If the imam breaks his ritual purity during the prayer, or prays while in a state of impurity out of forgetfulness, what should he do, especially if he is in the final sitting?
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The questioner : If the imam breaks his ritual purity during the prayer, or prays while in a state of impurity out of forgetfulness, what should he do, especially if he is in the final sitting?
The Shaykh : Yes. If the imam prays with the congregation while in a state of ritual impurity, forgetting his state, and does not remember it, or does not remember it until after the completion of the prayer, it is obligatory for him to repeat the prayer. As for the followers, it is not obligatory for them to repeat the prayer.
As for if he remembers during the prayer, the scholars have differed on this. Some say that it is obligatory for the followers to repeat the prayer from the beginning, and some say that it is not obligatory for them to repeat it. In that case, we say to the imam: "Appoint someone to pray with them." So say, "Step forward, so-and-so, and complete the prayer with them, for I am not in a state of ablution." If he does not do so, it is permissible for them to appoint one of them to complete the prayer with them. It is also permissible for them to complete their prayer individually, and their prayer is valid because they are excused, as they did not know of the imam's state of impurity, and they had performed the prayer in the manner they were commanded to do. If they perform the prayer in the manner they were commanded to do, it is not possible for us to invalidate what they did according to the command, except with evidence from the Shari'ah. And there is no evidence indicating that if the imam's prayer is invalid, the followers' prayer is invalid.
Accordingly, the stronger position in this issue is that if the imam remembers that he is in a state of ritual impurity during the prayer, we say to him: "Appoint someone to complete the prayer with them." If he does not do so, it is permissible for the followers to appoint one of them to complete the prayer with them, and it is permissible for them to complete their prayer individually. It is not obligatory for them to repeat the prayer from the beginning, due to the lack of evidence for invalidating the prayer and the obligation to repeat it from the beginning.
As for the imam, you have known, O questioner, O listener, that his prayer is invalid because he was in a state of ritual impurity. On this occasion, I would like to clarify that there is a difference between one who prays in a state of ritual impurity out of forgetfulness and one who prays while there is impurity on his garment out of forgetfulness or ignorance. If one prays while in a state of ritual impurity out of forgetfulness or ignorance, he must perform ablution and restart the prayer anew, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Sunan Ibn Majah 274Sahih (Darussalam) So the example of the one who forgot is clear.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the example of the ignorant one is if a person eats camel meat and does not know that it is camel meat, then he prays, and then he learns afterwards that what he ate was camel meat, and he had not performed ablution before praying. He has prayed in a state of ritual impurity while ignorant of it. Accordingly, it is obligatory for him to repeat the prayer after performing ablution.
As for one who prays while there is impurity on his garment out of forgetfulness or ignorance, there is no repetition required for him, and his prayer is valid. The example of the one who forgot is if a person gets impurity on his garment and forgets to wash it, or forgets that it got on him, then he prays, and after his prayer he remembers that there is impurity on his garment. There is no repetition required for him.
Likewise, if he was ignorant, such as if he was splashed with urine and did not know about it, and after finishing his prayer he learned of it, there is no repetition required for him because he was ignorant. The one who forgot and the one who is ignorant are excused by the text of the Book. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] So Allah the Exalted said: .
The evidence for this is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with his Companions while wearing his sandals, then he took them off, so the people took off their sandals. When he finished his prayer, he asked them why they had taken off their sandals. They said, "We saw you take off your sandals, so we took off our sandals." He said (peace and blessings be upon him):Mishkat al-Masabih 766 And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not restart the prayer. This indicates that if one prays while there is impurity on his garment or any of his clothing, and he is ignorant of it, there is no repetition required for him. If someone asks, "What is the difference between this and that? That is, what is the difference between the fact that if a person prays in a state of ritual impurity out of forgetfulness or ignorance, it is obligatory for him to repeat it after ablution, and if he prays while there is impurity on his garment out of forgetfulness or ignorance, there is no repetition required for him?" The answer is that the difference between them is that the one who prays in a state of ritual impurity has left a commanded act, and if a commanded act is left in a worship, it is not valid.
