Do Mistakes in Recitation Invalidate the Prayer?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Do mistakes in recitation invalidate the prayer?

For example, I think I recited “inni bi-ma ta‘maluna ‘alim” instead of “inni bi-ma ta‘maluna basir” an “yazigh” instead of “yuzigh.” Do I have to repeat those prayers?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Both of what you mentioned above do not invalidate the prayer, according to the following legal opinions.

The earlier scholars mentioned that if, while reciting, one changes the word or vowel such that it drastically changes the meaning to a meaning which is contrary to the beliefs of Islam the pray invalidates. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Note: The changes you mentioned do not fulfill the above conditions.

However, later scholars have agreed that mistakes in the vowels of the Quran do not invalidate the prayer. This is because the majority of people cannot distinguish between the vowels. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

May Allah bless you
Allahu A’alam
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.

Arabic Reference:

(حاشية ابن عابدين) فَاتَّفَقُوا عَلَى أَنَّ الْخَطَأَ فِي الْإِعْرَابِ لَا يُفْسِدُ مُطْلَقًا وَلَوْ اعْتِقَادُهُ كُفْرًا لِأَنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يُمَيِّزُونَ بَيْنَ وُجُوهِ الْإِعْرَابِ