Is it permissible to pray in front of the mirror?

Dear Brother / Sister,

There are some deeds which are considered makrooh (abominable) during the prayer; though they do not invalidate the prayer, they overshadow the spiritual pleasure and zest of the prayer which are considered to be the spirit of it. So, it is necessary to be careful about it.

There are many deeds in prayer that are considered makrooh. They can be learnt in detail from fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) books. However, it is not possible to see every deed that is makrooh in every book. The aforementioned subject is one of them.

There is a general rule on this issue. Things that prevent the praying man from focusing on the prayer wholly, that is, the things that harm the khushu (humbleness) in prayer; anything that distracts attention is included in the group of makrooh (abominable) deeds.

If things such as mirrors or windows and some sort of scenery that are in front of us distract our attention and keep us busy and thus harm the khushu (humbleness) of the prayer in places outside the mosque, they are definitely regarded as makrooh. However, if the mirror, window or scenery do not distract our attention, it is not considered makrooh.

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