Burping whilst reciting al-Faatihah does not invalidate prayer

16-2-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. I wanted to ask about burping whilst reciting the Faatihah during prayer. I was praying behind my imam when I felt the accumulation of gas in my throat. I ignored it and while I was reciting the Faatihah, I felt it release and even heard it. I was reciting the Faatihah not completely silently but with some sound, and the burp sounded with it. What is the ruling regarding this? Also, I previously asked a question that was given the no. 2586804. No answer has yet been given and I was worried that you might have forgotten about it.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It appears to us from your previous questions that you are afflicted with some sort of waswaas (obsessive whisperings), so we advise you to avoid them, repel them, and ignore them; this would be the beneficial treatment.

With regard to the burping that you mentioned whilst reciting al-Faatihah, then this does not invalidate your prayer and you are not obliged to repeat it.

Burping is something that happens to the human being sometimes, and one cannot avoid it.

The book Haashiyat Radd al-Muhtaar, authored by Ibn ‘Aabideen, reads, “Like in case of coughing, sneezing, or burping; it does not invalidate the prayer because it is hard to avoid it.”

So you should avoid (paying attention to) whisperings in the future because if you get carried away with them, they will cause you great difficulty.

Allaah knows best.