Laughing and smiling in prayer: what the scholars reported
Question
Does laughing invalidate the prayer? What is the ruling on smiling? And must one who laughed repeat?
Introduction
This page gathers the texts of the two shaykhs from their official pages on laughing and smiling in prayer.
Each statement is attributed to its author without preference from the site.
Laughing and smiling according to Ibn Baz
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz
هل التبسم في الصلاة يفسدها؟ — فتوى ٨٧٤٩- Question
«أخيراً يسأل ويقول: هل التبسم في الصلاة يفسدها؟»
English translation (unreviewed): Finally he asks and says: Does smiling in prayer invalidate it?
- From the text of the answer
«ليس يفسدها لا يفسدها، التبسم لا يفسدها، لكن الضحك يفسدها، الضحك الذي له صوت الذي يظهر له صوت هذا يفسدها، وهكذا الكلام إذا تعمد الكلام وهو يعلم تحريمه أفسدها. نعم.»
English translation (unreviewed): It does not invalidate it; smiling does not invalidate it, but laughing invalidates it — laughter that has a sound, which audibly shows, this invalidates it. And likewise speech, if he deliberately speaks knowing it is forbidden, invalidates it. Yes.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz
حكم الضحك في الصلاة — فتوى ١٨٦٩١- Question
«يسأل سماحتكم عن حكم الضحك في الصلاة، وهل من ضحك في الصلاة هل عليه إعادة؟»
English translation (unreviewed): He asks your eminence about the ruling on laughing in prayer, and whether one who laughed in prayer has to repeat it?
- From the text of the answer
«الضحك في الصلاة يبطلها إجماعًا بإجماع أهل العلم، إذا ضحك في الصلاة بطلت، وهكذا لو تكلم عمدًا؛ بطلت صلاته إلا إذا كان جاهلًا أو ناسيًا، فلا تبطل الصلاة بالكلام الناسي وكلام الجاهل، لكن الضحك يبطلها؛ لأنه تلاعب بها تلاعب وسخرية، نسأل الله العافية.»
English translation (unreviewed): Laughing in prayer invalidates it by consensus, by the consensus of the scholars; if one laughs in prayer it is invalidated. Likewise if he speaks deliberately his prayer is invalid, unless he is ignorant or forgetful, for the prayer is not invalidated by the speech of the forgetful or the ignorant; but laughing invalidates it, because it is toying with it, toying and mockery. We ask Allah for well-being.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz
هل من ضحك في الصلاة عليه إعادة؟ — من برنامج نور على الدرب. (مجموع فتاوى ومقالات الشيخ ابن باز ٢٩/٣٤٨).- From the text of the answer
«ما حكم الضحك في الصلاة، وهل من ضحك في الصلاة، هل عليه إعادة؟ الجواب: الضحك في الصلاة يبطلها بإجماع أهل العلم، فإذا ضحك في الصلاة بطلت، وهكذا لو تكلم عمدًا بطلت صلاته، إلا إذا كان ناسيًا أو جاهلاً فلا تبطل صلاة الناسي والجاهل، لكن الضحك يبطل مطلقًا؛ لأنه استخفاف بالصلاة وتهاون بها [١] .»
English translation (unreviewed): What is the ruling on laughing in prayer, and does one who laughs in prayer have to repeat it? Answer: Laughing in prayer invalidates it by the consensus of the scholars; if one laughs in prayer it is invalidated. Likewise if he speaks deliberately his prayer is invalid, unless he is forgetful or ignorant, for the prayer of the forgetful and the ignorant is not invalidated; but laughing invalidates it absolutely, because it is disrespect for the prayer and carelessness about it [1].
Laughing in prayer according to Ibn al-'Uthaymin
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymin
هل تبطل الصلاة الإمام بالضحك وما حال المأمومين ؟ — محتوى ١٢٣٢١- Question
«أحسن الله إليكم. إذا ضحك الإمام في صلاة النفل هل تبطل صلاة المأمومين؟»
English translation (unreviewed): May Allah do good to you. If the imam laughs in a voluntary prayer, are the followers' prayers invalidated?
- From the text of the answer
«الشيخ: على كل حال إذا ضحك الإمام في صلاة الفريضة أو النافلة بطلت صلاته، فيتم المأموم المأمومون صلاتهم وحدهم، وعليه هو أن يعيد صلاته من أول. نعم.»
English translation (unreviewed): The Shaykh: In any case, if the imam laughs in the obligatory prayer or the voluntary prayer, his prayer is invalidated; the followers complete their prayer on their own, and he must repeat his prayer from the beginning. Yes.
Differences in views and wording (not merged)
- Two statements of Ibn Baz: in 8749 'smiling does not invalidate it but laughter that has a sound invalidates it', and in 18691 'laughing in prayer invalidates it by consensus'; each is in its own words in the original answer. And in 12321 Ibn al-'Uthaymin said that if the imam laughs his prayer is invalidated.
What is not attributed to anyone
- Not yet searched: the Permanent Committee (its official site requires a browser and automated verification), al-Fawzan, al-Albani and the other scholars listed in the scholars registry; the page is limited to Ibn Baz and Ibn al-'Uthaymin.
Questions that need a shaykh
- What is the difference between smiling, laughing and loud laughter in the ruling according to each shaykh? — Needs specialist review
Sources
- Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz — هل التبسم في الصلاة يفسدها؟
فتوى ٨٧٤٩
Open the original source ↗ - Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz — حكم الضحك في الصلاة
فتوى ١٨٦٩١
Open the original source ↗ - Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz — هل من ضحك في الصلاة عليه إعادة؟
من برنامج نور على الدرب. (مجموع فتاوى ومقالات الشيخ ابن باز ٢٩/٣٤٨).
Open the original source ↗ - Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymin — هل تبطل الصلاة الإمام بالضحك وما حال المأمومين ؟
محتوى ١٢٣٢١
Open the original source ↗
The original pages carry no dates for the fatwas. Quotations are short and attributed; the original is the link. Titles of the original pages are shown in Arabic.