The ruling on one who recites al-Fatihah without contemplation in prayer

Question:
If a person is distracted in his prayer and recites Surat al-Fatihah without contemplating it, and he does not remember this until after finishing the recitation, and sometimes he does not know whether he recited Surat al-Fatihah or not, and all of this is during the prayer despite his effort, does he have to repeat the recitation, or is it not permissible for him to do so? And what is the course of action in this case?

Answer:
If it is something that occurs occasionally, he repeats it if he doubts whether he recited al-Fatihah or not; if he is unsure whether he recited it or not, he recites it. But if he is afflicted with waswas (whispers) and this happens frequently with him, he discards the waswas and proceeds on the assumption that he recited it, leaving the waswas, seeking refuge in Allah from Shaytan, and not repeating it; because Shaytan is eager to corrupt the deeds of the children of Adam. So if this is something that occurs occasionally, he repeats it, reciting it until he is certain that he has recited it. But if it is waswas, he leaves it; if these waswas befall him, he proceeds on the assumption that he recited it and does not repeat it. And praise be to Allah.

The presenter: May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.