Should I Repeat My Prayers Again If I’ve Been Wiping My Feet Instead of Washing Them for Years?

Question

I am 36 years old and have followed Twelvers Shi‘i Fiqh all my life, so I always wiped my feet instead of washing them in wudu. I am now learning Shafi‘i Fiqh and would like to know if I need to repeat all my prayers because I wiped my feet instead of washing them.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

May Allah reward you for your sincere desire to worship Him as He guided us through the example of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), his family, and his Companions (Allah be pleased with them all).

If your belief (aqida) was (and remains) sound and in conformity with orthodox Islam (Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama‘a), but your practice was based on Twelver Shi‘i Fiqh, you should repeat your prayers because wiping one’s feet instead of washing them is not a valid view in traditional orthodox Islam.

Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) said, “the consensus (ijma‘) of the Muslims (i.e. scholars) is that the feet should be washed (in ablution), and there is no valid difference of opinion in this regard. Shaykh Abu Hamid (al-Isfarayini), and others, mentioned this.” [Nawawi, Majmu‘]

Suppose your belief (aqida) did not conform with orthodox Islam (Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama‘a). In that case, you do not need to repeat the prayers since one of the conditions for the obligation of Prayer is that one possesses a sound creed, and Allah knows best. [Nawawi, Majmu‘]

I pray that this benefits.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.