayer, by inserting some of them between others. There is a hadith concerning one who is heading to the mosque, instructing him not to interlace his fingers (1). Thus, if one heading to the mosque for prayer is forbidden from interlacing his fingers, then one who is actually engaged in the prayer is even more deserving of this prohibition. It is also related that the Prophet ﷺ saw a man who had interlaced his fingers, so the Prophet ﷺ separated them (2).

After the prayer, however, neither cracking the fingers nor interlacing them is disliked, because it is authentically established that the Prophet ﷺ interlaced his fingers. This occurred in the hadith of Dhu al-Yadayn, when the Prophet ﷺ led his Companions in one of the afternoon prayers and concluded it after two rak‘ahs, then