child with impure clothes sits on a person praying

Question:

If I am praying and a one year old kid comes and sits in the lap while in I'm in the tashahhud position or he holds my leg while I am in the standing position, would this affect the validity of my salat considering that the child most likely has filth in their diaper/nappy?

Would the ruling change if the child is unable to walk unaided? For example, when the child is say about 10 months old, he/she would normally not walk but if the child is 18 months old, he she would most likely be walking unassisted.

JazakAllah

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Name

In principle, if a child has impurity on his clothes or in his diaper and without being assisted by anyone he sits, climbs or clings on a person who is offering salat, the salat of the person will be valid, as in this case the impurity on the child will be attributed to the child and will not be connected to the person offering salat.

However, if the child sits, climbs or clings on him assisted by him (the person praying) or by someone else, his salat will not be valid, as the impurity on the child will be attributed to the person offering salat and it will be as though this person is carrying something with impurity on it in salat.

Hence, the answer to your question is that if the child comes and sits on your lap by himself or he clings on your leg himself without you or anyone else assisting him, your salat will be valid; otherwise, if he sits on your lap or he clings on your leg while being assisted by you or someone else, your salat will not be valid.

في المحيط البرهاني: وفي "متفرقات" الشيخ الإمام أبي جعفر رحمه الله: لو أن رجلا صلى ومعه صبي، وعلى الصبي ثياب نجسة وهو يركب عليه ويعلوه إذا سجد، فإن كان الصبي يستمسك بنفسه وهو الذي يركبه فإنّ صلاته معه تجوز ؛ وإن كان لا يستمسك بنفسه ويحتاج إلى من يمسكه عليه فصلاته فاسدة ( المحيط البرهاني: 2 / 278 ، إدارة القرآن )

وفي شروط الصلاة من تنوير الأبصار: هي طهارة بدنه من حدث وخبث وثوبه ؛ وفي الدر المختار: وكذا ما يتحرك بحركته أو يعد حاملا له كصبي عليه نجس إن لم يستمسك بنفسه منع وإلا لا ؛ وفي الشامي: ( 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 ) أي وإن كان يستمسك بنفسه لا يمنع لأن حمل النجاسة حينئذ ينسب إليه لا إلى المصلي ... ( وبعد أسطر ) ... ويؤيده ما في البحر عن الظهيرية : لو جلس على المصلي صبي ثوبه نجس وهو يستمسك بنفسه أو حمام نجس جازت صلاته لأن الذي على المصلي مستعمل للنجس ، فلم يصر المصلي حاملا للنجاسة ا هـ ( رد المحتار : 2 / 91 ، دار المعرفة )

And Allah knows best.

Mufti Faizal Riza
12/3/2012
Darul Ifta Australia
www.fatwa.org.au

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