I frequently experience doubt during prayer behind the imam, especially in the loud prayers, regarding whether I recited al-Fatihah after the imam finished it or not, and I am forced to
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The questioner : I frequently experience doubt during prayer behind the imam, especially in the loud prayers, regarding whether I recited al-Fatihah after the imam finished it or not? And I am forced to repeat it while the imam is reciting. This happens to me often, and unfortunately, is there anything required of me in that? And what is the ruling on the past prayers that I prayed in this state? Does this invalidate them or not? And please guide us, may Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh, to what achieves following the imam and preventing the mind from wandering during prayer. May you be rewarded?
The Shaykh : This questioner, as the people heard, says: This doubt happens to him frequently. Frequent doubts must be discarded and not attended to, because they associate a person with the obsessive-compulsive. And Satan does not limit himself to making him doubt in that, but he makes him doubt in other matters until it may reach a state where he makes him doubt about the divorce of his wife and her remaining with him. This is dangerous for a person’s mind and his religion. For this reason, the scholars said: Doubts are not attended to in three cases:
The first: That it is a mere imagination with no reality. This is discarded and not attended to at all.
The second: That the doubts become numerous, and the person doubts every time he performs wudu', doubts every time he prays, and doubts every time he does an action. This also must be discarded and not considered.
The third case: If the doubt is after the completion of the act of worship, then it is not attended to unless one is certain of the matter. An example of this: If one doubts after he has said the taslim from his prayer whether he prayed three or four rak'ahs in a four-rak'ah prayer, then he does not attend to this doubt, because the act of worship has ended, except if he is certain that he did not pray except three, then he should perform the fourth as long as the time is short, and he should prostrate for forgetfulness after the taslim. The important thing is that these are three cases in which the doubt is not attended to.
The first: That the doubt is an imagination with no reality.
The second: That the doubts become numerous from the person.
The third: That it is after the completion of the act of worship.
Based on this, we say to this questioner: Do not attend to this doubt. And if you doubt whether you recited al-Fatihah after the imam recited it or not, do not attend to this. The original state is that you recited it, and do not repeat it again, because Satan may cast into your heart that you did not recite it in order to distract you from listening to the imam’s recitation.
The questioner : He says: Please guide us, may Allah bless you, to what achieves following the imam and preventing the mind from wandering during prayer?
The Shaykh : As for what achieves following the imam and preventing the mind from wandering during prayer, that is achieved by a person’s presence of mind regarding the greatness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), who is now standing before Him, conversing with Him. For the person in his prayer is conversing with his Lord, as established in the authentic hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Allah said: So you find that the servant, whenever he says a word, Allah the Exalted responds to him, and this is the conversation. And when a person feels this feeling, his heart is present.
Also, among the causes of not letting the mind wander is for a person to follow what he says or does and to reflect on the great meanings for which this saying or this action was legislated. For example, in the state of ruku', ruku' was legislated for a person to magnify his Lord with his action and his speech. And for this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 479a And bending before Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is magnification of Him by action, and saying "Subhan Rabi al-Azim" is magnification of Him by speech. It remains that a person magnifies Him with his heart, and this does not happen except with the presence of the heart. So in ruku' there is magnification by speech, by action, and by heart, but what is often absent from a person is the magnification of the heart.
Likewise, in sujud, when he prostrates, he has placed the highest part of him, which is the forehead, in the lowest place he is upon, until his highest part is level with his lowest part. So the feet and the forehead are both in one place. By this descent and lowering, he recalls the exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and that (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above everything, having risen above His Throne. For this reason, he says in this sujud: "Subhan Rabi al-A'la," because he feels or perceives at that time that Allah the Exalted is above everything, while he in this state has placed the highest thing in his body level with the lowest thing in his body, which is the feet.
So if a person recalls these great meanings in what he says and what he does in his prayer, that necessitates for him the presence of the heart. If Satan refuses him except to whisper to him, then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided that a person should spit to his left three times, saying:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3452Sahih (Darussalam) So let a person do this, and if he does it with faith and seeking reward, it will remove this thing from him.
