Is the Prophet's - peace and blessings be upon him - raising of his gaze to the sky during prayer a ruling specific to him, to the exclusion of the Ummah?
There is no explicit text or authentic Hadith indicating that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would turn his face towards the sky while praying. Some weak narrations have been reported in this regard. Even if these narrations were authentic, they would have been prior to the prohibition of looking up towards the sky during prayer, which is indicated by the verse {those who are humble in their prayers} and the Hadith: "What is wrong with people who raise their gaze to the sky during their prayers?" He spoke very sternly about this, even saying: "They must stop doing that, or their eyesight will be snatched away." Scholars have reported a consensus on the reprehensibility of raising one's gaze to the sky during prayer, as it contradicts humility. It is indeed established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would raise his gaze to the sky in other situations outside of prayer.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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