Can a Safety Pin Prevent the Validity of My Prayer?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

I put a big safety pin on each of my sleeves on the shirt I pray in. During sajdah, the palms have to touch the ground. The safety pin was touching a part of my palm, which means that my palm was not touching the ground, but rather the pin was. However, my palm was not floating in the air; it was partially touching the ground due to the safety pin. Do I have to repeat my prayer?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

Your prayer was valid because you have performed all its obligatory (fard) components. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

Valid Prostration

You only need at least one part of your forehead and one toe of your feet touching the ground to perform a valid prostration. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Thus even if both of your hands had been up in the air, your prostration and your prayer would have been valid.

Nonetheless, it remains necessary (wajib) for the hands to touch the ground during the prostration. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

This is even if only for a moment. As for keeping them on the ground for the duration of the prostration, this is sunna.

Thus failing to do so would forgetfully entail performing the prostrations of forgetfulness. Failing to do so willingly is sinful and entails repeating the prayer. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

This is not your case because both hands were touching the ground. The safety pin preventing a part of your hand from touching the ground is of no consequence. It is not sinful, for example to pray while wearing a ring. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

Praying with Hands Fully Covered

In the Hanafi school, it is better to pray with one’s hands uncovered–though there is nothing improper in keeping on one’s gloves when there is a reason, such as cold weather. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani