Did I Speak Without Knowledge by Saying Fard Prayer Can’t Be Broken Due to Disturbance?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
I told someone that breaking a fard prayer due to disturbance is not permissible, but I did not explain valid excuses, as I was unsure. Did I speak without knowledge?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
If you stated that breaking a fard (obligatory) prayer due to disturbance is absolutely impermissible without clarifying exceptions, then your statement was incomplete but not entirely incorrect.
Generally, leaving a fard prayer without a valid excuse is impermissible. However, Islamic law permits breaking the prayer in cases of necessity, such as:
- Fear for life, property, or another person’s safety
- Responding to an urgent need (e.g., saving a child from harm)
- Unavoidable bodily functions (e.g., losing control over wudu)
Since you were unsure of the details, it would have been better to refrain from giving a definitive ruling and instead refer the person to a scholar. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) warned,
“Whoever is given a fatwa (religious ruling) without knowledge, his sin is upon the one who issued it.” [Abu Dawud]
In the future, it is recommended to speak with caution or say, “I am not sure, but I can help you find out.”
May Allah increase us all in beneficial knowledge.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
