61) Abu Hurayrah said: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Jibreel came to me and said: "I came to you yesterday and nothing prevented me from entering except that there was a statue by your door, and there was a curtain in your house with images on it, and there was a dog in the house. So tell someone to cut the head off the statue by your door, so it will look like a tree; tell someone to cut up the curtain and make it into floor-cushions that will be stepped on; and tell someone to put the dog outside."" So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did that. (Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad) The hadeeth of Ibn Abbaas: the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or images." (Agreed upon)
62) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "When one of you prays facing something that is screening him from the people, and someone wants to pass in front of him, let him push back, and if he insists then let him fight him, for he is no more than a devil." (Agreed upon) What is meant by the phrase "let him fight him" is let him push him back forcefully.
63) Even if a child passes in front of you in the prayer you must stop him, because of the general meaning of the evidence. If the child passes frequently and stopping him will distract the worshipper, then he should let him be. From Fath al-Baari: Ibn Battaal and others narrated that there was ascholarly consensus that it is not permissible for a person to move away from his spot in order to push (another person) away, or to move a great deal in doing so, because that has a greater effect on the prayer than his passing in front.
64) In prayer, it is better to recite Quran from memory rather than from a Mushaf, to prevent physical distractions such as holding the Mushaf, putting it down, turning its pages, looking at the letters, etc. By doing so he will miss out on putting his right hand over his left hand on his chest while standing during the prayer, or spreading out his arms during rukoo and sujood, if he puts the Mushaf under his arm. Shaykh ibn 'Uthaymeen, al-Fataawa al-Islamiyyah, 8/4.
65) Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood up before us and told us five things. He said: "Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, does not sleep and it is not befitting that He should sleep. He lowers the Balance and raises it; the deeds of the night are taken up to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night...." (From Muslim)
