The reply is as follows:

1 – The first contention is overturned by sound narrations, among them: “While we were waiting for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for the noon or afternoon prayer, and Bilal had already called him to the prayer, he came out to us with Ummamah bint Abi al-‘As upon his neck.” Muslim also records from Abu Qatadah: “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ leading the people in prayer while Ummamah was on his neck.”

2 – As for the second contention—that the Prophet ﷺ carried her out of sheer necessity—this is highly implausible. Many were present who could have relieved him of the task; the very house from which he emerged contained his family and other attendants.

3 – The third claim, that the report has been abrogated, is likewise rejected. The mere possibility of abrogation is insufficient to set aside an established ruling. Moreover, the ḥadith, “Indeed, during the prayer one is already fully occupied,” was addressed to Ibn Mas‘ūd when he returned from Abyssinia, before the Battle of Badr, whereas Zaynab and her daughter did not arrive in Madinah until several days after Badr.

After presenting these attempts to dismiss the report, al-Nawawi concludes: “All of these are baseless, refuted claims for which no evidence exists.”

What is correct, therefore, is that such movement is permissible when a need arises. Comparable examples are firmly established in the Sunnah: the Prophet ﷺ opened the door for ʿĀʾishah during prayer, ascended two steps of the pulpit so the congregation could see him, and signaled with his hand to return greetings of peace, among other instances.

Benefit: Through careful survey of the scriptural texts, some scholars—including the Ḥanbalīs—have divided movement during prayer into four categories:

First: movement that invalidates the prayer—substantial, continuous action undertaken without necessity and unrelated to the benefit of the prayer.

Second: movement that is disliked yet does not invalidate the prayer—slight, unnecessary motion that is not