Lesson 22: Invalidators and Doubts in Prayers

A- Things That Invalidate Prayer

1. Twelve things invalidate the prayer, and they are called “Invalidators” (mubṭilāt (of prayers.
2. Missing one of the conditions of the prayer

(Issue 1172).

2. The occurrence of things that make the Wuḍūʾ or Ghusl void (Issue 1172).
3. Putting the hands on top of one another as a part of prayer (Issue 1176).
4. 4. Saying “Āmīn” after reciting Sūrah al-Ḥamd as a part of prayer (Issue 1176).
5. If a person intentionally or mistakenly turns his back to the Qibla or turns to its right or left (Issue 1177).
6. Talking a word intentionally with one or more letters with meaning (speech other than prayer) (Issue 1178).
7. Laughing intentionally with sound (Issue 1197).
8. Crying for worldly work (Issue 1197).
9. Doing anything that disrupted the form of the prayers (Issue 1197).
10. Eating and drinking (Issue 1200).
11. Doubt about the number of Rak’ats in two Rak’ats or three Rak’ats prayers or in the first two Rak’ats of four Rak’ats prayers (Issue 1201).
12. Increasing or decreasing a Rukn intentionally or inadvertently (Issue 1201).
13. Breaking an obligatory prayer is forbidden, but in some cases, it is permissible (jāʾiz) to break an obligatory prayer:
14. To save one’s or another’s life (Issue 1205).
15. To protect one’s property or to prevent financial harm, which is obligatory to maintain (Issue 1205).
16. To pay debts (Dain) (Issue 1207).
17. To purify the mosque (Issue 1208).

B- Doubts in Prayer (Shakkiyāt)

Twenty-three types of doubts appear in the Rak’ats of prayer. They fall into three categories:

1. Doubts that invalidate the prayer (8 types).
2. Doubts that are correct (9 types).
3. Doubts that be ignored (6 types).

First part: Doubts Which Invalidate Prayer

There are eight doubts that invalidate prayer:

1. Doubts over the number of Rak’ats of two Rak’ats in the obligatory prayers, like the morning prayer (Ṣubḥ) and traveler’s prayer (qAṣr).
2. Doubt in the number of Rak’ats in three Rak’ats prayers (Maghrib).
3. Doubt in the number of Rak’ats in four-Rak’ats prayers between one Rak’at or more.
4. Doubt in the number of Rak’ats in four-Rak’ats prayers between two or more before going into the second Sajdah.
5. Doubt in the number of Rak’ats between 2 and 5 or 2 and more than 5.
6. Doubt in the number of Rak’ats between 3 and 6 or 3 and more than 6.
7. Doubt in the number of Rak’ats of prayer when he does not know how many Rak’ats he has performed.
8. Doubt in the number of Rak’ats between 4 and 6 or 4 and more than 6 (Issue 1211).

Note: In doubts that invalidate Prayer, it is better not to disturb the prayer but to think so much that the prayer’s form is disrupted (Issue 1212).

Second Part: Doubts That Are Valid (Ṣaḥīḥ)

There are nine valid doubts in the four-Rak’ats prayers. (Issue1244)

Here are the most important valid doubts:

Third Part: The Doubts That Should Be Ignored

The Doubts which must be ignored are the following: (Issue 1213).

1. Doubt after the Salām of the prayer.
2. Doubt about an act whose time of performance has already passed; for example, in Rukūʿ, one doubts whether he recited Sūrah al-Ḥamd or not! (Issues 1220 & 1221).
3. Doubt after the time of the prayer has already passed (Issues 1225 & 1226).
4. The doubt of a person who doubts too much (kathīr al-shake) (Issue 1229).
5. Doubts by the Imām -Jamaat (leader of the prayer) or the Ma̓mūm (follower) regarding the number of Rak’ats when the other knows the number of Rak’ats.
6. Doubt in recommended and Precautionary prayers.

C: Precautionary (Iḥtiyāṭ) Prayer

After reciting the Salām of the prayer, the precautionary prayer (Tawāf al-Iḥtiyāṭ) is immediately performed in the following way:

1. The person must make the intention of (Tawāf al-Iḥtiyāṭ) and do not utter it.
2. He must say Takbīr (Allāh-u-Akbar);
3. He must recite Sūrah al-Ḥamd;
4. He must perform Rukūʿ and then two Sajdahs;
5. He must recite Tashahhud and the Salām if it is two Rakʿats; another Rakʿat, like the first, is performed. It is recited slowly (Issue 1260).

D: Sajdah of Sahw

One: Causes where sajdatā al-sahw becomes obligatory:

1. A person who speaks during prayer inadvertently;
   2. A person recites the salaat in the wrong place; for example, in the first Rakʿats;
2. When a person forgets Tashahhud;
3. When a person doubts between four and five Rak’ats after the second Sajdah;
4. A person forgets a Sajdah or sits instead of standing or vice versa (Issue 1281).

Tow: The method of Sajdatā al-sahw

1. After Salām of the prayer, one immediately makes the intention (Nīyyat) of sajdatā al-sahw and performs Sajdah.
2. He put his forehead on earth and recite the Dhikr in the Sajdah:

«بسم‌الله وَبِاللهِ اَلسَّلامُ عَلَیک اَیهَا النَّبِی وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَکاتُهُ».

(bismil lāhi wa billāhi, as Salāmu ʿalayka ayyuhan nabiyyu wa raḥmatul lāhi wa barakātuh)

3. 3. He take off the head of the Sajdah and sit up.
4. After that, he goes into Sajdah again and says the Dhikr.
5. Then, he should sit down and recite Tashahhud and Salām:

«اَلسَّلامُ عَلَیکمْ وَرَحَمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَکاتُهُ».(Issue 1295)

(as Salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatul lāhi wa barakātuh)

Three: Qaḍā of Forgotten Sajdah and Tashahhud

1. A person who forgets a Sajdah or Tashahhud in his prayers performs the Qaḍā of these after the prayer in sequence (Issue 1298).
2. 2. The forgotten Sajdah and Tashahhud must meet all the conditions of prayer, including Wuḍūʾ, purity of body and clothing, and facing the Qibla (Issue 1296).

Question:

After the third Rakʿats, if someone doubts whether he has said Tashahhud, what is his duty?

Answer:

If he doubts while standing up, he must return and recite the Tashahhud, then at the end of the prayer; he must perform two Sajdahs by wrong standing up; if he doubts after Rukūʿ, he should not pay attention to it.

Exercises:

1. What are the types of doubt?
2. What are the doubts that invalidate the prayer?
3. What are two types of correct doubts?
4. How are precautionary prayers and sajdatā al-sahw performed?