Does speech due to pain in prayer invalidate the Salah ?

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Question
Assalamualaikum respected Imam, if one is sore, or ill, or old, and groans in pain during postural changes in the prayer, is his prayer broken? What if he makes an audible sound like “aie” or “ow”? What if he says “alhamdulillah”? JazakAllahu khayran.

Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.

The Principle of Speech in Salah

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed this prayer is not suitable for the speech of people; rather it is tasbih, takbir, and recitation of Qur’an.” (Muslim). Based on this, the fuqaha agreed that deliberate, intentional speech of human words unrelated to prayer invalidates the salah.

The usul principle is: “Al-‘ibadat mabniyyah ‘ala al-hadhar” — acts of worship are built upon restriction, and one cannot introduce into them what is not legislated. But involuntary or non-deliberate actions are excused.

1. Groaning or Sounds of Pain

  • If a sick, elderly, or injured person groans or lets out sounds such as “ah” or “ow” due to pain, this is not considered intentional speech and does not invalidate the prayer.
  • The scholars differentiated between words that form clear, deliberate meaning and involuntary sounds. Ibn Qudamah said in al-Mughni: “If he groans or sighs without forming words, his prayer is not invalidated.”

2. Audible Expressions Like “aie” or “ow”

  • If the sound is a natural reflex of pain, not a chosen utterance of speech, then it is excused.
  • If a person intentionally speaks in a way that resembles normal conversation, this would invalidate the salah.

3. Saying “Alhamdulillah”

  • If said deliberately, this counts as speech outside the prayer and invalidates it.
  • If said instinctively, such as upon sneezing, many scholars excused it because it is not speech directed to others but a spontaneous dhikr. Al-Nawawi mentioned that if someone sneezes and says “alhamdulillah” out of habit, his prayer remains valid, though the more complete adab is to refrain.
  • Principle: “Al-mashaqqah tajlibu al-taysir” — hardship brings facilitation. For the ill and elderly, involuntary groans are overlooked.

Final Ruling

  • Groaning or natural sounds of pain in salah do not invalidate it.
  • Audible sounds like “aie” or “ow” are excused if they occur naturally without intent.
  • Saying “alhamdulillah” instinctively upon sneezing does not break the prayer, though one should avoid deliberate additions.

Thus, the prayer remains valid in all these cases unless the person intentionally speaks words unrelated to the salah.

And Allah knows best.