Is One’s Prayer Valid in Stolen Clothes or with Haram Earnings?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Are prayers valid if one’s clothes were purchased with Haram money?

Answer

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

May Allah guide us to what pleases Him and protect us from error. Amin.

Validity of Prayer

The prayer is valid, insha’Allah, provided its conditions (shurut) and integrals (arkan) are fulfilled. Allah (Most High) will not question such a person on the Day of Rising as to why they did not pray, since they have met the basic requirements for validity.

Reward

Validity is distinct from acceptability and reward. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) taught that not everyone who prays receives equal reward. One person might attain only half the potential reward of their prayer, another 80%, and another 30%, depending on various factors.

Chief among these is khushu‘ (concentration and presence of heart in the prayer) followed by adherence to the sunnas surrounding it, such as praying in the mosque, in congregation, and in the first row, among other virtuous acts.

Thus, praying in stolen clothes or those bought with haram earnings (which is akin to stolen goods) may render the prayer valid if properly performed, but it deprives the person of its full potential rewards. They have met the minimum, yet tainted it with unlawfulness. There is, therefore, a clear distinction between validity and reward.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.