Is It Necessary to Perform Sujud al-Sahw If I Mispronounce or Repeat a Word?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I get Waswasa and worry that I haven’t pronounced something correctly or simply haven’t. Because I find it difficult to distinguish between a Hamza and an ‘Ayn, I sometimes just repeat a verse of al-Fatiha or a portion of Tashahhud. Is it necessary to do Sujud al-Sahw if you repeat parts of the Fatiha or Sura after the Fatiha or Tashahhud? I heard that Sajdat al-Sahw is required if you repeat anything in Salah.
Also, if I don’t end a word correctly in a Surah and instead say Muhammadan instead of Muhammad according to waqf rules, is it okay if I repeat the word, Muhammad, for example, and then continue? What would be ruling on that?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Allah Most High rewards you for seeking an Islamic answer.
Unintentionally mispronouncing some letters does not invalidate your prayer. Your prayer is valid. Repeating a word or an incorrect word does not affect the prayer’s validity. Your prayer is valid. [Ibn ’Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Go through the Reader on OCD and Baseless Misgivings. You will find some great answers and ways to counter your doubts and misgivings, in sha Allah.
Related:
Prayer Reader: The Ultimate Guide To Prayer in Islam
A Reader on OCD and Waswasa (Baseless Misgivings)
The Application of Islamic Psychotherapy for the Treatment of OCD
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
May Allah Most High give you ease and relief from doubts and misgivings, amin
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
