Fatwa ID: 08928
Answered by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Question:
I read somewhere that excessive doubts can break salah, for example if a person doubts once every 3 prayers, and he/she pays heed to the doubts in salah, their salah is invalid, I want to know the Hanafi view of this?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Doubts in salah do not in and of themselves break one’s salah for most people. For the one who has never before experienced doubt in their salah, or who only experiences doubt extremely rarely (i.e.: once a year or less) then if they are in doubt regarding performing a fardh act of salah they should repeat their salah. However, this ruling does not apply to one who experiences doubts in their salah more regularly (for example, multiple times a year).
When one who experiences doubt regularly in their salah is afflicted by a moderate doubt regarding which rakat they are on, where they have preference to one opinion but doubt in its certainty, they should ignore those doubts and act on their predominant opinion. They should do so decisively and thereafter leave any further consideration of their doubts.
On the other hand, if they are afflicted by an overwhelming doubt where they have no idea which option is more likely to be true, they should act on the least amount. For example, if they have no idea whether they are on the first or second rakaat of Isha, they should act as if they are on their first rakaat. However, when it comes to sitting, they should sit and read tashahhud in every rakaat which could possibly be the last sitting (in the example above, that would be the assumed ‘third’ and ‘fourth’ rakaats, as the ‘third’ rakaat could in fact be the real fourth rakaat, or the ‘fourth’ could be the true fourth rakaat), as a precaution. In this case, one should also perform sajdah sahw (prostration of forgetfulness).
Keep in mind that if one hesitates in their salah due to doubts and delays the next step in their salah for a while (ie: the time taken to recite ‘SubhanAllah’ thrice), they should also perform sajdah sahw.
In general, doubts are something to be ignored and not acted upon. Oftentimes doubts are from Shaytaan, and it is necessary for one to learn how to ignore and overcome such whisperings. One should strive to pray salah with confidence and focus, and ignore any doubts which occur thereafter.
References:
وَإِذَا شَكَّ) فِي صَلَاتِهِ (مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ) أَيْ الشَّكُّ (عَادَةً لَهُ) وَقِيلَ مَنْ لَمْ يَشُكَّ فِي صَلَاةٍ قَطُّ بَعْدَ بُلُوغِهِ
وَعَلَيْهِ أَكْثَرُ الْمَشَايِخِ بَحْرٌ عَنْ الْخُلَاصَةِ (كَمْ صَلَّى اسْتَأْنَفَ) بِعَمَلٍ مُنَافٍ وَبِالسَّلَامِ قَاعِدًا أَوْلَى لِأَنَّهُ الْمَحَلُّ (وَإِنْ كَثُرَ) شَكُّهُ (عَمِلَ بِغَالِبِ ظَنِّهِ إنْ كَانَ) لَهُ ظَنٌّ لِلْحَرَجِ (وَإِلَّا أَخَذَ بِالْأَقَلِّ) لِتَيَقُّنِهِ (وَقَعَدَ فِي كُلِّ مَوْضِعٍ تَوَهَّمَهُ مَوْضِعَ قُعُودِهِ) وَلَوْ وَاجِبًا لِئَلَّا يَصِيرَ تَارِكًا فَرْضَ الْقُعُودِ أَوْ وَاجِبَهُ (وَ) اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ (إذَا شَغَلَهُ ذَلِكَ) الشَّكُّ فَتَفَكَّرَ (قَدْرَ
أَدَاءِ رُكْنٍ وَلَمْ يَشْتَغِلْ حَالَةَ الشَّكِّ بِقِرَاءَةٍ وَلَا تَسْبِيحٍ) ذَكَرَهُ فِي الذَّخِيرَةِ (وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ سُجُودُ السَّهْوِ فِي) جَمِيعِ (صُوَرِ الشَّكِّ) سَوَاءٌ عَمِلَ بِالتَّحَرِّي أَوْ بَنَى عَلَى الْأَقَلِّ فَتْحٌ لِتَأْخِيرِ الرُّكْنِ، لَكِنْ فِي السِّرَاجِ أَنَّهُ يَسْجُدُ لِلسَّهْوِ فِي أَخْذِ الْأَقَلِّ مُطْلَقًا، وَفِي غَلَبَةِ الظَّنِّ إنْ تَفَكَّرَ قَدْرَ رُكْنٍ
