"As-salamu alaykum,
I have a question regarding the Maliki madhhab. If someone performs few sunnahs or leaves out all the sunnahs during the obligatory prayer (like did not say the second surah after Al-Fatiha), does this invalidate the prayer? Or does the prayer remain valid as long as the obligatory pillars (fara'id) are fulfilled?
Thank you very much
"As-salamu alaykum,
I have a question regarding the Maliki madhhab. If someone performs few sunnahs or leaves out all the sunnahs during the obligatory prayer (like did not say the second surah after Al-Fatiha), does this invalidate the prayer? Or does the prayer remain valid as long as the obligatory pillars (fara'id) are fulfilled?
Thank you very much
It all started at the beginning of summer vacation. At that time, everything was going well in my life. I was at home reciting surahs, as I usually did, especially Surah Al-Fatiha.
While I was reciting, I suddenly realized that I was not pronouncing some words correctly. It came suddenly. I had never noticed it before. This discovery deeply shocked me.
I then went online to understand what was happening. That is when I discovered that since childhood I had been reciting Al-Fatiha incorrectly, and that if this surah is recited incorrectly, the prayer can become invalid. When I understood this, I was deeply shocked and traumatized. I felt as though all those years of effort had been meaningless.
I started correcting my mistakes in the recitation of the surah. But the shock was so strong that I began repeating my prayers out of fear that I was still reciting incorrectly. During the entire summer vacation, I often restarted my salah because even after practicing the recitation, I was convinced that I was still pronouncing certain words incorrectly.
At the same time, I kept learning new things about religion. For example, I discovered that the way I wore my hijab was not properly legislated. This also deeply disappointed me because I had already been wearing it for a year. Every time I learned something new, I discovered another mistake in my practice. And it never seemed to end.
Toward the end of the summer, another problem appeared. I learned that vaginal discharge invalidates wudu. This news once again disappointed me deeply. I had spent the whole summer trying to improve my prayer, and now I felt that all my efforts were useless because I had discharge. From that moment on, I started restarting my prayers very often because I regularly had vaginal discharge.
Around October, I discovered an opinion saying that vaginal discharge does not invalidate wudu. I felt immense relief. But that relief did not last long.
Shortly afterward, I learned that air bubbles coming from the anus invalidate wudu. Before that, I thought that only actual gas invalidated it. Since I often experienced these air bubbles, I began restarting my prayers again, sometimes up to five times for a single salah. I searched for solutions, but people said I was not considered excused because the air bubbles were not constant.
Over time, the situation became extremely difficult for me. Before every prayer, I was stressed. I slept less, lost weight, and became mentally exhausted.
On top of that, every month I kept learning new religious rulings. For example, I learned that the lower part beneath the chin (the double chin area) is part of the awrah. Every time I thought I was finally doing things correctly, I learned that there was still something else I was doing wrong, and it was often connected to prayer.
Little by little, my relationship with prayer became very complicated.
Eventually, my mother found medication for the issue with the air bubbles. This was about one week after the beginning of Ramadan. At that point, I had already been suffering for eight months since discovering that I had not been reciting Al-Fatiha correctly.
When I started taking the medication, the gas decreased. But another problem appeared: my faith began to weaken.
In reality, I think this weakening of faith had started long before. After constantly learning that many things I was doing were incorrect, I began to feel anger toward religion. I was also mentally exhausted from constantly restarting my prayers.
Then I started doubting. First, I doubted my own faith, then my intentions. During prayer, I would sometimes leave the salah because I was convinced that I no longer had the intention to pray. Sometimes I would leave and restart the prayer up to eight times.
Then the doubts reached an even deeper level: I started doubting Allah. This had never happened to me before.
At the same time, I had started philosophy classes. With everything I had gone through during those months, these new questions, the fact that I was reading less Qur’an and focusing mostly on recitation rules like Tajwid, I started developing real doubts.
At first, these doubts terrified me. I would sometimes wake up sweating, terrified that I was no longer Muslim. All of this happened within only three weeks from the start of Ramadan.
Toward the end of Ramadan, I continued praying. I read the Qur’an and tried to learn the names of Allah. But the difficulties continued. The medication I was taking was no longer working as effectively, so the gas sometimes came back during prayer. Because of this, I restarted my prayers again.
