1st November 2021
Question: Is my Salāh valid if my baby whose passed stool in his nappy comes and sits on my lap? Like sometimes he will pass stool whilst I’m in Salah. If he comes to me, I try to make him move away but he starts crying and will not move. Is my Salah valid?
الجواب حامداً و مصلياً
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The case of determining the validity of the Salāh if a child with a soiled nappy sits on the lap of the person praying Salāh – musalli – depends on to whom the impurity is attributed; the child or to the musalli. Typically, the one carrying the najasat is the one to whom the najasat is attributed. Attributing the najasat to the child however depends on its ability to support themselves or not. If such a child sitting on the musalli’s lap is not able to sit upright by themselves without any support such as a baby then the najasat will be attributed to the mussalli. This means that his or her Salāh becomes invalid but only if the child sits throughout the duration of completing one rukn (part of Salāh) or more e.g. one sajdah or one complete sitting. Sitting less than a rukn like for a few seconds or so and the mussali instantly removes the child (but in a manner that does not involve excessive movement) then the Salāh does not break. If on the other hand, the child is old enough to be able to sit upright and support themselves then the najasat is attributed to the child and not to the musalli. In this case the musalli’s Salāh will remain valid no matter how long the child sits with a soiled nappy.[1]
You mentioned that at times your child passes stool whilst you are in Salah. Again it depends on the child’s ability to support themselves or not as described above. What you must make sure is that no impurity leaks out of the nappy otherwise if it does and stains your clothes then if the stain is equivalent to 50p (or £2) coin in size then your Salah becomes invalid but if less than that then your Salah remains intact.
[Allāh Knows Best]
Written by: Apa Sajeda Reviewed by: Mufti Abdul Waheed
Attested by: Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam
JKN Fatawa Department
[1] Durrul Mukhtār wa hashiyah Ibn Ābideen Shāmi, Kitābul Salaah, Bābu Shuroot Alsalah, vol 1 p. 402
(قوله وثوبه) أراد ما لابس البدن، فدخل القلنسوة والخف والنعل ط عن الحموي (قوله وكذا ما) أي شيء متصل به يتحرك بحركته كمنديل طرفه على عنقه وفي الآخر نجاسة مانعة إن تحرك موضع النجاسة بحركات الصلاة منع وإلا، بخلاف ما لم يتصل كبساط طرفه نجس وموضع الوقوف والجبهة طاهر فلا يمنع مطلقا أفاده ح عن الشرنبلالي (قوله كصبي) أي وكسقف وظلة وخيمة نجسة تصيب رأسه إذا وقف (قوله إن لم يستمسك) الأولى حذف إن وجوابها لأنه تمثيل للمحمول، فحق التعبير أن يقول كصبي عليه نجس لا يستمسك بنفسه ط (قوله وإلا لا).
Fatawa Hindiyya, Kitābul Salaah, Bābu Shuroot Alsalah , vol 1 p. 63
إذا وضع في حجر المصلي الصبي الغير المستمك وعليه نجاسة مانعة إن لم يمكث قدر ما أمكنه أداء ركن لا تفسد صلاته وإن مكث تفسد بخلاف ما لو استمسك وإن طال مكثه وكذا الحمامة المتنجسة إذا جلست عليه. هكذا في الخلاصة وفتح القدير.
وكذا الجنب والمحدث إذا حمله المصلي جازت صلاته. كذا في السراج الوهاج.
Ibn Nujaym, Bahr Rāiq, Kitāb al-taharah, Bāb Shuroot Alsalah, vol 1 p. 281
وفي الظهيرية الصبي إذا كان ثوبه نجسا أو هو نجس فجلس على حجر المصلي وهو يستمسك أو الحمام النجس إذا وقع على رأس المصلي وهو يصلي كذلك جازت الصلاة