Question:
Is it true that when a person is performing sunnah prayer if his mother’s call for him it is wajib for him to stop and answer her?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
First and foremost, scholars have agreed that it is impermissible for a person to purposely invalidate his obligatory prayer without any valid reasons permitted by syarak. They supported their opinion based on the statement of Allah SWT:
وَلا تُبْطِلُوا أَعْمَالَكُمْ
“…and do not invalidate your deeds.”
Surah Muhammad (33)
According to the above verse, a person is prohibited from invalidating his deeds regardless whether it is by invalidating all his deeds by renouncing Islam, or purposely invalidating worship he is performing such as obligatory fast and prayer without any valid reasons according to syarak.
According to Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haitami, the above verse means that it is prohibited to invalidate any obligatory worship, whilst it is permissible to invalidate sunnah worship according to the hadith:
الصَّائِمُ الْمُتَطَوِّعُ أَمِيرُ نَفْسِهِ ، إِنْ شَاءَ صَامَ ، وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَفْطَرَ
"The one fasting a voluntary fast is the trustee for himself; if he wishes he fasts, and if he wishes he breaks his fast."
In another narration, it is stated as أَمِينُ نَفْسِهِ
Jami’ al-Tirmizi (732)
Imam Ibn Hajar further adds, if a person invalidates his sunnah worship without any valid reasons such as entertaining a guest, then it is makruh (undesirable). (Refer Tuhfah al-Muhtaj fi Syarh al-Minhaj 14/94)
Invalidating prayer to answer a mother’s call
In this issue, there is a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah RA, where the Prophet PBUH narrates the story of Juraij:
كَانَ جُرَيْجٌ يَتَعَبَّدُ فِي صَوْمَعَةٍ فَجَاءَتْ أُمُّهُ . قَالَ حُمَيْدٌ فَوَصَفَ لَنَا أَبُو رَافِعٍ صِفَةَ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ لِصِفَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُمَّهُ حِينَ دَعَتْهُ كَيْفَ جَعَلَتْ كَفَّهَا فَوْقَ حَاجِبِهَا ثُمَّ رَفَعَتْ رَأْسَهَا إِلَيْهِ تَدْعُوهُ فَقَالَتْ يَا جُرَيْجُ أَنَا أُمُّكَ كَلِّمْنِي .
فَصَادَفَتْهُ يُصَلِّي فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ أُمِّي وَصَلاَتِي . فَاخْتَارَ صَلاَتَهُ فَرَجَعَتْ ثُمَّ عَادَتْ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ فَقَالَتْ يَا جُرَيْجُ أَنَا أُمُّكَ فَكَلِّمْنِي . قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ أُمِّي وَصَلاَتِي . فَاخْتَارَ صَلاَتَهُ فَقَالَتِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ هَذَا جُرَيْجٌ وَهُوَ ابْنِي وَإِنِّي كَلَّمْتُهُ فَأَبَى أَنْ يُكَلِّمَنِي اللَّهُمَّ فَلاَ تُمِتْهُ حَتَّى تُرِيَهُ الْمُومِسَاتِ . قَالَ وَلَوْ دَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُفْتَنَ لَفُتِنَ
“Juraij was one who was devoted to (prayer) in the temple. His mother came to him. Humaid said that Abu Rafi' demonstrated before us like the demonstration made by abu Huraira to whom Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had demonstrated as his mother called him placing her palms upon the eyebrows and lifting her head for calling him and said:
Juraij, it is your mother, so talk to her. She found him at that time absorbed in prayer, so he said (to himself): O Lord, my mother (is calling me) (whereas I am absorbed) in my prayer. He opted for prayer. She (his mother) went back, then came again for the second time and said: O Juraij, it is your mother (calling you), so talk to me. He said: O Allah. there is my mother also and my prayer, and he opted for prayer. She said: O Allah, this Juraij is my son. I pray to talk to him but he refuses to talk to me. O Allah, don't bring death to him unless he has seen the prostitutes, and had she invoked the curse upon him (from the heart of her heart) …”
Sahih Muslim (2550)
The continuation of this hadith narrates how the supplication of the mother of Juraij is granted and the Prophet PBUH did not contradict her supplication and acknowledged it.
