Back to search

What is the ruling on one who prayed while in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah), being embarrassed by those around him?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Whoever prays knowing that he is in a state of major ritual impurity (janābah) has committed a great sin. He must repent, seek forgiveness, and repeat the prayer after purification, because purification is a condition for the validity of prayer. Allah Almighty says: "And if you are in a state of janābah, then purify yourselves." And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Allah does not accept a prayer without purification." It is not permissible for a Muslim to abandon purification due to embarrassment from people, as that is not an excuse. Some scholars have explicitly stated that whoever intentionally prays without ablution (wudu') has committed an act of disbelief.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy