Should I Repeat All My Prayers Because I Was Masturbating during My Youth?
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
A few years ago, I did not know this was the case, and I used to do istimna as a young teenager. Just over a year later, I had come to know that pleasurable ejaculation of semen invalidated prayer. Also, I did not know that the post-ejaculation secretion made clothes unsuitable to be prayed in. Must I repeat all the prayers from this time period?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
In the Hanafi school, an intention is not necessary to perform a valid ritual bath. On the other hand, washing the nostrils and the mouth are obligatory components of the ritual bath.
Allah, Most High, says: “And if you are in a state of ˹full˺ impurity, then take a full bath.” [5.6]
As you can see in the verse above, the intention is not a condition for the validity of the ritual bath (ghusl). [Marghinani, Hidaya]
Thus, If, after ejaculating, you have been able to take a shower and wash your body fully in addition to your mouth and your nostrils, you can assume that the subsequent prayers were valid.
This ruling is because you were no longer in a state of major ritual impurity (Janaba) after this washing. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
I believe that in light of the above, the number of prayers you will have to repeat is not as high as you might think.
As for your clothes, it was valid for you to pray in them as long as the extent of the filthy was not more than a circle of 5 cm in diameter. A circle of filth of 5 cm in diameter or less is excused, and praying in those clothes is valid. [Ibid]
The practical step to take now is for you to make a rough estimation of the invalid prayers you have prayed during your youth while leaning towards the side of caution. By doing so, you will have fulfilled your duty, insha Allah.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
