Should I Repeat Past Prayers in Which I Made Pronunciation Errors?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

If one starts praying after a long time and remembers the surahs they have learned for the most part but upon reading the Surahs realizes that they have made some pronunciation errors, are all their previous prayers invalid?

Additionally, while reciting the tashahhud if one forgets to say “wa ala” after assalamu alaina, would it invalidate the prayer?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

Yes, your previous prayers are valid. In the vast majority of cases, non-deliberate pronunciation errors don’t affect the validity of your prayer.

Please also see: Do Grammatical and Pronunciation Mistakes While Reciting the Qur’an Invalidate Your Prayer?

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.