Having An Epileptic Fit/Seizure During Salaah
Question
A person has epilepsy. With epilepsy, you also get a silent seizure, where a person goes unconscious for a short period of time. They become completely unaware of their surroundings.
Once this person was reading his Maghrib Salaah with Jamaat in the Masjid. The next day another Musalli told him that he did the following in his Salaah:
In the 2nd Rakaat after Tashahud, he just sat and didn’t stand up for the 3rd Rakaat. When the Imaam, came down for Qadatul Akhirah, his seizure stopped and he completed the Salaah as normal. He is completely unaware of this occurring.
So based on this:
Is his Salaah valid?
In this case, someone informed him about it, what will the status of his Salaah be if no one tells him, because as stated he becomes completely unaware of their surroundings?
Answer
He will have to repeat his wudhu and Salaah. If the time of that Salaah expired, he will haveto make Qadha.
In principle, unconsciousness nullifies the wudhu and the Salaah. However, in the enquired scenario, if he is not told by anyone nor does he remember himself becoming unconscious due to which he believes that he performed Salaah as normal with all its requisites, there is not reason to believe that his salaah is invalid. Once he is told by someone or remembers himself becoming unconscious, he will have to repeat the Salaah because his Salaah was invalid.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
بقي من المفسدات ارتداد بقلبه وموت وجنون وإغماء، وكل موجب لوضوء أو غسل. قال ابن عابدين (قوله وجنون وإغماء فإذا أفاق في الوقت وجب أداؤها، وبعده يجب القضاء ما لم يزد الجنون والإغماء على يوم وليلة كما سيأتي في آخر صلاة المريض
رد المحتار على الدر المختار» ٦٢٩/١
سعيد ولو أن رجلا أم قوما شهرين ثم قال: قد كان في ثوبي قذر فعلى القوم أن يصدقوه ويعيدوا صلاتهم؛ لأنه أخبر بأمر من أمور الدين وخبر الواحد في أمر الدين حجة يجب العمل بها إلا أن يكون ماجنا فحينئذ لا يصدق؛ لأن خبره في أمور الدين غير مقبول إذا كان ماجنا، والذي يسبق إلى الأوهام أنه يكذب في خبره على قصد الإضرار بالقوم لمعنى دخله من جهتهم والماجن هو الفاسق
المبسوط للسرخسي ۱۰۲/۲ دار المعرفة – بيروت
وخبر الواحد حجة في أمور الدين إذا كان المخبر مسلماً عدلاً
«المحيط البرهاني – في العمل بخبر الواحد ٢٨٥/٥ دار الكتب العلمية
- Approved by
- Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
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