A Shaykh Who Doubts His Purity, Although He Performed Ghusl for Jumu'ah a Quarter Hour Before the Prayer, but He Doubts His Wudu: What Is the Ruling on His Prayer and the Prayer of the Congregation, and Is Ghusl Sufficient in Place of Wudu?
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The questioner : One day, I was leading the Jumu'ah prayer, and in the final tashahhud of my prayer with the people, I doubted my wudu: whether I had performed it or not. I know that approximately a quarter hour before the scheduled time of the prayer, I performed the ghusl for Jumu'ah, but I did not confirm whether I performed wudu after it or not. Is that ghusl sufficient, even if I did not intend with it purity from the minor state of impurity, or is it not? If it is not sufficient, what must I do? And what is the ruling on the prayer of the congregation behind me?
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Before answering this question, I would like to clarify a beneficial rule in the chapter of ritual impurity and other matters, which is: the original state remains as it was. This original state is based on what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the man who imagines that he has broken his purity, where he said:Sahih Muslim 361. And among the examples of this original state: if a person has performed wudu and then doubts whether he has broken his purity or not, he remains in his wudu and purity, because the original state is the continuation of purity and the absence of impurity. And from this original state: if a person breaks his purity and then doubts whether he has removed his impurity or not, the original state is the continuation of the impurity and its non-removal, so he must perform wudu if the impurity is minor, and perform ghusl if the impurity is major.
Based on this, we say in such a situation as the one he mentioned:The questioner : If the imam doubts during the prayer, in the final tashahhud or before it, whether he has purified himself from his impurity or not, the original state is the absence of purity. In that case, he must leave his prayer and entrust one of the congregation to complete the prayer with them as imam. He would say, for example: "Step forward, so-and-so, and complete the prayer with them." And they build upon what has passed of their prayer. This is the stronger opinion in this issue.
And with this, it becomes clear that there is no defect in the prayer of the congregation, whether the imam mentions during the prayer or after the completion of his prayer that he is not in a state of purity. If he mentions it after the completion of his prayer, the prayer of the congregation has ended as valid and there is no problem with it. And if he mentions it during his prayer, the congregation have not done anything that invalidates their prayer, because they did what they were commanded to do, which is to follow this imam. The hidden matter that they do not know about is not something for which they are held accountable, due to the saying of the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] And holding them accountable for a hidden matter concerning the imam is among the matters that are not within human capacity. And based on this, we say: if it becomes clear to the imam during his prayer that he is not in wudu, or that he broke his purity during the prayer, he entrusts one of the congregation to step forward and complete the prayer with them, and there is no blame in that. And based on this, we say to the brother:The questioner : If such a thing happens to you in the Jumu'ah prayer, you entrust one of the congregation to step forward and complete the Jumu'ah prayer with them. As for you, you go and purify yourself, then you return. If you catch a rak'ah of the prayer with the congregation in Jumu'ah, you add one rak'ah after it so that it becomes Jumu'ah. And if you catch less than a rak'ah, by arriving after the imam has raised his head from ruku' in the second rak'ah, then Jumu'ah has been missed for you, and you pray it as Zuhr.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Before answering this question, I would like to clarify a beneficial rule in the chapter of ritual impurity and other matters, which is: the original state remains as it was. This original state is based on what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the man who imagines that he has broken his purity, where he said:
He should not return (from prayer) unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell (of passing wind).
لا ينصرف حتى يسمع صوتاً أو يجد ريحاًBased on this, we say in such a situation as the one he mentioned:The questioner : If the imam doubts during the prayer, in the final tashahhud or before it, whether he has purified himself from his impurity or not, the original state is the absence of purity. In that case, he must leave his prayer and entrust one of the congregation to complete the prayer with them as imam. He would say, for example: "Step forward, so-and-so, and complete the prayer with them." And they build upon what has passed of their prayer. This is the stronger opinion in this issue.
And with this, it becomes clear that there is no defect in the prayer of the congregation, whether the imam mentions during the prayer or after the completion of his prayer that he is not in a state of purity. If he mentions it after the completion of his prayer, the prayer of the congregation has ended as valid and there is no problem with it. And if he mentions it during his prayer, the congregation have not done anything that invalidates their prayer, because they did what they were commanded to do, which is to follow this imam. The hidden matter that they do not know about is not something for which they are held accountable, due to the saying of the Exalted:
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَاThe questioner : Yes, may Allah bless you.