Does a Verbal Slip or Doubt During Prayer Invalidate the Prayer?
Hanafi FiqhShafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Does an unintended verbal noise during Salah invalidate it? If unsure about validity, should one continue? Does changing intention from Fard to Sunnah out of doubt have any consequences?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
Yes, unintended worldly speech will invalidate the prayer. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
Unsure About Validity
If unsure about the validity of an action, you should assume soundness and continue as if nothing happened.
This is based on the legal principle that “the default assumption about all matters is validity and soundness.”
Please see: Key Principles Relating to Certainty, Doubt, and Baseless Misgivings (waswasa)
Changing Intention
No, changing one’s intention during the prayer has no consequence on the prayer.
Please see: Can I Change My Intention During Prayer?
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[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.