قَوْلُهُ مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ عَادَةً لَهُ) هَذَا قَوْلُ شَمْسِ الْأَئِمَّةِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ وَاخْتَارَهُ فِي الْبَدَائِعِ، وَنَصَّ فِي الذَّخِيرَةِ عَلَى أَنَّهُ الْأَشْبَهُ. قَالَ فِي الْحِلْيَةِ: وَهُوَ كَذَلِكَ. وَقَالَ فَخْرُ الْإِسْلَامِ: مَنْ لَمْ يَقَعْ لَهُ فِي هَذِهِ الصَّلَاةِ وَاخْتَارَهُ ابْنُ الْفَضْلِ
قَوْلُهُ وَقِيلَ إلَخْ) ثَمَرَةُ الْخِلَافِ تَظْهَرُ فِيمَا لَوْ سَهَا فِي صَلَاتِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَاسْتَقْبَلَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَسْهُ سِنِينَ ثُمَّ سَهَا، فَعَلَى قَوْلِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ يَسْتَأْنِفُ لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ عَادَتِهِ وَإِنَّمَا حَصَلَ لَهُ مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَالْعَادَةُ إنَّمَا هِيَ مِنْ الْمُعَاوَدَةِ أَيْ وَالشَّرْطُ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ مُعْتَادًا لَهُ قَبْلَ هَذِهِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَكَذَا عَلَى قَوْلِ
قَوْلُهُ اسْتَأْنَفَ بِعَمَلٍ مَنَافٍ إلَخْ) فَلَا يَخْرُجُ بِمُجَرَّدِ النِّيَّةِ، كَذَا قَالُوا. وَظَاهِرُهُ أَنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ مِنْ الْعَمَلِ فَلَوْ لَمْ يَأْتِ بِمُنَافٍ وَأَكْمَلَهَا عَلَى غَالِبِ ظَنِّهِ لَمْ تَبْطُلْ إلَّا أَنَّهَا تَكُونُ نَفْلًا وَيَلْزَمُهُ أَدَاءُ الْفَرْضِ، وَلَوْ كَانَتْ نَفْلًا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَلْزَمَهُ قَضَاؤُهُ وَإِنْ أَكْمَلَهَا لِوُجُوبِ الِاسْتِئْنَافِ عَلَيْهِ بَحْرٌ، وَأَقَرَّهُ فِي النَّهْرِ وَالْمَقْدِسِيُّ
قَوْلُهُ وَإِنْ كَثُرَ شَكُّهُ) بِأَنْ عَرَضَ لَهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ فِي عُمْرِهِ عَلَى مَا عَلَيْهِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ، أَوْ فِي صَلَاتِهِ عَلَى مَا اخْتَارَهُ فَخْرُ الْإِسْلَامِ. وَفِي الْمُجْتَبَى: وَقِيلَ مَرَّتَيْنِ فِي سَنَةٍ، وَلَعَلَّهُ عَلَى قَوْلِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ بَحْرٌ وَنَهْرٌ
قَوْلُهُ لِلْحَرَجِ) أَيْ فِي تَكْلِيفِهِ بِالْعَمَلِ بِالْيَقِينِ
قَوْلُهُ وَإِلَّا) أَيْ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَغْلِبْ عَلَى ظَنِّهِ شَيْءٌ، فَلَوْ شَكَّ أَنَّهَا أُولَى الظُّهْرِ أَوْ ثَانِيَتُهُ يَجْعَلُهَا الْأُولَى ثُمَّ يَقْعُدُ لِاحْتِمَالِ أَنَّهَا الثَّانِيَةُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَةً ثُمَّ يَقْعُدُ لِمَا قُلْنَا ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَةً وَيَقْعُدُ لِاحْتِمَالِ أَنَّهَا الرَّابِعَةُ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي أُخْرَى وَيَقْعُدُ لِمَا قُلْنَا، فَيَأْتِي بِأَرْبَعِ قَعَدَاتٍ قَعْدَتَانِ مَفْرُوضَتَانِ وَهُمَا الثَّالِثَةُ وَالرَّابِعَةُ، وَقَعْدَتَانِ وَاجِبَتَانِ؛ وَلَوْ شَكَّ أَنَّهَا الثَّانِيَةُ أَوْ الثَّالِثَةُ أَتَمَّهَا وَقَعَدَ ثُمَّ صَلَّى أُخْرَى وَقَعَدَ ثُمَّ الرَّابِعَةَ وَقَعَدَ، وَتَمَامُهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ وَسَيُذْكَرُ عَنْ السِّرَاجِ أَنَّهُ يَسْجُدُ لِلسَّهْوِ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.2 p.92-94
إِنَّ الشَّكَّ وَالِاحْتِمَالَ لَا يُوجِبُ الْحُكْمَ بِالنَّقْضِ، إذْ الْيَقِينُ لَا يَزُولُ بِالشَّكِّ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.148
لِأَنَّ قَطْعَ الْوَسْوَسَةِ وَاجِبٌ
Badaai’ Al-Sanaai’ (Daar Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyyah, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.21
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham