Question: Should we perform salat right in front of people’s eyes with the intention of enjoining good (amr bi’l-ma’ruf), even if it causes fitna between people and even if they get angry with us? Or should we perform acts of worship secretly in order to avoid causing fitna? ANSWER We should conceal our acts of worship from the enemies of Islam in order to avoid causing fitna and to stay away from their harm. It would not be enjoining good, but stirring up fitna, to perform acts of worship openly in the presence of such people. Causing fitna is haram. A hadith-i sharif says: (Just as the hypocrites lead their lives in secret among you today and just as they pretend to be performing acts of worship, a time will come when Believers will both lead their lives and perform acts of worship in secret.) [Ibn Sunni]
Question: Is it permissible to perform salat sitting or making gestures in time of danger? ANSWER If a person fears the enemy or ferocious animals or if he has fallen ill and cannot stand or if everywhere is covered with mud and he cannot find a dry place to perform salat, he may perform it by making gestures. He does not have to repeat afterwards the salats he performed in this manner. (Halabi)
Question: Is it permissible for me to perform salat with eye movements, so that people will not know the fact that I perform the five daily salats? ANSWER In the Hanafi Madhhab, one is not allowed to perform salat with eye movements. An ill person who is incapable of performing salat standing must perform it sitting. If he is not capable of performing it sitting either, he must perform it lying by making gestures with his head. If he is not capable of performing it in this manner either, he is not allowed to perform it with eye movements. In such a case, he is allowed to leave salats to make them up later. There will be no sin on him because it is not possible for him to perform salat.
If one encounters a situation in which there is an extreme necessity (darurat) to perform salat with eye movements and one cannot find a way out, then one can follow the ruling of the Shafi’i Madhhab and perform salat with eye movements.
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