Must Prayers Be Repeated If Wudu Was Invalid?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

If someone prayed without wudu out of ignorance, unaware that a particular act nullified it, must they repeat those prayers once they learn the ruling, even if they don’t know which specific prayers were affected?

For example, if they estimate it could be up to 20 prayers, possibly ‘Asr, Maghrib, or ‘Isha, what should they do?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Estimate all the possible prayers that were invalid, and perform them by making up a whole day of prayers, for example, if ‘Asr, Maghrib, and ‘Isha of the first set of invalid prayers out of 20 sets that were invalid.

Past Missed/Invalid Prayers—A Debt to Allah

Missed or invalid prayers are a debt to Allah, and they too can be seen as a way to draw nearer to Allah. Develop a routine to make up a set number of prayers daily, like 3, 4, or 5 days’ worth. Remember, Allah said in a Hadith Qudsi,

“My servant draws near to Me by nothing more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory upon him.”

Related

• How Do I Perform My Missed Prayers with Ease?
• If One Has 20 Years of Makeup Prayers, What Should He Do? -Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

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

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Currently, he resides in the UK with his wife and is interested in reading and gardening.