Question 1524: If a person doubts whether he has performed an obligatory prayer or not and the prayer time is still remaining, what is his duty?

57 24 Jun 2022
Read Answer

Answer

✅ Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ أَبِی جَعْفَر فِی حَدِیثٍ قَالَ: مَتَی اسْتَیْقَنْتَ أَوْ شَکَکْتَ فِی وَقْتِ فَرِیضَةٍ أَنَّکَ لَمْ تُصَلِّهَا أَوْ فِی وَقْتِ فَوْتِهَا أَنَّکَ لَمْ تُصَلِّهَا صَلَّیْتَهَا وَ إِنْ شَکَکْتَ بَعْدَ مَا خَرَجَ وَقْتُ الْفَوْتِ وَ قَدْ دَخَلَ حَائِلٌ فَلَا إِعَادَةَ عَلَیْکَ مِنْ شَکٍّ حَتَّی تَسْتَیْقِنَ فَإِنِ اسْتَیْقَنْتَ فَعَلَیْکَ أَنْ تُصَلِّیَهَا فِی أَیِّ حَالٍ کُنْتَ.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 294

Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, said in a narration: Whenever during the time of prayer and during its lapse (i.e., during the second time and at the time of the lapse of the preferred time), you are certain or doubt that you have not prayed it, you pray that prayer. And if after the lapse of the time (i.e., the second time of the prayer) has also passed, you doubt and an intervening prayer has been performed, you are not obligated to repeat it because of the doubt until you are certain. So if you are certain, it is your duty to pray that prayer in whatever state you are!

2 عن زرارة عن أبی جعفر قال: إِذَا جَاءَ یَقِینٌ بَعْدَ حَائِلٍ قَضَاهُ وَ مَضَی عَلَی الْیَقِینِ وَ یَقْضِی الْحَائِلَ وَ الشَّکَّ جَمِیعاً فَإِنْ شَکَّ فِی الظُّهْرِ فِیمَا بَیْنَهُ وَ بَیْنَ أَنْ یُصَلِّیَ الْعَصْرَ قَضَاهَا وَ إِنْ دَخَلَهُ الشَّکُّ بَعْدَ أَنْ یُصَلِّیَ الْعَصْرَ فَقَدْ مَضَتْ إِلَّا أَنْ یَسْتَیْقِنَ لِأَنَّ الْعَصْرَ حَائِلٌ فِیمَا بَیْنَهُ وَ بَیْنَ الظُّهْرِ فَلَا یَدَعُ الْحَائِلَ لِمَا کَانَ مِنَ الشَّکِّ إِلَّا بِیَقِین

📚 Al-Sara'ir, p. 480

Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, said: If certainty comes after the intervening prayer (that he has not prayed), he performs the makeup prayer and acts according to the certainty and performs the makeup of both the intervening and the doubtful prayers.

So if he doubts about the noon prayer until he prays the afternoon prayer, he performs the makeup of the noon prayer. And if after he has prayed the afternoon prayer, doubt enters him (about having prayed the noon prayer), it has certainly passed (and he does not pay attention) unless he is certain, because the afternoon prayer is an intervening prayer between him and the noon prayer, so he does not leave the intervening prayer because of doubt, unless there is certainty!

3 From Zurarah, from Abi Ja'far, he said: If you forget the noon prayer until you pray the afternoon prayer and you remember it while you are in the prayer or after you have finished, intend it as the first one and then pray the afternoon prayer. Indeed, it is four in place of four. And if you remember that you have not prayed the first one while you are in the afternoon prayer and you have prayed two rak'ahs from it, intend it as the first one, then pray the remaining two rak'ahs and then stand up and pray the afternoon prayer.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 291

Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, said: If you forget the noon prayer until you pray the afternoon prayer and you remember it while in the afternoon prayer or after it, intend this as the noon prayer and then pray the afternoon prayer, because this is also four rak'ahs in place of those four rak'ahs!

And if you remember that you have not prayed the noon prayer while you have prayed two rak'ahs of the afternoon prayer, intend it as the noon prayer and pray the remaining two rak'ahs of it and then stand up and pray the afternoon prayer!

✅ Based on the above narrations and others, if a person doubts whether he has prayed the morning, afternoon, or evening prayer or not and the time for the prayer in question is still remaining, he must pray it. But if the time for the prayer in question has completely passed and he then doubts whether he has prayed it or not, he does not pay attention to his doubt, unless he is certain that he has not prayed the prayer in question, in which case he must perform the makeup prayer in any case.

✅ And if he doubts whether he has prayed the noon prayer or not and the preferred time or the second time of the noon prayer is still remaining and he has not prayed the afternoon prayer, he must pray his noon prayer and then pray the afternoon prayer after it.

✅ If after he has prayed the afternoon prayer he doubts whether he has prayed his noon prayer or not, he does not pay attention unless he is certain that he has not prayed the noon prayer. And in case of certainty, he considers the prayer he prayed as the afternoon prayer as the noon prayer and stands up and prays the afternoon prayer.

✅ If he doubts whether he has prayed the evening prayer or not and the preferred time or the second time of the evening prayer is still remaining and he has not prayed the night prayer, he must pray his evening prayer and then pray the night prayer.

✅ If after praying the night prayer or after the entire time of the evening prayer has passed, he doubts whether he has prayed the evening prayer or not, he does not pay attention.

✅ If after praying the night prayer or before it, he becomes certain that he has not prayed the evening prayer and the prayer time is still remaining, he prays the evening prayer and then also repeats the night prayer. And if after the entire time of the evening prayer has passed he becomes certain that he has not prayed the evening prayer, he only performs the makeup of the evening prayer.

https://feghh14.com/en