Makruh Tahrimi & Tanzihi (Disliked Acts) in Salah (Prayer): The Complete List
Estimated Reading Time: 9 min read
Prayer (Salah) is the pillar of a believer's day, the one act that is repeated five times, every single day, for an entire lifetime. Because it is repeated so often, it is very easy for small habits to creep in without us even noticing — a hand resting on the hip, eyes drifting toward the ceiling, a sleeve rolled up a little too far, fingers absentmindedly cracking during Bowing (Ruku). None of these feel like sins in the moment, yet classical scholars of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) studied the Prophetic Practice (Sunnah) of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) closely and found that many of these small habits actually reduce the quality, and at times even the spiritual completeness, of our Salah. They organised these habits into two categories: Makruh Tahrimi and Makruh Tanzihi. This article walks through both lists in complete detail, exactly as recorded in Mukhtar, Radd al-Muhtar, Fatawa Alamgiri, and Bahar-e-Shariat, so that nothing is left out and every ruling is fully explained. While this guide focuses on the Obligatory (Fard) Salah, the same care and attention applies to voluntary worship as well — you may also find our comprehensive guide to Voluntary Prayers (Nafl) helpful in building a more complete daily practice.
Maintaining focus and stillness in Salah by avoiding Makruh Tahrimi and Makruh Tanzihi acts
Makruh Tahrimi refers to acts in Salah that are so close to unlawful that committing them without a valid excuse is sinful and calls for the prayer to be repeated. Makruh Tanzihi refers to acts that Islamic Law simply dislikes, carrying no sin but reducing the prayer's reward. This guide lists all nineteen Makruh Tahrimi acts and twenty-one Makruh Tanzihi acts recognised in classical Hanafi Fiqh, with references.
Understanding the difference first: Makruh Tahrimi is an act whose avoidance is treated almost like an obligation. It sits very close to the Unlawful (Haram), and committing it without a genuine excuse is considered sinful. A Salah performed with a Makruh Tahrimi act inside it is technically valid, but scholars strongly recommend its Repetition (Iadah) so that the sin is lifted and the prayer regains its full blessing. Makruh Tanzihi, by contrast, is something the Islamic Law (Sharia) simply dislikes. There is no sin attached to it, but it does quietly chip away at the reward of the Salah. Both categories deserve our attention, but for different reasons — one out of caution against sin, the other out of a desire for Excellence in Worship (Ihsan).
Prohibitively Disliked Acts (Makruh Tahrimi): Acts That Make Salah Sinful If Repeated Without Excuse
The following nineteen acts fall under Makruh Tahrimi. Because they are so close to being unlawful, a person who commits any of them without a valid excuse is considered sinful, and the recommended course of action is to repeat that particular Salah.
Playing or fidgeting with one's clothes or body during Salah. Even small, repeated movements of this kind pull the heart's attention away from the words being recited.
Gathering up or lifting one's clothing, for example lifting the front or back of a garment while going into Prostration (Sajdah) simply to keep dust off it.
Wrapping a piece of cloth in a careless way, such as draping a turban or a shawl over the shoulder so that both ends hang loosely and untidily.
Rolling the sleeve up higher than the middle of the wrist before or during Salah.
Standing up to pray while feeling a strong urge to urinate or relieve oneself, since the discomfort itself becomes a distraction from proper Focus and Humility (Khushu).
Cracking one's fingers or Interlacing Them Together (Tashbik) during the Salah.
Placing a hand on the waist while standing in Salah.
Turning the face from side to side to look around during the Salah.
Lifting the gaze upward toward the sky while praying.
Covering the nose and mouth without any genuine reason to do so.
Clearing the throat unnecessarily, when there is no real need to do so.
Yawning on purpose, rather than trying to suppress it as the Sunnah teaches.
Wearing and praying in a garment that has the image of a living being printed or embroidered on it.
Having the image of a living being in front of the worshipper, to their right, to their left, above them on a ceiling, or on the very spot where Sajdah is performed. (There is no harm, however, if such an image is located behind the person praying.)
Reciting the Holy Quran while lying down.
Leaving out an Obligatory Act (Wajib) of the Salah, for example moving straight into Sajdah before fully straightening up during the Standing Up After Ruku (Qaumah) or the Sitting Between the Two Prostrations (Jalsah).
Reciting the Quran in any posture of the Salah other than the Standing Position (Qiyam), where recitation is actually prescribed.
Finishing one's Quranic recitation while in Ruku, instead of completing it during Qiyam before bowing into Ruku.
Wearing a garment simply wrapped or draped over the body without putting the arms through the sleeves, and praying in that state.
References: All nineteen of the above rulings are recorded as Makruh Tahrimi in Mukhtar, Radd al-Muhtar, Fatawa Alamgiri, and Bahar-e-Shariat.
Simply Disliked Acts (Makruh Tanzihi): Acts That Are Disliked but Do Not Carry Sin
Makruh Tanzihi refers to an act that the Islamic Law does not approve of, even though committing it does not amount to a sin. Avoiding these acts protects the full reward of the Salah and helps a worshipper maintain the dignity and stillness that Salah deserves. The following twenty-one points fall into this category.
Saying the Glorification Phrase (Tasbih) fewer than three times in Ruku or Sajdah without any genuine need to shorten it. A well-known Prophetic Narration (Hadith) compares this hurried movement to a rooster pecking at grain. (If time is genuinely short, or there is a real concern of missing a ride or transport, there is no harm in shortening it.)
Praying in dirty, sweaty, or unkempt work clothes when cleaner clothing was reasonably available.
Counting verses or portions of the Quran on one's fingers while praying.
Responding to an Islamic Greeting (Salam) with a hand gesture or a nod of the head while still in Salah.
Sitting cross-legged during Salah without a valid excuse such as illness or physical difficulty.
Fanning oneself with the hem or sleeve of one's garment, when this is done only once or twice. (If it is repeated continuously like someone waving a hand-fan, the Salah is broken entirely.)
Stretching the body as one does when tired, and coughing or clearing the throat without any real need.
Spitting during the Salah.
Repeating the same Chapter of the Quran (Surah) or verse more than once within a single Prayer Unit (Rak'ah) of an Obligatory (Fard) Salah. (If this happens by genuine forgetfulness, there is no harm in it.)
Placing the hands on the ground before the knees when going into Sajdah, and likewise, lifting the knees before the hands when rising from Sajdah, when this is done without any excuse.
Saying phrases such as "A'udhu Billah," "Bismillah," "Subhanaka Allahumma," and "Ameen" out loud, when they are meant to be said quietly.
Leaning against a wall, a stick, or any other support during Salah without a genuine excuse such as weakness or illness.
Spreading one's sleeve on the ground purely so that dust does not touch the face during Sajdah. (If it is done to protect the face from the heat of the ground, there is no harm in it.)
Swaying the body from side to side while standing in Salah.
Shifting the feet forward or backward without reason while rising or standing in Salah.
Praying while holding something in the mouth, such as a coin. (If that object actually prevents proper recitation, the Salah becomes invalid altogether, not merely disliked.)
Keeping the eyes closed throughout the Salah without any real reason. (If closing the eyes genuinely helps a person focus and attain Khushu, then it is not disliked at all — in fact, it is considered preferable.)
Praying on the roof of a mosque instead of within the main prayer hall.
Choosing to pray in a location that is so distracting that the heart and attention cannot settle into the Salah.
Having an open, burning flame directly in front of the person praying. (A lantern or an enclosed lamp does not fall under this dislike.)
Having visible filth, impurity, or a toilet directly in front of the worshipper while praying.
References: These twenty-one rulings on Makruh Tanzihi are likewise drawn from Mukhtar, Radd al-Muhtar, Fatawa Alamgiri, and other trusted works of classical Fiqh.
Why These Small Details Matter So Much
It would be easy to look at this long list and feel a little overwhelmed, as though Salah has suddenly become a minefield of possible mistakes. That is not the spirit in which these rulings were written. The scholars who documented these details were not trying to make worship harder; they were trying to protect its beauty. Salah is described in the Quran as a means of restraining a person from indecency and wrong, and it can only do that when it is prayed with presence of heart, not as a mechanical routine performed while the mind wanders somewhere else entirely. Every single item on both of these lists — from rolling up a sleeve too far to letting the eyes wander toward the ceiling — is really about one thing: keeping the body still and composed so that the heart has room to truly turn toward Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala).
It is also worth remembering that no one is expected to memorise all forty of these points overnight. A more realistic approach is to read through the list slowly, notice which one or two habits apply personally, and work on correcting just those first. Over a few weeks, most people find that these small corrections become second nature, and their Salah begins to feel calmer, slower, and far more attentive than before. Once these habits are corrected in the Fard Salah, many people also choose to strengthen their connection with Allah further through Nafl prayers — our comprehensive guide to Voluntary Prayers (Nafl) explains how to bring that same mindfulness into voluntary worship as well.
Salah was never meant to be rushed through as a box to tick off five times a day. The scholars who compiled these rulings on Makruh Tahrimi and Makruh Tanzihi spent their lives studying the smallest details of the Salah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him), precisely so that ordinary believers today could pray with the same calm, dignity, and presence that he ﷺ modelled for his companions (may Allah be pleased with them all). If even one habit mentioned in this article helps you correct your own Salah, it will have served its purpose. For a closer look at the acts that go a step further and actually invalidate the Salah altogether, our complete guide to things that break Salah covers that in full detail. Share it with someone else who might benefit from the same reminder.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Makruh Tahrimi is an act whose avoidance is close to obligatory; it is very close to being unlawful, and committing it without a valid excuse is sinful, requiring the Prayer (Salah) to be repeated. Makruh Tanzihi, on the other hand, is something disliked by Islamic Law (Sharia) but not sinful; it simply reduces the reward of the Salah.
A Salah performed with a Makruh Tahrimi act is technically valid and does not need to be repeated as an obligation, but scholars strongly recommend its Repetition (Iadah) as a precaution, so that the sin is removed and the full blessing of the Salah is restored.
No, a Makruh Tanzihi act does not carry sin, but it does lessen the reward of the Salah. It is therefore better and more virtuous to avoid it wherever possible.
Yes, spreading the sleeve purely to prevent dust from touching the face is Makruh Tanzihi. However, if it is done to protect oneself from the heat of the ground, there is no harm in it.
Keeping the eyes closed without any reason is Makruh Tanzihi. However, if closing the eyes helps a person concentrate better in their Salah, then it is not disliked at all; rather, it is considered preferable.
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