Do I Have to Repeat My Prayers If I Mispronounce Some Words?


Hanafi Fiqh

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I have been suffering from doubts in my prayers (OCD). Today I learned that I might have been mispronouncing “ghayril maghdubi” as “ghayrin maghdubi”. I correct my pronunciation in prayer when I notice, but sometimes I permit myself to rush because of my anxiety and fear I make the mistake without noticing.

Does my awareness of my tendency to rush but still mispronouncing by accident mean this was an intentional mistake? Should I repeat my prayers?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are well.

These types of misgivings are all too common concerning matters of purification and prayer. Shaytan plays on people’s sincerity in their religion and incites them toward false caution and doubts.

If one makes a mistake in vowels (i’rab) and it does not change the meaning, then it will not invalidate the prayer. [Shurunbuli, Nur al-Idah; Ibn al-Humam, Zad al-Faqir]

In your case, your prayer is valid, and you will not have to repeat your prayer.

I would like you to go through the Reader below, it will help you in every way:
A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)
Prayer Reader: The Ultimate Guide To Prayer in Islam

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on Seekersguidance?

I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.