What is the ruling if the mobile phone rings during prayer? Should we turn it off, check who it was, or read the received message? Stay with Saadnews for more details.
What is the religious ruling on answering the mobile phone during prayer?
This question has two parts. Perhaps it has happened to you that while praying, your mobile phone rings. You may turn it off with one hand and continue praying, which is not problematic to that extent.
However, regarding the second part of the question, where it is said that someone reads a text message during prayer, it may not invalidate the prayer if the prayer is not disrupted and does not take too long. However, my question is, does such an act belong in prayer? At the very least, it is disliked (makruh). Because, in prayer, if someone becomes silent to listen to another person, even if it does not disrupt the prayer, it is still disliked. If the prayer is disrupted, it invalidates the prayer.
If you were about to visit an important and respected personality, would you go with your phone on? Usually, you turn it off and make sure there is no noise. In prayer, you are speaking to the Creator of the universe, and however much you elevate the stature of this conversation, it is still lesser than the supreme status of God.
Therefore, before praying, one should be mindful of such matters. If there is noise from the television, one should pray in a place where there is no disturbance. If people are talking, one should go somewhere quiet to pray. The phone should be put aside, and after the prayer, it can be checked. However, if the prayer is not disrupted and no words are spoken during prayer, it does not invalidate the prayer. Yet, there is a distinction between a valid prayer and an accepted prayer. Some prayers are valid but do not earn full merit or acceptance.
Opinion of Ayatollah Khamenei on answering the phone during prayer:
Q: If the worshiper answers the phone while reciting certain words like "Takbeer" during prayer, what is the ruling?
A: In general, if the worshiper says a word intending to recite it as a remembrance and raises their voice to communicate a message to someone else, there is no problem. However, if they say it just to inform someone else, the prayer becomes invalid.
Q: Sometimes, while performing an obligatory prayer, we notice a child doing something dangerous. Is it permissible to raise some words from Surah Al-Fatiha or another surah, or raise the volume of some supplications to alert others to the danger? What is the ruling if we move our hand, eyebrow, or say something during the prayer to communicate something to someone or answer a question?
A: If raising the voice during the recitation of verses or supplications in prayer is done to inform others and does not disrupt the structure of the prayer, there is no problem, as long as the recitation and supplication are intended as such. Movement of hands, eyes, or eyebrows should be minimal and should not interfere with the stability, calmness, or form of the prayer, as it will not invalidate the prayer.
Opinion of Ayatollah Shabiri Zanjani on answering the phone during prayer:
Q: If the mobile phone rings during prayer, is it permissible to answer by saying "Allahu Akbar" to inform the caller that you are praying?
A: If "Allahu Akbar" is said with the intention of reciting it as a remembrance, even if it is meant to inform someone, there is no issue.
