Riyad as-Salihin, 1753
'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "No Salat (prayer) should be performed when the food has been served, nor should it be performed when a person is in need of relieving himself." <b>[Muslim]</b>.
عن عائشة رَضِيَ اللهُ عنها، قالت: سَمِعْتُ رسولَ الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يقولُ:
لا صَلاَةَ بِحَضْرَةِ طَعَامٍ، وَلاَ وَهُوَ يُدَافِعُهُ الأَخْبَثَانِ
. ((رواه مسلم))
References1 variant
- In-Book Reference
- Book 17, Hadith 243
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
<b>Guidance from the Hadith:</b><br>
1) One is advised to go into acts of obedience with calm and presence of mind, keeping away from distractions.<br>
2) Anything that distracts a person during prayer is subject to the same ruling, such as photos and voices.<br>
Note:<br>
Although this Hadith allows a person not to attend the congregational prayer when food is served and he craves for it, it behooves him not to make it a habit to have lunch or dinner when prayer is about to begin. If he did so, he would miss the reward of the congregational prayer and would be taking the matter of his religion lightly.