Having read some venting posts on GS in the past, I understand people flip out when corrected during salah even if for the right reason e.g. one’s awrah is not covered properly.
So what would you do if you saw someone making a mistake during salah?
Correctional officers during salah
Afterwards just advise them. My sister would make a mistake and I just corrected her.
Re: Correctional officers during salah
if they are not family.......mind my own business......their salah is between them and Allah.....
He is merciful and forgiving.....who am I to decide what He might accept and what He might not.
I have, in the past, said a little prayer asking the Almighty to forgive us our mistakes, show us the right path and to accept our prayers in whatever way we best know to offer them.
Re: Correctional officers during salah
So what would you do if you saw someone making a mistake during salah?
If I know the person, that is a different story. I will speak to him about what I know afterwards but of course in private.
If I do not know the person, I will try to get to know him by starting with salam. Once we know each other properly, I will some how try to convey the message indirectly or directly and of course in private. Often, I would have involved the scholar/imam at masjid to touch upon the subject in general terms in his sermon.
What scares me is that I will be questioned by God about it and why I did not try to correct it in my own capacity. We as muslims are called witness over the mankind in Quran and it is a very scary thought if we do not fufil the duty of being witness :( but at the same time you do not want be singled out as religious police and custodian of Islam. It's difficult to keep the balance but you gotta do what you gotta do.
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It's difficult to keep the balance but you gotta do what you gotta do.
agreed....you gotta do what you gotta do.
I guess I've seen too many people on the receiving end of such badly positioned criticism in the mosque and I've too often wanted to tell the police that perhaps they should go and bring more folks into the mosque rather than "pick on" the ones that are already there and trying......
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agreed....you gotta do what you gotta do. I guess I've seen too many people on the receiving end of such badly positioned criticism in the mosque and I've too often wanted to tell the police that perhaps they should go and bring more folks into the mosque rather than "pick on" the ones that are already there and trying......
this is so true. and that is why correcting anyone's mistakes should be done in private. Even the one who are correcting may have many flaws and should be open to any correction. At the end of the day, the feelings should be to complete each others iman and help them be closer to God together.
Re: Correctional officers during salah
If I know the person, that is a different story. I will speak to him about what I know afterwards but of course in private.
If I do not know the person, I will try to get to know him by starting with salam. Once we know each other properly, I will some how try to convey the message indirectly or directly and of course in private. Often, I would have involved the scholar/imam at masjid to touch upon the subject in general terms in his sermon.
What scares me is that I will be questioned by God about it and why I did not try to correct it in my own capacity. We as muslims are called witness over the mankind in Quran and it is a very scary thought if we do not fufil the duty of being witness :( but at the same time you do not want be singled out as religious police and custodian of Islam. It's difficult to keep the balance but you gotta do what you gotta do.
^ Your last para sums up my thoughts. I'd feel sorta guilty if I turned a blind eye to it but then the fear of being labelled something not-so-nice would make me mind my own business.
I don't get the reason for being so furious though. I've been corrected about everything from keeping some distance between my feet to getting my hands position right to making sure my nose touches the ground during sajdah... and it was OKAY, whoever corrected me wasn't trying to be holier than thou or anything.
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you were fortunate to have someone correcting you that was not being "holier than thou".....they were likely not treating you like some retard that should know better......they were kindly and discretely offering you a suggestion.
this doesn't happen often enough.
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Okay I understand that, fair point, but you said you'd mind your own business and not correct someone in your own way which sounds like the right way (in privacy with goodwill etc) ... why not? Why should they mind?
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they shouldn’t mind…but I’ve also seen the kind that think they know what they are doing and that they are doing it best. 
I’m not keen to be on the receiving end of what they can dish out either…
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wise thing to do would be to take him aside in private corners and appreciate his effort towards his deen and then very politely tell him what you observed and show him the right way...afterwards, apologize if you offended him in anyway!
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Before we correct someone we should consider the "difference of opinion" angle ... They could have daleel for their actions. Once in jamaat an elderly man was leading prayer, Arab man good recitation, but he missed out a couple of ayat. At the end I said to him, "Was that Surah Yaseen?" and he said, "yes", so I told him that I was trying to learn it, but I always get stuck at a certain place. And if he could help me. Being a clever man, he agreed and pulled out a mushaf from the shelf and asked me to proceed, I recited it and he realised where he went wrong, but also he corrected my accent, which I was grateful for ... He said jazakAllah and as did I and we left.
When we are ourselves sure of a matter it is necessary to convey the message for the benefit of others, but this is a true test of wisdom in the manner we choose to execute that advice.
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I don't appreciate being 'corrected' by people who aren't praying correctly themselves :/
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What if they are right? May be a mutual correction is in order? 
If we keep in mind that it’s not about them who are correcting us but it’s about us, we will never feel bad 
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The more pertinent question is not whether we would give advice to help a fellow Muslim ... which is a duty on us, but rather how to react to the ill placed advice of another. We should welcome people telling us how we are going wrong, even if we disagree with their actual advice. We should thank them for it and go and check up what they are saying.
My friend told me how there are a group of newly formed Muslims going to places correcting people, the Malaysians deal with them beautifully ... They say thanks and then carry on doing what they know to be in accordance with their own proofs.
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Uhm no. The first time I went to Pakistan, I was with some of my own relatives who were sitting in a very wrong position (according to me) yet they thought they should try to ‘correct’ (make awry) my prayer. They were quite forceful that I should sit as they were. Then I was branded ‘rude’ for respectfully declining.
But I agree with Psyah, in most other cases, I would check up on if I was actually making a mistake and correct it.
I think people should ensure they are doing the right thing before helping others?
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Is there such thing as praying "right"? Can someone tell me why we pray the way we do, like why we pray in specific positions?
Re: Correctional officers during salah
Is there such thing as praying "right"? Can someone tell me why we pray the way we do, like why we pray in specific positions?
can you be more specific...women pray in different postures during sajda depending which part of the world they belong to. doing sajda, Indo-Pakistani women tend to wrap their body in such a way that they just look like a tightly wrapped package [their shin on the ground and thighs touching their torso all the way to their chin] while Arab women go onto sajda like men do [on their knees with hips up]. hamaarii Hind o pak kii aurten sajda aise kartii haiN k unkaa badan ek gaThrii jaisaa ban jaataa hai...shaayad is liye k vo samajhtii haiN k is men Hayaa ziyaada hai...wallaho 'aalam bissawaab.
Correctional officers during salah
Just like KKF mentioned, there is alot of difference of opinion when it comes to prayer. Maybe according to their sect, they might be doing it right..which we think is wrong..
In the end it is upto Allah to decide who is right and who is wrong..
Maybe a person who is praying right might not have the same khushu and level of namaz that a person who is praying wrong has? Is it for us to decide whose namaz is better?
That being said, whenever I see someone I know, making a mistake while praying, I indirectly refer to them afterwards..that too politely so the person doesnt get offended.
P.S good job psyah bhai:k:
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Learned something new in this thread. How come our nose has to touch the ground? I never heard this before!