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Is it Acceptable to Shut the Eyes During Ritual Prayer?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Mathabah.org
Answered by Shaykh Omar Subedar

Question:

Can a person praying close his or her eyes to avoid distractions?

Answer:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for contacting Mathabah for your question.

Closing the eyes during the prayer is a disapproved action (makrūh).

Abū Bakr ibn Masʾūd Al Kāsāni Al Ḥanafī [d. 587 H] has written, “It is disliked for a person to shut his eyes during the prayer due to what has been reported from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم; that he forbade shutting the eyes during alāh. The sunnah (prophetic practice) is to direct one’s gaze towards the place of prostration; shutting the eyes results in discarding this sunnah.” [Badāi’ Al Ṣanāi’ p.81 vol. 2, Dār Al-Kotob Al-Ilmīyah, Beirut, Lebanon, 1997]

And Allāh Knows Best

This answer was collected from Mathabah.org. It’s an Islamic educational institute based in Canada. The questions are generally answered by Sheikh Yusuf Badat and Sheikh Omar Subedar.

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