Is My Prayer Valid If I Said ‘Allahu Akbar’ Instead Of The Salam?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

What should I do if I mistakenly said “Allahu Akbar” while giving salam in the prayer?
If I said just “Allahu” and then I remember and said “Assalamu ‘Alaykum” is my prayer valid?

Answer

I pray you are well.

You don’t have to do anything. The prayer is valid. Saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ is a form of dhikr and saying it at any point in the prayer is fine, in the sense that it does not invalidate the prayer. If you said the salam after starting the dhikr, the prayer is valid. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

We ask Allah to fill our prayers with the perception of Him being greater than all else.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.