Does Laughing Loudly in Prayer Break the Ablution?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question
If someone laughs in prayer in a voice that’s not audible (whispering voice) and is praying alone will his ablution break if it was loud enough for someone else to hear?
Answer
I pray that you’re well, insha’Allah.
According to the Hanafi school, the prayer and wudu are invalidated if one laughs out loud during a prayer containing bowing and prostration. The conditions for this are:
- One is an adult;
- One is awake;
- One’s laughter is out loud. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Possible Scenarios
There are three possible situations that could occur:
- Loud Laughing: Laughter with a raised sound such that under normal circumstances, the person praying next to one would be able to hear it (even if they do not hear it or there is nobody around)
The Ruling: If done by an adult, who is awake, in a prayer containing bowing and prostration, it invalidates the ritual ablution and the prayer.
Therefore the ritual ablution of a child, a sleeping person and a person praying the funeral prayer or performing the prostration of recital will not be invalidated by loud laughter. - Laughing: Laughter such that under normal circumstances one would be able to hear it however, the person praying next to one would not be able to hear it
The Ruling: this invalidates the prayer only - Smiling: One cannot hear it
The Ruling: this has no effect on the validity of the prayer. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
And Allah knows best.
wassalaam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan, and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.
