Should I Repeat My Prayers If I Had Madhy on Clothes?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I am Shafi‘i, and learning about Islam and I learned about the vaginal discharges lately. I used to pray with madhy on my underwear because I didn’t know it was najis. Please note that I don’t remember which Salahs I offered with madhy on my pants and which I didn’t. Do I have to repeat my Salah? If yes, how do I count? Is it enough for me to do tawba?

Answer

Thank you for your question.

This is the ruling of praying with filth on one’s clothing in the Shafi‘i school: “Impure substances (najasa) other than blood (dis: below) that are indiscernible by (A: average) vision are excusable, though if visually discernible, they are inexcusable. (A: That which is seen by a normal look is not excusable, while that which can only be seen by minute scrutiny is excusable.)” [Keller, The Reliance of the Traveller]

If the madhy (arousal fluid) on your clothing was visible by an average look, then, you must estimate the number of prayers that you might owe, and make them up. Estimate over the years as best as you can, and start making them up.

Another option is taking the Hanafi dispensation because up to 5 cm in diameter of liquid filth on one’s clothing does not invalidate the prayer. See this link: Excused Liquid Filth and Ignoring Baseless Doubts About Purity.

Note that the exiting of madhy invalidates wudu in both schools. So, if you were not renewing your wudu after the exiting of the madhy and just praying directly, you will have no dispensation at all, and you must make up the prayers.

Perhaps you can pray istikhara on the matter and discuss it with a Hanafi scholar before you decide. May Allah reward you for learning your fiqh and correcting your past mistakes.

[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, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Master’s 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.