Wearing shoes Can you imagine the uproar if we saw someone praying with his shoes on? It would almost be blasphemous in some communities. However, if someone is seen making Du'a to anyone other than Allah, then this does not create any stir. One of the Sunnahs we have neglected sometimes is praying with our shoes on. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Be different from the Jews, for they don't pray with their shoes on or with their leather socks.” (Al-Bukhari) In fact, there are 16 narrations from the Prophet that affirm he sometimes prayed with his shoes on. Sheikh Muqbil Bin Hadee Al-Wadee, a scholar from Yemen, has written a very nice treatise on this issue. This Sunnah is not practiced much nowadays even though we were ordered to do it. But we should also take into consideration that most mosques are carpeted and we shouldn't dirty the place of prayer. So if you want to implement this Sunnah, do it when you are, at times, praying out doors on ground or in your homes. If you want to implement it in the mosque, then bring shoes that are as clean as your feet so you wouldn't spoil the carpet. Straightening rows Another neglected Sunnah is the order for the Imam to straighten the rows of prayer. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray, he wouldn't commence it till all the rows were straight. He would walk through the rows and make sure they were straight to the extent that he would use a stick to check the straightness of the row. It is narrated in Sahih Muslim that he would straighten the rows as an arrow is straightened and he also said that straightening the rows is part of establishing the prayer (Al-Bukhari). When we stand to pray, do we see Imams walking around with the same concern for straightening the rows as the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to do? Instead, what we witness is that our rows are far from being straight. People stand far from one another, leaving gaps in between, and the rows are in disarray. How often I have tried to join my feet with my brothers in prayer and their natural reaction is to move away. My son, who is six, always asks: “Daddy, why does he move his foot away from mine when I touch his foot?” I now, sadly, have to tell him to join his foot to mine only. What sad and distressing times we are in, we can't even stand together, shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot, in front of Allah and then we wonder why we can't unite in troubled times? What do we expect? If we cannot unite in the prayer then how can we can unite outside of it? Sutrah Several Muslims are totally ignorant of the importance of praying with a Sutrah (an object serving as a screen for one who is praying). It is used to prevent anyone from passing in front of the person who is praying. So people would go around it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Do not perform Salah except that there is a Sutrah in front of you.” (Sahih Muslim). Someone passing in front of us while we are praying is akin to disrupting our prayer, so we should ensure we pray with a Sutrah infront of us. However, an Imam's Sutrah is sufficient for all if we are praying in congregation. Sunnah at home I remember when I was living in England, I would return home after praying my obligatory prayer in the mosque, to pray the voluntary ones at home. The congregation would always view me in bad light. I have a full and lengthy beard and always dress in an Islamic manner, so I assume they had their own expectations of me. One of them even commented that I had no love of Islam. Anyway what they didn't know was that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed us to pray the voluntary prayers at home. As a matter of fact it was said that these prayers are better performed at home than in his mosque, except for the obligatory ones (Abu Dawood). Praying at home has the benefit of minimizing Riya (showing off), which is known as ‘lesser shirk' and it also keeps us focused that the obligatory prayer in the mosque is for a purpose. The home also becomes a place where blessings are bestowed as Allah is being remembered and worshipped there too. Food first or prayer first Many times when food is served, people leave off the food and rush to the mosque in an urgency not to miss the prayer. It is a sign of their love for Islam that they won't eat when it comes to prayer time if the food is served at the same time. This actually goes against the teaching of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). In a narration in both Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) went as far as to say that the prayer is not valid when food is served. However, this does not apply if the food is served intentionally at the time of prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Pray as you see me praying.” (Al-Bukhari) We need to learn all aspects of prayer well, as there is a great reward in reviving a Sunnah that has been neglected. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward.” (Al
