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Leaving the recommended acts of the prayer if time only allows for the obligatory ones

Question

Salam alaikum, I have two questions regarding "Fatwa No 177145". 1. You said, that it is not allowed to engage in things before prayer, which are unnecessary, when prayer time is near to expiry. Does it also apply to sunan, which are related to the prayer itself? For example, you would recite the seeking of refuge from shaytan or the basmala before al-fatihah. Furthermore is it a problem to recite al-fatihah in the usual speed or are you required to recite faster? 2. If you do some things before prayer, when the time is near to expiry, which are lasting only a few seconds and you do it with more speed than usual is that a problem? For example you would dry your face because the water in the face disturbs you (but you do it with more speed) or when you wake up for prayer, you would lie a few seconds to awake properly and then you get up? Or another example, you feel that your bladder has urine inside but you do not have a real urge to urinate but this disturbs you and so you urinate first and then you make wudu? May Allah reward you.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His Slave and Messenger.

Firstly, we warn you against Waswaas (obsessive whisperings), as it seems that you are suffering from it. You should know that the best way to treat it is to disregard it and not pay attention to it.

As for your first question, if someone fears that there is not enough time, he should not engage in the recommended acts of the prayer, but rather do what it is obligatory only so that he does not miss the time, and he should recite the Quran in such a way that he articulates the letters correctly and he should not recite slowly. Rather, he should recite in a manner by which he will be able to pray on time.

As for your second question, there is no harm on someone for any of those forms.

Allaah Knows best.

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