about the ruling on one who leaves the opening of the Book or the Mother of the Book, if he left it by forgetfulness and did not recite it. He says: I hope you will inform us about that, may Allah guide you?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Welcome, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad.
The Shaykh : Welcome to you.
The questioner : Your Eminence, Shaykh Muhammad, in a past session we spoke about a letter from Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Saif from al-Muharraq in Bahrain, but the time did not allow us to present all his questions in that session. In this session, we will return to the rest of his questions. He was asking, the gentleman Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Saif from Bahrain, about the ruling on one who leaves the opening of the Book or the Mother of the Book, if he left it by forgetfulness and did not recite it. He says: I hope you will inform us about that, may Allah guide you?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Whoever leaves the recitation of al-Fatihah in a rak'ah has left a pillar of the pillars of prayer, because the recitation of al-Fatihah is a pillar of the pillars of prayer, and the prayer is not valid except with it, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Sahih Muslim 394c.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And every prayer in which the Mother of the Qur'an is not recited is premature, meaning defective and not valid. So, if one forgets to recite al-Fatihah in a rak'ah, it is obligatory for him to return to it, meaning to the standing, to recite it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Unless he has reached the standing of the next rak'ah. If he has reached the standing of the next rak'ah, the next rak'ah takes the place of the first rak'ah, and it becomes as if he is now in the first rak'ah. In both cases, it is obligatory for him to perform the prostration for forgetfulness, and it is to be done after the salam, on account of the addition that occurred for him. We are now illustrating with two examples by which the matter becomes clear: a man forgot to recite al-Fatihah from the first rak'ah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, while he is sitting between the two prostrations, he remembers that he forgot to recite al-Fatihah. We tell him: stand up now, recite al-Fatihah, bow, and proceed with your prayer, and you must perform the prostration for forgetfulness after the salam. This is an example of when one remembers the forgetting of al-Fatihah before standing up for the next rak'ah.
The questioner : Does he stand up with the takbir, or does he stand up without the takbir?
The Shaykh : He stands up without the takbir.
The questioner : Without the takbir.
The Shaykh : He stands up without the takbir, because this is not a place for a prescribed standing.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This standing is intended for something else.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So it is obligatory for something else. The second example: if one forgets al-Fatihah and remembers after he has stood up for the next rak'ah. We say: a man forgot al-Fatihah from the first rak'ah and did not remember it except while he was standing in the second rak'ah. We tell him: your first rak'ah is void due to the non-recitation of al-Fatihah in it, and this second rak'ah becomes a substitute for it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So it is as if you have now entered your prayer anew. You continue and complete your prayer, you say the salam, and you prostrate for forgetfulness after the salam.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : In this case, is it obligatory for him to recite the opening supplication or not?
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory for him to recite the opening supplication. First, because the opening supplication is not obligatory. Second, because he has already opened with the opening supplication in the first rak'ah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : In the first rak'ah, which is void and not counted?
The Shaykh : Yes, the one that is not counted.
The Shaykh : Welcome to you.
The questioner : Your Eminence, Shaykh Muhammad, in a past session we spoke about a letter from Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Saif from al-Muharraq in Bahrain, but the time did not allow us to present all his questions in that session. In this session, we will return to the rest of his questions. He was asking, the gentleman Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Saif from Bahrain, about the ruling on one who leaves the opening of the Book or the Mother of the Book, if he left it by forgetfulness and did not recite it. He says: I hope you will inform us about that, may Allah guide you?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Whoever leaves the recitation of al-Fatihah in a rak'ah has left a pillar of the pillars of prayer, because the recitation of al-Fatihah is a pillar of the pillars of prayer, and the prayer is not valid except with it, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
He who does not recite Umm al-Qur'an is not credited with having observed prayer.
لا صلاة لمن لم يقرأ بأم القرأنThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And every prayer in which the Mother of the Qur'an is not recited is premature, meaning defective and not valid. So, if one forgets to recite al-Fatihah in a rak'ah, it is obligatory for him to return to it, meaning to the standing, to recite it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Unless he has reached the standing of the next rak'ah. If he has reached the standing of the next rak'ah, the next rak'ah takes the place of the first rak'ah, and it becomes as if he is now in the first rak'ah. In both cases, it is obligatory for him to perform the prostration for forgetfulness, and it is to be done after the salam, on account of the addition that occurred for him. We are now illustrating with two examples by which the matter becomes clear: a man forgot to recite al-Fatihah from the first rak'ah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, while he is sitting between the two prostrations, he remembers that he forgot to recite al-Fatihah. We tell him: stand up now, recite al-Fatihah, bow, and proceed with your prayer, and you must perform the prostration for forgetfulness after the salam. This is an example of when one remembers the forgetting of al-Fatihah before standing up for the next rak'ah.
The questioner : Does he stand up with the takbir, or does he stand up without the takbir?
The Shaykh : He stands up without the takbir.
The questioner : Without the takbir.
The Shaykh : He stands up without the takbir, because this is not a place for a prescribed standing.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This standing is intended for something else.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So it is obligatory for something else. The second example: if one forgets al-Fatihah and remembers after he has stood up for the next rak'ah. We say: a man forgot al-Fatihah from the first rak'ah and did not remember it except while he was standing in the second rak'ah. We tell him: your first rak'ah is void due to the non-recitation of al-Fatihah in it, and this second rak'ah becomes a substitute for it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So it is as if you have now entered your prayer anew. You continue and complete your prayer, you say the salam, and you prostrate for forgetfulness after the salam.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : In this case, is it obligatory for him to recite the opening supplication or not?
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory for him to recite the opening supplication. First, because the opening supplication is not obligatory. Second, because he has already opened with the opening supplication in the first rak'ah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : In the first rak'ah, which is void and not counted?
The Shaykh : Yes, the one that is not counted.