Chapter on the Prayer of Fear
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām|Volume 3|Book 2|Chapter 7
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنِ اَلْعَمْرَكِيِّ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَخِيهِ أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ اَلرَّجُلِ يَلْقَى اَلسَّبُعَ وَ قَدْ حَضَرَتِ اَلصَّلاَةُ وَ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُ اَلْمَشْيَ مَخَافَةَ اَلسَّبُعِ فَإِنْ قَامَ يُصَلِّي خَافَ فِي رُكُوعِهِ وَ فِي سُجُودِهِ وَاَلسَّبُعُ أَمَامَهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ اَلْقِبْلَةِ فَإِنْ تَوَجَّهَ إِلَى اَلْقِبْلَةِ خَافَ أَنْ يَثِبَ عَلَيْهِ اَلْأَسَدُ كَيْفَ يَصْنَعُ قَالَ فَقَالَ «يَسْتَقْبِلُ اَلْأَسَدَ وَ يُصَلِّي وَ يُومِئُ بِرَأْسِهِ إِيمَاءً وَ هُوَ قَائِمٌ وَ إِنْ كَانَ اَلْأَسَدُ عَلَى غَيْرِ اَلْقِبْلَةِ»
Muhammad ibn Yahya from al-‘Amraki ibn Ali from Ali ibn Ja’far from his brother Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said:
I asked Imam al-Kadhim عليه السلام about a man who encounters a wild beast (al-sab‘) and the time for prayer has arrived, but he is unable to walk out of fear of the beast. If he stands to pray, he fears during his bowing and prostration, and the beast is in front of him, not in the direction of the qiblah. So if he turns to face the qiblah, he fears that the lion will leap upon him. What should he do? Imam عليه السلام said: "He should face the lion and pray, and gesture with his head as indication (of bowing and prostration), while standing, even if the lion is not in the direction of the qiblah."
- Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām fī Sharḥ al-Muqniʿah, vol. 3, p. 332
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tahdhīb