The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) Can See Behind His Back

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Do you think that I face the Qiblah (and do not know what you are doing)? By Allaah, your bowing and prostrating are not hidden from me; I can see you behind my back.”[1]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) also reported: The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) led us in praying Zuhr, and in the last row there was a man who prayed badly. When he said the salaam, the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) called him and said: “O So and so, do you not fear Allaah? Do you not see how you pray? You think that you could hide from me some of what you do, but by Allaah I can see behind me as well as I can see in front of me.”[2]

Commenting on this issue, Imaam An-Nawawee (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The scholars said: What this means is that Allaah, may He be exalted, created for the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) the ability in the back of his head to see what was behind him, and he (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) was granted more extraordinary abilities than this. This is not contrary to reason or textual evidence; rather the texts confirm this, so we must believe in it. Al-Qaadee said: Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (may Allaah have mercy on him) and the majority of the scholars said that this seeing was in a literal and real sense.”[3]

Does this unique characteristic include times of prayer and other situations? The text refers to prayer; as for other situations, there is no text that speaks of them. According to some scholars such is possible, but according to others it applied only to the case of prayer. 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The apparent meaning of the hadeeth is that this was something limited to the case of prayer, but it may be that this happened in all situations. That was also narrated from Mujaahid.”[4]

Mullah ‘Alee al-Qaaree said: “The words ‘I can see you behind my back’ do not necessarily mean that this occurred all the time, because it is contrary to the report which says “I do not know what is behind my wall.” Hence this was unique to the case of prayer and his knowledge about the worshippers behind him. And Allaah knows best.[5]  

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: He could see them behind his back, and this is something that was unique to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam): in this particular situation (i.e., prayer) he could see the people behind his back. But in other situations, he could not see anything behind his back.[6][7] 

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[1] Recorded by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim

[2] Recorded by Ahmad and graded saheeh by al-Albaanee

[3] Sharh Saheeh Muslim, vol. 4, p. 149

[4] Fath al-Baaree, 1/515

[5] Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh Sharh Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh (4/197) 

[6] Sharh Riyaadh as-Saaliheen (5/113) 

[7] http://islamqa.info/en/199749

WHO WILL RECEIVE THE WORSE PUNISHMENT: An Innovator or a Sinner?

The innovator will receive the worse punishment because innovation is worse than sin and it is dearer to Shaytaan than sin. This is because a sinner may repent[1] but an innovator rarely repents because he thinks he is upon the truth as opposed to the sinner, for he knows that he is disobeying Allaah and that he is committing a sin. As for the innovator, he thinks that he is obedient to Allaah and that he is upon righteousness. Consequently, innovation is more evil than sin. As such, the Salaf used to warn against sitting with the innovators because they will influence whoever sits with them, and their danger is great

Source: Al-Ajwibah al-Mufeedah ‘an As’ilah al-Manaahij al-Jadeedah, pp. 26-27 by Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him)

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[1] Sufyaan ath-Thawree said: “Innovation is more beloved to Iblees than sin, because a sin may be repented from but innovation is not repented from.” Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa )11/472)

Levels of People With Regard to the Performance of Salaah

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, "With regard to the performance of Salaah, people are divided into five levels:

The First: The level of the one who is negligent and wrongs his soul. He is the one who falls short in performing ablution properly, performing the prayer upon its time and within its specified limits, and in fulfilling its essential pillars.

The Second: The one who guards his prayers upon their proper times and within their specified limits, fulfils their essential pillars and performs his ablution with care. However, his striving (in achieving the above) is wasted due to whisperings in his prayer so he is taken away by thoughts and ideas.

The Third: The one who guards his prayers within the specified limits, fulfils their essential pillars and strives with himself to repel the whisperings, thoughts and ideas. He is busy struggling against his enemy (Satan) so that he does not steal from the prayer. On account of this, he is engaged in (both) prayer and Jihaad.

The Fourth: The one who stands for the prayer, completes and perfects its due rights, its essential pillars, performs it within its specified limits and his heart becomes engrossed in safeguarding its rights and specified limits, so that nothing is wasted from it. His whole concern is directed towards its establishment, its completion and its perfection, as it should be. His heart is immersed in the prayer and in enslavement to his Lord, the Exalted.

The Fifth: The one who stands for the prayer like the one mentioned above. However, on top of this, he has taken and placed his heart in front of his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, looking towards Him with his heart with anticipation, (his heart) filled with His love and His might, as if he sees and witnesses Allaah. The whisperings, thoughts and ideas have vanished and the coverings which are between him and his Lord are raised. What is between this person and others with respect to the prayer, is superior and greater than what is between the heavens and the earth. This person is busy with his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, delighted with Him.

The first type will be punished, the second will be held to account, the third will have his sins and shortcomings expiated, the fourth will be rewarded and the fifth will be close to his Lord, because he will receive the portion of the one who makes his prayer the delight and pleasure of his eye. Whoever makes his prayer the delight and pleasure of his eye in this world, will have the nearness to his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, made the delight and pleasure of his eye in the hereafter. He will also be made a pleasure to the eye in this world since whoever makes Allaah the pleasure of his eye in this world, every other eye will become delighted and pleased with him.

Source: al-Waabilus-Sayyib min al-Kalim at-Tayyib, 36-37 by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him)