As for the one who prays while there is impurity on his garment, he has committed a prohibited act, which is wearing the impurity. If a person commits a prohibited act while in a state of forgetfulness or ignorance, he is not held accountable for it, and its effect does not follow him. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes. If the imam prays with the congregation while in a state of ritual impurity, forgetting his state, and does not remember it, or does not remember it until after the completion of the prayer, it is obligatory for him to repeat the prayer. As for the followers, it is not obligatory for them to repeat the prayer.
As for if he remembers during the prayer, the scholars have differed on this. Some say that it is obligatory for the followers to repeat the prayer from the beginning, and some say that it is not obligatory for them to repeat it. In that case, we say to the imam: "Appoint someone to pray with them." So say, "Step forward, so-and-so, and complete the prayer with them, for I am not in a state of ablution." If he does not do so, it is permissible for them to appoint one of them to complete the prayer with them. It is also permissible for them to complete their prayer individually, and their prayer is valid because they are excused, as they did not know of the imam's state of impurity, and they had performed the prayer in the manner they were commanded to do. If they perform the prayer in the manner they were commanded to do, it is not possible for us to invalidate what they did according to the command, except with evidence from the Shari'ah. And there is no evidence indicating that if the imam's prayer is invalid, the followers' prayer is invalid.
Accordingly, the stronger position in this issue is that if the imam remembers that he is in a state of ritual impurity during the prayer, we say to him: "Appoint someone to complete the prayer with them." If he does not do so, it is permissible for the followers to appoint one of them to complete the prayer with them, and it is permissible for them to complete their prayer individually. It is not obligatory for them to repeat the prayer from the beginning, due to the lack of evidence for invalidating the prayer and the obligation to repeat it from the beginning.
As for the imam, you have known, O questioner, O listener, that his prayer is invalid because he was in a state of ritual impurity. On this occasion, I would like to clarify that there is a difference between one who prays in a state of ritual impurity out of forgetfulness and one who prays while there is impurity on his garment out of forgetfulness or ignorance. If one prays while in a state of ritual impurity out of forgetfulness or ignorance, he must perform ablution and restart the prayer anew, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
Allah does not accept any Salat (prayer) without purification
لا يقبل الله صلاةً بغير طُهورThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the example of the ignorant one is if a person eats camel meat and does not know that it is camel meat, then he prays, and then he learns afterwards that what he ate was camel meat, and he had not performed ablution before praying. He has prayed in a state of ritual impurity while ignorant of it. Accordingly, it is obligatory for him to repeat the prayer after performing ablution.
As for one who prays while there is impurity on his garment out of forgetfulness or ignorance, there is no repetition required for him, and his prayer is valid. The example of the one who forgot is if a person gets impurity on his garment and forgets to wash it, or forgets that it got on him, then he prays, and after his prayer he remembers that there is impurity on his garment. There is no repetition required for him.
Likewise, if he was ignorant, such as if he was splashed with urine and did not know about it, and after finishing his prayer he learned of it, there is no repetition required for him because he was ignorant. The one who forgot and the one who is ignorant are excused by the text of the Book. Allah the Exalted said:
Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred.
ربنا لا تؤاخذنا إن نسينا أو أخطأناHe has done so
قد فعلتThe evidence for this is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with his Companions while wearing his sandals, then he took them off, so the people took off their sandals. When he finished his prayer, he asked them why they had taken off their sandals. They said, "We saw you take off your sandals, so we took off our sandals." He said (peace and blessings be upon him):
Gabriel came to me and informed me that there was filth on them
إن جبريل أتاني فأخبرني أن فيهما أذى أو قذرا فخلعتهماAs for the one who prays while there is impurity on his garment, he has committed a prohibited act, which is wearing the impurity. If a person commits a prohibited act while in a state of forgetfulness or ignorance, he is not held accountable for it, and its effect does not follow him. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.