No Repeat of Prayer Necessary, Adil Salahi

No Repeat of Prayer Necessary

Adil Salahi

Arab News, 6/15/04

Q. If after the prayer is finished, one discovers that the imam had made a mistake in his recitation, should he repeat the prayer? If on arriving at a mosque, one finds the congregational prayer is in progress, should he join it without first offering the Sunnah? Is there a prayer called Salat Tasbeeh? What is the minimum number of rak’ahs in Tahajjud?

A.J.M. Zaman

A. No repeat of the prayer is necessary by anyone, not even the imam if he discovers the mistake. A Hadith tells us that an angel is sent down to correct the recitation and present it to God as correct. Thus, the prayer is valid for all participants despite the mistake, even if one knows the mistake straightaway but cannot correct the imam because one is well behind, which means that the imam would not hear him if he tries to correct him. In fact, it is better not to correct the imam if we realize that he has misread something, unless the errors means a grave change of meaning, such as replacing a promise of God’s mercy with a threat of punishment.

When the congregational prayer is called, no Sunnah may be offered. Only the obligatory prayer can be offered. This is the rule given in a Hadith that states: “When the iqamah is called, no prayer is valid except the obligatory one.”

There is a prayer offered in a certain fashion and called Salat Tasbeeh, but the Hadith that speaks of it is poor in authenticity. Therefore, most schools of Fiqh do not mention it. The minimum number of rak’ahs in night worship, or Tahajjud, is two.

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