or with the letter sīn: yabsuq; for these three letters may alternate in many words due to the closeness of their points of articulation.

His statement, “he spits to his left during the prayer,” means that if the worshipper needs to spit, he should spit to his left. He should not spit to his right or in front of his face.

As for why he should not spit in front of his face, it is because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is before him. There is no one who turns toward the House of Allah in order to pray except that Allah faces him, wherever he may be, for Allah encompasses all things, as He, Exalted is He, says:

“And to Allah belong the east and the west; so wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.” [al-Baqarah]

It is not proper etiquette for you to spit before yourself when Allah, Exalted is He, is before your face.

Were you to do this in the presence of ordinary people, it would be considered bad manners; so what then when you stand before the King of kings, the Compeller of the heavens and the earth?!

For this reason, when the Prophet ﷺ saw a man leading some people in prayer who spat in the direction of the qiblah while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was watching, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said when he had finished, “He must not lead you in prayer.” Afterwards, the man wished to lead them in prayer, but they prevented him and informed him of what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had said. He then mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said, “Yes, you have harmed Allah and His Messenger.” (1)

As for the right side, the Prophet ﷺ explained this by saying, “For at his right is—