Fatwa ID: 02627

Answered by: Moulana Muhammad Imad Ali

Question

Do I need to repeat previous prayers in which I was doing something wrong? Such as not reciting surah after Fatiha or making sajda sahuw(I learnt about sajda sahuw later), or thinking that if a prayers time is ending and I pass gas I should continue praying in order to avoid qada, or that if I got gas a few times I don't have to repeat wudu and can just pray. All this was done/taught to me when I was young so I don't remember if I continued these things after reaching puberty, I also don't know if I made qada for these prayers when I found out about my errors and I get a lot of waswas when thinking about whether I prayed qada or how many prayers had errors, I didn't know back then as I wasn't aware, plz guide if I am sinful or need to repeat any prayers or do I need to seek forgiveness from Allah only.

Answer

Firstly, the following things are obligatory i.e. Wajib in Salah:

1. Recitation of Surah Fatiha in every raka’ah.
2. Adding a Surah (or three verses) in the first two rak’ahs of Fardh, and in every rak’ah of Witr and Nafl.
3. Standing up after ruku.
4. Tranquillity in each position.
5. The middle sitting.
6. Recitation of the Tashahhud in every sitting.
7. The words of Salam.
8. Reciting aloud the Fajr, Maghrib and Isha and reciting softly the Zuhr and Asr.
9. If one is praying by himself, he has the choice; if he wishes he may recite aloud where the imam would, making his voice audible to himself, or if he wishes he may subdue his voice in all the recitations.

Secondly, regarding Sajdah Sahwe, sajdah sahwe becomes obligatory under the following conditions;

1. Any Wajib act being omitted.
2. Any Wajib act being displaced, i.e. observing it before time or later than its actual occasion of being observed.
3. Any Wajib act being delayed to the extent of one rukn i.e. the time taken to say SubhanAllah three times.
4. Any Wajib act being reported.
5. Any Wajib act is being altered, i.e. loud recitation being recited in place of silent recitation.
6. Any Fardh act being displaced, i.e. observing it before time or later than its actual occasion of being observed.
7. Any Fardh act being repeated.

(Raddul Muhtar pg: 543 V: 2)

If any of the above mishaps occur due to forgetfulness, only then Sajdah Sahwe will remedy the error. However, if a person deliberately missed the aforementioned things then his Salah will break. Sajdah Sahwe will not be sufficient.

Thirdly anything which exits from the front and back passage of the private parts nullifies the Wudu and in order for ones Salah to be valid they need to be in the state of Wudu so they must repeat their Wudu if they pass gas while in Salah. Also due to you not remembering if you were at the age of puberty when committing these faults, one should only make Tawbah i.e. repent and seek Allah Ta’ala’s forgiveness because it was done unintentionally.

Finally, regarding Waswasa, these doubts and waswasas are from the accursed shaitan that puts it into people’s hearts. 

The best way to address this problem, in the short term is not to think about it at all and be brave and not to let shaitan overpower you; the more you think about it the more it will escalate. In the long term, try to get into a habit of doing zikr and remembering Allah as shaitan finds it easy to manipulate and cause difficulties to those people who do not have Allah words and blessings in them.

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Moulana Muhammad Imad Ali

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham