Errors in Prayers that must be Avoided
(Originally published in Ad-Deen an-Naseehah)


Table of Contents
  1. Errors in Prayers that must be avoided
    1. Wearing pants, or garments that hangs below the ankles.
    2. Consuming food of bad smell such has garlic or onion, or smoking10 before coming to prayer.
    3. Proceeding to mosque for prayer with brisk walk, or even running for fear of missing part of the prayer.
    4. Saying Takbeer al-Ihram while in rukoo'.
    5. Mumbling the niyyah or intention, and uttering it in a low audible voice.
    6. Neglecting raising the hands in the opening takbeer of salah and before and after rukoo', and upon standing up for the third rak'ah.
    7. Neglecting the opening du'a of prayer, t'awwudth, and basmalah.
    8. Neglecting praying facing a sutrah.
    9. Reluctance to stand in the front line in congregational prayer.
    10. Gazing upward during prayer, or looking at the imam, right or left.
    11. Leaving gaps in lines of congregational prayer.
    12. Reciting surat al-Fatiha fast without pausing after each verse.
    13. Fidgeting during prayer, or looking at a watch or fiddling with one's fingers, clothes or moving feet or other parts of the body restlessly.
    14. Holding the Qur'an and reciting from it by the muqtadi in congregational prayer to check the imam's recitation.
    15. Racing with the imam, or moving with or before him in congregational prayer.
    16. Lowering the head excessively, or pushing it up, and arching the back during rukoo'.
    17. Sticking the arms to the sides of the body, in rukoo' or sujood, and sticking the belly to the thighs in sujood.
    18. Praying while part of the back is exposed.
    19. Neglecting ta'meen (to say 'Aameen) loudly when the imam recites the concluding verse of surat al-Fatiha, "waladh-dhalleen".
    20. Resting only the tip of the head on the floor during sujood.
    21. Hasty performance of prayer which does not allow repose and calmness in rukoo' or sujood.
    22. Sitting in tawarruk position in the last rak'ah of Fajr and Jum'ah prayers.
    23. Moving the two palms upon saying, 'assalamu aleikum warahmatul-lah' to end prayer.
    24. Counting tasbeeh with the left hand.
    25. Shaking hands with other praying people right after fardh prayer is over, saying, 'taqabbala-llah', or 'haraman'
    26. Raising hands for dua' soon as prayer is over.
    27. Walking away right after tasleem, at the end of prayer, and neglecting dthikr.
    28. Crossing in front of a praying person.
    29. Neglecting prayer when one is sick or ill.
    30. Praying in a graveyard.