Did My Slap On My Forehead Invalidate My Prayer?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I got angry in my salah because I had forgotten which rak’a I was in and in doing so, I hit my forehead with my palm in a way that didn’t cause harm. Is my prayer valid or did the anger break it? The time for the prayer is gone, am I sinful if the prayer is now invalid?

Answer

Thank you for your question.

Movement in the Prayer

Your prayer is still valid, alhamdulillah. What invalidates the prayer is three continuous extraneous movements or one gross movement. Being angry during the prayer does not invalidate it but you are right that it is unbecoming of a believer to be angry while he is in discourse with his Lord.

Please see these links to grow your focus during the prayer:
SeekersNotes: Nine Keys to Presence of Heart in Prayer–Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Angry in prayer
How Can I Deal With Waswas Regarding the Prayer? (Shafi’i)

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.