What nullifies the prayer
The things that break the prayer: speaking, eating, laughing, unnecessary movement and more; what does not break it, and when breaking it is necessary.
Some things, if they happen during your prayer, break it: meaning you have to start it again. Here are the main ones.
Talking, eating or drinking, laughing out loud, big unnecessary movement, putting your forehead on something dirty, turning your chest away from the Qibla, lifting both feet in Sujood, or missing a condition or pillar all break the prayer, and it has to be started again. Small things like a scratch or a quiet reminder to the imam do not break it.
12345678910If you're praying by yourself out in the open, it's good to put something small in front of you, like a bag, about a hand's height, roughly three hand-lengths in front of where your eyes would look: this is called a sutrah. If someone still walks in front of you, it's the passerby who is doing wrong, not you; your prayer stays valid either way. If you're following an imam, his sutrah covers everyone behind him too.
If someone walks in front of you while you pray, your prayer is still fine, but the one walking is doing something wrong. When you pray alone in the open, put a small barrier in front of you; the imam's barrier counts for everyone behind him. If there is no barrier, a man says "SubhanAllah" and a woman claps to stop someone walking past.
12345678910If something urgent happens, like someone drowning or about to fall, or you badly need the toilet, you must stop your prayer to deal with it. It is also allowed to stop your prayer to kill a snake or scorpion, to catch a runaway animal, or to save something valuable.
1A number of actions break (invalidate) the prayer if they occur during it.
Speech of any kind, eating or drinking, an adult's audible laughter, large unnecessary movement, prostrating on something impure, turning the chest from the Qibla without excuse, lifting both feet in prostration, or failing a condition or pillar of the prayer all invalidate it, and the prayer must be repeated. Minor acts such as occasional scratching, prompting a forgotten word (luqma), or weeping from fear of Allah do not break it.
12345678910If someone passes in front of a person praying, it does not affect the validity of that person's prayer, though the person passing is sinning. If the person praying is on raised ground such that the passerby's body is not directly level with them, there is no sin on the passerby either. Someone praying in an open area should place a barrier (sutrah) in front of them, about a hand's height and roughly a finger's thickness, positioned about three hand-lengths in front of the right eyebrow; if a standing barrier cannot be placed, it may be laid flat, lengthwise rather than widthwise. An imam's sutrah suffices for everyone following him. Once a barrier is in place, passing beyond it carries no sin.
Someone passing in front of a person praying does not affect the validity of the prayer, though the passer sins. It is sunnah for one praying in an open area to place a barrier (sutrah) in front of them, and the imam's sutrah suffices for all who follow him. Where there is no sutrah, the person praying should stop a passer by gesture or by saying "SubhanAllah" if a man, or by clapping if a woman, not by speech.
12345678910Breaking the prayer is necessary (wajib) when an urgent need to relieve oneself arises, when an emergency such as someone drowning or in a fire calls for help, or when a parent calls during a voluntary prayer unaware that one is praying. It is permitted, though not required, to break the prayer to kill a snake or scorpion, to stop an animal escaping, or to save property of value.
1A number of acts, arising within the prayer, invalidate (mubṭil) it.
Kalam of any kind, eating or drinking, qahqahah by an adult, amal kathir, sujud on a najis surface, turning the chest from the qiblah without udhr, raising both feet clear of the ground in sujud, or the absence of a shart or rukn each invalidate the prayer, which must then be repeated. Minor actions (amal qalil), an occasional scratch, a luqmah given by a muqtadi to the imam, and weeping from fear of Allah do not invalidate it.
12345678910Where a person passes in front of one praying, the validity of the prayer is unaffected, though the passerby himself sins; where the one praying stands on elevated ground such that the passerby's body is not level with him, no sin attaches to the passerby either. One praying in open ground should set a sutrah before him: about a hand's height and a finger's breadth, positioned roughly three hand-spans ahead of the right eyebrow; where an upright sutrah cannot be placed, one may be laid flat, lengthwise rather than across. An imam's sutrah suffices for the entire congregation behind him. Once a sutrah is in place, passing beyond it carries no sin at all.
Passage in front of one praying leaves the prayer valid, the sin resting on the passer alone. Placing a sutrah before oneself in open ground is sunnah, and the imam's sutrah suffices for the whole jama'ah. Absent a sutrah, one repels a passer by gesture or tasbih (a man) or by clapping (a woman), never by speech.
12345678910Qat' as-salah becomes wajib where an urgent bodily need arises, where a genuine emergency calls for intervention (one drowning, caught in fire, or a blind person about to fall), or where a parent calls during a nafl prayer unaware that one is praying. It is mubah, not obligatory, to break the prayer to kill a snake or scorpion, to prevent an animal bolting, or to preserve property worth roughly four grams of silver.
1This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 828 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Prayer (Salah) 12. Things That Nullify the Prayer
The following actions break the prayer:
1. Speaking During Prayer: Whether intentional or accidental, whether in a dream or while awake, whether little or much. The following actions are considered part of speech and nullify the prayer:
- Responding to someone's speech (even if it’s a Quranic verse).
