QUESTION:
I was reading my Fardh Salaah at home because I couldn’t make it to the Masjid for some reason. After I started the Salaah I had to break it because I had to open the house gate for some visitors that were waiting to exit. I had just started the Salaah, so if I had to wait to complete it, it would have inconvenienced them, hence I broke the Salaah. Was it permissible to break the Salaah in such circumstances? When resuming the Salaah, should I have made Niyyah of the Salaah as normal or would it classified as Qadhaa due to breaking the Salaah?
ANSWER:
It is incorrect to break one’s Salaah without a valid Shari’ee excuse after commencing the Salaah. Yes, it is Waajib to break one’s Salaah in some instances such as when one fears loss of one’s life, or loss of one’s belongings, or fear of one’s child, or to save a drowning person or a burning person, etc. [Re: Fataawa Darul Uloom Zakariyya Vol:2 Pg:765]. In the queried scenario, it was not correct to break the Salaah as opening the gate for guests is not a valid reason to terminate Salaah.
If you repeated the Salaah within the Salaah time, then you should make Niyyah of performing the Fardh of Zuhr or the Asr of the day, and if you are performing Salaah after the time, then you should make intention of Qadhaa.
وَيَجِبُ الْقَطْعُ لِنَحْوِ إنْجَاءِ غَرِيقٍ أَوْ حَرِيقٍ. وَلَوْ دَعَاهُ أَحَدُ أَبَوَيْهِ فِي الْفَرْضِ لَا يُجِيبُهُ إلَّا أَنْ يَسْتَغِيثَ بِهِ. وَفِي النَّفْلِ إنْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَدَعَاهُ لَا يُجِيبُهُ وَإِلَّا أَجَابَهُ (قَائِمًا) لِأَنَّ الْقُعُودَ مَشْرُوطٌ لِلتَّحَلُّلِ، وَهَذَا قَطْعٌ لَا تَحَلُّلٌ، وَيَكْتَفِي (بِتَسْلِيمَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ) (حاشية ابن عابدين ج٢ص٥١))
ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Maulana Ahmed Saeed
Date: 13 Dhul Qa’dah 1445 / 22 May 2024
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai Saheb