Does Saying “Astaghfir Allah” behind the Imam Invalidate the Prayer?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

If I accidentally said “Astaghfirullah” while being silent behind the Imam, but the “Astagfirullah” was under my breath, my mouth/lips didn’t move, but inside my tongue moved a little bit, does it invalidate Salah?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

No, your prayer remains valid despite your utterance because saying “Astaghfir Allah” (I ask forgiveness from Allah) is not from worldly speech but is rather from the supplications permissible to utter during the prayer. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “It is not befitting for the prayer to contain the speech of people.” [Muslim]

Nonetheless, it remains prohibitively disliked (and thus sinful) to recite the Quran behind the Imam in congregational prayers.  [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]

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 far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. 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.