What is the ruling if I prayed in a garment that was impure, and I knew it, but at the time of prayer I forgot that the garment was impure, and I remembered after finishing the prayer? What should I do?
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The questioner : If I prayed in a garment that was impure, and I knew it, but at the time of prayer I forgot that the garment was impure, and I remembered after finishing the prayer, what should I do? If I remembered immediately after finishing, or after the time for prayer had ended, what should I do? May Allah reward you with good, and thank you very much. May Allah preserve you and care for you?
The Shaykh : Your prayer is valid, and you do not have to do anything. Because anyone who prays in an impure garment or in an impure place while forgetting or not knowing it does not have to repeat the prayer. This is unlike the one who prays without ablution, for he must repeat the prayer, whether he was forgetting or not knowing. We give two examples to clarify the ruling.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : A man became in a state of ritual impurity and did not perform ablution, then the time for prayer came and he prayed while forgetting that he had become impure. We tell him: It is obligatory for you to repeat your prayer. Another man had impurity in his garment, but he forgot and prayed before washing it. We tell him: Your prayer is valid, and it is not obligatory for you to repeat it.
And two other examples regarding ignorance: A man ate camel meat while not knowing about it, and he was in a state of ablution before eating. He stood up and prayed, and then after his prayer it became clear that he had eaten camel meat. It is obligatory for him to repeat the prayer, perform ablution, and repeat the prayer, because he prayed without ablution.
And the example of ignorance regarding impurity is a man who prayed while there was impurity in his garment that he did not know about. When he finished his prayer, he saw it. His prayer is valid, and he does not have to repeat it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Someone might ask: What is the difference between impurity and a state of ritual impurity, where you said that if one prays while in a state of ritual impurity, even if he is ignorant or forgetting, he must repeat his prayer, and you said that if one prays in an impure garment while ignorant or forgetting, he does not have to repeat it? We say that the difference between them is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 60Sahih (Al-Albani) And this is general, and ablution is a positive requirement.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Meaning a positive condition that must be fulfilled. As for avoiding impurity, it is a negative condition. A negative condition means that a person is commanded to leave it and avoid it, not to do it. So if he does it while forgetting or not knowing, there is no blame on him and no sin, due to the saying of the Exalted:[Al-Ahzab 33:5].
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed one day and took off his sandals, so the Companions took off their sandals. When he finished, he asked them about the reason for taking off their sandals. They said: We saw you take off your sandals, so we took off ours. He said: Jibril came to me and informed me that there was impurity in them, so I took them off.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not repeat the prayer from the beginning. This indicates that if a person praying is afflicted with impurity while he is ignorant of it, his prayer is valid.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Otherwise, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have repeated the prayer anew. Yes.
The questioner : Fine, also, does this generalization not also apply? Because a person who is impure in himself is different from the impurity that is in his clothes, because this is on the person himself and that is on the person's clothes.
The Shaykh : This difference is not significant. The proof is that if the impurity were on his body, there would be no difference between impurity on his body and on his garment. And the one in a state of ritual impurity is not impure.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But there is a descriptive attribute that prevents him from praying. The proof is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Abu Hurayrah when he was in a state of major ritual impurity. He said to him:Sahih al-Bukhari 283.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Even though he was in a state of major ritual impurity, and the one in a state of major ritual impurity is in a state of major ritual impurity.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : Well done. This is a message we received from the Holy City of Madinah from the sender M K A.
The Shaykh : Your prayer is valid, and you do not have to do anything. Because anyone who prays in an impure garment or in an impure place while forgetting or not knowing it does not have to repeat the prayer. This is unlike the one who prays without ablution, for he must repeat the prayer, whether he was forgetting or not knowing. We give two examples to clarify the ruling.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : A man became in a state of ritual impurity and did not perform ablution, then the time for prayer came and he prayed while forgetting that he had become impure. We tell him: It is obligatory for you to repeat your prayer. Another man had impurity in his garment, but he forgot and prayed before washing it. We tell him: Your prayer is valid, and it is not obligatory for you to repeat it.
And two other examples regarding ignorance: A man ate camel meat while not knowing about it, and he was in a state of ablution before eating. He stood up and prayed, and then after his prayer it became clear that he had eaten camel meat. It is obligatory for him to repeat the prayer, perform ablution, and repeat the prayer, because he prayed without ablution.
And the example of ignorance regarding impurity is a man who prayed while there was impurity in his garment that he did not know about. When he finished his prayer, he saw it. His prayer is valid, and he does not have to repeat it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Someone might ask: What is the difference between impurity and a state of ritual impurity, where you said that if one prays while in a state of ritual impurity, even if he is ignorant or forgetting, he must repeat his prayer, and you said that if one prays in an impure garment while ignorant or forgetting, he does not have to repeat it? We say that the difference between them is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allaah, the Exalted, does not accept the prayer of any of you when you are defiled until you performed ablution.
لا يقبل الله صلاة أحدكم إذا أحدث حتى يتوضأThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Meaning a positive condition that must be fulfilled. As for avoiding impurity, it is a negative condition. A negative condition means that a person is commanded to leave it and avoid it, not to do it. So if he does it while forgetting or not knowing, there is no blame on him and no sin, due to the saying of the Exalted:
And there is no blame upon you for that in which you have erred but [only for] what your hearts intended
وليس عليكم جناح فيما أخطأتم به ولكن ما تعمدت قلوبكمThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed one day and took off his sandals, so the Companions took off their sandals. When he finished, he asked them about the reason for taking off their sandals. They said: We saw you take off your sandals, so we took off ours. He said: Jibril came to me and informed me that there was impurity in them, so I took them off.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not repeat the prayer from the beginning. This indicates that if a person praying is afflicted with impurity while he is ignorant of it, his prayer is valid.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Otherwise, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have repeated the prayer anew. Yes.
The questioner : Fine, also, does this generalization not also apply? Because a person who is impure in himself is different from the impurity that is in his clothes, because this is on the person himself and that is on the person's clothes.
The Shaykh : This difference is not significant. The proof is that if the impurity were on his body, there would be no difference between impurity on his body and on his garment. And the one in a state of ritual impurity is not impure.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But there is a descriptive attribute that prevents him from praying. The proof is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Abu Hurayrah when he was in a state of major ritual impurity. He said to him:
A believer never becomes impure.
إن المؤمن لا ينجسThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Even though he was in a state of major ritual impurity, and the one in a state of major ritual impurity is in a state of major ritual impurity.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : Well done. This is a message we received from the Holy City of Madinah from the sender M K A.