Imam al-Nawawi includes the hadith under the chapter “Prioritizing of Doing Good to One’s Parents Compared to Sunnah Prayer and Other Sunnah Worships.” According to him, the scholars are of the opinion that Juraij should answer his mother’s call for the prayer is sunnah; because answering the call of his mother and doing good to her is wajib, while disobeying her is haram. In fact, he should simplify his sunnah prayer and swiftly answer her mother’s call then return to his prayer. (Refer Syarh al-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim 16/105)
According to Imam Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, it is permissible to absolutely invalidate the sunnah prayer, whether for sunnah or obligatory prayer to answer a call from a mother and this is one of the opinions in madhhab Syafi’e. However, the accurate opinion of Syafi’eyyah scholars states that if a person is performing sunnah prayer and he is certain that his parents would feel hurt or disheartened if he didn’t answer the call, then it is wajib for him to answer the call in this situation.
Whereas the scholars of madhhab Maliki state that answering parent’s call when a person is performing sunnah prayer is prioritized compared to continuing with the prayer and Qadhi Abu al-Walid Ibn Rusyd state that this ruling is specific for mother and not a father and this is the opinion written by Makhul bin Abu Muslim, a tabi’in scholar. (Refer Fath al-Bari Syarh Sahih al-Bukhari 6/482-483)
However, there is an interesting angle in madhhab Hanafi where it is stated that if the parents call for their child knowing that the child is praying, then the child should not answer the call; the reason is the act of calling for the child knowing that the child is praying is a form of sin and according to Islamic maxim, there is no obedience towards a creation for sinful matters. As for if the parents call for their child unbeknownst to them that the child is praying, then the child should answer the call according to the story of Juraij. (Refer Radd al-Muhtar wa Hasyiah Ibn Abdin 1/478)
According to the above hadith about Juraij and opinions of scholars from madhhab Syafi’e, Hanafi and Maliki, we conclude that the ruling of answering the call of one’s parents when he is performing sunnah prayer should be considered according to the context and situation of a person.
If he feared that his parents would feel hurt or disheartened, then he should answer the call. If the call is not of anything of importance or he is certain that his parents will not feel hurt or disheartened if their call is unanswered, then it is sunnah for him to continue his prayer and quickly answer the call after he has completed his prayer.
While according to the opinion of Makhul and Ibn Rusyd, they specify the permissibility of invalidating one’s prayer only to answer a mother’s call and not for a father’s call and in our opinion, this is supported with a piece of strong prophetic evidence where the Prophet PBUH said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُوصِيكُمْ بِأُمَّهَاتِكُمْ، ثُمَّ يُوصِيكُمْ بِأُمَّهَاتِكُمْ، ثُمَّ يُوصِيكُمْ بِآبَائِكُمْ، ثُمَّ يُوصِيكُمْ بِالأَقْرَبِ فَالأَقْرَبِ
"Allah enjoins you to be dutiful to your mothers. Then He enjoins you to be dutiful to your mothers. Then He enjoins you to be dutiful to your fathers. Then He enjoins you to be dutiful to your next closest relative and then to your next closest relative."
Sahih al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (60)
The same is stated in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah RA, where a companion of the Prophet PBUH asked who should he do good towards:
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ أَبَرُّ قَالَ " أُمَّكَ " . قَالَ ثُمَّ مَنْ قَالَ " أُمَّكَ " . قَالَ ثُمَّ مَنْ قَالَ " أَبَاكَ " . قَالَ ثُمَّ مَنْ قَالَ " الأَدْنَى فَالأَدْنَى
"O Allah's Messenger, to whom should I be kind and dutiful?" He replied, "Your mother." I asked, "Who comes next?" He replied, "Your mother." I asked, "Who comes next?" He replied, "Your mother." I asked, "Who comes next?" He replied, "Your father, then your relatives in order of nearness (of relationship)."
Sunan Abi Dawud (3140), Jami’ Tirmizi (1897) and Sunan Ibn Majah (3658)
Conclusion
To conclude, we would like to state that it is haram to invalidate an obligatory prayer to answer the call of parents based on the general Quranic evidence that prohibits us from invalidating obligatory worship, except if the call is in exigent situations or a necessity such as asking for help because of a fall or emergency matters or similar situations.
As for if one is performing sunnah prayer, then it is wajib for him to answer the call of his parents if he is certain that they would be hurt or disheartened if he didn’t answer their call when they do not know that their child is praying and it is also wajib to answer to their call in exigent situations.
If it is not an important call or he is certain that his parents will not feel hurt or disheartened, then he should continue with his sunnah prayer and quickly answer their call after completing his prayer.
Wallahua’lam.