Do I Need To Make Up Prayers If I Performed Ghusl Too Soon After Menstruation?

Question: About a year and a half ago, I realized I was doing my ghusl after menstruation too soon, before the sign that the period was over. Because of this, I am not sure my prayers would have been accepted. This was done over quite a few months, and I am not sure how many would be affected. Is it enough to repent, or do I need to make up the prayers?

Answer:

Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for being concerned about your prayer and for trying to repent and rectify the situation.

The mistake that you made means that you prayed during your menstruation, so those prayers and fasts would not be considered valid. Those fasts need to be made up. As such, when your period really ended, you did not take a ghusl, and then the prayers that you prayed consequently would also be considered invalid.

You should estimate the number of days that your prayers were invalid by estimating how often you shower. If you normally fulfill all the conditions of ghusl in your shower, then you might only have had invalid prayers for a day or two every month. Please sit down with a paper and pen and try your best to estimate. It is also highly recommended to write down when your period starts and finishes.

Please see these links about making up prayers and consider taking a class on your obligatory fiqh in order to avoid problems in the future. May Allah make it easy and accept all of your prayers from you.
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/answers/prayer/making-up-missed-prayers-2/
https://seekers.flywheelstaging.com/courses/absolute-essentials-of-islam-shafii-habshis-encompassing-epistle-explained-getting-started-with-your-belief-and-practice/

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, 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 recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.