What is the ruling on prayers performed when semen was on the clothing and the person only learns of it later?
Question:
If a person’s clothing had semen on it, and he was unaware of it, and he prayed several prayers in that clothing, and then later came to know about it, must he repeat the prayers he had already performed or not?
Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
According to the more correct (rajih) opinion, semen is pure (tahir). The evidence for this is found in the following hadiths of the Mother of the Believers, Hadrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
✅ Narration of Hadrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) (agreed upon):
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would wash off the semen and then go to pray in that same garment, and I could see the traces of washing in it.
✅ Narration in Sahih Muslim:
I used to scrape off the semen from the garment of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he would pray in that same garment.
✅ Words of another narration:
I used to scrape off the dried semen from his garment with my fingernail.
✅ Narration in Musnad Ahmad:
Hadrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would clean the semen from his garments with sticks of idhkhir (a fragrant grass), and then would pray in that same garment, and he would scrape off the dried semen and pray.
This narration is also related in Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, and Allama al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it hasan in Irwa al-Ghalil (Volume 1, page 197).
Semen is pure – its meaning:
According to the view that semen is pure, if semen gets onto a garment, that garment will not become najis (impure).
Therefore, if a person performs prayer in this condition, there is no harm in it.
Conclusion:
The prayers that were performed in clothing with semen on it, unknowingly, are all valid.
There is no need to repeat them.
ھذا ما عندی واللہ ٲعلم بالصواب
