Impurity fell on my garment, and I did not notice it until after I had prayed three obligatory prayers. Do I have to repeat the three obligatory prayers, or what should I do?
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The questioner : Impurity fell on my garment, and I did not notice it until after I had prayed three obligatory prayers. Do I have to repeat the three obligatory prayers, or what should I do?
The Shaykh : No, there is no need to repeat it. Whoever prays while in a state of ritual impurity, forgetting or unaware, his prayer is valid. An example of the one who forgets is if there is urine or feces on his garment and he forgets to wash it, then he stands and prays while forgetting, and when he finishes the prayer he remembers, he owes nothing. He proceeds, meaning his prayer is valid.
Likewise, if he is unaware, such as if he prays in a garment that is ritually impure but he does not know about the impurity until he has finished his prayer, his prayer is valid.
And the evidence for this is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] So Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: "I have done so." And the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: [Al-Ahzab 33:5] These are two general proofs.
And there is a specific proof, which is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed one day with his companions, and during the prayer he took off his sandals, so the people took off their sandals. When he finished the prayer, he asked them why they had taken off their sandals. They said: "O Messenger of Allah, you took off your sandals, so we took off ours." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 766. He did not start the prayer anew, but he built upon his prayer.
In summary, the answer is that if a person prays and there is impurity on his garment or on his body, and he forgets to wash it or does not know about it until after the prayer, he owes nothing. His prayer is valid.
As for the one who prays while in a state of ritual impurity, forgetting or unaware, he must perform the ablution for prayer and repeat the prayer anew. An example of the unaware person is a man who ate camel meat without knowing it was camel meat, then he prayed. Then he was told: "The meat is camel meat." Here, it is obligatory for him to perform the ablution for prayer and repeat the prayer.
The one who forgets is a man who passed urine, cleaned himself, and then stood up and prayed, forgetting that he had passed urine. Here we say: It is obligatory for him to perform the ablution for prayer and repeat the prayer. The difference between the two is that impurity is a matter of abandoning what is prohibited, whereas ritual impurity is a matter of performing what is commanded. What is commanded is not dropped by forgetting or ignorance, whereas what is prohibited is dropped by forgetting and ignorance.
The Shaykh : No, there is no need to repeat it. Whoever prays while in a state of ritual impurity, forgetting or unaware, his prayer is valid. An example of the one who forgets is if there is urine or feces on his garment and he forgets to wash it, then he stands and prays while forgetting, and when he finishes the prayer he remembers, he owes nothing. He proceeds, meaning his prayer is valid.
Likewise, if he is unaware, such as if he prays in a garment that is ritually impure but he does not know about the impurity until he has finished his prayer, his prayer is valid.
And the evidence for this is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred.
ربنا لا تؤاخذنا إن نسينا أو أخطأناAnd 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 قلوبكمAnd there is a specific proof, which is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed one day with his companions, and during the prayer he took off his sandals, so the people took off their sandals. When he finished the prayer, he asked them why they had taken off their sandals. They said: "O Messenger of Allah, you took off your sandals, so we took off ours." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Gabriel came to me and informed me that there was filth on them
إن جبريل أتاني فأخبرني أن فيهما قذراً فخلعتهماIn summary, the answer is that if a person prays and there is impurity on his garment or on his body, and he forgets to wash it or does not know about it until after the prayer, he owes nothing. His prayer is valid.
As for the one who prays while in a state of ritual impurity, forgetting or unaware, he must perform the ablution for prayer and repeat the prayer anew. An example of the unaware person is a man who ate camel meat without knowing it was camel meat, then he prayed. Then he was told: "The meat is camel meat." Here, it is obligatory for him to perform the ablution for prayer and repeat the prayer.
The one who forgets is a man who passed urine, cleaned himself, and then stood up and prayed, forgetting that he had passed urine. Here we say: It is obligatory for him to perform the ablution for prayer and repeat the prayer. The difference between the two is that impurity is a matter of abandoning what is prohibited, whereas ritual impurity is a matter of performing what is commanded. What is commanded is not dropped by forgetting or ignorance, whereas what is prohibited is dropped by forgetting and ignorance.