How Do I Overcome My Anxiety of Reciting Incorrectly During Prayer?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question
I have had a problem within my Salah where I end up praying multiple times or break it. Although I try to recite correctly, sometimes due to my anxiety and habit of misreading a certain way, I do get this split second thought of realization that I am replacing a letter with another, i.e., however, my lips continue moving and mispronounce the word, having this thought that “I’m doing so intentionally because it’s fine or not a big deal.” What exactly are intentional mistakes in Tajweed?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate
Walaikum Assalam,
I hope you’re doing well, insha’Allah.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. What you’re mentioning isn’t from caution: instead, it is contrary to the sunna of the Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him & his folk).
Some Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “One cannot pray the same prayer after praying it.” [Ibn Abi Shayba relates this from Umar and Ibn Mas`ud (Allah be pleased with them)]
The scholars explain that this is a prohibition against repeating prayers out of misgivings (waswasa). [Tahtawi/Shurunbulali, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]
What About the Mistakes?
Mistakes in tajwid are ignored. Recite and do things as best you can—without overdoing things—and have gratitude (shukr) to Allah Most High for the ease and mercy of religion.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Truly, this religion is ease. And no one makes religion difficult except that it will overwhelm them. So remain committed; do the best you can, and be of glad tidings…” [Bukhari and Muslim]
The Cure For Confusion?
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The only cure for confusion is to ask.” [Abu Dawud, others; sound]
Take any of the courses in the Islamic Studies curriculum, starting at Level One, with the essentials of faith, worship, and practical spirituality.
And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani
39 عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : ” إِنَّ الدِّينَ يُسْرٌ، وَلَنْ يُشَادَّ الدِّينَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا غَلَبَهُ، فَسَدِّدُوا، وَقَارِبُوا، وَأَبْشِرُوا، وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالْغَدْوَةِ وَالرَّوْحَةِ، وَشَيْءٍ مِنَ الدُّلْجَةِ “.
صحيح البخاري ( 5673, 6463 ) صحيح مسلم ( 2574, 2816 )
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus and Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), and his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.
