The ruling on one who doubts whether he performed a prayer or not
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The question: We begin with a message from the listener Sulayman Muhammad al-Tamimi from Riyadh. He says:
If I stand up for the Fajr prayer and I doubt whether I performed the 'Isha' prayer, what is the ruling if the stronger opinion in my mind is that I prayed, if the stronger opinion is that I did not pray, and if the two are equal?
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
As for what follows:
What appears is that the pure Shari'ah indicates that if a person doubts whether he performed an obligatory act or not, he must perform the obligation, if it is his habit that he may be lax in it, or may neglect it, or may be lax in it. In that case, he should hasten to make it up first, and then pray Fajr. However, if that is not his habit, but rather he prays the prayer in its time with the Muslims, or in its time at his home due to some excuses—although it is not permissible for him to pray it at home—the obligation upon the Muslim is to pray it in congregation in the mosques, and it is not permissible for anyone to pray it at home except for a legitimate Shari'ah excuse, such as illness or fear that prevents him from going out, such as fearing for his own safety. But if it is his habit to pray it with the congregation, or to pray it at home for one of the excuses, then he should not pay attention to this doubt; rather, he should discard this doubt and not heed it. As for if it is sometimes one way and sometimes another, where he may delay it, or he may reach evening without having done it, or he may be preoccupied with other things, then if he has not confirmed or become certain that he performed it, let him make it up and then pray Fajr afterwards. But if these are delusions and suspicions with no basis, and his habit and method is to take care of it and perform it in its time, and to pray as Allah has prescribed, then these are whispers (waswas) that should not be heeded or acted upon. Rather, he should pray Fajr and assume that he performed it, and praise be to Allah, as is his established habit. Yes.
If I stand up for the Fajr prayer and I doubt whether I performed the 'Isha' prayer, what is the ruling if the stronger opinion in my mind is that I prayed, if the stronger opinion is that I did not pray, and if the two are equal?
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
As for what follows:
What appears is that the pure Shari'ah indicates that if a person doubts whether he performed an obligatory act or not, he must perform the obligation, if it is his habit that he may be lax in it, or may neglect it, or may be lax in it. In that case, he should hasten to make it up first, and then pray Fajr. However, if that is not his habit, but rather he prays the prayer in its time with the Muslims, or in its time at his home due to some excuses—although it is not permissible for him to pray it at home—the obligation upon the Muslim is to pray it in congregation in the mosques, and it is not permissible for anyone to pray it at home except for a legitimate Shari'ah excuse, such as illness or fear that prevents him from going out, such as fearing for his own safety. But if it is his habit to pray it with the congregation, or to pray it at home for one of the excuses, then he should not pay attention to this doubt; rather, he should discard this doubt and not heed it. As for if it is sometimes one way and sometimes another, where he may delay it, or he may reach evening without having done it, or he may be preoccupied with other things, then if he has not confirmed or become certain that he performed it, let him make it up and then pray Fajr afterwards. But if these are delusions and suspicions with no basis, and his habit and method is to take care of it and perform it in its time, and to pray as Allah has prescribed, then these are whispers (waswas) that should not be heeded or acted upon. Rather, he should pray Fajr and assume that he performed it, and praise be to Allah, as is his established habit. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.