When Does One Become an Adult?
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Does the release of semen during masturbation or the growth of a mustache without pubic hair mean one has reached puberty?
I became baligh at 13.5 but didn’t know about ritual impurities or washing blood. Are my past prayers valid?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
According to the Hanafi school, if a boy experiences a wet dream (which entails ejaculating during one’s sleep) or can impregnate a woman, he will be deemed an adult. However, if a boy does not experience one of those states by the age of 15, he will be considered an adult from the age of 15 lunar years. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
The presence of a mustache or pubic hair has no legal impact on becoming an adult in Islamic law.
Ignorance of Islamic law is not an excuse, especially in our time. You should make a reasonable estimation of the prayers that you have prayed invalidly and repeat them.
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) has said: “Seeking knowledge is a duty upon every Muslim” [Ibn Maja]
Please see: How Do I Calculate Years of Missed Prayers?
And Allah knows best.
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching for ways to learn Islam reliably and was disappointed at the answers he found locally.
Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.
He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