- Greeting Someone with Salaam.
- Responding to a Salaam.
- Saying "يَرْحَمُكَ الله" (may Allah have mercy on you) in response to someone sneezing.
- Saying "الحمد لله" (praise be to Allah) after hearing good news.
- Saying "إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ" (Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return) after hearing bad news.
- Saying "سُبْحَانَ اللهِ" or "يَا لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله" (Glory is to Allah or There is no god but Allah) out of astonishment at some news.
- Sighing or exclaiming "آہ" (Ah) or "اُف" (Uff) in response to a calamity or difficulty.
- Crying due to pain or suffering with a sound that produces letters. (Crying from fear of Jannah or Jahannam does not nullify the prayer).
- Clearing the throat unnecessarily with two distinct sounds like "ah ah". (If there’s a valid reason or necessity, it won’t invalidate the prayer).
- Making a supplication (du'a) that is meant for people, i.e., asking for something that is usually asked from humans.
- Reading the Quran from a written page. (If someone looks at a written page and understands its meaning without reading aloud, the prayer is not invalidated).
- Incorrectly reciting the Quran in such a way that the meaning is changed or becomes completely altered. Also, melodic recitation (known as ‘ilhan’) that changes the meaning due to exaggerating the pronunciation of vowels or consonants. This also nullifies the prayer.
Rulings of Prayer (Salah) Note
- Giving or receiving a 'luqma' (a word or portion of a verse), provided the person giving or receiving it is not the imam himself. (If a follower/muqtadi gives the 'luqma' to the imam, it will not invalidate the prayer, whether the imam has completed the required recitation or not.)
Rulings of Prayer (Salah) Note 2
Listening to or obeying someone who is not part of the prayer also invalidates the prayer.
2. Eating or Drinking (intentionally or accidentally): If done during the prayer, even in small amounts, the prayer is invalidated. However, if something smaller than the size of a chickpea is stuck between the teeth and swallowed, it will not invalidate the prayer.
3. Laughing loudly in prayer: If an adult laughs out loud in prayer, it breaks the prayer.
4. Excessive movement: Any large or unnecessary movement that is not a part of prayer actions or has no purpose related to prayer can break it.
Rulings of Prayer (Salah) Note
Scratching during prayer, even if it is not excessive, becomes excessive if someone scratches three times in one unit (Rak’ah) and raises their hand each time, which will break the prayer.
6. Prostrating on something impure: If someone prostrates on an impure object, the prayer becomes invalid.
7. Turning the chest away from the Qiblah (Kaaba) without an excuse: This will also break the prayer.
8. Lifting both feet off the ground in prostration
9. Not fulfilling any condition of prayer
10. Not performing any essential act of prayer
Rulings of Prayer (Salah) Note 1
- If someone passes in front of a person who is praying, it does not affect the prayer’s validity, but the person passing by is sinning.
- If the person praying is on an elevated surface, where the passerby’s body parts are not directly aligned with them, there is no sin on the passerby.
- If someone is praying in an open area, they should place a barrier (Sutrah) in front of them, with a height of about one hand’s length and as thick as a finger.
- The Sutrah should be positioned three hand-lengths in front of the person’s right eyebrow.
- If placing a standing barrier is not possible, they can lay it down in front, but it should be lengthwise, not widthwise.
- If an Imam has a Sutrah, it suffices for everyone following him in prayer.
- Once a barrier is in place, passing beyond it is not considered sinful.
- If there is no barrier and someone tries to pass in front, the person praying should stop them by signaling or Saying “SubhanAllah” (for men), while a woman should clap her hands.
Note 2;
- If someone feels an urgent need to relieve themselves, or if there is an emergency where someone calls for help, breaking the prayer becomes necessary. This includes situations like rescuing someone who is drowning or burning, or saving a blind person about to fall into a well. Similarly, if parents call during a voluntary (Nafl) prayer, and they are unaware that the person is praying, it becomes necessary to break the prayer and respond to them.
- It is permissible to break the prayer to kill a snake or scorpion, to prevent an animal from running away, or to save an item valued at approximately four grams of silver.
Rulings of Prayer (Salah) Note
If a compulsory act is deliberately omitted, the prayer becomes invalid.
Terms on this page
Related
- The seven pillars (arkan) of prayer The seven internal pillars of prayer that cannot be left out, from the opening takbir (Allahu Akbar) to ending the prayer, with what each requires.
- The disliked (makruh) acts in prayer The two grades of disliked act in prayer (makruh tahrimi, close to forbidden, and makruh tanzihi, merely better avoided), what falls under each, and the rules on reciting the suras out of order.
- The prostrations of forgetfulness (sahw), recitation (tilawah) and thanks (shukr) The prostration of forgetfulness that fixes a mistake in prayer, the prostration due on reciting a verse of prostration, and the prostration of gratitude.
- The rules between the imam and the follower How rows are formed and filled, what happens when imam and followers disagree on the count of units (rak'ahs), prompting the imam (luqma), and where a woman may stand.