turn toward it except by facing it, even though it is above him. Thus, he faces it while it is above him. It is contrary to the innate disposition for him to turn his back on it and address it while fully intent on addressing it, even though doing so is possible. Only someone whose purpose is not to address it directly would do that—as when someone does not intend to address a particular person directly, so he turns his face away and addresses someone else, intending the first person to hear his words. When there is no impediment, however, he turns directly toward him. Likewise, when the servant stands to pray, he faces his Lord, who is above him. He calls upon Him as being before him, not to his right or left, and as being above him, not below him, just as in the hypothetical case of addressing the moon.

It is established in the two Sahīh collections that he said:

“Some people must stop raising their eyes during prayer, or their sight will not return to them.”

The scholars agree that worshippers are forbidden to raise their eyes toward the sky. Ahmad narrated from Muhammad ibn Sīrīn:

“The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to raise his eyes toward the sky during prayer, until Allah Most High revealed: ‘Successful indeed are the believers, those who are humble in their prayers.’ Thereafter, his gaze did not extend beyond the place of his prostration.”

This is among the prescriptions of the revealed law that perfect the innate disposition. For someone who supplicates and petitions, and who is commanded to observe humility—which means humble submission and silence—it is not fitting to look toward the One whom he invokes and petitions. Rather, it befits him to bow his head and lower his gaze before him.

The prohibition against worshippers raising their eyes during prayer is not a refutation of “those who affirm the divine attributes,” who say that He is above the Throne, as some ignorant Jahmiyyah suppose. For the Jahmiyyah make no distinction