Does Reciting a Supplication While Moving Between Prayer Positions Invalidate the Prayer?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

If one is praying the night prayer (Isha) behind an imam, and during the imam’s second prostration, one recites the supplication “My Lord, forgive me” (rabbighfirli), uttering the last few letters while moving between positions, does this count as speech that invalidates the prayer, or is it a mistake carried by the imam?

Answer

No, your prayer was not invalidated by these words. It is a supplication and, therefore, permissible within the prayer, even though it was done during a movement. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

I highly recommend that you study the rulings of purification and prayer. This knowledge greatly enhances one’s understanding of how to worship Allah and is empowering.

Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Related Answers

• Does Speaking Forgetfully in Prayer Invalidate It?: Understanding what constitutes invalidating speech during prayer.
• How Do I Supplicate during Salah While Sitting and Prostrating?: Detailed guidance on supplication during prayer positions.
• Going Ahead of the Imam in Prayer: Understanding the follower’s relationship to the imam’s prayer.

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.