Chapter: Matters that are Disliked in the Prayer

It is disliked during the prayer to turn one’s face and chest away, for the Prophet said, “It is a snatching that Satan snatches from a servant’s prayer,” recorded by al-Bukhari. If, however, the worshipper needs to look or turn—for example, in a situation of fear—or for any other valid purpose, there is no harm.

If he rotates his entire body or turns his back to the Kaʿbah in other than a situation of fear, his prayer is invalid because he has abandoned facing the qiblah without excuse.

From this it becomes clear that turning in the prayer during combat or in fear is permissible, because it is one of the necessities of fighting. If, outside a state of fear, only the face and chest move while the rest of the body remains oriented toward the qiblah, then: when done for a need, it is permissible; when done without need, it is disliked; and when the whole body turns, the prayer is invalid.

It is likewise disliked in prayer to raise one’s gaze toward the sky. The Prophet censured those who did so, saying, “What is the matter with people who lift their eyes toward the sky in