Do I Have to Repeat My Prayers Because I Forgot to Wash My Hands in the Past?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

I used to wash my arms in wudu from the wrist to the elbow, not from the fingertips, and I can’t recall when I stopped doing this. It may have been before or shortly after reaching puberty. I’ve also led Tarawih and obligatory prayers. How should I handle missed prayers if my wudu was invalid?

Answer

You can assume that your wudu was valid because it is extremely farfetched for you to have been able to wash your arms, face and feet without also washing your hands by having water reach your hands and thus legally wash them.

Thus you can be confident that your wudu was valid all your life. And reasonable confidence, when it comes to worship, has the legal status of certainty. [Ibn Abidn, Radd al-Muhtar]

The principle above has been established through scholarly consensus. [Attassi, Sharh al-Majalla]

Allah, Most High, says: “Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you.” [2.185]

The Messenger of Allah (blessing and peace be upon him) has said, “Those who make things hard for themselves will be destroyed.” [Muslim]

Duty to follow a scholarly consensus

Many verses establish the duty of believers to submit a scholarly consensus that has been reached.

Allah, Most High, says: “And whoever defies the Messenger after guidance has become clear to them and follows a path other than that of the believers, We will let them pursue what they have chosen, then burn them in Hell—what an evil end!” [4.115]

And Allah knows best.

[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching for ways to learn Islam reliably and was disappointed at the answers he found locally.

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.