The Shaykh : This questioner, as the people heard, says: This doubt happens to him frequently. Frequent doubts must be discarded and not attended to, because they associate a person with the obsessive-compulsive. And Satan does not limit himself to making him doubt in that, but he makes him doubt in other matters until it may reach a state where he makes him doubt about the divorce of his wife and her remaining with him. This is dangerous for a person’s mind and his religion. For this reason, the scholars said: Doubts are not attended to in three cases:
The first: That it is a mere imagination with no reality. This is discarded and not attended to at all.
The second: That the doubts become numerous, and the person doubts every time he performs wudu', doubts every time he prays, and doubts every time he does an action. This also must be discarded and not considered.
The third case: If the doubt is after the completion of the act of worship, then it is not attended to unless one is certain of the matter. An example of this: If one doubts after he has said the taslim from his prayer whether he prayed three or four rak'ahs in a four-rak'ah prayer, then he does not attend to this doubt, because the act of worship has ended, except if he is certain that he did not pray except three, then he should perform the fourth as long as the time is short, and he should prostrate for forgetfulness after the taslim. The important thing is that these are three cases in which the doubt is not attended to.
The first: That the doubt is an imagination with no reality.
The second: That the doubts become numerous from the person.
The third: That it is after the completion of the act of worship.
Based on this, we say to this questioner: Do not attend to this doubt. And if you doubt whether you recited al-Fatihah after the imam recited it or not, do not attend to this. The original state is that you recited it, and do not repeat it again, because Satan may cast into your heart that you did not recite it in order to distract you from listening to the imam’s recitation.
The questioner : He says: Please guide us, may Allah bless you, to what achieves following the imam and preventing the mind from wandering during prayer?
The Shaykh : As for what achieves following the imam and preventing the mind from wandering during prayer, that is achieved by a person’s presence of mind regarding the greatness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), who is now standing before Him, conversing with Him. For the person in his prayer is conversing with his Lord, as established in the authentic hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Allah said:
The prayer was divided between Me and My servant into two halves, and whatever is for him is his. So when he says: "Alhamdulillah Rabb al-'alamin," Allah the Exalted says: My servant praised Me. And when he says: "Ar-Rahman al-Rahim," Allah the Exalted says: My servant extolled Me. And when he says: "Malik yawm al-din," Allah the Exalted says: My servant glorified Me. And when he says: "Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in," Allah the Exalted says: This is between Me and My servant, half and half. And when he says: "Ihdina al-sirat al-mustaqim," Allah the Exalted says: This is for My servant, and for My servant is what he asks.
قسمت الصلاة بيني وبين عبدي نصفين ، فإذا قال : الحمد لله رب العالمين ، قال الله تعالى : حمدني عبدي ، وإذا قال : الرحمان الرحيم ، قال الله تعالى : أثنى علي عبدي ، وإذا قال : مالك يوم الدين ، قال الله تعالى : مجدني عبدي ، وإذا قال : إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين ، قال الله تعالى : هذا بيني وبين عبدي نصفين ، فإذا قال : اهدنا الصراط المستقيم ، قال الله تعالى : هذا لعبدي ولعبدي ما سألAlso, among the causes of not letting the mind wander is for a person to follow what he says or does and to reflect on the great meanings for which this saying or this action was legislated. For example, in the state of ruku', ruku' was legislated for a person to magnify his Lord with his action and his speech. And for this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
So far as Ruk'u is concerned, extol in it the Great and Glorious Lord
وأما الركوع فعظموا فيه الربLikewise, in sujud, when he prostrates, he has placed the highest part of him, which is the forehead, in the lowest place he is upon, until his highest part is level with his lowest part. So the feet and the forehead are both in one place. By this descent and lowering, he recalls the exaltation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and that (Blessed and Exalted is He) is above everything, having risen above His Throne. For this reason, he says in this sujud: "Subhan Rabi al-A'la," because he feels or perceives at that time that Allah the Exalted is above everything, while he in this state has placed the highest thing in his body level with the lowest thing in his body, which is the feet.
So if a person recalls these great meanings in what he says and what he does in his prayer, that necessitates for him the presence of the heart. If Satan refuses him except to whisper to him, then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided that a person should spit to his left three times, saying: