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What invalidates salah?

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Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah· تقي الدين أحمد بن تيميةClassical Scholar

Majmū' al-Fatāwā

Majmū'' al-Fatāwā 22/611–625

The salah is invalidated by anything which the Lawgiver has made a condition for its validity falling away during the prayer, or by an act foreign to it which the Lawgiver has prohibited. From these: (1) deliberate speech that is not part of the prayer; (2) loud laughter (audible to those near you); (3) eating or drinking deliberately; (4) excessive movement that is not from the prayer (three or more consecutive movements not needed); (5) breaking wudu'' (passing wind, urine, stool, deep sleep, etc.); (6) deliberately leaving any pillar or condition such as the takbiratul-ihram, qira''ah of al-Fatiha, ruku'', sujud, or the final tashahhud; (7) facing away from the qiblah without excuse; (8) major impurity (janabah) occurring during prayer; (9) intentionally adding a pillar — such as an extra ruku'' or sujud — knowing it is forbidden; (10) the entry of riddah (apostasy) into the heart in the form of disbelief during the prayer. Forgetfulness in any of the above involves sujud as-sahw, not invalidation, in cases where the Sunnah has clarified.

Key Takeaway

Speech, laughter, eating, breaking wudu, or omitting a pillar invalidates the prayer. Forgetfulness has its own remedy in sujud as-sahw.

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