Taken from: Fatawa Arkan al-Islam
If a person performs Salah in impure clothes due to ignorance or forgetfulness, what is the ruling on that prayer?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
If a person prays in impure clothes and later finds out that his clothes were impure, or he remembers after finishing Salah that he was wearing impure clothes, his Salah will still be valid, and there is no need to repeat it.
The reason is that he did this prohibited act due to ignorance or forgetfulness.
﴿رَبَّنا لا تُؤاخِذنا إِن نَسينا أَو أَخطَأنا﴾ (Sūrat al-Baqarah: 286)
"Our Lord! Do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake."
When the servant makes this supplication, Allah ﷻ says:
﴿قَدْ فَعَلْتُ﴾
"I have done so."
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān, ḥadīth: 126)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once prayed while wearing shoes that had some impurity. During the prayer, Jibrīl (عليه السلام) informed him, so he removed the shoes without restarting the prayer.
This proves that:
◈ If a person becomes aware of impurity during Salah, he should remove it.
◈ The Salah can be continued, provided the covering of the ‘awrah (private parts) is maintained.
◈ If impurity is remembered during Salah, the impure garment should be removed if the ‘awrah remains covered.
◈ If remembered after Salah is completed, there is no need to repeat the prayer.
If a person forgets to make wudu and prays without it—such as:
Then:
He must perform wudu and repeat the Salah.
Similarly, if someone is in a state of janābah (major ritual impurity)—for example:
Then:
He must perform ghusl and repeat that prayer.
① Praying in impure clothes
② Praying without wudu or ghusl
ھٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Question:
If a person performs Salah in impure clothes due to ignorance or forgetfulness, what is the ruling on that prayer?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
If a person prays in impure clothes and later finds out that his clothes were impure, or he remembers after finishing Salah that he was wearing impure clothes, his Salah will still be valid, and there is no need to repeat it.
The reason is that he did this prohibited act due to ignorance or forgetfulness.
Evidence from the Qur’an:
﴿رَبَّنا لا تُؤاخِذنا إِن نَسينا أَو أَخطَأنا﴾ (Sūrat al-Baqarah: 286)
"Our Lord! Do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake."
When the servant makes this supplication, Allah ﷻ says:
﴿قَدْ فَعَلْتُ﴾
"I have done so."
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān, ḥadīth: 126)
Prophetic Practice:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once prayed while wearing shoes that had some impurity. During the prayer, Jibrīl (عليه السلام) informed him, so he removed the shoes without restarting the prayer.
This proves that:
◈ If a person becomes aware of impurity during Salah, he should remove it.
◈ The Salah can be continued, provided the covering of the ‘awrah (private parts) is maintained.
◈ If impurity is remembered during Salah, the impure garment should be removed if the ‘awrah remains covered.
◈ If remembered after Salah is completed, there is no need to repeat the prayer.
However – Wudu or Ghusl is Different
If a person forgets to make wudu and prays without it—such as:
- His wudu was broken, but he forgot to renew it.
- He prays and later remembers he had no wudu.
Then:
He must perform wudu and repeat the Salah.
Similarly, if someone is in a state of janābah (major ritual impurity)—for example:
- He was unaware of being in janābah due to nocturnal emission.
- He prayed Fajr without ghusl.
- Later in the day, he sees traces of semen on his clothes.
Then:
He must perform ghusl and repeat that prayer.
Explanation of the Two Different Cases:
① Praying in impure clothes
- Related to avoiding a prohibition (tark al-mamnūʿ).
- If due to ignorance or forgetfulness, the Salah is still valid.
- Removing impurity is a negative obligation (removal of something).
② Praying without wudu or ghusl
- Related to fulfilling a command (fiʿl al-maʾmūr).
- Wudu or ghusl is a positive obligation (performing something required).
- If not performed, Salah is invalid and must be repeated.
ھٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
