Ruling on Repeating the Recitation of al-Fatihah in Case of Doubt
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A person may become distracted during prayer and wonder whether he recited al-Fatihah or not. If he recites it after the surah, is it considered as if he had recited it before? Or how is the situation?
Answer: If the forgetfulness is occasional, he should repeat it, even if it is after the surah. However, if he is afflicted with obsessive doubts (waswas), he should not pay attention to them; rather, he has already recited it, and praise be to Allah. This is because the believer recites it from the moment he stands for the rak'ah and begins with it before the surah. Therefore, he should not pay attention to these obsessive doubts. But if the doubt is something occasional, not habitual—meaning he doubts whether he recited it or not—he should recite it, even if it is after the surah, and that is sufficient. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Answer: If the forgetfulness is occasional, he should repeat it, even if it is after the surah. However, if he is afflicted with obsessive doubts (waswas), he should not pay attention to them; rather, he has already recited it, and praise be to Allah. This is because the believer recites it from the moment he stands for the rak'ah and begins with it before the surah. Therefore, he should not pay attention to these obsessive doubts. But if the doubt is something occasional, not habitual—meaning he doubts whether he recited it or not—he should recite it, even if it is after the surah, and that is sufficient. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.