Question:
Assalamualaikum, HE Datuk Seri. I have a question regarding prayer. Once when I was praying, I remembered that I haven’t taken my ablution. Is my prayer valid? Since I realized this while I was already performing my prayer. Should I immediately stop my prayer?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam w.b.t,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
One of the valid conditions of prayer is one must be clean and in a pure state. Purifying oneself or taking the ablution is a commandment of Allah SWT as stated in the Quran:
يَا اَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا اِذَا قُمْتُمْ اِلَى الصَّلاَةِ فَاغْسِلُوْا وُجُوْهَكمْ وَاَيْدِيَكُمْ اِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوْا بِرُؤُوْسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ اِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ
“O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.”
Surah al-Maidah (6)
The same is stated in a hadith of the Prophet PBUH:
إِذَا قُمْتَ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ فَأَسْبِغِ الْوُضُوءَ
“When you get up to pray, perform the ablution completely,”
Sahih al-Bukhari (5897) and Sahih Muslim (397)
Thus, it is clear from the above hadith that it is obligatory for someone who intends to perform prayer to purify himself from hadas.
Answering the above question, there are numerous discussions of scholars regarding this issue and the scholars agreed that it is prohibited to perform prayer when one is impure.
أَجْمَعَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ عَلَى تَحْرِيمِ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْمُحْدِثِ وَأَجْمَعُوا عَلَى أَنَّهَا لَا تَصِحُّ مِنْهُ
“The Muslims have agreed that it is prohibited to perform prayer for anyone who is in hadas (impure).”
(Majmu’ Syarah Muhazzab, pg. 79)
According to the practise and opinion of madhab Syafie and Hanafi, they specify the situation of a person performing prayer without first taking his ablution into two situations; which are when one forgets and when he is conscious (on purpose).
إنْ كَانَ عَالِمًا بِحَدَثِهِ أَوْ جَاهِلًا أَوْ نَاسِيًا لَكِنَّهُ إنْ صَلَّى جَاهِلًا أَوْ نَاسِيًا فَلَا إثْمَ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ عَالِمًا بِالْحَدَثِ وَتَحْرِيمِ الصَّلَاةِ مَعَ الْحَدَثِ فَقَدْ ارْتَكَبَ مَعْصِيَةً عَظِيمَةً وَلَا يَكْفُرُ عِنْدَنَا بِذَلِكَ إلَّا أَنْ يَسْتَحِلَّهُ ، وَقَالَ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ : يَكْفُرُ لِاسْتِهْزَائِهِ
“Whether he is conscious that he is in hadas (impure) or he forgot about it. If he performs prayer while he is oblivious of the fact that he is in hadas (for he forgot), then he is not sinful. Consequently, if he knows that he is impure and the prohibition against praying while he is impure and he still performs prayer, then he has committed a great sin but he is not considered as someone who has denounced Islam according to our opinion (madhab Syafie), except if he pronounces that it is permissible. However, Abu Hanifah said that he is considered as an apostate for ridiculing the religion.” (Refer: Majmu’ Syarah Muhazzab, pg. 79)
As a conclusion, we agree with the opinion that states if someone forgets that he hasn’t taken his ablution and performs prayer, then his prayer is invalid and he need to repeat his prayer. This is stated by the Prophet PBUH in a hadith from Abu Hurairah RA:
لاَ يَقْبَلُ اللَّهُ صَلاَةَ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا أَحْدَثَ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ
"Allah does not accept prayer of anyone of you if he does Hadath (passes wind) till he performs the ablution (anew).”
Sahih al-Bukhari (6954)
The same is stated in another hadith, where the Prophet PBU said:
لاَ صَلاَةَ لِمَنْ لاَ وُضُوْءَ لَهُ
“There is no prayer for one who does not have ablution,”
Sunan Abu Daud (101)
As for someone who knows that he is in hadas and the prohibition against praying when one is impure, but still performs prayer, then he has committed a great sin, but not considered as the sin of someone who denounces Islam. This is the final opinion of Syafie scholars. If he remembers that he forgot to take his ablution during prayer, then he should immediately stop his prayer.
Wallahua’lam.