Is it true what was reported in the book "Al-Jawab Al-Kafi" that Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, used to equip the army while he was in prayer, and does that contradict khushu' (devotional humility/concentration)?
Al-Bukhari, in his , permitted a man to ponder during prayer, citing the action of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who was preparing his army while in prayer. Scholars have interpreted this pondering as either a minor thought that does not take long, or due to the spaciousness of the ponderer's heart, encompassing both devotion (khushu') and consideration of the Ummah's affairs, as occurred with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he remembered a piece of gold he had and ordered its distribution while in prayer. This indicates that pondering over matters outside of prayer does not invalidate it or diminish its perfection. Ibn Al-Qayyim held that the heart's capacity to simultaneously hold devotion and ponder the Ummah's affairs is not exclusive to prophethood; rather, it depends on the heart's spaciousness and strength.
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Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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