During Ramadan, I started leaving the salah because I was convinced that I no longer had the intention to pray.
Now it is May, and in almost all of my prayers, I restart the salah because I am convinced that I lost my intention. Sometimes it can take me one hour to complete a single prayer because my intention keeps “disappearing,” even while saying “Allahu Akbar.”
Now I feel like I no longer pray for Allah, but only to finish the prayer. I feel like I am becoming crazy. Sometimes I hit myself when I cannot keep the “correct” intention or when I feel it disappears. I cry constantly. It is so difficult that sometimes during prayer I feel like vomiting, which also pushes me to restart the prayer.
I cannot eat properly anymore. I go to the bathroom frequently because I am stressed. I shake a lot and I have a terrifying fear of salah.
As for my faith, I force myself to believe in Allah. But I feel as if I no longer believe in Him. I try to search for proofs that Islam is the truth, but nothing works anymore. I often repeat the shahada because it feels as if I apostatize through my thoughts many times during the day.
What is happening to me is horrible. Nothing in religion attracts me anymore. I do not even know why I am still Muslim.
Honestly, I need help. I cannot handle this anymore. In three weeks, it will have been one full year that I have been suffering like this.
I do not want to truly apostatize or lose my mind. And do i need to repeat salah when my intention broke ?
As-salamu 'alaykum,
I follow the Maliki school. At the end of my menstrual cycle, I observed total purity (complete dryness/tuhur). Consequently, I performed my Ghusl.
However, a few hours later, I noticed a small pinkish spot. I wiped a second time and saw another spot. By the third time, there was nothing. Later, after urinating, I noticed a tiny pinkish trace again. I should also mention that these pinkish spots appear specifically when I apply water to the area.
Important detail: I currently have a small local injury (a lesion or irritation) in that area. Therefore, I am in doubt: I do not know if these pinkish spots are a continuation of my menses (Hayd) or if they are coming from this injury.
My questions are as follows:
Given this doubt, how should I classify these spots according to the Maliki madhab? Are they considered Hayd (menstruation) or blood from the injury?
Is my initial Ghusl still valid, or must I repeat it as a precaution?
If the spotting originates from the injury, does it invalidate my ritual purity (Ghusl or Wudu)?"
As-salamu 'alaykum,
I follow the Maliki school. At the end of my menstrual cycle, I observed total purity (complete dryness/tuhur). Consequently, I performed my Ghusl.
However, a few hours later, I noticed a small pinkish spot. I wiped a second time and saw another spot. By the third time, there was nothing. Later, after urinating, I noticed a tiny pinkish trace again. I should also mention that these pinkish spots appear specifically when I apply water to the area.
Important detail: I currently have a small local injury (a lesion or irritation) in that area. Therefore, I am in doubt: I do not know if these pinkish spots are a continuation of my menses (Hayd) or if they are coming from this injury.
My questions are as follows:
Given this doubt, how should I classify these spots according to the Maliki madhab? Are they considered Hayd (menstruation) or blood from the injury?
Is my initial Ghusl still valid, or must I repeat it as a precaution?
If the spotting originates from the injury, does it invalidate my ritual purity (Ghusl or Wudu)?"
As-salamu 'alaykum,
I follow the Maliki school. At the end of my menstrual cycle, I observed total purity (complete dryness/tuhur). Consequently, I performed my Ghusl.
However, a few hours later, I noticed a small pinkish spot. I wiped a second time and saw another spot. By the third time, there was nothing. Later, after urinating, I noticed a tiny pinkish trace again. I should also mention that these pinkish spots appear specifically when I apply water to the area.
Important detail: I currently have a small local injury (a lesion or irritation) in that area. Therefore, I am in doubt: I do not know if these pinkish spots are a continuation of my menses (Hayd) or if they are coming from this injury.
My questions are as follows:
Given this doubt, how should I classify these spots according to the Maliki madhab? Are they considered Hayd (menstruation) or blood from the injury?
Is my initial Ghusl still valid, or must I repeat it as a precaution?
If the spotting originates from the injury, does it invalidate my ritual purity (Ghusl or Wudu)?"