Is the prayer of one warding off hunger considered disliked (makruh) or invalid (batil), especially if thoughts of food preoccupy the worshiper even if they are not hungry? Is the ruling for someone who feels the need to urinate frequently after relieving themselves to ignore this feeling, and must they renew their ablution (wudu') and purification (istinaj) each time? Does prayer become invalid due to excessive blinking, and is closing one's eyes a solution for someone experiencing these thoughts during prayer?
The prayer of one who is thinking about food is valid. However, it is disliked for one who has food presented to them, and they desire it, to pray if there is sufficient time for the prayer, due to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "If dinner is served, begin with it before you pray Maghrib." As for the one who suffers from obsessive thoughts (waswasah), their prayer is not disliked. Closing one's eyes during prayer is permissible if it helps to قطع (stop/prevent) obsessive thoughts.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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